Before the door opened for the men’s basketball home game against the Cañada College Colts on Jan. 15, the sounds of dribbling and shoes rubbing against the floor let people outside of the gym know a basketball game was about to start.
Although the tip-off time is 7 p.m., the Mountain Lions’ preparation for the game had already begun individually at 5 p.m.
When stepping into the gym, the atmosphere was different from their practice the day before the game. It might be because players checked themselves or tried to relax individually before the game.
Some players were shooting from the three-point lane and checked their shooting form while others were stretching. Coaches were also checking the players’ conditions and their shooting forms.
The preparation is not on the box score, but it makes their statistics better.
When the fans arrived at the gym around 6:30 p.m., final team practice before the game began — at that time, the tension from both team players became bigger.
