By By Chandler Myers
With football winding down over the next few weeks, pads and helmets will be traded in for sneakers and basketballs.
Atmore Christian School began basketball practices last week and begin their season on Nov. 7 with a tournament in Tuscaloosa.
Eight players are suiting up for the ACS varsity squad.
Head coach Tim Battles said the team is working hard to be prepared for the season.
The varsity team features a mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen, which also play for the junior varsity.
Upperclassmen have taken to their role as leaders, according to Battles.
Battles said the older players show their leadership by assisting the underclass players with learning the basics of the team.
Last year’s team featured a six-man rotation, which tired out the team easily due to lack of depth.
This year, the squad will be able to do more offensively and defensively by being able to work in more players during games.
Battles said that four of the six are back this season.
Our leadership is strong because four of our guys from last year are back,” Battles said. “We are also working on conditioning to help us make sure we don’t over utilize any single player. Having extra players really helps.”
ACS begins its season with a tournament in Tuscaloosa, which features eight schools coming from Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia.
This is also the first season that ACS will be a part of the Panhandle Christian Conference.
Battles said the schedule for the team has been strengthened this year and features an in town rivalry between ACS and the Cougars of Escambia Academy on Dec. 18 and another game to be played after New Year’s.
While winning is a focus of the team, there are other things that the team hopes to learn.
Battles said that building character is a large step in the process of building the team. He added that competing is important also, but getting along and knowing how to play like a team is just as important.