Basketball in California

As the senior boys hopped off the plane in California, we could tell we were going to have a great time. Facing 20-degree weather in shorts and flip flops, we were ecstatic for the week to come.

 

We waited for an hour and a half in the airport while the coaches struggled through Los Angeles traffic to pick us up. As soon as we arrived at our hotel we went for a team jog to Venice Beach to shake out our legs and see our first attraction. Ben and Thomas decided to go for a quick swim in the cold ocean but came out with big smiles.

 

The team bonding during the trip was incredible, the vans we were split into had great vibes and everyone got to connect with each other.

 

In our first three games we played against very competitive teams. We played St. Monica, Crossroads and South Gate. They all defeated us, but after every game they boys kept their heads up and continued to smile.

 

In our last game we played against Bernstein. We walked on the court hoping to get a big win so that we could at least say that we won one game in the States. The game got away from us in the dying minutes, but was a game we could have won.

 

We also had the opportunity to attend two amazing college basketball games. The first game we attended was UCLA vs. UC Riverside on Wednesday night, where we got to see the prestigious Lonzo Ball display his incredible ball skills along with his keen eye for passing. The second game we attended was an opportunity gifted to us by Mr. Robertson – we watched USC vs. BYU. The game seemed like a tall versus small basketball matchup, with USC having the shorter players but seemingly more skilful.

 

We would like to thank our coaches, Mr. Pasquale and Mr. Anctil, Mr. Robertson and everyone who made this trip possible. It truly was an amazing experience to see how fast U.S. teams play and how skilled they really are.

 

 

Submitted by Thomas F., Tristan M. and Akshay M.