Basketball is an important sport at Technology High School, and the season has been going strong for both the girls and boys teams. The options for winter sports are very limited at Tech High since there is only basketball and dance. Basketball is popular, with around 16 girls and over 30 boys who tried out for the teams.
For the girls team, this is a big increase, since last year’s team only had six players and with five on the court; there was only ever one sub. As you can imagine, this would be a struggle because these girls had to play almost a whole game with no breaks. The boys basketball team, both this year and last, were the exact opposite, with the need of a Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Practice Team due the interest in the sport.
The girls basketball coach, Carlos Vasquez, works hard to provide motivation and extra money for jerseys when needed. He started coaching 28 years ago, and has been coaching for eight years at Technology High School. Vasquez played basketball and football all through middle school and high school. In 1971 at the age of 15, Vasquez was awarded “Boy of The Year” for his school team. He described himself as a “best all around athlete” and this is where his experience for basketball originated.
One player on the girls basketball team is Navya Singh. She plays all around, but mostly is the point guard for the team. She is a new player this year, but has quickly caught up to the others. Singh says that “It is really important to have a coach that cares, and to have someone to teach you how to improve.” She says that Vasquez does just that. He is a generous person who gives his time to the team and is willing to add or take away practices as needed. He is understanding of mistakes but still pushes the team to be better than before.
The boys basketball team has a new head coach, Scott Behrs. Most people know Behrs as the Physical Education teacher at Technology High School. Behrs has joined this year as the head coach for the varsity team after his seven year experience at Petaluma High School. This is what Behrs had to say about this season, “I think this will be fun, I think there is a lot of interest, you need interest to change the culture.” Behrs has basketball experience after playing Division II at CSU Stanislaus. He has said it’s too soon to tell how the season will turn out, but he is hopeful.
Joshua Seo is a JV player as a freshman at Technology High School. He has played basketball since 8th grade and has joined the team hoping to play the coming years at Tech High. This is what Seo had to say about the team: “It’s been challenging, but I hope it ends well, and mainly we can improve. The team is doing well, the practices are fun, and the coaches are great.” When looking forward to the rest of the season, most of the players share this same positive attitude.
Both coaches Behrs and Vasquez see potential in their players and are hoping to see a big improvement from the teams. Currently, the teams are around halfway through the season and they are doing well. But they can use all the support they can get, so make sure you come down to the next game and cheer on our teams.
(Photo By: Harper Koeniges).
