As tryouts are coming to a close, Carlmont’s basketball coach holds high expectations for the prospective players.
Recently, the Carlmont basketball program has performed well, winning the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) last year during the shortened COVID-19 season. Though the incoming players have yet to disappoint.
“These sophomore, junior, and senior classes are very good. Probably the best we’ve had in 20 years,” said Ron Ozorio, the varsity head coach.
In last year’s season, the Carlmont team lost only a single game and tied for first place in the league. Although their success came amid the pandemic, Ozorio has no lesser expectations for this year.
“We have lots of players that are worthy of playing varsity, but only a couple can make varsity, so there will be lots of varsity-level players on JV, so I think JV will be really good,” said Evan Bunin, a sophomore.
This year’s tryouts consisted of the usual shooting, passing, and defense drills that you would find in typical practice sessions. Throughout tryouts, they would participate in cardio and breaks, and eventually, have a five-on-five scrimmage, something players have noted as their favorite part of tryouts.
“I think they’re very good as a team. The people who’ve tried out so far are really good,” said Daichi Holland, a sophomore.
While Holland didn’t find success during tryouts, he still walked away in good spirits, recognizing the talent on display during the drills and exercises.
Eventually, through these tryouts, 12 players will remain out of approximately 30 sophomores to make up the JV team. The coaches have made initial cuts through the third day, but Ozorio is still expecting more players to come from the current football rosters to try out later.
Once tryouts are over and the final team is selected, the Scots will begin the winter section of the sport cycle, with the basketball teams trying to put a triumphant year on record.
