By John Raffel
Correspondent
LAWRENCE — Noah Wiswary will be coaching a Lawrence boys basketball team which he is confident can have a lot of success this season.
“Last year we did not win many games on paper. However we were able to begin the process of changing the culture. We were able to win a few games down the stretch and in the tournament which gave us a positive step into this year,” he said. “We lost some key guys last year with Jose Hernandez, Dillon Simpson, David Miller, and Aiden Lowe. I credit those guys a lot for starting the process of changing a culture. They accepted that there needed to be change and worked really hard to set up future success for the classes that will follow them..
“We return two starters from last year in Alex Gardner and Gabe Doorlag. We will look to them to fill a big role this year. We also have a promising group of young players moving up who have really impressed us. They’ve put in time in the offseason, they come to practice ready to learn, and they’ve shown a level of coachability that makes a huge difference in our program.”
Overall, what Wiswary expects from his players is to operate as one unit.
“That means trusting each other, playing for each other, and putting the team above individual goals,” he said. “If we commit to being connected—on the court, in practice, and throughout the season—we’ll give ourselves the chance to compete every single night. Our success will come from our togetherness, our effort, and our willingness to play as a true team.
“I expect us to get better every day. We strive to be process-oriented, and I firmly believe that if we commit to doing things the right way, the results will take care of themselves. I think our strengths are the camaraderie, effort, and heart of these kids. The X’s and O’s don’t matter if you don’t have a team that wants to work hard every day—and I believe that’s exactly what we have. I also think we can be extremely balanced.”
Wiswary added: “We need to work on continuing to get better. We do not want
this to be a roller coaster type season we want to be a team that got better every
game no matter what the scoreboard says.
“Our conference is very strong. I would assume Centreville, Cassok polis, Bloomingdale, Hartford, and Comstock will all be up there as favorites. I think we can compete with anybody as long as we play hard, smart, and together. If we can do those three things all season it should be a fun year.”
