The most wonderful time of the year is among us: Basketball season.

Despite the brightly lit Christmas trees and endless buffets of turkey and stuffing, what many people may look forward to is the start of basketball as autumn comes to a close.

Cambridge’s own boys varsity basketball team kicked their season off this Nov after months of preseason training and are hungrier than ever for a championship win after last year’s season that was the best in school history.

The Bears ended the 2017-2018 season with an overall record of 25-2 and saw the team achieve some notable highs.

These include being seeded as the number one team in their region for most of their run and coming close to clinching their first playoff win in program history against Lanier 74-69.

In addition, Boys Varsity Basketball Head Coach Chip Flemmer and Kamar Robertson — point guard and Co-captain — Kamar Robertson were respectively named Coach and Player of the Year.

These are quite the impressive feats for a program whose inaugural season ended with an overall record of 3-23.

Flemmer is ready to take on the year’s season, adding that it’s going to be an exciting team to watch.

Flemmer said the team already possesses specific strengths, such as shooting and passing, and that they’re focused on perfecting these skills throughout the season.

“The team is focusing on getting really good at what they do in offense and defense,” he said.

Robertson said that rather than relying solely on instinct, the Bears have also adapted their strategy by scouting teams and watching films of other teams playing.

Co-captain and point guard Bryce Boutelle said Flemmer has put them in the right position to succeed this season and that their goal is to make it to state.

Including Boutelle, this year’s group of seniors have been with the team since their freshman year, which Flemmer said fosters exceptional leadership and team chemistry.

“The nucleus of the team is older,” said Flemmer, “and their experience with playing together is very helpful.”

The seniors focus on leading by example during conditioning and workouts, said Boutelle. “We never ask anybody to do something we wouldn’t do first.”
Boutelle also said they’re “making sure we’re happy when someone else has a good game and being there for each other,” which further exemplifies the team’s attitude and chemistry.

This chemistry is not only present on the court, but off the court as well.

“We usually know where someone is gonna be before they’re there,” said Varsity Forward David Kramer — a senior.

Most of the senior players have said that they have witnessed many changes to the program since their freshman year, whether that be in the loss of players who have graduated or the addition of new tactics during practices.

Nevertheless, the senior players believe that these changes and many others — — have in part allowed them to grow and advance to a track record of success season after season.

“Freshman year we went 6-20,” said Roberson. “Last year we went 25-2.”

Even with college around the corner and recruitments rolling in, these seniors say they’re still eager to improve and give this season their all.

This can best be shown through some of the players’ personal goals.

Boutelle said the team has built an attitude of being unselfish with the ball and getting the whole team involved, which he wants to continue.

“Making sure we’re happy when someone else has a good game and being there for each other” has been a major goal for varsity basketball this year, said Boutelle, which improves the dynamics within the team by setting an example for younger players.

Kramer said he’s been working on being a leader on the court.

These lofty goals were definitely on full display in their scrimmage against Sprayberry on Nov 8 and at the Tabris Tip-Off Classic Tournament that took place at Jefferson High School from Nov 17-20, as the team has definitely created some inroads.

The Bears won the scrimmage with 96 points scored and came out on top victoriously in their tournament matches against Walnut Grove 85-72 and Jefferson 99-89.

Berkmar was the only team the Bears fell to during the tournament with a final score of 67-57.

Facing local rival Milton in their first game of the season on Nov 15, the Bears had a good first quarter, getting to the basket easily and shooting well.

Later in the game, their defense was lacking, however, giving Milton a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Cambridge made it up to two points got within two points of tying it up with a minute and a half left, but the game ended in with a 78-71 win for Milton.

With many improvements in mind, the team is working hard on amplifying their strengths and fixing their weakness.  

By working on amplifying their strengths, the team has said that they can be successful for the rest of the season. Boutelle said the team’s athleticism and their ability to play a fast-paced game has set them it up for success.

The Bears play their home opener on Tuesday against Alpharetta at 7:30, ready to give it all they got.