The time for late nights in the gym, the swoosh of the net, the squealing of shoes on hardwood and the roaring cheers of the crowd is finally here. Initial tryouts for Nashoba Boys and Girls Basketball has come to an end and the season is getting off to a great start.

Tryouts for both teams commenced December 1st, and continued through December 3rd. Conditioning and skills were examined by the coaches and teams were finalized on the last day of tryouts. The three NGB teams for the 2014 season consist of a freshmen, junior varsity and varsity team. These teams are coached by Coach MacNamera, Coach Call, Coach Call and newcomer Coach Brown.

The new NGB Senior captains were determined at last season’s banquet, Kelly Poole, Erin Cressman, Nikkiah Snoddy and Nicole Boucher. They all have high hopes for the upcoming season and are starting to unify the team and form an unbreakable bond. Boucher says, “It’s going to be a very different year without the seniors from last year, but practices have been going well and think we are ready to start the season off with a bang.”

The girls had their first scrimmage Tuesday, December 8th against one another, to go over game strategies and get a better understanding of how they played as team.

According to Snoddy, they played “horrible but are just getting used to each other and learning one another’s strengths and weaknesses.” Although that scrimmage may not have been the start they were hoping for, the girls are looking forward to a successful season.

The three teams for the NBB 2015 season are also Freshmen, Junior Varsity and Varsity and are coached by, Kyle Boudrot, Danny Ortiz, Nick McNamara and Josh Pantoha. Current captain Eric Demmer is satisfied with the teams thus far and has high hopes for the upcoming season. He says, “My expectations are that as a team we will continue to improve everyday and push each other in practice.”

Looking hopefully ahead, towards playoffs, Demmer gives insight into what the goal and strategies will consist of. “I expect us to compete for and win the league title as well as win multiple playoff games.” With that positive attitude, NBB will have a long and successful road ahead. The first game of the season for the boys is scheduled to be tonight, Thursday December 11th.

And make sure to come out and support the girls team this Friday, December 12th in the upper gym in their first game against Leominister. Both teams are motivated to go far this season and would love the support of their fellow Chieftains.