Starting their season off scrimmaging against Legacy, Pachal on Saturday, Nov. 3, the Timber Creek Basketball team begins the year with brand new players taking the courts by storm. With veteran seniors graduating during the 2017-2018 school year, the program looks to turnout a fresh perspective and younger group of athletes, though still presenting the same game-winning and constantly improving mentality.
Taking on the game as if a full time job, senior and varsity shooting guard, Tyler Rix, dedicates both his time in school as well as out of school improving, playing for the Amateur Athletic Union during the summer, building his talent for the next season. Playing ever since he was little, he focuses each workout on bettering for the next, learning to power through each obstacle the team faces in order to be successful.
“It takes a lot of commitment to play basketball in high school,” said Rix. “Our mentality [this year] is that we are going to be the tougher team. We like to get after people and aggravate teams. The mission this year is to be relentless with every team that we play.”
Deriving the team mostly from juniors, the young team faces off district competitors who will prove to be the team’s top challengers, like Denton Guyer High School, the fourth best team in the nation. Other teammates, like athlete Roger Gonzalez, view the game for it’s personal impact, channeling these life lessons both on the court and off.
“This team is different because we don’t have as many seniors as we normally do, we’re all mostly juniors,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been playing for almost 11 years…working hard every day whether it’s in the weight room or on the court. [Basketball has] taught me how to work hard and push through when things get tough.”
The team will be facing LD Bell on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at Timber Creek, with junior varsity playing at 6:30 p.m., and varsity competing at 8 p.m.