Cougars Rebound in Preparing for New Season

Basketball pre-season is ramping up, and so are the expectations of Charlotte Catholic’s players and coaches. Coach Sergio Asaro, one of the varsity basketball team’s assistant coaches, provided insight to the mindsets and goals of this year. 

After a long summer of lifting and working out, Coach Asaro stated that he is most excited for “just getting back to work and being with the guys every day. I think the way last season ended, we’ve all been dying to get back to work for a while now.” The team suffered a season ending loss to South Mecklenburg last year and is eager to get back in the gym. 

When the team’s season ended, so did the high school careers of three former seniors, which left some holes to be filled in the roster. Despite the loss of those players, seniors like Chris Eagan, Ben Bergren, Cade Pringle, Aidan Brady, Preston Short and J.R. Gregory strive to lead by example throughout the year. 

Going into the season, Coach Asaro states that “the motive doesn’t really change from one season to the next.” The team is ultimately motivated by the opportunity to compete and to represent the school. 

Last year ended with a tough loss to South Meck, a team that coincidentally finds itself first on Catholic’s schedule. It is a game that the team is looking forward to, mainly because of “the fact that it’s the first game… Plus, they’re who eliminated us from the playoffs last year.” 

All teams tend to have a preseason goal. For Charlotte Catholic, the goal for the season is “to be at a point after the season ends where we look back and say we’re proud of what we accomplished.” Although the team would love to win the conference tournament, the ultimate goal is to achieve a sense of pride in the growth of the program as a whole.

Coach Sergio Asaro is one of the varsity basketball team’s assistant coaches.