Deck the halls with McBasketball

The return of McBasketball happens right before Winter Break

SHARP SHOOTER – During tryouts, senior Sophie Smith finishes the 3 man passing drill with a wide open shot.

Katie Romhilt, Photography Editor
December 25, 2020

Just two weeks before winter break, McLean basketball teams returned for their annual tryouts. Taking place Dec. 7-9, the team was excited to be back together and working out.

“COVID-19 cancelled many of the tournaments that I planned to play in this summer,” senior Nate Legg said. “[Which is why] getting back to basketball is especially exciting this year.”

This year, the season comes with a lot of precautions due to COVID-19. The teams are not allowed to use the locker rooms and masks are required whenever they’re not actively exercising.

Leading up to this season, Green days were very different. For the boys team, they weren’t able to have any.

For the girls team, they were able to have green days.

“Green Days have been mostly conditioning,” junior Piper Tedrow said. “Since we can’t train indoors yet, but for the actual season we will be indoors.”

That being said, to prepare for this season, all the players had to take it into their own hands.

“I have a basketball hoop at my house, so before the season started I spent a lot of time just shooting around,” junior Zach Reid said. “I also played in a fall league which I got good playing time in before the season started.”

Like Reid, sophomore Jeremy Jeannot also had to accommodate for the lack of Green Days.

“I practiced on my own and with a couple of my friends during the off-season,” sophomore Jeremy Jeannot said. “It was important for me to do this so that I could have a good season and hopefully be a starter.”

At tryouts, safety precautions were not taken lightly. There are temperature and symptom checks before you enter the building, masks must be worn until your playing, and all the equipment is sanitized in between drills.

Still, there are no promises of a season.

“We still may not have a season [or one comparable to previous ones], but if we do play I’m most excited to be playing again and have that sense of normalcy again with high school sports,” Tedrow said.