Can The TMU Men’s Basketball Team Find Their Team Spirit?

The Coca-Cola Court in Mattamy Athletic Centre is remarkably quiet during the training of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) men’s basketball team. The only sounds resounding through the gym are basketballs bouncing and shoes squeaking on the floor. Each player is concentrated on himself and his work. No cheering each other on, no major show-offs. Even when head coach David DeAveiro and assistant coach Jeremie Kayeye talk the team through tactics for the upcoming games, the players are moving in a reserved and robotic way. The team is clearly lacking team spirit.

After losing two out of three matches in the NCAA exhibition series, it is obvious that they have to make some effort to come out of this preseason as a committed team. “It really showed us that basketball is a team game. We weren’t really on the same page. There were five individuals on the floor instead of one unit,” says forward Lincoln Rosebush. But he assures that they learned from their failure in the NCAA series and know what they have to improve.

A key player to include this year’s rookies in the team is Ankit Choudhary. The guard is leading TMU’s strong offence together with his teammate Aaron Rooms. Off the court, Choudhary is taking on a stronger leadership role this year, in his second season playing for TMU. Together with DeAveiro and Kayeye, he is working with the new players on the team and making adjustments if necessary. He has high expectations, not only for himself but for the whole team: “I want a culture where people come to the gym and bust their butt every day, work hard, really give it everything and leave it all out there.”

And the players are working hard on themselves. “I contribute probably six hours a day to playing basketball,” says forward Elijah Roye. But there is more to this sport than just hard work. A team that works together matters just as much, if not more.

Especially because the players have high hopes for this season. “You are trained to only think about the next game, but sometimes you are thinking about a big goal like winning the national championship.” There is still a long way to go to achieve what Rosebush and many other players on the team are dreaming of, but they have talent in their midst. Now it is time for experienced players like Choudhary to bring the team together and finally play as one.