WRITTEN BY: DYLAN ANDERSON AND JACOB LOPEZ
Andrew Praw, current junior varsity coach for the boys' basketball team, has seen much improvement from the team and from himself as a coach. Coach Praw shares about the ongoing season, his goals, and his hopes. One of the questions we asked Coach Praw was, how many years has he been coaching and how is he enjoying it? He stated, “This is actually my second year coaching officially. I’ve coached like people individually and I’ve helped them grow, but I have not actually coached a team.” During Coach Praw’s first year of coaching, he coached the previous 21’/22’ JV boys’ basketball team with the previous Varsity Coach, Matthew McMillin. He also answered, “I’m really enjoying it, I love the energy the kids give me and I really enjoy the atmosphere of each and every single game.” Coach Praw loves the sport and loves the spirit of Basketball. While coaching, his players respect and reciprocate this same energy toward him and he loves the intensity behind every game he coaches. Even from regular non-league games to rivalry games, Coach Praw hypes up the team with his high energy and exciting spirit. Coach has high hopes and goals for his players and himself this season. Praw stated, “A lot of the kids have dreams and aspirations of playing at a high level of basketball, so I want to make our program a higher level for each and every single one of (them).” He hopes to be able to lead his players on a path to reaching their dreams of playing basketball at a high level by pushing them to get better through his coaching and leadership throughout the program. As the assistant varsity coach, Praw said, “I would try and help them reach their goal of winning the Division 4 Championship. That’s really big for me.” His goal is to win the CIF Championship for a second time to help his players get more recognized for their skills and talent. Winning the championship is also a positive experience for the seniors who are graduating this year. Coach Praw is hoping to make this season and the next one worth remembering. WRITTEN BY KYLE ABADILLA, RIELLE CHLOE CANLAS, NAM THAI
Edited by Jacob Lopez Gabrielle Barajas, JV coach of the girls and boys volleyball team, has contributed greatly to the growth of her athletes. With the fast approaching 2023 boys volleyball season, tryouts are soon to occur and she’ll be observing. For those who are trying out, she’ll be looking for specific characteristics that will help build the team. We asked her about what traits she’s looking for in an athlete and she said, “Someone who has an overall good attitude, motivation, and commitment.” After tryouts, practices typically begin on a day to day basis, where each player is pushed to their limits. Coach Gabrielle mentioned, “We want to push them further and further every practice, helping them improve… everything.” With that, this all gets applied to in-game situations. Time at practice can pay off to accomplish their goals. Coach mentioned that her intentions this season are, “…to bring out the best in every single player on the team and to push them there.” With these goals in mind, it gives players a reason to stay motivated. Although perfection and improvements are always strived for, conflicts can occur on the team. Rather than letting problems go, Coach prefers to call on her players to fix their mistakes. She said, “Be head on, you address the conflict, you call people out on their stuff when they’re doing something wrong and let them know when they’re doing good.” But as volleyball is a common high school sport that’s played throughout parts of the school year, the relationship between academics and sports is important. Academics always come first and sports come second. Like Coach Gabrielle said, “Academics always comes first because that’s what you can take with you for the rest of your life. Everything you learn in school, everything they teach you, is something you can always hold onto. Being an athlete, can always come and go. One day you’re on top of the world, next thing you know, you twist your ankle and you’re done. So, it’s always academics that comes first.” Overall, Coach Gabrielle Barajas has a positive outlook on this year’s volleyball season and she can’t wait to see how this season comes along. WRITTEN BY: DYLAN ANDERSON
Mr. San Jose is currently one of our P.E. teachers, the assistant athletic director, and the head coach for boys basketball. During an interview, I was able to get lots of information on his thoughts and opinions about his time as a P.E teacher. Mr. San Jose stated, “My time here at VAAS as a P.E teacher has been a dream and the students and staff here are all amazing people”. He then went on to state that he, "...couldn’t have asked for a better situation". Unbeknownst to him a better situation came along when he became the boys basketball head coach. Mr. San Jose mentioned that he, "loves basketball so this doesn’t necessarily feel like work to him". He proceeded to explain the importance and high expectations of his responsibilities and how he manages them through not overthinking and not letting things lead him toward panic. Furthermore, when asked about the current basketball season he mentioned that he was very excited and has high hopes for the team. He then went on to talk about how he wants his players to succeed and that winning isn’t everything. Overall he is looking for the team to be competitive and ready to compete no matter the opponent. Lastly, when it comes to having three different positions at VAAS, he mentioned he will always try his best in anything he does. With so many responsibilities, Mr. San Jose also stated, “I agreed to do this, so I wouldn't agree if I knew I couldn't handle it." This shows the determination and hard work that he puts in daily. He also stated he’s able to do these things due to the support he receives from other staff members at VAAS who he couldn't work without. |
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