A year ago, the Anzar High boys basketball team had one of its best seasons in recent memory, finishing 13-12 and earning a spot in the Central Coast Section playoffs. But things are fluid at the high school level, especially at a small school like Anzar, where change is constant.
Tracy Carpenter’s departure meant the Hawks needed to find another coach to lead them, and that’s where Tavo Indarose stepped in. A 2008 Anzar High graduate, Indarose sees positive things ahead. The Hawks return Jarret DeAmaral, a standout senior forward.
DeAmaral scored just over 15 points per game last season, doing it in a variety of ways. DeAmaral scored in transition, off putbacks and creating space for himself for jump shots. A smart, heady player, DeAmaral is like a coach on the court.
“What I like most about Jarret is he really understands what our offensive philosophy is,” Indarose said. “Jarret is a vocal leader and he makes sure everyone is connected and knows what to do.”
Indarose has installed an offense where no one is officially a designated position.
“Everyone has to be able to do everything,” he said. “If every position is interchangeable, we’ll be hard to guard.”
Knowing the team lacks size and height, Indarose hopes his players can out-hustle the opposition and use their quickness to get to the basket. The 6-foot-2 DeAmaral is one of the tallest players on the team, and he’ll be counted upon to guard the opposing team’s biggest and best post players.
The Hawks need to play at a frenetic pace and box out effectively so bigger teams don’t get second and third-chance scoring opportunities. To that end, DeAmaral will figure prominently into the team’s defensive plans.
“Jarret looks forward to whatever challenge come his way,” Indarose said. “It’s such a joy to have a player with that type of attitude.”
Anzar has solid sophomores in Carlos Bracho and Rex Ward. Bracho is a versatile player who defends with intensity and pushes the ball up the court as well as anyone on the team. He also has a decent shot and moves well without the ball, something that coaches notice.
“Carlos is a workhorse,” Indarose said. “He’s not a ball watcher—he chases after the ball and as a coach you love to see that.”
The 5-foot-8 Ward is one of the team’s best shooters, and he’ll need some solid screens from his teammates to get some open looks.
“Rex has a beautiful looking jump shot,” Indarose said. “He gets his shot off pretty quick and can light it up if from 3-point range.”
The projected return of Josiah Martinez next week should give the team a boost as well; Indarose said Martinez will be “another voice on the court to echo what the coaching staff wants done.” Martinez’s younger brother, Josh, has already made an impact even though he’s only a freshman.
In a game against Alisal last week, Martinez aggressively drove the ball to the basket while making some tough shots in the process.
“Josh did a good job of moving the ball to create open shots,” Indarose said. “We’re trying to get better at pushing the ball, which is how we’ll survive.”
Freshman Diego Bracho, who is the younger brother of Carlos, is one of the team’s best defensive talents. Knowing the team has little margin for error, Indarose expects his players to play tough, smart and decisive. So far, so good.
“I can’t speak enough about all the guys and how excited they are to come to practice and work hard everyday,” Indarose said. “So far no one has shied away from working hard. As long as we can keep that work ethic, we’ll be in good shape.”
After graduating from Anzar, Indarose played two years at Cabrillo College before transferring to UCLA, where he was a student assistant on the men’s team from 2012 to 2014. Indarose graduated from UCLA in the spring of 2014, but stayed another year as an assistant video coordinator.
He helped break film down and traveled with the team to road games. Indarose’s assistant, Scott Benson, is the all-time leading scorer in Anzar High history. He averaged 25 points per game during his senior season.
