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As high school basketball starts, some area teams must first wait out end of football

Dallas-area football athletes who also play basketball typically miss the first month of hoops, creating challenges for players and coaches.

Once Tim Muhammad retires his helmet after football season, he’ll lace up his basketball sneakers and head straight to the rec center.

For the last three years, the Garland senior defensive end and his fellow football teammates, defensive end Kyrian Newton and defensive back Chauncey Carter, have jumped straight from the gridiron and onto the court for basketball season. Football is their primary sport, so during the summer and fall that’s what consumes their energy.

The tail end of the regular football season and football playoffs spills into the basketball season. UIL practices can officially start Wednesday, and competitive games start as early as Nov. 11 — five days after the conclusion of the football regular season.

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That means dozens of multi-sport athletes who play football and hoop often miss the first month or more of basketball season. In addition to the holes it creates on the basketball roster, the overlap of the two seasons forces athletes to work overtime to smoothly transition from one sport to the next.

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Garland guard Chauncey Carter (22) drives the lane and shoots over the defense of a North...
Garland guard Chauncey Carter (22) drives the lane and shoots over the defense of a North Garland player during first half action. Garland won 53-36. The two teams played their District 9-6A basketball game at Garland High School in Garland on January 7, 2022. (Steve Hamm/ Special Contributor)(Steve Hamm)

Texas is known for high school football, but the state also has a strong high school basketball scene. Last school year, 61,682 athletes across 1,560 Texas high schools participated in boys basketball, based on data from the National Federation of State High School Association’s 2021-22 high school sports participation survey. That was the most of any state. The D-FW area in particular has produced some of the nation’s top basketball recruits.

Some players say playing basketball right after football ends creates obstacles and leaves little time for rest. As seniors, Garland’s multi-sport athletes will be key components of the basketball team this year, even though they won’t officially try out. For them, starting hoops season late is more physically challenging than it is mental. They know the plays, but neither the start-and-stop nature of football nor their weight-lifting regimen helps them on the hardwood.

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Just ask Muhammad how he felt three minutes in to the first quarter of his first basketball game last season.

“I could not breathe. My chest was hurting,” said 6-5 Muhammad, who started playing basketball in seventh grade after a growth spurt.

The power forward and center wasn’t alone in his exhaustion.

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“Trust me, you get tired fast,” said Carter, a point guard and shooting guard.

“Football and basketball shape are two different things,” center Newton added.

The sport requires a high degree of aerobic capacity, especially for starters who spend most of their time on the court. During a 48-minute game, basketball players can cover up to five miles, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine. Basketball players who can stretch the court without getting tired tend to perform better and recover faster.

With so much running, the trio said it’s easy to get winded. Sometimes, it takes about a month for them to get acclimated, so they expect teammates to step up the first couple of games.

Garland’s basketball program, which went 22–1 in the regular season to win District 9-6A and advance to the 6A region II championship last year, will be down three players as its season begins.

From back left, Anna High School dual-sport athletes, Jacob Emmers, Grayson Stewart,...
From back left, Anna High School dual-sport athletes, Jacob Emmers, Grayson Stewart, Jonathan Brown, and Sean Steens, from front left, Jadun Mason, Jabari Finnie and Erik Bowen at Anna High School in Anna, TX on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)

Anna’s basketball team, which finished 17–13 and third in District 7-4A Division I will be down double that number. And possibly for longer — Anna’s football team is undefeated, ranked No. 1 in the area and has state-championship aspirations.

Had Erik Bowen, a sophomore athlete who would have been elevated from junior varsity this year, not gotten hurt, it would have been seven. As sophomores last year, Jadun Mason, Jonathan Brown, Jabari Finnie, Grayson Stewart and Sean Steens advanced to the area round of the 4A Division I playoffs.

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With so many basketball players occupied with football until December, Anna head basketball coach Timothy Phifer came up with a plan.

“We treated June as our November,” Phifer said.

June was important for them in developing team chemistry so that come December, the players, who spend much of the year playing other sports together, would mesh. District play begins in January.

Phifer uses the 30-minute skill period sanctioned by the UIL to evaluate the players, and coaches across sports coordinate strength and conditioning workouts, so once football is over it’s “plug and play.”

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He said they’ll start with 12 players on varsity, some of whom he thinks can compete with some of the football guys for spots after posting impressive offseasons.

One new addition to the Anna basketball team this season is junior wide receiver Jacob Emmers, who has played as a guard for Drive Nation in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

Emmers ranks second in the area for 4A in receiving with 830 yards and 11 touchdowns on 37 receptions. The junior, who has played both sports since around 4 or 5 years old, doesn’t necessarily prefer one sport to the other.

“My main sport is the sport I’m playing at the time, really,” Emmers said.

Anna’s Jacob Emmers (11) runs upfield past Kaufman’s Julian Pros (13) in the first half...
Anna’s Jacob Emmers (11) runs upfield past Kaufman’s Julian Pros (13) in the first half during a high school football game, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022 in Anna, Texas.(MATT STRASEN / Special Contributor)

Defensive back Mason, a fellow footballer and club basketball player, also participates in track like other multi-sport Anna athletes and Garland’s Carter. Being a triple threat is a huge commitment.

“There’s a difference between doing something just to do it and doing something to be successful at it,” Phifer said. “It takes a lot of time to be successful at more than one thing now.”

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Maybe that’s why Mason doesn’t have a lot of free periods in his schedule. It’s his first year playing high school football, so it takes effort to be a contributor on Anna’s sixth-ranked scoring defense among area teams.

It takes energy to clear 6-6 in the high jump as a sophomore. It takes time to travel for AAU basketball, a sport Mason has played since fifth grade. He plays point guard for Dallas Showtyme Elite and trains on the weekends.

“I try to get as much treatment as possible, and I like to do a lot of rest. I don’t go out and party and all that,” Mason said. “Making time for friends is very limited because I’ve got all this stuff, so really it’s about whoever’s going to walk with you, down to make time with you.”

He had to think for a second about what he likes to do for fun outside of sports (which is going out to eat), but Mason said the beauty of being a multi-sport athlete is being versatile and known.

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That’s a big reason why Garland’s players shoot hoops despite being self-proclaimed football guys. Friday night lights are unmatched, and he loves all of the pageantry that comes with it.

But for Muhammad that basketball atmosphere is something else.

“You’ve got the crowded gym. I love being able to play in front of people,” he said. “And then being talked about the next day at school.”

On Twitter: @t_myah

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