Championship season retrospect

by James Chiu

This past season has been an exhilarating ride, filled with many ups and downs. There were so many things that needed to go right for us to achieve this championship and I am glad I was able to be a part of it all.

When the season first started, I saw glimpses of the team we would need to have for a successful season. But, they were still unpolished. As the season got underway one thing I noticed was this teams’ will to win. From our earliest games in the tournaments it was evident that this team was willing to fight back when they were down, playing hard and competing even in the face of adversity.

Although we made mistakes and stumbled a little at the starting line, these guys learned from their errors and pushed themselves to improve. As the season progressed, our early missteps would soon come back to bite us as our record was 2-3 after a tough loss to OLPH. This loss seemed to be the wake up call they needed as I saw a fire light up in them. Now that the pressure was on, they would need to win out the rest of the season to assure a playoff spot in this tightly matched division.

Stepping up to the challenge, these five guys showed their will to succeed through a strong work ethic. It all started in practices as they came out ready to learn, pushing themselves to better understand what it was that they needed as a team, to come back from their predicament, and also, what it was that we were trying to teach them.

This team continued their pattern of slow starts as they had to battle back from deficits to continue on their road to the post season. But, all the running and work in practice seemed to payoff as they were able close out the games strong and clinch their spot in the playoffs.

In the two biggest games of the season this team came out and played their best basketball. Right from the tip these guys stormed out and pushed the 8-0 league leaders onto their heels. By playing solid defense and converting on good transition offense, they were able to maintain this rhythm and close out the game. Even in the face of a 4 on 5 disadvantage these guys prevailed. Their road to the championship was now sealed.

In the championship game this team rose to the occasion. It was amazing to see the complete game they put together. They were able to come out to a strong start stepping up and protecting their lead the whole way through. They controlled the pace in transition and ran their sets perfectly, hitting big shots and making the stops that they needed to produce a convincing championship title win.

Looking back, it seemed there were a lot of recurring themes that defined our season. But, I think the strongest one was the bond that this team held. The friendship and chemistry was the driving force that helped these guys learn their roles and help each other to accomplish this rare feat.

Overall, I’d like to end this with a thank you to everyone that was involved with the success of this season. Thank you, to the parents for helping these guys stay healthy and be on time, John Wang for his strong insights and play making, Vinette for her dedication and management skills and Bryan for bringing the spirit.

Lastly, I would like to thank the five guys that comprised this 7th grade championship team, for working diligently in practices and helping me pass on the knowledge of a game that I enjoy so much. I hope that although you’ve done an amazing thing in winning this championship as the underdogs, you understand that you shouldn’t let up and there is still a lot of room for improvement. Let’s see what you can do next year.