The Midway is featuring athletes, selected at random, from school teams for informal interviews about their sports. Xavier Fisher is a sophomore on the varsity boys basketball team. Xavier’s responses have been lightly edited for clarity, style and length.
When did you start playing basketball?
“ I started playing basketball competitively probably in third or fourth grade, and then before that I just played at my house ever since I can remember pretty much.”
What’s your favorite thing about playing basketball?
“Just having the competitive outlet, being able to compete every day and push myself, be a part of a team and have that camaraderie.”
What’s one moment you’re proud of from this season so far?
“ I’d say our win against North Shore Country Day last Friday (January 16). I felt like it was a really big team win. We were down at halftime, and then that was a pretty big win against a conference opponent with a big crowd at home, so that was a big moment for us.”
What’s your biggest challenge in basketball?
“I think at Lab it’s very difficult ’cause I feel like trying to get a lot of people really invested in the team is definitely difficult. I mean, we’ve got like seven guys who really care about it, but it’s really difficult to get people to show up consistently, especially in the offseason, when at Lab there’s so many other things that people prioritize over basketball.”
If you could play alongside one professional basketball player who would it be and why?
“ If I could play alongside one professional basketball player, probably Steph Curry. If we were on the same team, I’d get a lot of open looks, just because of how much the defense is worried about him. I also think he’s a great leader, and what we’ve seen from him is that he’s always someone who makes his teammates better and the people around him better, so I’d really like to play with him.”
What’s one thing in your gear bag you can’t live without and why?
“ My water bottle. I bring, like, two water bottles to school ’cause if I don’t drink a lot of water, I’ll cramp during the game. Also during practice I like to bring my water bottle, so I don’t have to wait in line during water breaks at the water fountain.”
Who is the one artist you have to listen to as you get ready for a game, and why?
“Well, we have a team playlist that we play during warmups and that has a lot of Kendrick Lamar, Drake and actually has a lot of Josiah, JOSK, on it. But the song that I listen to before games that gets me going is ‘X Gon’ Give It To Ya’ by DMX.”
If you could design your own jersey, what would it look like?
“ We’d probably have the big maroon phoenix on the front, and then it’d probably just say maroons over that and then on the back, the number and then last name.”
What’s your favorite pregame snack?
“ We started to have a team snack rotation and I always like when people bring in soft and chewy granola bars ’cause they’re really easy to get down and they give you a lot of calories for the game.”
What’s something people might not realize about being on the basketball team?
“ I’d say something people might not realize is just like how much of a commitment it is. We practice every single day and usually on the weekends as well. And then we also do team lifts during the season after practice sometimes and in the offseason as well. It’s like we’ll go three times a week, strength and conditioning. So, it’s really a big commitment behind the scenes.”
How do you celebrate after the team wins a game?
“In the locker room, we’ll talk about it. Usually, if it’s an away game, the bus ride back will be fun. If it’s a home game, going down into the gym and talking to the people who are at the game, and then sometimes I’ll hang out with the team after. “
How do you bounce back after a tough game?
“ So after a tough game, I think it’s really important to come in the next day to practice and just really be focused on what went wrong there. Being able to understand where we came up short execution-wise, or if it was effort-wise. I think also watching the film is very important and then, you know, flushing that loss and then moving on.”
