The 2021-2022 season of Barstow Basketball has been highly anticipated by the boys on the team. With a team full of experienced players and some fresh faces, they have a new energy going into the season. 

“We’ve won the games that we needed to win and lost the games that we needed to lose,” said Aidan Lawlor (‘24).

The boys have been met with a challenging season, playing many schools much larger than Barstow. The rigorous schedule, however, has been effective to prepare the team for another state-bid. The team has improved vastly since when the practices first began in June, growing more comfortable with each other and their new coach, Doug Burnett. 

“With all the experience we’ve had now, we are going to be able to carry that to our really rough schedule and hopefully sneak out some Ws,” said Lawlor (‘24).

On top of new players and captains, the basketball team is now coached by new teacher, Doug Burnett. In addition to his new head coaching position, Burnett also teaches 6th grade math. 

According to Joe Whitfill (‘24), ”He [Burnett] focuses on what’s a good shot and what’s not a good shot, and how to take good shots. Being able to take good shots is very easy when you’re working through his system.”

Team members have also stressed Burnett’s emphasis on the analytical part of basketball. “Coach is a numbers guy,” says Lawlor (‘24), and Whitfill (‘24) explains that he “goes off of analytics which is very helpful.” This alternative way of thinking, especially during speeches right before games, can do a lot to take off some of the pressure that high-intensity games can have on the players. By focusing on the statistics, players are able to more freely play and understand the games that they lost and must win.

Sam Christifano (‘23) echoes Lawlor’s statement, saying that Coach Burnett, “is working with us a lot and trying to help us get better.”

Burnett has also introduced a relatively new system to Boys Basketball where players do not have set positions during gameplay. All players are encouraged to fill the roles of point guard, shooting guard, power forward, and more. This attitude does not mean that some players are not more adept at some positions than others, but that all players try to move the ball without sticking to a singular role.

For example, many different players have mentioned their success as point guards, such as Christifano (‘23) and Lawlor (‘24). Both have also stressed the importance of others on the team helping push the ball down the court. Alex Franklin ‘24 adds that, “everyone fills the spots necessary, especially if someone who is more skilled at a position cannot fulfill their role during a game.”

The seniors have also been instrumental in helping the lowerclassmen learn this new system, along with just simply stepping into the leadership roles necessary for any sports team to function efficiently. JT Spence’s (‘25) experience exemplifies this, as “the sophomores and juniors have grown closer to me.”

The team this year is senior-heavy, with six seniors on the varsity roster. The team’s captains, Bennett Mcnickle (‘22) and Carter Michaelis (‘22), along with the other seniors, Emmett Pearce (‘22), Luke Whitfill (‘22), Kyle Brannon (‘22), and Michael Singleton (‘22), have fostered an environment of brotherhood for the entire team.

Mcnickle (‘22) demonstrates the importance of senior leadership, saying, “I try to be a leader as much as possible and try to keep the good vibes up.”

The “great relationships” detailed by Lawlor (‘24) and other team members illustrates immense camaraderie, especially in bridging the sometimes intimidating gap between the lowerclassmen and upperclassmen. Students on both varsity and junior varsity are able to ask upperclassmen for help on understanding plays, or simply moral support.

“They [the seniors] are more experienced than us. So they know how to help us with confusing plays and stuff. And now they’ve helped us to the point where we don’t get confused,” details Whitfill (‘24).

The boys on the team have immense chemistry, and their countless hours of hard work have prepared them even more for this season. 

Workouts during the preseason started all the way back in June of 2021. These practices were a time commitment that many players were willing to make in order to learn more about their new coach and come back strong off of their startling pre-state season cancellation last year.

Pre-season workouts continued into the school year, including lifting weights, stamina sprints, and running practice. Practices also started a few weeks before the school, where players worked on ball movement, shooting drills, and more, all in preparation for tryouts and the rapidly approaching season.

The team regards their defensive skill as the best part of their play, but have continued to improve on their offensive line.

According to Lawlor (‘24), they’ve “worked on the offense until it was running seamlessly and frictionlessly.” Whitfill (‘24) continued, saying that, “filtering out all the bad shots is one of the biggest improvements we’ve made over break.”

During the 2020-21 season, the boys team went to quarterfinals and won. Unfortunately, their last two games, including the state championship, were cancelled due to a player’s exposure to COVID. The abrupt ending to last season was disheartening but only fueled the team’s desire to do well this year. 

“It [the season cancellation during playoffs] was a big disappointment,” said Lawlor. “But it’s giving us the motivation to get back there this year.”

The Barstow Boys Basketball team is bound for greatness this season, and with every game, they grow and improve together. This is their redemption round, and they will definitely succeed in all of their endeavors.