Written by Eli Mattingly – Journalism Staff Reporter
The Allatoona basketball team needs no introduction, but I will give them one anyway. The boys’ team is coached by the incredible Mr. Chad Phillips, and the girls by the devoted Mr. James Bouyer. These dedicated coaches put their hearts and souls into their teams, and it clearly shows. The rapport and synergy these teams build with one another is quite the inspiring sight. But the immense work put into the teams often goes under appreciated to the public eye. So, this article will detail the work, dedication, and sacrifice both the coaches and players put into this incredible sport.
Tryouts for both teams occur at the end of October, and the coaches watch closely to examine who has the talent and athleticism to be on the team, and unfortunately, not everyone can fit that profile, so cuts are made. It is a grueling day for both the people trying out and for the coaches making the decisions. But this is only a precursor of what goes into both teams’ practices. The coaches hammer down on fundamentals, put their respective teams through exhausting conditioning, and work on perfecting implementation on both offense and defense. This is also when the game plan of how to properly approach playing against the upcoming team, determining the various rosters, and depth charts that will compose the game is developed. This careful planning and adherence to consistency with practice does pay dividends. The boys team currently has six wins, and the girls have five. But they are not letting up any time soon. The boys and girls are working tirelessly to make playoffs and eke out a few more wins.
The effort that each player puts in to get as good as they are is inspiring, but the work and devotion the coaches have deserves the same, if not even greater, praise. As the head coach, Coach Phillips is in charge of the entire program. Managing the youth, middle school, and high school programs. This is incredibly time consuming and demanding work, but it does not come without its rewards. It never gets old for Coach Phillips to see young Bucs in the gym, ready to work hard for the sport they enjoy. The same can be said about the girls coach, Coach Bouyer. Coach Bouyer may not run the entire program like Coach Phillips, but that does not mean he puts any less hard work into making sure the girls are practicing the best they can, and having a phenomenal time while doing so. The coaches determine the depth charts, defensive and offensive schemes, and the scouting procedures, but they are also excellent role models, and teachers for both on and off the court.
The basketball teams here at Allatoona truly are shining examples of dedication and hard work. Basketball is a difficult sport to get acquainted with at first, but once you become efficient in the fundamentals and technique, it is both rewarding and just plain fun. Coach Bouyer says that trying out for the team is an extremely worthwhile thing to do, as the teamwork and companion ship skills you will develop are invaluable things to learn in life. Coach Phillips encourages anyone interested in the in the sport to try out for the summer program. The Team Captain of the boys’ team Cole Smith says that he is extremely glad he chose to play this year, as he got to experience the growth of both himself and his teammate Landen [Pitts]. They have played with one another since they were kids, and now they are the team captains. Both coaches agree that the best thing about what they do is seeing their players grow and develop both their skills as players and people. This is a phenomenal opportunity to really show others, and even yourself what you are capable of. If an incredible experience like this sounds like something too good to pass on, then mark the next tryouts on your calendar. The coaches would love to see what you’ve got.
