Royals in search of more confidence

The Twin Rivers Royals basketball squad will rely on two key elements as they gear up for the second leg of the season, which means building more confidence and establishing an identity on the defensive end.

The Royals experienced a lot of ups and downs during the first half of the season, but their roughest stretch came around the holidays when their roster took a hit with sickness. But unlike most teams, the Royals have managed to stay above .500 with an 8-7 record on the season and 2-1 in conference games.

Though the beginning of the season didn’t go as smoothly as coach Seth McBroom would’ve liked, he feels that the Royals are slowly finding their pace through the season.

“We've been kind of up and down lately,” McBroom said. “We felt pretty good, but then Christmas hit, and we went through all the sickness like everybody else. It was a tough hit during the holiday tournament time. We feel like we're just now getting out of that, so we're excited for this tough stretch of January. It doesn't matter if you're healthy or not, it's always a tough month. Our goal is to hopefully take care of business and win some of those games.”

McBroom said the Royals have shown much improvement in recent weeks, but he demands more out of them. He wants the team to be ready for any curve balls thrown their way around the postseason. He said the team has bought into playing with each other and has learned the importance of having elite defense and rebounding on the court.

“We just need to have a couple of good games here to get us back on track,” McBroom said. “Getting some wins and good practices will propel us into the second half of the season towards the right direction. We're trying to regain our confidence, find our identity on defense and play the way we're most comfortable with. I want us to make the right plays when necessary and not put too much pressure on ourselves to score. We must start leaving everything we have on the court going forward.”

Junior Jake Hester leads the Royals with 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while seniors Carter Willimas and Zach Joiner chip in with 10 points a game.

Hester agreed that the last few games haven’t gone how they would’ve liked, but he believes the team is ready to establish a hot streak and finish the season strong.

“It’s been tough, but I think we’ve matured in some areas that we didn’t have at the start of the season,” Hester said. “My mission this year was to keep us in a nice flow during the game, whether getting us into the offense or slowing the game down. One key adjustment I made this year was becoming a better shooter, and so far, my confidence in taking more shots has been great.”

Hester said he would like to see the Royals make a run at the conference, which will be a good momentum booster going into the district tournament.

McBroom said he is proud of Hester and is happy about the season he’s been having thus far.

“Jake is a great guy, and teammates love him,” McBroom said. “I just want him to do well like all the other kids. He’s really found his niche on the court by getting into good scoring positions while handling the ball for us at the point. He’s got a lot of toughness about him, and he’s the type of player we need, and we’re proud to have him.”

McBroom said going forward, he would like the team to take the pressure off of themselves and not overthink every move on the floor. He believes they’ve spent too much time dissecting the minor mistakes instead of having fun.

“At the end of the day, we just need to go out there and play,” McBroom said. “Basketball is the greatest team sport in the world, and we need to focus on the fun and enjoy it. We have a nice group of players who have found their role on this team with the addition of some nice young guys. I hope everyone can increase their role as we go through the season. We have the skills, but the goal now is to piece everything together. We must keep practicing hard and focus on what we must do to improve. And as the coach, I must ensure we're in the right position come playoff time.”

The Royals will host Clearwater High School on Thursday for senior night, with the Royalettes kicking things off at 5 p.m. followed by the boys at 7:30 p.m.