On Nov. 8, Northlake Trailblazers took on East Texas Baptist University for their first home game. With a win of 104-66, we were curious on the mindset of the players as they start their season.
We had the pleasure of speaking with 5’11 point guard, Autatvius Hall Junior. Hall grew up in Garland, Texas playing basketball most of his life.
“I was offered a full ride at St. Mary’s which is a D2 but I made a few mistakes,” Hall said. “It was a blessing but I didn’t go in with the right mindset but I’m glad Coach Mills gave me a chance because everyone doubted me out but he was kind enough in his heart to give me a chance.”
Hall plans to win the national championship by attending all practices. “These practices tough,” he said. “We got to stay solid, stay humble, and come into every game with the right mindset and I believe we can win it. We have the right coach and right team.”
Daylen Webb, 6’7 small forward, said his mindset going into the game was to “kill.” As the night went on, Webb had a great game finishing at the rim and is determined to improve his mid-range and 3-point shooting for games to come.
Webb predicts his team will succeed this season. “Not going to lose many games,” he said. “Kill all our opponents and make it to the championship.”
Jakob Zenon, 6’4 Guard and back-to-back Dallas Athletic Conference player of the week, said his mindset was similar to Webb’s going into this game, which was to “dominate.”
Zenon finished at the rim while hitting many 3-pointers throughout the game.
In his words, his season will include “attacking the rim and getting to the bahas” —which most people would agree that he is the player for the job. When asked why he was seated the last few minutes, he said his team is capable of winning without his help. “My coach trusted the team to finish the job,” Zenon said.
As a Dallas College Alumni, Coach Mills is dedicated to his job and has a heart for the work he does. During an interview with Coach Mills, we had the opportunity to get insight on his purpose as the head basketball coach and essentially as a person.
“The goal is to help the team get exposure and to higher levels with scholarships,” Mills said.
Keeping the team at a 3.0 or higher GPA is important for the players to receive the scholarships they deserve. College coaches deem academically strong athletes a great asset to their teams.
As the team has gone undefeated in conference of the 22-23 season, they look forward to winning the national championship this year. With the Blazers being the #1 defensive team in the country, having the largest rebounding margin, and averaging 80 points per game, a national championship seems attainable for the 23-24 season.
Overall, Northlake Blazers plan to dominate the season and play to their best potential while continuously self-reflecting to improve for games to come.
