Winooski’s athletic director looks toward basketball playoff season

Winooski High School Athletic Director and boys varsity basketball coach Sam Jackson is happy with the way the school’s basketball teams have been playing, and has high hopes for the athletes as they begin to finish up their regular season. 

Boys and girls basketball are the only sports at Winooski High School during the winter.

“Our focus is on teamwork and bringing the team together into a community,” Jackson said. “In result we’ve been pretty successful.”

The teams have played well thus far, but still have room to grow, Jackson said. 

“I think they're right on par,” Jackson said. “I think that, you know, they've done some things that we know we can do better, and we also recognize that we have some growth and opportunities to be better.”

Several players have sustained injuries this year, which have affected the starting rosters over the course of the season, especially as the season progresses. 

“You got a lot of cancellations and weather and you got to make up so many games. And so this is a hard point in the season. Playing back to back days is challenging. It's hard on your body physically,” Jackson said.

Injuries and roster changes seem to be a bigger issue for the boys team than the girls team. 

“The girls' rosters have not changed much,” said Jackson. “They escaped it.”

When asked about playoff prospects, Jackson was optimistic and had faith in his players. 

“The girls hoping to be a Cinderella team they should be the middle of the pack. The boys would be probably seeded a little bit higher, but we know that every game is gonna count,” said Jackson.

Jackson is hopeful for the playoffs, and wants to focus on the team and city communities, and the relationship between the two.

“We want to be actively involved in our community, our community invests in us, and we want to invest in them. So that's our hope,” Jackson said. “Our hope is to be marching in March. And you know, bring some good news back to the city.”