Dec. 5. On a rainy Tuesday at EF Academy, the girls’ basketball team cruised past Pomona in a blowout win, building a huge lead early and never letting go. The game may seem like all smiles at EF Academy, but interviews from the team tell a more complicated story.
The first thirty minutes of the game set the tone for the girls. Pomona struggled to keep up with EF’s strong defense and constant pressure. Standout players Samira Schaffer and Queenie Wang helped force mistakes and turn them into easy baskets.
However, despite the seemingly dominant performance, Coach Rick Duque did not seem to be in the best of moods after the game. This made us curious, and we decided to dig deeper by interviewing one of the standout players from the game.
“What helped the team take control and get the crazy lead?” we asked.
Wang responded by saying, “I’m not happy. We played really bad today, even though we won by a lot.” Our reaction was one of surprise, as we had heard a similar opinion from a crowd member, Shirjabold Chintumur.
Chintumur said the most impressive part of the game was the excitement and energy. “This was a very exciting game. We blew them by over twenty points, and I got to see my girlfriend play,” he said. This seemed to be the overall energy of everyone before and after the game, but deep down the team knows they can do better.
Wang wants to build on team control and synergy moving forward. As Coach Duque explained, most of these girls had never touched a basketball in their life prior to this team.
During our interview with Duque, the coach of the EF girls’ basketball team, we specifically wanted to figure out what went well and any extra problems the team may be secretly having.
Duque explained, “Our defensive pressure got us cheap baskets, but we didn’t execute well, to be honest. Our raw talent is what got us through.”
It shows how much more potential the team has to grow and shine in their coming games. Coach Duque is very optimistic. The team has the raw talent, but they just need more discipline and strategy moving forward for a successful season ahead.