Boys' basketball: growth, depth, and a D1 commit

The boys’ varsity basketball team is gearing up for the upcoming season. They hope to follow up last year’s strong season, where they went 21-8 overall and 8-2 in their league.Tanner Clark (’21), starting guard on the team, commented on how they expect to do in the upcoming season.“I expect to win the Ocean League and I can see us making a deep run in the playoffs,” Clark said.In lieu of high expectations, they are wary of Beverly Hills and Culver City, who pose a threat in Ocean League play. Beverly Hills in particular has posed as Samo’s greatest threat in league, having a 3-1 record over Samo’s basketball squad over the past two years. The team’s strengths for the upcoming season lie in their team work. Since only five seniors departed from the program, the majority of the lineup has pre-existing camaraderie with each other. Quincy Mcgriff (’20), a 6'5'' small forward who is committed to play Division I basketball at the University of Texas, El Paso, is prepared to lead samo on the offensive end of the court. From a defensive perspective, they have several players who lock down the court, including Donovan Parks (’20) on the perimeter and Team Captain Ethan Berks (’20) in the interior. Berks explained their synergy on the court.“I think our best attributes are that we have good playmakers and we are very unselfish with the ball which leads to open shots” Berks said. Berks also elaborated on some of the strengths of their starting players.“Tanner Clark, Quincy Mcgriff and Luke Economou (’20) are great shooters, while myself and Alex Nokes (’22) are great rebounders” Berks said.Coach James Hecht mentioned his excitement for this year’s group of guys.“I think there’s a lot to look forward to, the guys have been working extremely hard in preparation for the season both on and off the court. I think we have a lot of depth which should prove to be beneficial. ” Hecht said.The team plays their next home game on Dec. 11 against Hillcrest High School in the North Gym, where they look to set a trend of strong overall play for the season.