With inexperience comes inconsistency, and for Head Coach Scott Stephens and his PRC varsity basketball team that lack of playing time was a major obstacle to overcome.

“I think from last year we went through a lot of growing pains,” Stephens said.

“We had 8 or 9 kids with little to no varsity experience. They had to grow up quickly, and things were difficult there for awhile to get kids to do what they’re supposed to.”

Stephens took an optimistic approach to a season in which the team was disappointed with its 6-22 record.

He said that while there were some high points, the players learned from their failures and picked themselves back up.

“I think the big thing from last year was that we definitely grew from our experiences and are better off for it moving forward,” Stephens said.

Stephens said an area of improvement for the team was the ability to handle adversity. A team with young players can lack confidence at times, and Stephens said it affected how his players performed on the court.

“I think that early on we didn’t handle it as well as we should have,” Stephens said.

“It took it a little longer than desired to figure things out and play with confidence. To have them believe in themselves, and for them to get to that point they had to just keep playing.”

There weren’t many options available to the coaching staff other than throwing the young players in the deep end and teaching them how to swim. The adaptation of young players and experience gained by playing games helped the team progress as a whole.

“We threw them into the fire and they had to learn on the fly and learn quickly,” Stephens said.

“They were starting to come into their own and be productive and playing with a lot of confidence due to them having to go through tough times last year.”

As the year went on and that confidence increased, Stephens said the overall play of the team really improved.

“I think the more you do something the easier it is,” Stephens said.

“Once it’s easy you’re good at it and it makes you want to stay good at it. That breeds new work ethic. In basketball you can’t be successful without being confident.”

To keep the ball rolling the team and coaching staff have been participating in a number of tournaments and shootouts. Stephens said the tournaments develop team chemistry and team understanding of the game as a whole.

“To put kids in these situations to develop chemistry and bond a little bit, hopefully that is what your summer produces for you,” Stephens said.

“We’ve played a lot of good teams and are learning what we’re good at and have time to work on what we’re not.”

Next year a solid group of seniors will return, led by their vocal leader Kelton Seal.

Stephens said the experience of the returning players has made it even more important that the team perform in such a manner that the community can be proud of.

“I think our expectations are first and foremost, we expect to win,” Stephens said.

“If we didn’t expect to win then we’re in the wrong business. The expectation is to compete and represent the school and community and be successful doing that every time we step on the floor.”