The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team has started off the season with a slam dunk, with a win for their the first game against St. Charles High School 70-28, and a 4-0 start.  The team is ranked fourth in large schools in Missouri for basketball, which means high expectations are set for this team. Junior Kellen Thames has already exceeded expectations with being ranked 11th in scoring leaders average per game and senior Alijah Carter being ranked 21st.

Head Coach Kelly Thames is very excited about this season and ready to see what his team is capable of. He is a proponent of not taking anything for granted. Coach Thames explains, “This year, while yes we are expected to have a great season, putting in the work behind the scenes is where it really counts.”

“Defense is something we are really working as a team because sometimes we forget that basketball is a two-sided sport,” Coach Kelly Thames stated.

[schedule sport=”Varsity Boys’ Basketball” season=”2020-2021″ align=”left” background=”on” border=”all” shadow=”on”]

Other members on the team are trying not to get too cocky, taking Coach Thames’s advice on focusing on improvement.

“What I’m excited about this year is putting Pattonville on the map, and making sure I’m doing my part in helping the team be successful,” explains senior Levi Banks.

With it being Levi’s last year at Pattonville one of his goals is to “make sure I play my hardest on and off the court and making sure I’m learning and getting better every chance I get.”

Junior Justin Coleman, who plays small forward, agrees that the team still has some areas for improvement. “I think as a team we need to work on communication and making sure we are working hard on the court and off the court.”

Although things may be different, that does not seem to stop this team from putting in the work to become their absolute best. “While we are all our own individuals, it takes a team with one goal to make something big happen,” Levi Banks believes.

Looks as if this team has a winning mindset and is ready for anything that might come their way. So far, the team is undefeated has one overall goal as a team, and is willing to put in the work for it.