Pattonville’s JV Boys Basketball’s Triumphant Game Against Laffyette

Last semester, sports finally began feeling more “back to normal” to many as players were getting fired up. While many were focused on the numbers and scores, not as many considered some of the remarkable plays that went into the games as well.

JV Boys Basketball Coach Kent Booth said that the team had quite the season. What he described as “exceptional” plays from his team may not be known to many, even those that watched the games.

“Our number one goal is to come out of the program better than when they came in,” Coach Booth stated.“Of course, you want to win every game, but all our players get better. My job as a coach is to prepare them for the varsity level.”

Coach Booth expressed how well his players performed during their game against Lafayette.

“We kind of had our back’s up against the wall during the season; we were not winning as many games and the guys just kind of came out and played very well. We even had two freshmen who played up their game and contributed a lot. We played a pretty close game,” Coach Booth said.

Coach Booth said having two freshmen step up was probably one of the biggest highlights of the season.

“They [the two freshmen] weren’t just sitting on the bench,” he said. “Elijah and Kameron Eleby, both of them were contributors on the JV level.”

Coach Booth hopes that Elijah and Kameron will be playing on varsity next year and “will use that JV experience to help them become better players in the future.”

Kameron Eleby’s mindset in the game against Lafayette was simple: “Get the win,” he said.

“We knew they were a well-disciplined team and we knew we had to come with it (that mindset),” Kameron added.

Kameron’s goal for next year is “for sure to make varsity. I was moved up from freshman in the middle of the season, and after that game, I was more motivated to play with those guys next year on varsity.”

Kameron also spoke on the importance of a player’s relationship with their coach.

“Players’ relationship with their coaches is very important,” he said. “It helps them get a better understanding of each other and how they can help each other succeed.” He went on to say it is also important because “a coach can help you more than just on the court or field.”

The biggest thing he took away from the game was that they are “unstoppable when we play as a team and play great defense.”

Despite viewers’ main focus being the game at hand, player-coach relationships are also seen as highly important by those participating in these sports. Now, players such as Kameron are more enthusiastic about this season, as well as the future of sports here at Pattonville.