Last year, the Emerson Boys Basketball team finished with a record of 05- 21, and the playoffs were cut short due to the coronavirus. The previous seasons, the boys team has finished above 500, which means the team won more games than they lost, which is a great accomplishment to have. This upcoming season will be huge for the boys, as it will hopefully show how they will come back from last year. 

Last season, for basically 90 percent of the year, the basketball teams did not have to worry about the coronavirus at the time. But, unfortunately for this season the team will need to deal with the complications of the coronavirus. This is scary for the basketball team because if one player on the team gets the virus, then there is a huge chance that the season could get canceled and nobody will be able to play in the 2020-2021 season. If a player on the team gets in contact with somebody with the virus, then just the players will not be able to come in contact with the team for two full weeks or more. 

The head coach for the boys varsity team, Coach Ziemba states, ¨This year is going to be completely different from last year. We are going to have different leaders, different routines, warmups, everything. Even during half time, I just feel like we were not prepared for last year, and this year we will be.¨ 

Instead of playing 25-28 games this season, the basketball team will only be playing 10-12 games this year. This is a huge drop from previous years, as the seniors this year will be playing each game this year like it is their last.

The energy will not be the same as well, just like the past few years. Due to some complications of the coronavirus, the boys team will have limited or no fans in the stands this year which will be a huge disadvantage for both teams playing against each other. There will be no such thing as home court advantage and Cavo Crazies most likely will not be able to show out during the games this year. It does not matter what sport athletes play, who would not want fans cheering for your tea, it gives you motivation to play better.

This year’s team will be led by seniors Gianni Mandile, Jimmy Csapo, and Dillon Buono, with also a strong junior class including Thomas Gibbard, Khalid Itani, and Thomas Trimble. 

What really showed on the court last year was the lack of defense and communication on the floor for the Cavos. This year, the Cavos seek to win as many games as possible as a team and hopefully win the league championship, as there will be no state playoffs this year. The season will be completely different this year. Teams will need to follow the Covid procedures and it will take everyone a little time to get used to, but athletes should be very happy that they get the opportunity to play during this tough time.