Bobcat boys' basketball coach Brett Kaczor believes his team has handled COVID distractions during pre-season.

"It's another aspect, as coaches, that we have to work around and find the best way possible to get the most out of our teams," he said. "Most of them realize the season could be taken away at any moment, so it keeps them focused and motived to take advantage of every day."

Monday was the first day the team participated as a full squad.

"It does cause some extra stress as a coach because you have to determine how much schematically you want to put in each day. You don't want to leave anybody too far behind, but you also don't want to not have in a good portion of your schemes," Kaczor said.

Eight returning letter winners - Mason Hoke, Dalton Rotherham, Kellen Mlnarik, Keegan Smith, Levi Cronk, Joe Ahlers, Jaykwon Petite and Luis Mendoza - return to the 2020-2021 squad.

The Bobcats meet Neligh-Oakdale, Thursday, in Clearwater. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

As the season begins, Kaczor is concerned about how the pandemic may affect the team, especially since the health dial is updated mid-week.

"You could be prepping for the end-of-the-week games, not knowing whether or not your team even gets to play... I hope we can all do our part to let these kids play an entire season; there will be cases no matter what, but as long as we follow the regulations the kids should get an opportunity to play," Kaczor said.