Photo credit: Troy Lipscomb

LEADERSHIP IN ACTION | The Norsemen varsity basketball team huddles up as senior players, including captain Ben Rickerman, guide the team through an intense game. “The number of seniors on our team brings a lot of leadership,” Rickerman said. “It helps have experience on the court and really helps build the culture of the program.”

With a 10-4 record and a win over South, many Norsemen acknowledge how the seniors, such as captain Ben Rickerman, are contributing and leading the boy’s varsity basketball team down the road to success. With the season coming to a close, the players and the staff around them reflect on the success and focus on future goals. 

As a senior captain, Ben Rickerman values many different aspects of being a part of the varsity basketball team. He cherishes the relationships he builds on and off the court as well as the hard work and perseverance he sees flowing through his team. 

“In the off-season, we go through so much and we grow as brothers,” Rickerman said. “To be able to win day in and day out with them is my favorite part.”

As the trainer for these athletes, Bridgett Scarber loves that she has gotten to see this group of seniors grow as people on and off the court.  She enjoys seeing the bonds this team has formed, from hanging out in her room, talking and joking, to the chemistry on the court that comes with it. 

“My favorite part of working with these athletes, especially this group in particular, is the fact that I have had them for three years now and I have gotten to kind of watch them grow, as not just basketball players, but individuals as well and see them overcome a lot of trials and injuries, especially in my role.” Scarber said.

This season has been impactful and rewarding for coach Robert Johnson. While the relationships and brotherhood he forms with his players are the most important part, the success in games so far this season has been inspiring for him. From their win to Grosse Pointe South to other successes, they have been performing outstandingly on the court, according to Johnson.

“The senior leadership is a big reason why we’re having the success that we do,” Johnson said. “I think by the seniors showing the underclassmen what it takes to work hard and what it takes to be successful, it will have a lasting impact on the basketball program in general.”

Finishing up his last year playing for the North varsity basketball team, Ben Rickerman is very proud of what his team has accomplished. He believes that all of the experienced seniors on the court serve as great role models for the underclassmen and will help lead them to earn the district title. He hopes to see the team continue to thrive toward the end of the season to reach this goal.

“I want to see the younger guys on the team take a leap in their development,” Rickerman said. “For the seniors, I want them to play their best basketball right now because this could be some of the last games they play in their career.”