The 2012 JV boys basketball team was a step ahead of the curve, completing a perfect 16-0 season. The 2013 freshman and JV boys basketball teams both finished the season with a 15-1 record. While both of these accomplishments have been recognized, the varsity team won the district championship following a 12-4 season put in by the JV squad.

The basketball team is not the only program who has had JV success at these levels. Two years ago the JV baseball team yielded a 12-2 record, and the varsity team won a district championship the following year. These two success stories do not directly correlate with each other, according to baseball pitching coach Bill Evers.

“The JV team is the development squad for the varsity teams,” Evers said. “These teams are supposed to make the transition from lower levels to the varsity level quicker and easier, and do not necessarily lead to proven varsity success.”

Within a program, one of the more important characteristics of JV teams, and varsity teams alike, are the coaching staff, Evers said. Not only is the quality of the coach an important factor for teams, but it is also imperative that they are consistent and are focused on developing student athletes.

“I feel if a program is fortunate enough to have consistent coaches at the JV level, then the JV team will experience success, and the varsity team will benefit from it,” Evers said.

While varsity coaches invest time in analyzing JV players and attending the JV games, their success does not always translate into success at the next level.

Evers said, “The JV team’s success does not correlate with varsity success necessarily, JV is the development of players into roles that fit into a given program.”