Boy's Varsity Basketball
Regular Season Review
Brief Intro
In the past three months of competitive matches and intense training, the Boys’ Basketball Team finished their season winning 8 games and losing 8. This year was a particular challenge to the team as there were many new members in the team. In such a tight schedule, injuries and illnesses led to the team going into many games with an incomplete roster.
This year has been a real blessing for the team as the school sets up a warming home court environment that supports the team in home games. The players also tried their best to practice and play. The result was a team effort. Although there can be disappointments, the progress made in the process is an important legacy that will be passed on to the future years of the basketball teams.
Meet Our Players:
Michael Xu
Point Guard, #8, Y12
Michael Xu, captain of the team, enters his fourth year as the starting point guard of the team. This year, he tries his best to support the team on court and off the court. He is the most efficient scorer on the team, leading the team in points, assists, and steals. Before and after the games, he takes the team through reflections and talks.
Stats:
22.1 points, 4.5 assists,
4 rebounds, 6 steals
Stats:
9 points, 13.1 rebounds,
2.2 assists, 1 block
Harry Han
Center, #12, Y12
Harry Han, also the captain of the team, is the starting power forward and center of the team for the fourth year. He is a defensive leader on the team and leads the team in warmups, and game plays. With Harry in the paint, the opponents find it hard to attack inside, and his energy also permeates the team in every aspect.
This is Harry and Michael’s fourth year partnering each other on the starting lineup. To them, basketball is not just about competition, but also about friendship, sportsmanship, and the process of maturity under obstacles.
Steven Liu
Small Forward, #25, Y12
Steven takes a larger role defensively as the starting small forward of the team. He can take on the best player on the other team defensively and delivers blocks and steals, helping Michael defensively. Offensively, he intelligently uses his strength to get fouls and make free throws in big games. After games, he always shows funny clips of the game to his teammates, delivering humor to the team.
Stats:
3.8 points, 4.5 rebounds 4.3 assists, 4.8 steals, 0.5 blocks
Stats:
8.1 points,
3.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 4.8 steals, 0.6 blocks
Eason Pan
Shooting Guard, #2, Y12
Eason has been with the team for three years now, grade nine, grade ten, and grade twelve. Eason improved phenomenally, especially in his defense and dribbling. He can often hit challenging shots that boost the team’s morale. Notably, he is also the captain of the volleyball team. His energy in the team and the school is remarkable.
Eddy Liu-Lin
Shooting Guard, #33, Y12
Eddy has always been the best shooter in the school for the past two years. Despite injuries, he contributes greatly off the bench when he plays. His outstanding shooting ability not only helps the team in points but also forces the opponent to put high pressure on him, freeing up other players on the court. Eddy is also the stat analyst for the team that helps the players review stats.
Stats:
4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.4 steals
Stats:
N/A
Peter Li
Small Forward / Power Forward, #18, Y12
Suffering a severe knee injury, Peter Li is unfortunate to play with any games this season. However, he is the most enthusiastic player on the bench, cheering for his teammates no matter what occurs.
Peter Chen
Small Forward, #21, Y12
Peter hits big home-court shots and is one of the best shooters on the court. Playing with limited time, he tries his best to steal and attack the basket. The team and the crowd are ignited when Peter celebrates with his humor and creativity.
Stats:
Too humble to reveal
Stats:
6.7 points, 1.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 steals
Simon Xiong
Point Guard / Shooting Guard, #4, Y11
Simon is a speedy player. He suffered a severe fracture at the start of the season. But he quickly recovered with optimism and came back to the team with energy. To everyone, his spirit is motivational. Going into the season, his body condition has improved, and he is capable of starting in games and attacking the basket with his speed and control. Next year, Simon will take a larger role on the team, wish him the best of luck.
James Kong
Power Forward, #37, Y11
James doesn’t talk a lot, but he humbly follows the instructions of the coach. He tries his best to finish the plays and connect with his teammates. He often protects the paint. Next year, he will be a spiritual leader.
Stats:
1.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1 assist
Stats:
7.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals
David Deng
Center, #11, Y10
David takes a larger role as a big this year. He started for many games and had an accurate mid-range. He is also working on his ability to finish hard in the paint, and we have all seen great improvement. It’s important for him to put in more work to take the team on his back in the next two years.
Leo Guo
Point Guard, #1, Y10
Leo as a rookie played maturely on the court. He played exceptionally well toward the end of the season. His dribbling and passing improved greatly toward the end of the season, and he can close the games with threes and layups. Every time after practice, he takes time to practice threes. His dedication to the team seems to be slowly paying off.
Stats:
3.2 points, 1.5 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals
Stats:
5.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 steal
Clark Bai
Center, #24, Y10
Clark is one of the bounciest players on the team. In big games, he uses his fadeaway and strong finishing in the paint to help the team. Every time he scores, he shouts to motivate the team. His confidence against strong opponents will be an important asset. Clark is actively practicing his finishing in the paint.
Stone Liang
Center, #39, Y10
Stone is a great defender and phenomenal mid-range shooter. At the beginning of the season, he can’t even finish layups, but he quickly adjusts to be one of the best scorers on the team. He will play more as a big and he is now working on his strength and finishing to better prepare for next year.
Stats:
5.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Stats:
1 point, 3.1 rebounds, 1 steals
Andrew Wu
Center, #5, Y10
Andrew didn’t play many games due to injuries. When he plays, he goes for offensive rebounds and actively seeks opportunities to score. This year is challenging for him as he makes his transition from a guard to a big, but we are glad that he has improved greatly.
Max Guo
Point Guard/ Small Forward, #41, Y9
Max as the only grade nine player on the team has shown potential to be a crucial player. His dribbling ability and control of tempo are mature and help the team greatly. His three-point shooting ability is also improving. Max works hard off the court, conditioning and practicing. He will become a different player as he fully dedicates himself to his game. prepare for next year.
Stats:
5.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Funny Moments this Year
Part 1:
Steven - Flopping All the Time
Part 2:
Eason - Doing Dance Moves with the Ball
Eason - Again with the Steal
Part 4:
Peter - Good flop
Words from the Seniors:
8
Michael Xu
My experience as a part of the team can’t be summarized in words, but in the end, I hope all the varsity players can cherish every moment they have on the team. I am so lucky that all my friends enjoy the joy of sports with me and that the memories, losses or wins, only feel invaluable to me. High school sports is about winning, about school pride, but more about the journey. We improve, we cry, we laugh. All of this might not lead to the final champion, but winning is incomparable to the lessons we learned in the process. We only have four years in high school, and I hope we can all try to live the most out of it in sports and academics.
12
Harry Han
I have been a starter in the team since Y9, and I have experienced all kinds of doubts these four years. I hope in the future, no matter who is doubting your ability, every single one of you remember why did you chose to play basketball. What part of basketball brings you the most joy? I really want to establish a basketball culture here in YKPao, hopefully, all of you guys can make this come true. Keep up with the culture we have, learn from every training and game, and wish you all the best in the upcoming years.
25
Steven Liu: Honestly, I don't know what to say. I had a really chaotic season with an undetermined role. I started the season as a bench player but ended up as a core starter. If you want to play better in the future, doing your own thing is not going to work. Work hard and listen to the coach. Your attitude determines everything, including your game time. I've seen really talented young players on the team, and I have faith in all of you.
2
Eason Pan: It has been an unforgettable season with you guys. As a senior, I enjoyed every moment when I stepped on the court and played until I cramped. In the following years, the y9s, 10s, and 11s, will get more time to play. I hope all of you make the most out of every game and strive to make an impact on the team. Play hard and play until your last breath. I see great potential from everyone, and I believe in the near future, we'll become stronger than ever and win the trophy
21
Peter Chen: It's been an honor to be able to be a part of this team. Really enjoyed playing with all of you guys. This year, obviously, we didn't have enough time to know each other's game and really had to figure things out in the game, which is a pity, but I've certainly learned a lot from you and I hope you also gained something from our experience playing together as a team, no matter it's on the court or off the court. I'm not that of a consequentialist, yes we didn't make the playoffs, yes we sometimes sucked in our games, but that's just a part of the process. Trust the process and enjoy the game.
18
Peter Li: As a senior on the team, it is mildly unfortunate that I did not have the opportunity to share the game that we love with the young blood on the team. Despite sitting on the bench, I love the game as much as any of you do. Constantly taking the big brother role, I am truly thrilled to see all of you improve and grow as a team and individual. In the future, I hope you all will learn to stay humble, stay sharp, and stay focused every time you set foot on the court. For all that matters, don’t let anyone tell you the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.
33
Eddy Liu-Lin: It has been a tremendous season with all of the team members; I can really feel the energy from the young players and rookies on and off the court and their eagerness to win. Unfortunately, we had a lot of injuries and did not make it into the playoffs this year. I missed more than half of the games this season due to injuries which was quite regrettable. I hope all of the players remaining on the team next year can carry on the energy and spirit of our team and aim for a better performance. Wish you all the best in your next season!
Special Thanks To...
Coach Mel:
On behalf of the whole boy’s varsity basketball team, I want to express my sincere appreciation for all your work in the past year, but more of your work in basketball in the school for the past five years. I am truly fortunate to have a coach to videos every game and does stats for analysis. At all times, you teach us to be reflective, strong, and confident on the court. Sometimes, we are just immature and we ignore your words.
I can still remember the day we lost an easy game; you weren’t upset with us. Instead, you smiled and motivated us. The optimism and inclusivity you brought to the team is warming. We hope that under you and Mr. Funnell, the school’s sports and basketball culture can become better. You taught us how to play basketball and how to be a man. Thank you!
Best regards,
Michael (the whole team)
Girl's Basketball Team:
Thank you, girls, for your support every home game. Every time, the whole team comes to cheer us up and do the timing and scores. It’s a pleasure and glory to hear your cheer on the side.
The Student Audiences:
Thank you to all the students for supporting us in home games, and congratulating the players in school. We believe that the players will train harder and play better next year.
The Photographers:
Thanks to Arwen Tan, Dora Zuo, Diane Yu, and all the photographers for taking photos for the team
The School:
Thank you to the school for giving the team so much support in games that we have four practices a week, and this much attention from the students and teachers.
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Writing | Michael Xu
Editor | Ashley Huang, Michael Xu
Layout | Ashley Huang
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