On January 23rd, the EF Basketball team hosted Southwestern Academy in a crucial late-season match, with playoff qualification at stake. The Final score was 65-21, a dominant win for the EF team. Coach Roy Garay, who is a coach of EF Basketball team, captain Aron Hyun who is 11th grade and a captain of team, and Takumi Makihara who played the game on January 23rd shared and reflected on the game.
In the opening minutes, the team scored and took control of the game. Coach Garay said that, “[they] had a huge defensive game.” Strong defense dictated the flow and allowed the team to completely control the pace of the game. By EF team’s strong defense, the opposing team was held to 6 points or fewer per quarter.
Hyun, as a captain, reflected on the game and said, “[our team] was able to control the pace from the beginning. The final score was 65-21, which shows how dominant the game was overall.”
Coach Garay mentioned that they “focused on full court pressure,” which not only disrupted the opposing offense but also provided opportunity for a fast-tempo offense for the EF team. Coach Garay also shared that they “ worked on it throughout practice in preparation for this game.” Each day’s practice made the team have stronger defense than before.
Teamwork and communication were central to the EF team’s success. Hyun shared his feelings toward his teammates; “we shared the ball well, communicated on both offense and defense, and maintained high energy throughout the game.” He also said that, “rather than one specific play, the most memorable moment was how consistently our team played together.”
As a captain, he has a different perspective and self-examination on individual performance. He shared that, “I don’t think I showed my best performance,” However, he also highlighted a positive aspect of the game, “I felt good about how I communicated on the court and helped keep the team organized, even if my individual performance wasn’t perfect.”
On the other hand, he has difficulty as a captain. He said, “as a captain, sometimes I feel pressure to lead the team, and there are moments when I might feel frustrated if [my] teammates didn’t listen.” Even though he sometimes feels a lot of pressure, his team members trust and follow his lead.
Another player had a different perspective about the game. Makihara shared his feelings about it. He was on a bench from the start and until just before the second half.
He said, “it felt like we were able to win the game easily.” Since it was their second time playing against SouthWestern Academy, they could predict their opponent’s strategy. In the home game, there are supporters who cheer for the EF team. As a player, he appreciated supporters because “they really motivate me and make me want to win even more.” As he said, the audience influenced their mood and gave a lot of energy to the players.
Looking at the season as a whole, “this year’s team has much higher potential in terms of skill,” Hyun said. He was on the team last year as well and when he compared this year to last year, he said, “this year’s team is very different from last year’s. We are a much younger and newer team.” As a captain, Hyun expected the team to improve their teamwork and grow up. Coach Garay also shared that, “we have built on each other as teammates and their chemistry has improved. Our communication on the court has excelled.”
The basketball season is coming to the playoffs and there are three remaining games. Coach Garay said, “we need to win one of the last three to make the playoffs.” Makihara also shared that his goal is “to win all of three games and make it to the playoffs.” As a captain, Hyun added that, “every game becomes extremely important.”
Overall, the January 23 victory highlighted EF’s defensive strength, “[they] have such a strong team to beat.” Coach Garay concluded his feelings as the coach. EF Academy students are excited to watch the game and hope the EF team could win all the games.