HUNTSVILLE (KFSM) - In a region known for high school basketball palaces, Huntsville high school’s gym is somewhat quieter, more unassuming. But what happens inside has a large impact on the little town.
“We don’t have a large gym, but they fill our gym about every night, and it’s a real big deal here,” says head coach Jim Stafford.
Jack Eaton, a senior on the team, adds “We pride ourselves on our basketball team, and everybody wants to support and it’s the talk of the town always.”
That pride is rooted in success. The Eagles have won their conference seven of the least ten years, a lot of which can be contributed to the man whose name is on the court.
“Senior guard Ty Bohannan knows that “With Coach Stafford, we have to play hard for him, or were not gonna play. So we come out to practice, we practice hard, we play hard, and that correlates to wins.”
Jim Stafford has been coaching basketball for 50 years, the last 24 in Huntsville. Still, he thinks this year’s team is special
“We’ve got good seniors and they play their best every night”
Those seniors have grown up with the program, and with each other.
“We’ve all played together since we were third, fourth grade, so, it’s special that way,” muses Bohannan
Unsurprisingly, there seems to be a consensus on how this bond helps on the court: chemistry. Their goals are similarly singular
“The goal is to get a ring…win a state championship”
And as always, they play for more than just each other. It’s not just winning a title, it’s “bringing a title back to Huntsville.”
Huntsville will be the #1 seed in the 4A-1 district tournament starting next week.