Habit Key for Wolverines Basketball in 2011

Returning to the court for the first official game of its 2011-2012 season tonight, the Westwood High School boys varsity basketball team is looking to turn things around after tough run last year. 

And the main focus in the weeks leading up to the season opener against Medway has been on skills and learning them to the point where they seem natural.

"If we take that specific thing we're working on, it becomes part of our habit," said Steve St. Martin, who takes the helm as head coach for the second year in Westwood. "The more you develop those types of habits, when you get into game situations, it becomes automatic. So you're not thinking anymore, you're just doing."

To reiterate the point, St. Martin said that in certain game situations, when things get chaotic, athletes can always look back to their core habit as a point of reference.

"That will see you through the storm," he said. "That's where we're trying to be."

Whether it's a passing drill, shooting drill, working out the kinks on dribbling or simple defensive tactics, St. Martin hopes to see the team improve this year after ending at 6-14 last season. 

"What we're seeing is that guys are really committed to getting better, pushing each other every day," he said. "It's a good mix (of players) and its guys who are energetic, and they're really committed to getting better."

The Wolverines this year welcome back five returning athletes, four of them being seniors: Mike Keane, Glenn Parsons, Eric Tanery and Erik Maloney. 

Taking things off with a home scrimmage against Walpole on Dec. 2, the Wolverines then went on to take on Boston Latin in a scrimmage on the road on Dec. 6 before finishing with a third pre-season battle last Friday against Braintree. 

But when it comes to playing in the Tri-Valley League this season, St. Martin isn't ready to say there's one team in particular the Wolverines strive to defeat.

"Everybody's a challenge," he said. "We're not in any position to say anything about any other team. Every team is coming to win; they're coming to win a game, it's the same for us. We can't look at anybody and think that this team is harder than another."

With that in mind, St. Martin leads the team against Medway for the season opener on the road tonight, with the game taking off at 6:30 p.m.

"Here's a team that has traditionally dominated the TVL for the last few years," St. Martin said. "They obviously want to continue that dominance. They're very well coached, they're a very disciplined team. It's at their gym, so it's going to be a big test to see what we have inside of us."

When asked about his experience working with athletes in Westwood for a second year, St. Martin said, "They're all very good students. They want to get better, they want to do well . . . this is one of the reasons I decided to come here."