Boys’ basketball, 3-7 overall Thursday, has the same goal every, according to coach Dave Galley.
“Anytime you get to go to a city or state playoff, you’ve had a very good season,” he said. “So that’s always the goal, is to make a city title or make it to the Open [Division].”
Senior A’Jonn Mitchell, a co-captain with senior Aiden Charron, said that team chemistry has been a strength for the Gondoliers.
“We’re all like brothers,” he said. “It’s like a family-type of team. We’re all close, we’ve known each other for a long time.”
The start of the season has been challenging for the Gondoliers so far, Galley said.
“We don’t have a lot of size, so it’s hard to bounce sometimes,” Galley said. “We also need to start shooting the ball better, but I think we can get better at that as the season progresses.”
Regardless, Galley also commended some of the team’s physical strengths.
“Our team is scrappy,” he said. “We play really hard, we’re fast, we push the ball, we trap, we run, and that’s pretty much what we do.”
The seniors on the team this year include captains Mitchell and Aiden Charron, along with Amar Cisse, Canaan Rodriguez, Ky Harmon, Andy Perez, Gian Paulo Greco.
Mitchell said the future of the team looks strong. Juniors who will step up next year include Luke Thottam and Chase Charron.
He also credits the Galley for guiding the team through the season so far and helping them improve their performance.
“Any team is in good hands with Galley,” Mitchell said.
The Gondoliers were to have hosted Fairfax Friday. According to Galley, the Lions have had one of the best Los Angeles boys’ basketball programs in the last 20 years.
Galley said that facing a team with that kind of history is always a challenge, but also an opportunity for his players to compete at a high level, stay disciplined, and test all the effort they’ve been putting into practice. He added that the team is continuing to grow each week, and he believes their best basketball is still ahead of them as they push toward their season goals.
