The basketball season is coming to an end, and there are goals to be met, goals that have been met, and other activities happening on the court for the Knights. “We enter every season with a goal to compete for a Conference and Regional championship. We intentionally schedule very difficult competition in order to push us and better prepare us for the end of the season,” said varsity coach Todd Grunloh. “Although there will always be ups and downs throughout the course of a season, we know that these challenging games will make us a much tougher team.”
Compared to the beginning of the season, the team has improved on their chemistry on and off the court. With new players coming to the varsity team this year, new relationships are being built between players.
“This season is really different because we’re starting to communicate better. We have juniors that have been on the team for two to three years together now, and we’re finally getting into a groove. We also have a sophomore Tony Heinz, who is a great addition to the varsity team. We have never had all these skills at the same time where we can be so powerful, and that’s huge for us,” said junior Ray Shoemaker.
This season also holds different challenges for the team. Holding second place in conference entails many exciting things for the team as they approach Regionals and Sectionals.
“We are currently in second place in conference, so there are a great deal of things to look forward to. This is the most balanced conference that I have ever seen at Grayslake North, which provides us with unique challenges every single night. Conference games will be played with a great deal on the line, which makes every one of them enjoyable to participate in,” Grunloh said.
Although there have been successful moments this season, there have also been some setbacks. With the loss of three seniors, one of them being a starter, there have been some modifications to the starting line-up and game strategy.
“Being the captain of varsity now that my brother has graduated has been a challenge. I have to lead my teammates in the right way and be a good example and make sure that everyone is on top of their game,” Connolly said.
Throughout the season, there are various numbers of teams that the Knights must engage against. Each team is different and has a different strategy that the team must be prepared to face.
“I look out for all teams, but I definitely look out for Grayslake Central and Grant because Central is our rival of course and Grant is top in our conference, so we have to go after them,” said junior Jamon Thomas.
“This season is really different because we’re starting to communicate better. We have juniors that have been on the team for two to three years together now, and we’re finally getting into a groove. We also have a sophomore Tony Heinz, who is a great addition to the varsity team. We have never had all these skills at the same time where we can be so powerful, and that’s huge for us,” said junior Ray Shoemaker. In this season, there have been certain moments that stand out to the team. One of these moments was their win against Wauconda.
“As a team, our most outstanding moment has been Wauconda. We were down the whole game, and the fourth quarter we told ourselves there is no way we’re losing this game, and eventually we came back from a 16 point deficit and won,” Thomas said. ”The most outstanding moment for me has been at Round Lake because many people don’t see them as a good opponent, but they actually are, and I feel like in that game I really showcased my scoring, passing and defensive talents.”