The 2010-11 basketball season has been a memorable one for the BT Basketball family. There has not only been a tremendous amount of individual success, as team success was found to be abundant as well.
Here are some of the highlights…

—Kevin Ufferfilge is a sophomore guard up at Vernon. He started the season strictly on JV as the Varsity was guard heavy. However, he played so well throughout the season (including 5 three pointers in one game) that he not only began to sit the bench on varsity games, but also got some good minutes in as well. I’m quite excited to see what the next 2 years holds for him.

—Chris McIlvaine improved greatly this year. The Sparta HS guard worked extremely hard in the off-season and it showed up throughout the year. Not only did he shoot the lights out, but they often came at a very opportune time for the Spartans. He was a key component to helping them have a better than expected season, including 2 wins in the state tournament.

—Nicholas Lucas is a young guard who finished the season strong. The Sparta native had scoring outputs in his last three games of 14, 16, and 21. He also had multiple 20 point games throughout the year. This gym rat will continue to improve due to his love of the game.

—Caitlyn Fitzmorris had possibly the best season of all BT Basketballers. Here is the season wrap up from the words of her father…
“The team was the youngest in the league and started 2 6th graders playing on a 8th level (one of those was Caitlyn). We took some hard loses, but lost 4 games by 5 points or less which would have elevated us from 8th (of 9) place to 5th.
Caitlyn was unanimously selected by her teammates (and coaches) to represent our team in the All Star Game this Sunday.
Highlights from Caitlyn’s season was scoring 27 points in our first round playoff game, leading the team in scoring (160 points in 18 games) and was our most consistent player playing the most visible position, Point Guard.
Caitlyn’s progression was seen in…
1. her aggressiveness in trying to drive to the basket,
2. her ability play low when needed in the 4 spot and boxing out and battling for rebounds,
3. improvement in her shooting foul shots, and jumpers improved from early season struggles. She also incorporated your suggestion to slow down the last step of her layup which also greatly improved her contested layups.
4. her understanding of the game,
5. becoming more of a vocal leader.”

Congrats Caitlyn!!!!

—Here’s some continued success for some local 4th and 6th grade boys…
“Brian’s clinics and workouts definitely contributed to my child’s confidence, skills development and overall successful season. Equally important, under Brian’s tutelage, the fun and love of the game continued to be nurtured. I highly recommend BT basketball for individuals, teams and coaches!
– Sparta Parent”

—I certainly must mention the High Point girls team. They had one of the most successful seasons in county history as they compiled a record of 25-1 en route to regular season and county tournament championships!

—Frankie Rios is an 8th grader who had a wonderful season this year. Check this out…
“Our son Frankie has been training with Brian for about one year now. We have to say that this past year has been Frankie’s most successful in terms of personal growth and success. He not only had his best scoring game (46 points), but he has been recognized and complimented by almost every coach that has seen him play (and even some parents!). Coaches that worked with Frankie last year could not believe how much he has improved, not only his skill level, but his overall understanding of the game and his position as a point guard. Two areas where Frankie has grown substantially are his foul shooting and his jump shot. He averaged 18.6 ppg and his foul shooting percentage was 88%. Also, another benefit of understanding the game and becoming more confident is that Frankie is showing a “maturity” that we haven’t seen in the past. When you work hard and prepare physically, then you are prepared mentally. My husband and I can honestly say that this improvement is a direct result of working with Brian. Brian’s workouts are intense and exhausting, but they are also educational and fun. Frankie always looks forward to his training sessions. If you have a serious ball player in your life and he is looking to bring his game to the next level, we highly recommend Brian Thomas…you will not regret it”

Those are just a few of the incredible successes this past season. I am looking forward to even more next year as I know all of you out there are getting ready to put your work in to improve EVERY aspect of your game. Remember, the season of basketball is over, but the season of improvement has just begun!
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