SIMLA, Colo (KOAA) — While teams often refer to themselves as a family, the Simla Cubs take the term in a literal sense.
Simla High School's boys and girls basketball teams each won the 2A state title, achieving dual championships driven by deep family ties across both rosters.
Winning championships is great, but the time spent together is what the Cubs cherish.
"You spend hours and hours away from your family, so when you actually get to coach someone that’s in your family, you get the time back with your own kid or your nephew," said boys basketball coach David Guy.
"If I have to be in the gym, it’s great that my family can be here too. We can just be together and have a lot of fun," said boys' assistant coach Chad Thieman.
"It’s kind of pretty cool to look back at later on being like I was in the gym with my brother, I was in the gym with my sisters and my cousins, and we all won a state championship together," Keygon Frihauf said.
Sometimes it can be difficult to separate basketball from daily family life. I asked the team if there are times when it is hard to leave basketball at the gym, and it ends up going home with them.
"Yes. A lot. All the time. You have to learn to separate it, and that’s tough," said the group.
In the end, being a family is what leads to their success.
"Being itty bitty and playing with each other all the way up til now, we kind of know exactly what everybody likes to do, what their favorite spot is. It just helps with chemistry and communication, knowing everybody and loving each other," Frihauf said.
"There’s a healthy competition among siblings and cousin and family, and if they’re going to do that, then maybe I got to do a little better. That pushes each other because they want to show a little better than one of their family members," Thieman said.
"I feel like me and Keygon, we hold each other pretty accountable, so I think that really helps. We will take it home and just in a good way. Talk about our games, talk about what we think we did good and we’re pretty good at pointing out to one another what things to work on, so we’re good at holding each other accountable in a really loving way, and that really helps," said Reese Baker.
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