As the fall season comes to a close, AHS has its eyes set on the upcoming winter sports season. When it comes to basketball, the team has very high hopes. “My goal for this season is to win the district and make some noise in regionals,” senior Dini Mohamud said. Coming off of a not so good 8-14 season last year, the Atoms hope to turn their record around going into the 2015-16 season. In order to do this, all players will have to play to their highest ability. This requires players to not only practice during the season, but off-season as well. All players hoping to have a spot on the varsity roster or even the JV roster most likely practiced during the off-season.

To go along with practicing, players must also make sure they maintain their fitness to stay in the best shape possible. “This summer, I worked on my game playing AAU, as well as going to XSport to get in shape for the season,” Mohamud said. AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. AAU really helps the players prepare for the season by training them and getting them ready for the season to come.

Tryouts began on Monday, Nov. 9. Tryouts consist of players showing off their skills in front of the coaches and lots and lots of conditioning. Being in a great physical condition is something the coaches are really looking for. Although edurance is an important part of the game, several players spent time working on strength and their shooting instead.”

I’ve been working on my jumpshot and my repetition. I’ve been working on my speed because I know we’re gonna play fast this year,” junior Andrew Ours said. “I’ve also been working on my shooting skills several times a day so I can get better.”

After getting beat out during the first round of districts last year, the team is ready to push harder and make it much further. “South County and West Springfield will be tough because they have good players coming up for them,” junior Dontae Johnson said about the team’s upcoming tough opponents. AHS is looking forward to their first scrimmage against George Mason High School on Dec. 20.