Boys’ basketball: Small team looks to outrun competition

This season the Falcons will have to step up in order to fill the vacancies left by the departure of five seniors from last year. Last year the team lost in the second round in CCS; the team hopes to build on their experience and progress further this year.

Compared to last season’s roster, the team is much smaller overall. Key departures include alumni Alex Chan, Jasneil Nat, Chris Guengerich, Patrick Soung, and Tyler Jew. This will make it more difficult to rebound and match up with the larger teams in the league.

“We don’t have much size,” senior point guard Brandon Pak said. “We are probably one of the smallest teams in the league.”

With senior center James Huang at 6-2, and junior center and power forward Stevie Berman at 6-1, the team does not have that much height compared to some of the other teams in the El Camino league, where centers are often 6-4 or taller.

Finishing third in league last year, both Mountain View and Milpitas, first and second respectively, have moved up to the De Anza league this year. Teams to watch out for this year include Lynbrook and Los Altos, who both moved down this season.

Because of its small size inside, the team must rely on its team chemistry and ability to score.

“Everyone on the team can score a lot of points,” junior small forward Arthur Tsao said. “If someone is having an off day, another person will able to replace their spot and our team will still be successful.”

Head coach Trevor Naas believes the team should rely more on fastbreaks to put points on the board. The team can use its quickness to break out and score in transitions.

“By fast breaking more we can get easier shots while forcing the other team to keep up with our tempo,” Pak said. “This will let us score more and tire the other team out.”

As a team that relies on the transition, the Falcons must be in great shape and work as a cohesive unit.

“We have to go all out in both practices and in games,” junior shooting guard Alex Wang said. “Determination is crucial. If you want to win, you need to work harder than everyone else.”

A new addition this year is assistant coach Brian Elliot, a special education teacher.

Once the team proves that it can overcome its lack of height, it can be extremely competitive with any team in the league.

“If we find a way to get rebounds over bigger teams,” Pak said, “then we have a good chance of making CCS this year.”