Senior forward Kevin Hahn sets a screen for senior point guard Alex Manu during practice.
Groups of players eagerly gather outside the small gym door, hoping that their name is on the varsity basketball roster. Now that the roster is set, the Dons look to prepare for the tough season in front of them.
In order to put together the best possible team, Head Coach Sam Manu must make the tough decision of choosing who to cut. He states, “We run a lot of drills that require fundamental skill sets. We run many full court drills, as well as scrimmages to evaluate a person’s skill set. The difficult part is determining who will be your 12th to 15th players. For the latter part of your roster, you’re looking not only at talent, but much more at effort, character, and chemistry.”
The varsity team will be looking for players to step up into starting roles. Four of the five starters graduated last year, making senior guard Alex Manu the only starter from last year to play this year. As a result, many players from last year’s frosh-soph team will have to step up and prove their worth in Coach Manu’s eyes.
Due to the team’s youth and inexperience, players will be looking for a leader to emerge. Junior guard Paul Su, a recent addition to the varsity squad, claims, “The team will be looking up to seniors Toby Lierbergesell, Alex Manu, and Kevin Hahn to lead the team this year. I know all of them are going to be hungry to win this year.”
Senior forward Kevin Hahn states, “Us seniors have that responsibility to teach the younger guys the ways of varsity level basketball because there is truly nothing like it.”
The team’s youth and inexperience could show on the floor, but Coach Manu has faith in his team. “Returning this year, we have Alex and Kevin, our sixth man. However, Toby will be right there to lead us. Around those three, I’m building the team. Our other players must work hard and know their roles. We must compensate the loss of experience with hard work and team play.”
The Dons placed second in the south division last year with a 10-2 record. They reached the second round of CCS before falling to the highly ranked Archbishop Mitty team. The team will look to run a unique style of offense while still implementing a strong defense. They run through numerous plays during practice to make sure everyone knows his role. The team also scrimmages, hoping to give the younger players a bit more experience playing at the varsity level.
Manu adds, “Our fast style of play is hard at times for teams to adjust to. Unfortunately, we are small and inexperienced at the center and power forward positions. Our challenge will be if we can defend other teams’ [bigs]. We will also have to rebound as a team, or we will struggle this year.”
The Dons home opener is on Dec. 21 against Burlingame.
