As basketball season picks up, the pressure is on. For Mikey Cruthird a sophomore and first year North town student he feels the difference in schools. “Some different things are the team culture, we feel more together, and I feel like the team is going to do some big things this year. Though I like my last school, this school feels more like a family,” said Cruthird.

“I’m very confident in my ability to be a leader on the court, control the pace of the game, and handle pressure. It all starts with the one with the ball in their hands,” said Cruthird.

Admir Jusic, a senior on the team, finds that the most important thing for great teamwork is one of the simples of things. “Communication and just playing as hard as we can,” said Jusic.

For Deng Deng, a senior, some of the most anticipated games this season are against Staley and Oak Park with both being tough teams to play against.

For Malik Minton the transition from sophomore year to junior has been a step up. “I picked up a couple pounds in weight, I grew mentally, and grew my confidence,” said Minton.

Coach Fritz’s expectations are high for this season, “It’s going to take some time, so we’ll have to figure out where everybody’s at, we’re all going to compete for playing time and it’ll play out during practice,” Fritz said.

“You know, always going very optimistic, I think we have a chance to win every game we play, we’d like to win our league and win districts,” Fritz said.