It is difficult to quantify team chemistry, but it is easy to see its importance in practice. At the boys basketball play date on Wednesday, Wetumpka showed what that means. For his program, coach Steven Thomas is all about the full throttle, no quit energy from the second his players step on the floor until the buzzer sounds.
“We finally had all 12 of our guys here,” Thomas said. “The last two play dates, we’ve gone 6-0. So all of us being here and giving us that confidence and building up that camaraderie, so being able to come out here and do that, it’s good.”
The Indians are preparing and adjusting well to this season’s lineup, having lost four seniors last season including Nolan Fitch and Justin Godwin. Key weapons including Andrew Voyles, Chris Robinson and Jeremiah Smiley are entering their senior year for Wetumpka this year and Thomas expects them to fill in the leadership role for this season.
Ana Sofia Meyer / TPI Wetumpka senior Andrew Voyles drives towards the rim at a 17 Springs play date on Wednesday.
“(Voyles, Robinson and Smiley) have been playing together since middle school,” Thomas said. “I mean they all grew up together, so them being up at this level their senior year, you see more of a ‘This is it, we got to play, we got to feed off each other, we can’t do it alone’ attitude.”
In their second game of the day against Calera, the Indians started without the chemistry and confidence that is vital to their success. By the second half they reclaimed the lead, even extending it to 22 towards the end. The energy and grit shown by Wetumpka in that second-half made them seem like a completely different team compared to their first-half performance.
“If you really talk about wanting to make the Final Four, make it to the state tournament, all that stuff, you can’t relax to anybody,” Thomas said. “Doesn’t matter who it is. You have to play. Just trying to instill that confidence, just like I don’t care who’s playing me, you’re going to have to play to beat us.”
Predicated on effort and team chemistry, Thomas’s message to his team is clear this season: full energy, full throttle, no quit.
