So far the Lamphere Boys Varsity Basketball team is off to a great start. The boys are now 7-2 after defeating Madison Eagles Thursday night with a final score of 56-37. Evan Landstrom scored 13 points and Cameron Cross scored 11 points. We decided to interview four of the nine seniors to get to know them better as athletes.
The first person we talked to was Evan Landstrom. Evan is a three year varsity player, one of the team’s guards, and wears number 11. The first thing we asked him was, how does he try and control his temper while playing? He told us, “ I just do what I can in the moment and hope it helps.” Going along with the last question we asked him how he handles the pressure of a close game or a large crowd. He said that he tries to,” just block out the crowd and not worry about it.” Evan also included that his pre-game ritual is to, “drink gatorade and eat a Milky Way.”
The next person we interviewed was Mason Maczuga. Mason is a two year varsity player, he is a forward/center, and he wears the number 0. The first thing we asked Mason was if there was any significance behind his jersey number. He jokingly told us, “I originally wore 0 for football and it stood for zero huzz, so I just decided to wear it for basketball too.” We then asked a more serious question, we asked, What was a specific moment this season when you felt the team truly connected and worked together? Mason told us,” When we beat Troy Athens I thought we were really like a team because like the bench was all excited and everything.”
The next person we got the chance to talk to was Cameron Cross. Cameron is a three year varsity player, a forward for the team, and is number 12. We asked Cam, What is the best piece of advice a coach has given you that you’ll always remember? He told us that the biggest piece of advice he was given was to,”be confident in myself.” This isn’t just a good piece of advice for basketball but also a good piece of advice for your everyday life. We then asked him what “mental toughness” meant to him in the context of basketball. Cam said, “Doing the same thing every time regardless of the situation”
Lastly, we got to interview Kaden Johnson. Kaden is a three year varsity player, a forward/center for the Rams, and wears the number 14. The first thing we got to ask Kaden was, What do you consider your greatest strength as a player, and what part of your game are you actively trying to improve this season? He told us, “I have a high level of athleticism and am working on becoming more of a versatile player.” The next thing we talked about was the greatest challenge he has faced so far this season. Kaden told us,”Not starting the first game of the season.”
Overall, after talking to some players we got some more insight about the culture of the boys varsity basketball team. The boys next game is Wednesday January 14th at Clintondale. Their next home game is Friday January 16th against Clawson High School. Come out and support the Rams boys basketball team!
