The Whaler boys basketball team improved their record to 9-2 Tuesday evening after beating the Monomoy Sharks 62-46.
Head coach Willis Ferreira said he loves this team and as they improve their record with yet another win, he wants them to be happy with how they have played through the first 11 games and remember to have some fun going out on the court doing what they love.
“You know I really love this group and I want them to have fun every time they are out there,” Ferreira said. “But I think a lot of them are questioning themselves for whatever reason. I just want 13 guys, who are on a 9-2 team and playing a high school sport at a high level to have some fun. If they make a three, celebrate it. If one of your teammates makes a big play and play is blown dead, go celebrate with him.”
Ferreira said he felt good about how his team bounced back after their loss last week to Cape Cod Academy last week. Due to the blizzard this past weekend, the Whalers had to wait one week to play their next game. Ferreira said he needs to do a better job of making sure his team is playing stress free and enjoying their time on the court.
“We should be so excited to be 9-2, but we aren’t,” Ferreira said. “That is something I have to try to fix and do better as the coach. We just have to keep battling. There are so many good kids on this team who have a lot of talent. I love coaching this group which is why I want them to be happy on the court and having fun. It can be hard for me to watch sometimes.”
Senior guard Makai Bodden led the way with 12 points, including Nantucket’s first seven points of the game. Sophomore guard Carlos Aguilar chipped in 11 points. Sophomore forward Jack Halik and sophomore guard JD Heneke each scored nine points.
Ferreira said he knows this team has lots of potential and that if they want to make the deep tournament run they are capable of making, they will need to continue to grow closer as a team and not just play with each other, but for each other.
“All I want is for us to have fun. We had another good win today. I feel like young kids need to have fun. So we are going to go in the gym tomorrow as a very good basketball team and work on having more fun,” Ferreira said. “I think practices may have been a little stale lately, so it’s on me to maybe spice them up a bit and give them something to look forward to with different things.”
The Whalers will host the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins on Thursday at 5 p.m.
