Earlier this year, Northland Christian School athletics accomplished the goal of winning a state championship in football. Now basketball looks to continue in the same fashion as football. Two incredible games in and we are already close to the prestigious state finals. It is no secret to anyone in NCS that the team works incredibly hard under Head Coach Van Hook and Assistant Coach Shepherd. Many of the players have already grown accustomed to play with one another which helps immensely in the developing of team chemistry. That same team chemistry has come a long way and you can tell because of their progress.

As part of this article, I wanted to ask Brandon Matula and Alec Smith a variety of questions to be able to appreciate their very different point of views. For Brandon Matula, a junior, this is his first year in the varsity team and has been playing great. For Alec Smith, a senior, this is his fourth year playing for the varsity team and has become household name. I figured both of them would most certainly have completely different point of views in the questions that I would ask them since their experiences vary.

It has been years since the last time NCS basketball reach the playoffs. Therefore, I asked Brandon Matula how would the team attack this next game mentally?

Matula: “We are going to go into this game the same way we have been doing it all season long. The mentality is filled with confidence but also with the game plan that we have gone through this whole week. Our mentality would not change for the rest of the season even if we reach to state finals. If it changes, it could jeopardize the chances of us winning and we are not going to risk anything of that sort. There is also no need to change it since it has been working just fine.”

On the other hand, I asked Alec Smith how he personally would attack this upcoming game. These is what he had to say:

Smith: “I’m going into this next game the same way I’ve gone into every other game of the season. Woodlands Christian is a tough opponent who has already beaten us once so I’m going to give them the respect they deserve. That said, if we do the intangibles that got us this far we will be fine.”

I went on and asked Alec Smith what, so far, has he learned different from this basketball season than from the past years?

Smith: “This year has been different from past years in the attitude and culture of the team. The coaches have done a great job of implementing a new system of offense that allows us to play open and free which better fits the talent we have. Our team is more relaxed and easy going then past years, but there is a sense of accountability and a high standard of excellence we hold that hasn’t been there in the past.”

I felt comfortable enough to ask him how does he hope to be remembered once this basketball season is over?

Smith: “I want this team to be remembered as the greatest basketball team northland has ever had.”

Great answer for a great teammate and a great leader. I want to thank my friends Alec Smith and Brandon Matula for their thorough answers. I hope nothing but the best for them this upcoming days and hopefully they win the championship trophy and bring it where it belongs, here in Northland Christian School.