High school grants you the opportunity to make friendships that will last a lifetime, along with the memories that come with those friendships. Sports can provide a foundation to build friendships upon that aid the players to have an even more successful season. One of Grant’s sophomore basketball players explains how not only school sports but also the bonds he made with his teammates affect his life on and off the court. 

 Having the pressure of attempting to win a game becomes significantly less stressful when you’re playing with a group of people you can truly call your friends. Pryde Mendoza from the sophomore basketball team believes that  “a team is a family where you all strive to achieve the same goal, but during the process of achieving the goal [you] grow not only as an individual but as a team.”  It is shown in the  It is more likely for a team to be more successful when the people on the team are friends. Players throughout a season learn how to trust one another and work as one, and this type of bond “makes practice a fun environment and gives the team a safe place to do what they love the most.” 

This season, Grant’s sophomore basketball team has been victorious due to the leading factor of having strong relationships with one another. Having a valuable relationship with one another provides trust throughout the team in both practice and games. The sophomore team has learned how to work together and learn how to work as one, which comes in handy to beat their opponents. The key to winning is not only having a group of driven athletes but being in touch with your team and ensuring that the players are all on the same page. Grant’s sophomore basketball team has overcome the productivity aspect of training and working hard and has now entered the fun and successful part of the season. Getting to this point of winning throughout the season “has shown all of us what it takes to be a strong team-mentally and physically.” The boys have all made a massive impact on each other in the way they act and play.  Remembering they are at a game to beat their opponents, not to tear them down. The team encourages maintaining fair sportsmanship throughout the game, regardless of the outcome. “Yes, we are here to win, but we are also here to have fun; not just with our team but with our opponents as well. So making sure we all remember that makes the game fun and takes the pressure off.” Another impact these boys have made on one another is how hard they work towards the goals they have made for the team. Seeing how bad each of them wants it shows how truly passionate they are about the sport, but they also want to make each other proud.