The Fair Grove boys basketball and softball teams are working in their off seasons to prepare for the upcoming season.
Bryan Tucker, boys varsity basketball coach, stated, “We played in June as well as kids not playing a fall sport are participating in pre season basketball activities.”
Softball head coach Tara Whetzell said, “We can continue striving in tough situations. Our athletes are tough and we want to continue that toughness mentally and physically. There will always be room for improvement, so we continue to improve on the small things that we can control.”
Bryan Tucker said his goals for this pre season are to get better every day as well as competing every time they get to play. He also stated that he hopes to get closer as a team so they can play their best basketball at the end of the season.
Tara Whetzell’s goals for this season are similar to last year’s goals. They want to go and win conference, districts, quarterfinals, and state. She added that she wants to break those big goals into small goals, as well as break down bad habits and create strong leadership within the team. She hopes by doing this they will create strong outcomes for the season.
The Fair Grove basketball team has a few players to look out for this season. Tucker stated, “We have four returning starters from last season, including 3 all conference and 2 all district players. We also have some juniors that were key contributors on JV that will make the jump to Varsity.”
The Fair Grove softball team is looking out for a few teams during their regular season. “The teams to look out for in the upcoming spring season will be teams like Mt. Vernon who we lost to at state last season, Diamond, Skyline, Warsaw, Buffalo, and Strafford. They are always competitive teams year after year,” stated Tara Whetzell.
The softball team has seven of their nine starters returning from last year. Tara Whetzell said she can’t wait to add the incoming freshmen to the team.
The boys basketball team has gotten a few more kids this year. “It’s hard to pick out specific kids because we are so deep this season. I really look forward to seeing who steps up,” Bryan Tucker stated regarding the team’s vital players.
(Editor’s note: Along with the boys basketball and softball teams starting their pre-season, girls soccer, girls basketball, and track will also be working to prepare for their seasons. Keep an eye out for our updates about them a bit later in the offseason.)
