Time and Tam Again

Steve Tam, captain of the basketball team, is having a hectic summer, balancing his studies with a summer basketball league, training hard for next season.

Tam and his team had a hugely successful season last year, , going 16-4 in the Cape Ann League. .

During the summer, Tam plays in a local league set in Danvers that features two games a week, with over 200 teams taking part in the league that includes some private schools as well as the usual Cape Ann League opponents. The league runs through the end of this week.

In addition to summer league play, Tam is visiting basketball summer camps. It is his chance to get scouted - as scouts rarely come to Div. 3 games in Hamilton.

The purpose of these camps is to showcase players to some of the most prestigious colleges in the country - including many in the Ivy League - representing a balance between education and sport.

Tam is also looking into colleges that are in the University Athletic Association, including Case Western Reserve, which is both academically and sports-orientated.

Tam is working hard not just on the court but also in the gym with other teammates, including Jake Lindland and Luke Drieze. They head to the gym daily to work not just their fitness, but also their strength.

and asked about how it was to captain seniors when he was a junior, Tam replied: "There was no real issue, they respected me as a player, and every one is close friends".

Tam is excited about the challenge for his team for coming year, which has only two other starters, (including himself) from last year left on the team. Tam will be in charge of a team that will have to rebuild to compete for a top seed.  A key to it all will be the new center, Drieze, who Tam expects to perform well and will "fit in perfectly" to the dynamics of the team.  

The main issue the team will face this year is the lack of size -meaning "we will have to use scrappier tactics in order to compete with the toughest of the league’s competitors," Tam said.