High school basketball practices tip off, West Columbus hopes for a great season

Monday marked the first day high school basketball teams could practice all around the Tar Heel State. In Cerro Gordo, Michael Powell is entering his 21st season as the boy’s basketball head coach of the West Columbus Vikings.

Powell’s players were excited about the first day of practice, but they were not alone.

“There’s an old saying that the more things change the more things stay the same. Basketball is still basketball. Kids are still kids,” said Coach Powell. “Our kids work hard and they enjoy playing and it’s all about the young men that we work with. We’re going to suit up and we’ll see what happens. We’re going to be small, hopefully quick, and we’ll get up and down the court to play a full court game.”

Presently, West Columbus does not have many players on the roste0r. There were eight while we were there for tryouts Monday afternoon, but the numbers will increase once the football season ends. That is at least two weeks away, depending on how far West Columbus goes in the playoffs.