Returning this year for boys’ varsity basketball team as the varsity captain is senior Gabe Weinstock and he has high hopes for the upcoming season. He has played basketball for four years in Glen Rock and says he can’t wait to improve for his last season.

Weinstock is a natural leader and he is using his skills as this year’s varsity basketball captain. During practices, he gives other players support and encourages others during team activities like warming up. As the captain, Weinstock said he is constantly “lifting guys up, making sure everyone is positive and moving onto the next play even if something goes wrong.”

Weinstock skipped freshman basketball and played on the junior varsity team during his first year of high school, making him used to facing challenges during his basketball career. This year’s challenge is being captain of the team, but he has support from his teammates who voted him captain.

He has worked vigorously to get this moment. He has learned many things over the year to improve his game but the most important one that he learned is that a successful shot can’t be taken from just anywhere. He always strives to take “8s and 9s”, based on the scale he uses to rate the likelihood of making a shot that ranges from 1-10. Weinstock says that a 10 doesn’t exist because no shot is successful one-hundred percent of the time no matter the location or the player. Shots that are eights and nines would be the shots easiest for a basketball player to make such as a wide-open layup. Anything below a 7 he won’t shoot and will look for another opportunity. With a detailed understanding of the game, Weinstock helps him and his teammates grow together with this scale because many of them understand the strategy and use it.

Weinstock is highly motivated going into his final season. The most important thing Weinstock will focus on for the team and his coach, Jason Mittelman, has nothing to do with wins and losses. He will work to maintain positive energy and help the group work together collectively as a team.

He would like everyone to know that it would be great if as many people could come out to all of the team’s games because it’s great to see the support.