The Manitou Springs High School boys’ basketball team will officially start their season on Nov.  14. 

The Players have been anxiously waiting to return to the court since last February. 

They have lost some crucial scorers and playmakers from last year, but they are looking forward to this season. “The leadership of guys like Ethan Boren and Caleb Allen is always difficult to replace,” Brian Vecchio, head varsity coach, said.

Last year they ended their season with a winning record of 14-10 making it to the second round of the playoffs before getting knocked out by Resurrection Christian High School. 

The team has been very good in the past and even made it to the playoffs year after year.

Last year the team beat Frontier Academy, Alamosa, La Junta, James Irwin, Banning Lewis Academy, Ellicott, The Vanguard School, Lamar, Rye, The Classical Academy, Woodland Park and Middle Park. 

But with the wins, there always comes the losses; here’s who the boys lost to last year: 

Peyton, Denver School of Science and Technology, Montview, Kent Denver, Colorado Springs Christian, Salida, St. Mary’s, Buena Vista, Florence and Resurrection Christian.

“The team had 15-20 open gyms and attended the Mesa University Team Camp at the end of June,” Vecchio said. These open gyms can let the players get ready for the season.

“The open gyms are important because they’re getting us in good shape for the season,” Tyler Maloney (12) said.

 Getting in shape for basketball is a lot different than other sports because, for basketball, it’s just constant running up and down the court. It takes a lot to get in shape for that. 

The seniors will try and make the most out of this season, because they know it will be their last. “I’m definitely looking forward to making the absolute most out of the season and making memories with all the guys and just having a good last season,” Andrew Rhodes (12) said.

The Manitou Springs and St. Mary’s rivalry has been going on for a long time, and St. Mary’s usually dominates in basketball, but the Mustangs know they have a chance this year and are looking forward to it. “I am excited to play St. Mary’s of course,” Maloney said. “I think this is the year that we get our revenge.” 

The boys will have their first game at Peyton High School on Nov. 30 and have 14 regular season games. 

Vecchio likes to schedule very challenging games to prepare the team for their league games. This year is going to be very challenging since they made the change to 4A. “We always like to play a challenging non-conference schedule and make the move to 4A. We have definitely tried to challenge ourselves again,” Vecchio said.

The Mustang’s plan is to get to work this season and make it to the playoffs and go even further than they did last year.

The practices this year won’t be much different, mainly putting up a lot of shots, getting a lot of conditioning in and working on the plays. “We want the practice to be harder than games,” Vecchio said.

Vecchio believes that to be a great basketball player you not only have to be good on the court but always have to be good in everything else you do in life. He is trying to prepare the kids for life, not just basketball. “We believe by developing a strong work ethic, good character and fundamental basketball players, we will have a great chance to compete for a league title year after year.” Vecchio said.