SLAM DUNK: Poly’s boy’s basketball team carries on their successes from last year into another season of victory.
By Roman McCree, Editor
Although Poly’s basketball has a history of prosperous seasons, recently the success of the team has been a highlight for the school. Coming off a successful season, including advancing to CIF Finals, the team faced interesting challenges this year. The 2019-2020 season demanded the team to recreate the same team dynamic with a new set of players. Although this could have been a seemingly huge obstacle for them, the team found a way to thrive through combining their talents and winning mindset with the excellent coaching headed by Coach Dodson.
The team dominates their opponents by their overwhelming full court press which looks for an easy steal and shot. They intermix this style with the traditional half court man-to-man coverage to create an explosive, but well organized defence that is a challenge for a majority of their opponents. Their offensive capabilities are unmatched by the teams in their league, working almost every play regardless of the defense. Through their excellent athleticism and well-developed plays, in combination with their strong defense, the team has been able to beat teams by an upward of 20 points in the majority of their games.
This team has proven to be more than just talent and smarts. A majority of their wins come from their dedication and heart in each and every game. This is most recently shown through their comeback victory against North (72-60) on January 15. On multiple occasions, the team has shown their willpower and love for the sport through their ability to make the necessary changes in the 2nd half to overcome huge deficits. Completing their Ivy League season with the record of 12-0 in league and 23-5 overall, the team demonstrated their winning mentality against a variety of opponents. “With a mix of really good players and top notch coaches, we believe we can make history happen,” captain Lamont Butler (12) said. This year they hope to use their talents to advance far into CIF and win the championship, not only for the team, but for the program and community as well.