As the season changes from fall to winter,  basketball dedicates their time in training and playing games, in order to get ready to dominate the court for the season. 

Girls basketball:

To make sure the team does well and succeeds, captain senior Chelly Villa-Gomez Flores wants “to lead my team to succeed. I’m going to encourage each of my teammates to get out of their comfort zone. I’m going to help them increase their confidence and grit with positive words and by pushing them to play their hardest whether it’s against each other or in game.”

To get ready for games, Villa-Gomez Flores said “,During warmups I hype my girls up by encouraging them to try something new before the game. I also let them know to place their trust in all the returning players, and discard their worries by reaffirming them that their team has got their back”. Also sophomore Lucy Ke stated that, “I get ready for games by usually remaining myself that what I’m doing is a learning experience and I should enjoy it while I still can.”

During this season, each teammate has their own individual main goals they want to achieve, for instance Shirli Thong wanted “to be able to make it to CIF and end my last season on a positive note”. Senior Diana Nguyen, has stated “My goal is to support my teammates and do my best on the court and pull my weight on the team. Hopefully to win majority of our basketball games”

As a team, they spend most of their time together, treating each other like a family, and most importantly make memories that last a long time. Ke said ,”So far in the 3 months I have been with this team I have made a lot of memories with them, one that can’t be forgotten.” A fun memory that Thong remembered is when the team sang their hearts out to Bruno Mars in the back of the bus after a tournament. 

Boys basketball:

To make sure the team succeeds, Captain Andrew Villa, junior, said,” to lead the team to success I try to make sure the team doesn’ get too rowdy or out of hand and make sure everyone knows what is going on and try to get everyone to practice.” Coach Oscar Lopez mentioned that as his job as the coach he needs to make sure that his players are responsible and ready for the games. 

During this year’s season, Villa and junior Noe Magana, mentioned that they both want “ to win the league and have a shot in the playoffs” and senior Axcel Garcia, who has been playing since 7th grade said, “I want to make first in the all league.” Coach Lopez this year “wants to win as many games as possible, players to stay healthy, and I want the seniors to be able to graduate.”

Before a game starts, as captain Villa’s job is to talk to his teammates to calm the nerves when it’s almost time to  play the game. Also as they step into the court they make a grand entrance of clapping to hype and motivate each other. Also Magana said, “I drink plenty of water and food a couple hours before warmups, then during warmups, strategize the game plan with the coach and the team, stretch out for about 20 minutes, and then work on shooting and ball handling drills right before the game starts.”

A memorial memory that Magana remembered is, “One special moment we’ve had as a team was during a game against Mountain View HS, we were all hitting out shots and worked together as a team to get the win to start off the season 2-0, and was especially more crucial since it was Juan’s birthday (player on the team) that same day, who is a senior and has played a massive role in helping us secure wins.”

Good luck to both girls and boy basketball team and hope that they have success when it comes to their upcoming season and hope that they make it into playoffs