A week into its preseason, the boys basketball team was off to a promising start. Immediately after claiming third in the Jefferson Tournament, the team beat Clovis West High School 52-39 on Dec. 1 at Aragon in a highly anticipated scrimmage.
The team welcomed back seniors David Manoa, Dominic Proia, and Isiah Atchan from football season. Within a few days of returning, the football players joined the team in the start of its preseason games.
Coach Sam Manu explains, “We put the football players into playing right away. Basketball is a different shape and mentality from football. The team has been at this and learning the plays for a month and a half now. The football players only had a few days to get back into the game, which is a huge learning curve.”
Senior Sam Halaufia comments, “Our football players are really substantial to the team. Because they still are not at 100 percent, it’s been somewhat hard on us, but they are strong athletes and are coming along quickly.”
Despite the setbacks, the team went 2-1 in the Jefferson Tournament after defeating Jefferson High School 67-37. Although worn from playing consecutive games in the tournament, the team played against West Catholic Athletic League’s (WCAL) Clovis West the following day.
Going into the scrimmage, head coach Manu knew that winning against Clovis West would be difficult. Under coach Tom Orlich, Clovis West has been ranked within the top 50 in California each year and has won nine Central Coast Section titles.
Manu says, “We were really thankful this year to be able to schedule a preseason game against Clovis West. Even though they are a tough team to play against, we’re happy to have a good preseason lined up to give us a snapshot of where we are before league games.”
In the first two quarters, Aragon struggled to overcome Clovis West’s aggressive defense, missing several shots and rebounds. In the first half alone, Aragon had 12 turnovers. At the end of the first half, though, the team managed a narrow lead over Clovis West with a score of 17-15.
Aragon took on a more aggressive approach as they dominated the bottom half. Within the first minute of the third quarter, senior Trevor Lahoz took possession of the ball twice and shot two three-pointers. Continuing the offensive streak, junior Alex Manu pushed through Clovis West’s defense to make a layup. By the end of the quarter, Aragon widened its lead to 36-26.
In the final quarter, Clovis West fumbled with its shots and passes and faltered in its defense. Taking advantage, Aragon continued pushing to the hoop and stealing the ball whenever possible. With only a minute left in the game, Manoa made a two-pointer, boosting Aragon’s lead to 52-37, the biggest lead of the night. In the end, Aragon took an unexpected victory against Clovis West with the final score of 52-39.
Coach Manu says, “We were really good when it came to putting defense and ball pressure on our opponents and getting shooters to shoot, penetrators to get to the hoop… Also, even with a sprained ankle, Alex [Manu] provided great leadership and swagger to the game.”
Despite the unexpected win, however, the team agreed that many of its weaknesses were apparent in their play.
Senior Marvin Yang comments, “Our transition defense was lacking, and our rotations weren’t crisp. In our offense, we were impulsive and rushed a lot of our shots. We still need to get down our consistency.”
Alex Manu agrees, “As a team, we still need to learn what plays to take and when the right time is to take these plays.”
Manu states, “There were way too many turnovers… The two things we’ll be working on now are ball security and flow in our offense.”
Since the official season begins in January, the team plans to use its time to improve and solidify its plays. While many schools are currently adjusting to losing last year’s seniors, Aragon basically has the same team, having had few graduating players last year.
Manu says, “It’s been a seamless transition. This is my second year working with these boys, and practices are going great. They have adapted well to building on a culture of hard work.”
This season, Aragon is expected to do well, with Mills and Burlingame its two greatest competitors.
Regarding the team’s goals, Manu explains, “It’ll be nice to win league and CCS, but our goal every year has always been State. If we’re going to play the game, why not go for the highest trophy? That being said, there is a lot of pressure, but we hope to relax, enjoy, and perform well in the pressure.”
Even with a long season ahead, the team is excited to finally play home games at Aragon, which was not possible last year due to construction.
Manu says, “Last year, we played an entirely away schedule. When playing at home, there is a different energy level. It’s like drinking a Red Bull and getting an energy boost. Every good play is reinforced with cheers and claps. People perform better when they have that encouragement. To say the least, it’s been great to be home.”
On the upcoming season, Manu states, “Like we did against Clovis West, I hope we, as a team, will continue to battle and work through our mistakes and cheer each other on, regardless.”
Aragon will play its first game of the season against Woodside on Jan. 9 at Woodside High School.
