After an up-and-down season in which they won six out of 20 games, members of the Montezuma-Cortez basketball team have been working hard to improve. Since March, team members have been lifting weights, participating in open gyms and competing in team camps. While it is still too early to tell whether the hard work will translate into wins in the always-difficult Southwest League, the team’s commitment to offseason training is certainly a step in the right direction.
During the glory years of M-CHS basketball, open gyms oozed competitiveness and intensity. Teammates competed with one another for any rebound and every loose ball. In doing so, players improved their overall skill-sets each summer. In recent years however, open gyms changed. Players competed with far less intensity and the team steadily regressed as a result.
This summer, the boys’ basketball program has been diligently working to restore open gyms to what they once were. After many weeks, players are beginning to see improvements.
Our open gyms have been very competitive,” said up and coming junior, Konnar McGee. “We are really focusing on improving our fundamentals while playing inter-squad scrimmages. We are doing a great job of pushing one another to get better.”
In addition to participating in open gyms, the M-CHS boys’ basketball team recently attended two team camps. The first of those camps was held at Fort Lewis College June 5-7. Overall, the team played well, winning four of their six games.
“I was very happy with the way we played at the Fort Lewis Camp,” said head coach Cory Gropp. “Last year, the team did not win a game at the camp, so for them to come in and walk away with four wins was huge.”
“The Fort Lewis camp went really well,” echoed McGee. “Our ball movement and our defense really improved throughout the camp. Our team is getting much better at playing team defense and sharing the ball.”
The second camp that the team participated in was the Bill Self Basketball Camp held in Lawrence, Kan. Although the team lost all seven games that they played, Gropp was pleased with some of the things that he saw.
“Our first game at the Bill Self camp was against a team that finished third in Kansas’ 6A high school division last year,” explained Gropp. “We lost by 14 points, but I was very impressed with our 2-3 zone defense. I’m guessing we forced more than 20 turnovers.”
“Going to Kansas was an awesome experience,” stated McGee. “Playing basketball against better competition and big schools in Kansas was very beneficial. Even though we did not get any wins, our play improved and our team bonded.”
As far as Gropp is concerned, the M-CHS program is moving in the right direction.
“We are improving,” said Gropp. “The [Bill Self] camp was a wake-up call. It really helped the boys realize that they have to be in the gym consistently if they want to be successful.”
“It’s very important to work in the offseason,” reiterated McGee. “We have to improve during the summer if we are going to stay competitive in our league. (High school basketball) takes a lot of commitment, but I think that all the hard work is going to pay off.”
Ultimately, the future success of the M-CHS boys basketball program will be directly proportional to how much time players spend in the gym during the offseason. So far this summer, the team appears to be moving in a good direction. So long as players continue to dedicate time to the game, the future of M-CHS boys’ basketball could be bright.