Basketball: an Odyssey

Owen KneelandStaff WriterOnce again winter is upon us and that means boys' basketball is starting to hit the floor and begin their season. Last year the Vikings were Ocean League champions and fought their way to the CIF championship, where they lost to Lezuinger. With the departure of ten seniors, the Vikings have had to rebuild and start the year with fresh new faces.This year the Vikings have gotten out to a pretty good start with a 3-3 record. A week ago the Vikings finished fifth in the Pacific Hills tournament and they are competing in Samo’s first boys basketball tournament. Recently they lost to a highly talented Sheldon Sacramento team. The Vikings played sluggish in the first half but were able to rally back in the second half. After being down by 28 points they quickly trimmed the lead down to 14. Unfortunately it still wasn’t enough as they lost 60-78. There’s no question this year that the Vikings have been playing elite teams across the state, but senior captain Holden Foshag says they are up to the challenge.“We are a young and fairly inexperienced team,” Foshag said. “We have the talent and all the tools to make this season successful. It’s a long season and it will be full of ups and downs. Our team knows we need play hard every game and leave it all on the court. As long as we don’t let the wins get to our heads and the losses to our hearts, we will go far.”This year the Vikings are a fast and athletic team, but lack the necessary size and strength to compete with the top teams they will be playing. The Vikings have some lethal shooters, a group of solid big men, and a pack of guards who know how to handle the offense.One player in particular who has been making a lot of noise is sophomore Jordan Mathews. Hailing from Riverside, Matthews joined the team at the beginning of the summer. He is currently the  76^th rated player in his grade on ESPNU college basketball recruits and 16^th ranked in his position. Jordan averages the most points per game of anyone on the team. Standing at 6’2” 175 lbs, Matthews is the quickest player on the floor and has an amazing jumping ability, meaning he can dunk whenever he wants. Scouts believe that he can be a promising combo-guard in a Division I college. There is also no surprise why Matthews has so much talent. His dad, Phil Mathews, is currently an assistant coach for the UCLA men’s basketball team. The fact that Matthews is only a sophomore means he still has two years to keep contributing to the Vikings' success in a big way.There is no doubt that the Vikings have a lot to measure up to based on last year's team. They have the potential to repeat as Ocean League champions, but it will be a tough struggle to get back to the CIF championship. The players and coaches know that there is a lot of pressure and they won’t settle for anything less then success. Assistant coach Shaun Higgins notices the hard work that the team puts into practice and understands that it is going to take more than hard work for them to be successful.“Our guys work hard every day,” said Higgins. “There’s times where we have mental break downs and mess up at times but that’s all part of the game. I’m looking forward to see how we do in our upcoming games.”okneeland@thesamohi.com