Hello Tigers! Our names are Edlani Vazquez and Yazlynn Perez. Since the basketball season has come to an end, here’s what the basketball team thinks this year’s season went. 
Starting off with junior Anthony Chillis who’s been playing basketball for eight years now Anthony plays position small forward. Anthony believes that this season went okay but not how they wanted it to end. He believes that this season could of went differently and that there is always room for improvement. Anthony’s favorite basketball memory would have to be the bus rides because the bus rides were always just filled with a bunch of laughter and jokes between him and his teammates. Anthony said that the team goal would have had to be to win a regional game but fell short. Anthony said that after having a bad game he likes to try and not let it get the best of him because there are always more games to play. Anthony believes that something people don’t notice about the work he puts in would have to be “All the after school workouts because people don’t see all the sweat and hard work that we have to put in”.
Next up is Junior Scotty Ruiz who’s been playing basketball for 12 years now Scotty plays position point guard. He believes that this season went decent and that the team had their ups and downs because there was somethings that got into the teams way but that didn’t stop them from being the players that they are today. One of Scotty’s favorite memories of this season would have to be when they went overtime at the west Chicago game because it proved to everyone watching how much work they put in during that game. One of the team goals would have to be winning a regional because he believes that it shows all the work they put in when their off the court. and it shows how good they really are as a team. Scotty says that after having a bad game he likes to keep going to the gym no matter what because he works to keep his mental health strong after having a bad game. Something people don’t see about Scotty and his team would have to be “all the sacrifice of time and energy we have to put in even on days we don’t feel our best”.
Next up is Joshua Jetters who is currently a junior here at ephs who’s been playing basketball for 6 years now. Josh plays position center and power forward. Josh believes that this season was okay but there is always something that can be improved. Josh said that one of his favorite memories had to be the after school practices with his teammates because it always fun when the whole team can just joke around with one another and just workout with music playing in the background. he said that the team’s goal was to win a regional championship game but hopefully next year they will. Josh said that after having a bad game he likes to listen to music because he believes that it helps him keep his mind off of things and keep his mindset strong. Josh said that somethings people don’t see about him and his team would have to be the early morning workouts and after school practices because “it Sounds easy to wake up early on a school day and workout before school but it really isn’t or the after school practices when you just want to go home and take a nap but can’t because you have a 3-4 hour practice to be at to better yourself for the upcoming game”.
Next is Jaymani Alverio who is currently a sophomore here at Ephs who’s been playing basketball for only 3 years he plays guard for his basketball team. Jaymani believes that this season wasn’t the best but wishes he was able to play the whole season but truly is proud of his teammates no matter how this season ended because his team put in a lot of hard work to get to position they are in now. Jaymani said that one of his favorite memories would have to be when he was a freshman it was their away game and him and his team went into overtime against west Chicago not once but three times they went into overtime during that game. Jaymani said that the team goals were to of course win the regional game but it’s okay because they play hard every time they stepped foot on the court because they always gave it their all. Jaymani believes that after having a bad game he still likes to keep a good mindset because he knows that a bad day only lasts for 24 hours and because knows that his teammates are always there to uplift him. One thing people don’t see about the type of team they are would have to be all the countless hours they put in and all of the workouts they attend.
Last up is Senior Isaiah Manuel who’s been playing basketball for 16 years now he currently plays position power forward guard. He believes that this season was okay but wishes they had a different outcome considering this was his senior year. Isaiah said that the bus ride after a basketball win had to be one of Isaiah’s favorite memories because everyone was always so happy considering that they just won a basketball game and after winning a basketball game it puts them in a good mood. The team goals were to win regionals and also have a better record because this is his last time playing high school basketball. A way Isaiah likes to keep a good mindset even after having a bad game would have to be to just worry about the next game because every game is a learning lesson. Isaiah said that things people don’t notice about Isaiah being a senior would have to be that he is a good teammate and his love for the game and his work ethic because People don’t notice how many times you’re going to fail. Isaiah believes that what made this team stand out to him had to be that they always made everything a good time even if there were times that they weren’t feeling 100 percent they always knew how to have fun and play around.
In conclusion the boys have a lot of love for basketball and one another they just wish this season had a different outcome since some of them are seniors and would have loved in they won the regionals game during their time playing high school basketball. But all the boys kept a good mindset and ended up strong knowing they had each other back on and off the court.
