(Continued from Part Eight: Reality Check.)
After a lackluster season, I quickly learned that sometimes expectations cannot be met, regardless of how hard one may try. I found that the important part of it all was not to beat ourselves up for not meeting those goals but reflecting on the effort that we gave to reach them. If we look back and see that we have not much to get to where we are, then that is something to be ashamed about, but if we look back and we see that we gave it our all out on the court, then that is something that we should always be proud about. I felt a little bit of both by the end of my third season in the program.
I felt that I had the potential to push my teammates and myself forward, to step away from my comfort zone and try to lead them the best that I possibly could but that moment never really happened. The season went on with everyone trying to play for themselves, there was really no cohesion or togetherness. At the same time, I hustled and gave my best effort to assert myself as a prominent defender on the team and I believe that I had done the best that I possibly could. I eventually ran out of gas towards the latter part of the season but I worked hard every game.
Now I was coming into my senior year and the future of my short basketball career was placed up in the air once more. After three consecutive years of fighting for playing time, I did not know if there was any more gas left in the tank or more importantly, a motive to keep playing. I had found a new passion for journalism and steadily earned the position as a sports editor for the school paper while nothing was certain when I stepped into the Matador arena.
There were just so many question marks surrounding the final season and I had nothing to really grasp onto, but after some deliberation and thought, I came to the conclusion that I had already dedicated three years to the program and if I left the team now, I would have wasted three years of my high school career. It was not right, not a fitting ending to the work that I had already but into the program, so I decided to stay, leaving the future to go in whatever direction it goes.
After starting the entire season in Junior Varsity, I was really up for anything. I had a taste of being a starter and it felt good but in all honesty as a role player, it did not feel any different than being a reserve. If I started for the team than that would be awesome and if I did not, well then I was fine with that.
When Summer league began, Coach Jay had placed me as a starter and felt good. This year, Coach Jay had entered our team into two different leagues to give us more games to practice in hopes that we would shake off the cobwebs early and get going once the season really started. We were going to play two games, back-to-back for a good four to five weeks. The first game would be played at Don Bosco Tech followed by another game at Arroyo High.
Prior to our first contest, the butterflies were kicking in. I had never played Varsity basketball before and the feeling was a bit daunting. During warm-ups, my stomach seemed to be winning the battle and at the tip, I felt like I was going to hurl.
They won the tip and I was at the top of the key, guarding the point guard. He was good, but he was not going to get by me, I made sure that he worked for every shot that he got. I was never really a fan of gambling or reaching, just staying face to face with the defender, wearing him out until he needed a sub. I was able to contain him for the majority of the opening minutes of the game, but our bigs were giving up defensive boards and that was costing us. The team had second chance opportunities on three consecutive possessions, and down the stretch, their efforts would allow them to win the game.
We really had no time to sulk in our loss as we had to play our second game right after the final buzzer of our first. We packed our bags and raced over to the Arroyo Knight's home turf for our second contest. The butterflies were already out of me by the start of the game against the Knights so I jumped right into it.
the point guard was very crafty and quick but I managed to stay tight on him. He had a good cross over that managed to shake me off every time but I was persistent and stuck close to him. At the five minute mark, I was winded and had to be subbed out for a breather. The game was close and it stayed that way for the reminder of the game. I got back in at the start of the third but this was not my game. Our team needed some scorers and I was not the right player to provide any sort of offensive support. My offense is very unorthodox; I do not have a three-point shot or any flashy cross over move to drive to the basket. When I drive in, its a simple dribble and two step lay-up; the only consistent jumper that I can manage to pull up is the mid range shot by the corner of the free throw line.
After playing a couple of minutes in the third and fourth, I was subbed out for guys who were good at putting the ball into the basket. The game went down to the wire and we were on the losing end. We were down by two with five seconds to go when our point guard Anthony Ponce drove in a did a slow running floater that dropped into the basket.
In overtime, both teams kept it close, trading basket after basket until one of the Knights managed to throw up a clean three-pointer that seemed to be the dagger. However, our team captain Man Nong had other plans. He set himself up at the top of the key, took two screens and hit a fading three point shot leaning towards the right side of the arc. Bang!
Our bench went nuts as we cheered at the heroics of Ponce and Nong as they were literally carrying the team. Nong had to sit out of the second overtime given the fact that he had an awkward landing and began to feel a bit of pain in his chest and lungs. The second overtime was as intense as the first two. Arroyo was desperate for the win, they felt like they just could not seem to but us away. Every time they got out on a five point lead we would come right back with a few lay-ups and jump shots.
They got a bit anxious and got out of hand by the two minute mark of the quarter. We took advantage of it and decided to jump out on them. Guard Kyle Che who won the MVP award for the JV year put the game away with his long range jump shot. We won the game by three.
The team played together and that was really all that I cared about. I felt the unity and the joy in us and it all felt good. I was so excited and pumped, even though I sat on the bench, the fact that we were working together got me going. This is what team sports are meant to be all about: each other. The rest of the Summer League was pretty atrocious. We had a couple of great games but the rest were some that we wanted to forget about quickly.
Nonetheless, the team was composed of eight seniors and seven underclassmen that learned to get along. The underclassmen worked hard during practice to earn their minutes and the upperclassmen tried to keep everyone in check. The chemistry of the team was not perfect as we occasionally argued and fought but for the most part, it was at the best that it possibly could be.
We may not have had a great Summer League but that was expected (after three years of playing for San Gabriel, we all knew this). What is important is how we used that time to find the right attitude to approach the upcoming season. We did not know what to expect about the regular season but we did know we had the potential to be a great team in its own right.
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