IRVING — The Taylor Duck boys basketball team is using the summer to prepare for next season and learning to grow together as a unit.
The Ducks competed in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches boys showcase June 21-23. The Ducks went 0-3 versus heavier competition, playing Brock, Dumas and Fort Worth Christian. Despite not winning a game, Taylor Head Coach Stephen Gibson still believes that his team gained a lot from the experience.
“They were able to see intense competition. They were able to be in an environment where college scouts were walking all over the place,” Gibson said. “Putting them on this stage, letting them get a feel of what it’s like when the regular season comes rolling around and I start speaking a different language, now they can relate to it.”
Although the bigger stage may have been a culture shock for a younger team, Gibson still believes that his team handled the higher level of competition well.
“They handled the adversity well because we brought our regular mentality to the competition, and even though the game was a little more fast-paced, they eventually adapted to it. We had some good and bad moments, but overall it was a positive deal,” he said.
Despite not winning in the tournament, Gibson understands that facing better teams will help his group down the stretch when the regular season starts.
“Once they learn the language that we speak, it is going to help how we handle adversity, what it means when we say, ‘Hey, we have to get in the gym and grind. You got to get up your shots.’ These are things that the tournament helped them with because now they know, ‘Hey, we got to get in the gym,’” Gibson said.
Gibson acknowledges that he has a very young team and playing time is the most important thing they need to continue to grow.
“Right now, it’s just playing. Like I said, we are going to be young,” he said. “With this team being so young, we just need more playing time to ease our minds into it.”
