By staff writers, Celiang Huang, Mircka Garcia, Christina Nunez
In large part due to not having a season last year and also bringing in a completely brand new team this year, the Galileo F/S boys basketball team has struggled(2-5) compared to 2019 when they went 6-1 and made the playoffs. However the team’s focus has not been on the wins and losses, but more about team commitment, improvement, and building for the future.
According to F/S head coach, Kyle L, many factors contributed to the team’s rough season, in what he considers is a rebuilding year. He said, “Considering how last year classes were taken online, our basketball team was not able to have a spring season or a winter season.” He continued, “In the past, the team would have access to practice weight training in the winter, teaching in the spring, and conditioning in the summer, all in preparation for the regular season in the fall. However, because of the pandemic, the team didn’t have the opportunity to obtain those experiences.”
Although the team is young and inexperienced, Coach Kyle believes they have boundless potential to improve themselves. He said, “Every day we work on building good habits from coming to practice on time, to basic everyday skills that would transfer on to how they play on the court.”
Achievement on the court is not the thing Coach Kyle stresses to the team; he believes that basketball can lead the players to help improve themselves. He said, “[winning a] championship is not our goal, we are focused on making good habits and erasing their bad habits.”
For many of the players, the bond of the players goes well beyond just basketball. Power forward, freshman Dominic S, said, “Playing with my team is pretty fun, like it’s all a learning experience because it is our first year of highschool.” Small forward, freshman Shaune D, adds “It helps me meet new people and make new friends..”
While the season may not have turned out exactly how they wanted, the team isn’t dwelling on their mistakes as they have already begun preparations for next season. About half the team will need to move up to the varsity level next year, but Coach Kyle expects about 6 of the players to be back next season. He is looking for these players to raise their performance after their experiences from this season, and the players know what’s expected of them and they plan to come back more prepared for the 2022-23 season.
