Tonight the Falcon basketball team travels south to take on Carmel, stay overnight and play Pacific Grove the next day.
Earlier this month they played in their first pre-season tournament, the James Lick Invitational. They had three games against Lincoln, Independence and American High School. After a 59-46 away win against Lincoln on Dec. 4 and a 57-53 away win against Independence on Dec. 6, they fell to American High School 55-50 on Dec. 7; that loss placed them in second place in the tournament.
This early-season action is a way to get the team ready for the league season that begins on Dec. 26. While the Falcons have netted several wins in the preseason, they have also battled two major issues: lack of height and injuries.
With starters senior guards Hayden Vu and Steven Ning, senior forward Saatvik Kommareddi, junior forward Blue Chankhunthod and junior center Rian Khetani, the team has a skilled but small lineup.
Three key players have been out due to concussions recently: senior power forward Daniel Jadali, junior point guard Nathan Liu and sophomore center Anson Hulme. Coach Mike Davey maintains that the team’s success, even without three key players, is a testament to their effort and strong defense.
“For us to be competing and winning games without three players will help us later. [They] are working well together, and I’m happy with how we’re playing right now,” Davey said.
According to Jadali, the first three games of the pre-season taught the team a lesson about putting in consistent effort throughout each quarter, and also exposed another weakness.
“The mental collapses we have [during games] ultimately leads to our losses. But it’s the beginning of the season, and this is what the preseason is for — to get experience and not have these mental collapses,” Jadali said.
Jadali emphasizes necessary mental and physical endurance could only be gained through a strict training schedule. During winter break, the team will have daily practices for two to three hours a day until Dec. 24, and they will participate in a two-day tournament against San Marcos, Ventura and San Luis Obispo from Dec. 26-28.
With a promising start to their preseason, the Falcons continue to improve the execution of their plays and on-court communication for league games.
“The team is getting better as a whole [because of] our constant training and tournaments. Everyone’s gotten into stronger, better shape and become more skilled. […] We’re learning how to play smart and play together,” Jadali said.
