San Benito High freshmen Annie Breger, Kieley Hoskins, Nicole Andrade, Noel Chavarria and Lauren Sabbatini weren’t even born when the original Fab Five dominated the nation’s sports consciousness—that would be the Chris Webber-led Michigan basketball team in the early 1990s—but they’ll gladly take the moniker.
Even in an era when high school athletes are getting so good, so fast, it’s remarkable to have five freshmen play significant roles for one of the Central Coast Section’s most consistent programs.
“The freshmen on the team is a positive,” 10th-year Balers coach Dean Askanas said moments after the Balers’ three-game loss to Salinas on Oct. 23. “I thought the freshmen played with a lot of energy today, so credit them for that.”
After a tense five-game win over Notre Dame-Salinas on Tuesday, the Balers improved to 15-12 overall and 6-3 in the Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division. A playoff berth is pretty much a lock, but the question remains whether or not they can do some serious damage in the postseason.
“Sometimes I see this team as making some noise in the playoffs, and sometimes I don’t,” Askanas said. “We were very flat defensively (against Salinas), and I’m a little perplexed because there are only so many ways you can spin the dial with lineups and stuff.”
One thing is for certain: Askanas knows he has a talented crop of freshmen who should only improve with each passing season. Hoskins, a setter, produced two nifty digs in Game 1 against Salinas, and on both of those occasions San Benito managed to win the point.
Defense seems to be the freshmen’s strong point; Andrade and Chavarria are defensive specialists, Sabbatini plays opposite and Breger plays middle blocker despite being a bit undersized for a front-row player.
However, Breger more than makes up for it with her instincts, vertical leap and ability to read where the attacker is going. Breger actually opted to start the season on the junior varsity because as the school’s freshmen class president, she’s got some serious duties to tend to off the court as well.
However, once the team’s starting middle blocker, Haley Leifheit, went down with an injury, Breger knew the team would need her more than ever. In her first match three weeks ago, Breger felt a tremendous rush of energy as she played her first-ever varsity point.
“We definitely have a lot of energy and a positive attitude when we’re playing,” Breger said.
The Fab Five at times display tremendous chemistry on the court, a result of having played together for the same Crush Volleyball club team this past summer. Since Askanas also coaches Crush, he’s seen this freshmen class develop in rapid-fire fashion.
Hoskins has known Andrade and Sabbatini since they were in kindergarten at Sacred Heart Elementary School.
“Lauren and Nicole are both crazy energetic and loud,” Hoskins said. “I’ve known them for such a long time, and it’s great we’re on the same team and able to go through this experience together.”
In addition to being strong defensively, most of the girls have spent a good portion of their childhood watching older siblings celebrate some great moments with a San Benito uniform on.
Sabbatini is the younger sister of Megan, who was one of the greatest softball pitchers in school history and is now pitching at the University of San Diego. Breger has an older sister, Katherine, who was a standout opposite on the volleyball team. And Chavarria has an older sister, Lexi, who is one of the four team captains on this year’s squad.
Having older siblings play sports inspired the Fab Five to make a name for themselves.
“I distinctly remember watching my sister in one match in which the volleyball team won in five (games), and it was the best feeling,” Breger said. “I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I really want to be in that moment, when you’re so excited to win a match, you’re jumping up and down in joy.’ The dream now is to have my sister to be able to watch me play with that type of emotion.”
Andrade has three older brothers—twins Jason and Justin and Ryan—who were athletically inclined, and she credits them for helping her develop a love for sports.
“My brothers really helped me become the person I am today,” Andrade said. “I can come to them and talk about anything, whether it’s about sports or advice on other things. It’s been great that they’ve been able to come and watch some of my matches.”
Chavarria credits Lexi for being a positive influence and helping her game.
“I took after Lexi,” Noel said. “When she played softball, I started playing softball. When she took up volleyball, I was on the sidelines hitting the ball against the wall. She’s really been great and a big influence.”
Even though the freshmen knew they had a good chance of making the varsity team, they didn’t assume anything. When Askanas pulled the freshmen aside after making the announcement they had made the team, they could barely contain their excitement.
“When Dean told us we had made it, I wanted to jump up and down,” Chavarria said. “We didn’t want to show too much enthusiasm, but inside we were overwhelmed with joy. After a while, we screamed a little and gave each other hugs.”
Chavarria is a defensive specialist who can make the spectacular dig look routine. Chavarria combines instincts and an unflappable attitude to consistently produce pinpoint passes.
“I have a sense of where the ball is going to go and I can read it, and I have the speed to get in position and not let the ball drop,” she said. “If the ball drops, I get on myself and feel like I’m letting the team down.”
Hoskins said the freshmen often think about what it’s going to be like when they’re seniors and the leaders of the team. If things go as planned, they’ll have snapped Salinas’ stranglehold on the Gabilan Division—the Cowboys are on the verge of winning the league title for the fourth straight year.
They’ll forever be known as the Fab Five, but they desire something even bigger than a catchphrase—championships.
“I’d be sitting in the stands and people would come up to me and say, ‘Oh, you’re Megan’s sister, right?’” Sabbatini said. “We want to win titles because you get recognized when your team wins.”
Sabbatini plans on carving her own identity, and she along with her four freshmen teammates are off to a good start. A year ago, as eighth graders, Andrade, Breger, Chavarria, Hoskins and Sabbatini watched the Balers from the stands, envisioning what it would be like to be on the varsity team together.
“I remember a lot of us going to the games together and thinking to myself, ‘It would be great to be on the varsity,’” Andrade said. “We were hoping and wishing.”
The Fab Five isn’t wishing anymore—they’ve turned their goals into reality.
