The pandemic has certainly changed things for all sports at Arcadia High School, and it was no different for the Boys Varsity Basketball team. Shooting guard senior Damian Jennings offered some insight on this strange season.

“Practices were certainly different this year because we had to make sure everyone on the team was COVID-free before we ran drills and everything,” said Damian. “We started practicing early in the morning, and we had to start training on our own in order to stay more in shape and stay prepared. If we weren’t training by ourselves at home, it was very easy to get out of shape. I was able to do regular exercises such as lifting and cardio.”

While this basketball season wasn’t the regular senior season he was expecting, Damian still managed to have a good time hanging out with his teammates and creating lifelong relationships.

“I have had so much fun and learned many life lessons from my coaches,” said Damian. “One thing that has definitely stuck with me is to continue pushing myself no matter what obstacles are in front of me. This has especially been true during this pandemic. Basketball is the same great sport everywhere you go. It’s fun because of the competitiveness and the skill involved to go get a bucket. The teamwork aspect is also important.”

Since Damian was young, he had an interest and passion for basketball because of his family. Everyone in his household played basketball, so he was surrounded by a love for the game at an incredibly young age.

One of Damian’s biggest inspirations on and off the court has been his favorite player, LeBron James.

“My favorite player is definitely LeBron James. What he’s done off the court for underprivileged kids in his hometown of Akron is incredible by itself. Then, you see his accomplishments on the court and I believe he’s the greatest basketball player to ever play this game. Between his two titles in Miami, to finally winning Cleveland a title by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit against arguably the greatest team of all time, there are few careers that can match up to that.”

The Boys Varsity Basketball team played its first game on Apr. 19. You won’t be able to attend the upcoming games in person, but can watch it on the livestream that is sent out on game day. Good luck to the team and hopefully it has a fantastic season free of COVID-19 pauses and cases.

Photo courtesy of Damian Jennings