Along with the ending of various sports seasons, November will bring the first ball tipped into the air; this will proclaim the start of a new season for the varsity basketball teams.

Though basketball season has yet to start, the teams are gearing up for the season that lies ahead. Whether it is physical or mental, there is an immense amount of training going on with the teams right now so they will be equipped for the road ahead.

The boys team started working on its foundation for the upcoming season soon after last year’s play-offs.

“We began preparing for this season the day last season ended,” basketball coach Eric Littleton said. “We hit the weight room and got to work.”

The boys continue to work on their game, especially as the season approaches. There are drills the team uses to improve their skills.

“We do a lot of running, but every Tuesday and Thursday we shoot and do nothing else,” junior Jake Feickert said.

These are two examples of the drills the team is utilizing to better their skills. The team is mostly comprised of new players that are becoming familiar with the drills and each other.

“We are spending a lot of time teaching because of all the new players.” Littleton said. “We only have three guys back from last year’s varsity, and only one of them played any significant minutes.”

While the boys are preparing for their season, the girls team is also getting to work. They are practicing every day in order to improve for the upcoming season. The girls are under the leadership of basketball coach Sherika Nelson, who has coached at Flower Mound for 14 years.

“I enjoy coaching all of our kids because they are eager to learn and they work hard,” Nelson said.

The girls team has been together for a while now, playing alongside one another for quite a few games.

“The relationships we build with each other help us enjoy coming to practice every day, and we are looking forward to playing the game of basketball,” Nelson said.

Both the girls and the bofys teams are using similar tactics to improve their games. These tactics include teaching the players how to properly make shots and how to have a better outlook on the game.

“We try to get the quickest shot we can, so the first open shot we try to get right away,” Feickert said.

The coaches are finding that the mental aspect of the game is quite important. They said they must set goals for themselves in order to make it far into the season.

“We want to find a drive to make the players want to make the playoffs for our second season in a row.” Littleton said. “We have to be physically stronger on both ends of the floor.”