One year removed from a 5-19 season, the Anzar Hawks girls
basketball team this year will look to counter with a strong and
successful influx of youth.
San Juan Bautista
One year removed from a 5-19 season, the Anzar Hawks girls basketball team this year will look to counter with a strong and successful influx of youth.
After graduating five of its 12 players from last year’s squad, first-year coach Aaron Netzel will incorporate six freshmen into a nine-player varsity roster. But before you label the future of the Hawks in rebuilding mode, consider the past of its players first.
Netzel may be a rookie coach at Anzar, but he’s coached various sports at various levels (mostly basketball) for the past eight years at Aromas. And of those six freshmen, Netzel has coached five of them already.
Additionally, those five freshmen were part of a girls basketball team at Aromas that went undefeated two straight years in the San Benito Athletic League.
While coaching a team of six freshmen, one sophomore, one junior and one senior won’t be easy, Netzel may be better off than most in his situation.
“We definitely have a good young talent base coming from the Aromas school and the San Juan school,” Netzel said. “I really feel like we have all the tools.
“I really feel like we’ll have to put our time in. It’s the same game, but everyone is going to have to find their comfort level, which I’m not worried about.”
And the slew of freshmen players translates to a junior varsity program as well, something Anzar was without last year.
“Any good program,” Netzel said, “has to have a JV program.”
The coach said the Hawks will remain versatile on the offensive end, and not look to instill a set attack into the system. Instead, Anzar will adapt to what opposing teams throw at them, looking to wear a “different hat” from game to game.
Playing within the Coast Athletic League this year, Anzar will be changing hats against the likes of Calvary Christian, Pacific Collegiate and Anchorpoint, three teams that qualified in Division V of the Central Coast Section playoffs last season.
By the end of this season, though, Anzar would like to earn that same qualification.
“Our goal is to make CCS in the Coast Athletic League, and we feel like that is not out of reach,” Netzel said. “We want to win more games than we lose, and we want to go to the CCS. Those two things go hand in hand.”
The Hawks will open their season tonight when they host Everett Alvarez of the Tri-County Athletic League at 5:30 p.m., in San Juan Bautista. As the preseason progresses toward the CAL opener on Jan. 4 against York, the Hawks will learn just where exactly they stand.
“I feel like each match should be competitive,” Netzel said, “but who knows until you get out there (and play).”
Anzar Hawks Girls Basketball
Schedule
Opp. Date Time
v. Alvarez Today 5:30 p.m.
v. Gonzales Nov. 29 6:30 p.m.
v. Monterey Dec. 3 6:30 p.m.
at Gonzales Dec. 6 6 p.m.
v. MVC Dec. 10 6:30 p.m.
at Soledad Dec. 12 6:30 p.m.
at St. Lawrence Dec. 14 6:30 p.m.
at Pajaro Valley Dec. 17 6:30 p.m.
at Overfelt Dec. 20 6:30 p.m.
at Lincoln Dec. 28 6:30 p.m.
v. York Jan. 4 5 p.m.
at Oakwood Jan. 8 5 p.m.
v. Marina Jan. 10 5 p.m.
v. Anchorpoint Jan. 16 5 p.m.
v. Pac. Collegiate Jan. 22 5 p.m.
v. SC Waldorf Jan. 24 5 p.m.
at York Jan. 28 5:30 p.m.
v. Oakwood Jan. 30 5 p.m.
at Marina Feb. 1 5 p.m.
at Anchorpoint Feb. 5 5 p.m.
at Pac. Collegiate Feb. 12 4 p.m.
v. SC Waldorf Feb. 14 5 p.m.
* Games and times are tentative
Roster
Name Pos.
Anderson, Emily Guard
Deaton, Lexy Forward
Johnson, Carly Guard
Mello, Nicole Guard/ Forward
Merz, Camille Center/ Forward
Pavese, Kristina Center
Resendez, Liliana Guard
Rodriguez, Alyssa Point Guard
Staley, Lauren Forward
