What’s Your Number Mean?
Basketball season is a favorite among JB students. Most people in the stands think the numbers on the back of the player’s jerseys are just random, but many have a deeper meaning.
Standing tall at 6’9″ , Colton Hartman (11). has the number 40 stitched on his jersey. He has been playing basketball since he was five-years-old. Hartman picked this number because his dad had the same number in his basketball career.
“It was my dad’s number so that’s why I picked it,” said Hartman.
While some players pick their number because of family, there are some who pick it because of their favorite NBA players. Syrus Maldonado (12) has had the number three since his freshman year to his senior year. Number three is also the same number as his favorite point guard, Chris Allen, who plays for Oklahoma City Thunder.
“ I wore it my entire high school basketball career, and it’s the number of my favorite point guard,” said Maldonaldo .
While Maldonado represents number three because of his favorite point guard, some numbers represent when the played first started to enjoy the sport. Bryce Hissong (10) was assigned number 42 while playing basketball in sixth grade. It was the first year he started doing well and started to enjoy playing. He carried the same number throughout middle school. When he started playing for the high school he picked the number 24 because it’s 42 backwards. Others pick their number because they have the same one for a different sport.
“The numbers 42 and 24 represent enjoyment while I play basketball,” said Hissong.
Others pick their number because they have the same one for a different sport. Carley Dinsmore (10) has the number five for both soccer and basketball. Everyone would be used to seeing her represent the number five of her jersey for both sports.
“I thought it would be cool to have the same number for basketball and soccer,” said Dinsmore.
Each player’s number means something to them. Whether it’s for a family member, enjoyment, or their favorite pro basketball player, they picked it for a reason. Most players pick a number and keep it throughout their basketball career.
Tip-Off of the Big Season Ahead
After traveling out of bounds, the ball rests in the referee’s hands before being passed into play.
Tip-Off to the Season
With teeming bleachers and a roaring crowd, the full gym on a Friday night was anything but quiet. On Dec. 7, the Chambersburg Area Senior High School hosted the annual Tip-Off Tournament for James Buchanan, Greencastle-Antrim, and Waynesboro High School basketball teams for both the boys’ and girls’ to kick off the season. The games began Friday night and continued into Saturday night.
This is a way to kick off the season and helps the teams out in the long run.
“It gives us a good look at the teams we will be facing this season,” says McKayla Heinbaugh (9).
The tournament started with the Waynesboro and Greencastle girls playing, which then lead to the Lady Rockets facing the Lady Trojans. With everyone sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the buzzer to go off, the Lady Rockets put up a fight, but the game resulted in a victory for Chambersburg. The students that came cheered them on the entire way. The final score was 59-55.
The tensions then rose when it was time for the Trojan boys to face the Rockets. With a feuding crowd and lots of energy, people waited to see the outcome of this game.
“We put a lot of effort as a team out there on the court,” says Colton Hartman (10).
The students had high energy supporting their team. The boys stayed strong and kept their heads high, but Chambersburg got the victory with a final score was 61-16.
“The environment was really good and working together as a team was good too,” said Rylan Good (10).
The tournament then continued into Saturday with the Lady Rockets facing off against the Waynesboro Indians. The girls were high in energy, ending up defeating the Indians with a score of 40-26. The Tournament concluded for the girls’ after the Lady Trojans faced the Lady Indians, which resulted in a win for the Indians.
After the girls’ games were finished, the Rockets took the court to battle rival Greencastle. With a very tight and close game, Greencastle got the win with the final score of 37-34.
The tournament concluded with Chambersburg and Waynesboro boys’ played for the championship which resulted in the Waynesboro Indians winning for the boys. Chambersburg and Greencastle faced off for the ladies and Greencastle came out victorious.
“My favorite part about Tip-Off was being with my team, seeing the crowd, and how much the fans get into the game,” said Colton Hartman (10).
With the first game of the season done and over with, the Rocket Basketball team will continue to work towards bettering their team as a whole, as well as their score.
