Verdugo brings back the fun, leads Vikings to league victories

Jessie GeoffrayEditor-in-chiefAfter a 56-62 loss to Culver City and a 39-45 loss to Troy Jan. 14 and 17, respectively, the Samo girls' basketball team had to thoroughly reevaluate its play.The girls' goal was to return to the court with the same success as last year's team — the team that won Ocean League, the team that went farther than any other Samo girls' basketball team had gone before.  They needed to return, in their game against Beverly, as the team that was so promising in their preseason.For an hour and a half, they watched the footage of their game against Troy  — a team ranked 17th in the nation that holds the record of winning 140 straight league games at home — and they studied their mistakes.  The girls started off strong, leading five points out of the first quarter and managing to leave the first half at a 21-21 tie, but somewhere in the second half, they slipped.“[Watching the film] was grueling and tedious … the film doesn’t lie. We were able to sit back, and have everyone’s input of things we could do so we don’t play that style of basketball anymore,” coach Marty Verdugo said.  “We also made the decision we were going to bring the fun back.  We realized we weren’t appreciating every little thing we were accomplishing … so we were going to make things enjoyable, and really have fun.”At the Jan. 19 game against Beverly Hills, they did just that, outscoring Beverly 52-31.From the start, it was clear that something had changed. Within the first quarter, senior Kalaria Obasi had two steals and both Brenda Sabet and Shymane Callahan sunk three pointers.  After eight minutes, Samo had doubled Beverly’s score.  In the next league game against Morningside, Samo managed a 70-50 win.“We realized we weren’t appreciating every little thing we were accomplishing … so we were going to make things enjoyable, and really have fun.  We did, and that was the biggest difference.  We came with a different spirit,” Verdugo said.This new spirit was accomplished, according to Verdugo, in part by a change in warm-up music.“I did decide to make them listen to my own warm-up music; I know they weren’t crazy about it, but … I just wanted to lighten it up with a goofy song.  We’re taking this game much too seriously, and we’re forgetting why we play the game,” Verdugo said.Verdugo, who has been coaching the Samo girls basketball team for five years, announced in the fall that this season would be his last.“It was always a five-year plan … I want to keep my options open, step back, and stop and smell the roses,” Verdugo said.Meanwhile, Verdugo is focused on the next big game: a non-league home game against La Jolla Country Day, ranked ninth in the state.  The game is the last of a series of non-league games scheduled by Verdugo, which are meant to challenge them.  Saturday’s game against Long Beach Poly, a team ranked second in the nation, resulted in a 65-48 loss."This year we've had our ups and downs," senior pointguard Kristina Johnson said.  "We have a lot of growing to do."With a 3-1 record in league, winning league may not be as easy as was expected.“We’re not going to run away with league like we predicted, that’s for sure.  We thought all we had to do was show up.  But people come here ready. It’s like the Lakers, you know, and they play their best games against us because now it’s a rivalry.  And I don’t think we really understood that,” Verdugo said.While the road to league may remain uncertain, Verdugo promises one thing.“I’m going to start having a few more surprises for them, try to bring out their enjoyment. I’m going to bring the fun back,” he said.jgeoffray@thesamohi.com