Before the sun rises, the sound of thumping basketballs echoes throughout the gymnasium. Both the coaches and players strive to achieve the team objectives: beating rivals and performing to the highest level possible, both on and off the court.

?The morning practices are the worst,? David Fujihara, ?08, said. ?I am not a morning person at all, but I know that the extra work will allow us to gain better fundamentals and more advanced plays throughout the season.?

Alumnus Chris Schultz, ?91, played point guard for FC team from 1989-91 and coached on campus for seven years starting in 1994.

After the opportunity at Westmont University from 2003-04 as an assistant coach for the mens? basketball team and head of the women?s team, he returns to coach the FC boys? varsity team.

?I did not originally come back to coach,” Schultz said. “I needed to complete my Master?s degree. But when the opportunity presented itself, I decided to coach as well.?

Schultz mingles basketball with three core values to generate a program that challenges every player to succeed in everything they involve themselves with.

?I hope that those in the basketball program will leave with three core values,? Schultz said. ?Character, community and competition will be in their lives long after they leave this school.?

Senior captain Joey Logan recognizes that the underclassmen look to him as the model of a campus boys? basketball player.

?As a senior and a captain, I need to set a good example for the underclassmen,? Logan said. ?I will work hard and be respectful to the coaches, and I hope that others on the team will do the same.?

This year?s varsity team comprises of students from all grades including freshman Landon Martens and Andrew McCormick. With five years of experience, Martens realizes this year will be a building year for him.

?I have been playing basketball since fifth grade,? Martens said. ?This year I will enhance my skills by playing big guys and become more prepared for later years.?

After the team graduated five players in 2006, the anticipation for this year?s seniors is to lead the younger players throughout the season.

?Joey is the only returnee who played substantial minutes last year,? Schultz said. ?The team will look to him as the leader on the court and for points on the board.?

Senior Paris Smith, who previously played various positions as punt returner and running back on the football team, joins those already involved in the basketball program.

?Getting up for practice is hard,? Smith said. ?Running is not bad, but it still is definitely not fun.?

Now with the two-a-day practices finished, the basketball team focuses on more plays and game preparation.

For more information on pre-season training, read the Sept. 21, 2006, online article ?Basketball wakes up to conditioning? by Marielle Desrosiers.

For basketball game dates, click under Quick Links on sports schedules in the menu bar.