North St. Paul’s Boys Basketball team continues to grind it out behind closed doors by getting in the gym at 6 AM, four out of five times a week, to improve their game individually and as a team, in pursuit of their ultimate goal, a state championship.
With roughly eleven seniors returning from last years team, competition is increasing during preseason workouts. There’s a battle at every position and some players use that as motivation to get better in the little time they have, versus other players who fear the challenge and give in.
“I see my team making continual progress towards their ultimate goal of a state championship”, new Head Coach Damian Johnson replied when asked, “At this pace where do you see your team after the first 4 games of the season”. It’s imperative that his team is making progress now as they condition once a week, lift weights twice a week, and run full court in the gym 8 times a week at the least before and after school. It’s very much so that they’ve been working hard and overall improving as a team.
North is about 3 weeks in of the before and after school workouts and you have to wonder, how do the players and coach keep this work ethic up? A returning senior, Cahlil Golden says, “I am a self motivated person, but my biggest motivation is my father that passed away. I do this for him. I also do this so my mom will not have to work anymore. I want to make it so I can take care of her and my family. The ambition that I carry is the reason I push myself day in and day out”. Having that motivation there as a young man will take this scholar student a long way.
Golden also says that he feels excited to see all his teammates pushing each other to get better. He says he also loves to see our younger guys follow the lead example set by the seniors. He enjoys seeing everyone’s growth. That’s great, especially considering that this is the preseason, but, that also brings the concern about injuries and wear and tear on players bodies. That’s why we asked another returning senior, La’Qwan Cochrane, who’s been in the program for 4 years, if he worries about his teammates getting injured or not getting enough rest on their bodies.
“Yes, I get worried because you never know what’s going to happen and you’re always worried about your family”. With that, you can tell that this North St. Paul basketball program is more than a team, it’s a brotherhood.
In conclusion, I asked Coach Johnson, what makes it worth waking up and driving from Maple Grove to North St. Paul at the tip of dawn 80% of the school week and he said, “I’m passionate about coaching and love seeing my players want to get better”. In all honesty, that’s what it’s all about so keep the Polars on your radar this year!