The Niles West News sat down with boys varsity basketball head coach Robert Williams to discuss the upcoming season and the team’s hopes and expectations.

NWN:  How have practices been going so far?

Williams: We have been working really hard so far this year.  The players are all working to improve their game both mentally and physically.

 NWN: Who are some of the team’s biggest leaders and contributors this year?

Williams: Our captains are [senior]Odi Audisho and [junior] Jojo Rios.

 NWN: How has the new school schedule affected the team’s progress this season?

Williams: We have had open gym every day since the first day of school and the veteran players assumed a leadership role in establishing that open gyms were productive for the players. Having an extra month of open gyms should be beneficial as we approach this season.

 NWN: How was last season and how do you hope on growing from it this season?

Williams: Last season was a very difficult season as we didn’t really come together as a team until late in the year.  Our returning players are determined to learn from last year and develop a cohesive team attitude early in the year so that each player can compete to the best of his ability. In this way, we will work to develop the synergy that is characteristic of great teams.

 NWN: Is there a match-up the team is looking particularly forward to participating in?

Williams: The Kurland-Schnurr Thanksgiving Tournament will be held here at Niles West Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of Thanksgiving week.  It is one of the most respected tournaments in the state.  We play at Niles North the next Saturday and that is always a competitive game.  We play in one of the top conferences in the state so all of our conference games are very important to the team.  We also play in the Pontiac Holiday tournament which the oldest and most competitive tournament in the state,

 NWN: Where would you like to finish this season record wise and in the postseason?

Williams: We would like to finish the season undefeated and win the state championship.  We plan to work each day with this in mind knowing that it may be likely that we will fall short of this goal.  We also know that by working to attain this lofty goal we will do our best to achieve our potential.

You can catch the boys in action on Monday at 6:30 PM as they kick off the annual Kurland-Schnurr tournament right here at Niles West.