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The Eagles are ready to take their fledgling program to new heights.

Gilbert, Arizona — High school basketball playoffs begin in less than two weeks and, like soccer, will feature an open division bracket for the top 4A, 5A and 6A teams.

One of the 4A teams already rocking the rankings is ALA-Gilbert North, the Eagles backed by a father-son duo.

ALAGN’s Dylan Novak is in the spotlight this season. A sophomore, he’s one of the top teams in the state’s Open Division rankings, the Eagles, and he’s already scored over 1,000 career points.

“I mean, the word is spreading that we’re pretty good,” Dylan said. “It gives us a lot of confidence and we think we can beat anyone. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Dylan and his teammates are coached by their father, Dave Novak. The Eagles trail reigning 6A state champion Perry in his latest AIA Open rankings. The Eagles are 23-1 this season and have already lost to Tucson Saguaro, his one competitive 4A program.

“Last year we were 3A, but nobody paid attention. Nobody wanted us to have a chance to play in a bigger tournament this summer. We want to be in the spotlight.” We want to be on stage, and that’s why I love the open division.”

We’ll see how the open bracket goes in early February, but teams at this small school are hungry to compete with the likes of Perry, Liberty, and Basha in the postseason. The Eagles are keen to take this fledgling program to new heights this year.

“It’s something we’ve always dreamed of. I know me and my dad were always talking about winning and playing against these big teams.” That’s really my main goal.”

Follow our conversation with Lena Washington on Twitter. @LWashingtonTV.

If you have an idea for a sports story, email Lina at [email protected].