If there’s one word to describe what the Anzar High boys basketball team is looking for this year, it’s this: respect.
Two years ago, the Hawks lost a game by 83 points. Last season, they had two losses of 50 or more points and four other defeats came by 40 or more points.
Anzar, which still made the Central Coast Section Division V playoffs last year by going 5-5 in Coastal Athletic League play, doesn’t plan on being such a pushover anymore.
“We’re trying to earn respect this year,” coach Tracy Carpenter said. “I guarantee you we’ll play hard and we’ll improve, and those are the only two things I can guarantee you at this time right now.”
If the Hawks play hard and develop as the season goes along, they should improve on last year’s .500-league record. They went winless in non-league action, and Carpenter said this year’s non-league schedule is just as tough, if not more difficult. However, as long as the players show toughness and resiliency against superior teams, Carpenter will be satisfied.
If not for injuries to two of their top returners in point guard John Moreno and center Josh Joccelyn, the Hawks would have a much brighter outlook. However, Josselyn has been hampered by a bad back for the last several months, and Moreno hurt his ankle in practice a couple of weeks ago.
Carpenter is hopeful on Moreno returning in the first week of December, but he isn’t as optimistic about the return of Joccelyn, a 6-foot-3 post who provided the team with toughness inside the paint a year ago.
If Joccelyn returns, the Hawks should be a formidable team in league play. They have a veteran group in returning guard Josiah Martinez, Jarret DeAmaral, James Moreno, Elvis Banuelos and Victor Flores, a 6-2 forward who provides the team with athleticism and playmaking ability.
“Victor is our best returning player,” Carpenter said. “He’s an inside scorer and jumps really well. And Josiah is an athlete with good quickness and a solid all-around game. He can do a little bit of everything.”
Carpenter added that DeAmaral worked hard in the off-season to improve his outside shooting, which was lacking a year ago.
“I expect Josiah and Jarret to have good seasons,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter sees promising things out of freshman guard David Sanchez, who plays well beyond his years. Carpenter realizes a tough non-league schedule will prepare his team for league play.
In the first couple of weeks of practice, Carpenter said he drilled his team in the fundamentals, working on specific skills and different parts of the game. With one dribble at a time, Anzar hopes for improvement.
“We’re going to do our best to compete,” Carpenter said. “We would love to earn respect.”
