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With their 52-18 loss on Dec. 11 to San Jose’s Apostles Lutheran High School Falcons, the Anzar High School Hawks did not get exactly the game they wanted from their first match-up of the season. But the players and coach Rance Hodge remain committed and optimistic about the team’s upcoming games.
“We have 16 guys on the team,” Hodge said, “which is something we haven’t had in a long time. They’re very coachable, willing to learn, and they ask questions. We’re still a little awkward in spaces, but I think we’ll get there. So, baby steps.”
This year marks Hodge’s return to courtside, as the school’s athletic director skipped last season. He had coached the team during the school’s two best seasons: 2021-22, when the team went 10-1 to take first place in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Arroyo division, and 2022-23, when a 14-0 record earned the team first place in the PCAL’s Santa Lucia division.
“The kids asked me if I was interested in coaching again,” he said. “I wasn’t sure at the time, but then we had an overwhelming response to our try-out week. I told myself the bug was there, so I decided to come back.”
The increase in player numbers has been significant. According to Vinh Lieu, 17, the team struggled last year with only seven players. With only two substitutes, some players had to be on the court for the entire game.
“It was really rough,” Lieu said. “Last year, more players went to the soccer team. But this year, the eighth graders at San Juan and Aromas had been a basketball generation and were really interested in joining.”
Brayden Tollison, 14, was one of those incoming freshmen. Having played on school teams for the last four years, he said the move to high school was “definitely a big step.”
“I’m making the transition,” he said, “but I think I’m going to be able to get into it. I think we are going to have something good this year. Whether we lose all our games or win all our games, we still have a great team.”
Looking back on the opening game, Felix Io, 17, said that while the team came in with a lot of confidence, it quickly became “shattered” by the other team’s scoring ability.
“I think game IQ is something we all need to improve on,” he said. “Definitely keeping up the energy and making smart decisions. But I think we have competent players and, for the most part, everyone has decent skills to bring to the table.”
In fairness, the Falcons came prepared against the untested Hawks after sweeping the first five games in the 10 days before the Anzar matchup. Apostles Lutheran took an early lead and never gave it up.
“It was everything that can go wrong went wrong,” Hodge said. “The other team came out swinging early, and I think it just blindsided our boys.”
With a large contingent of incoming first-year students and having lost several key players to graduation, Hodge said that “we have a culture building, which is a really beautiful thing.”
Following the first difficult loss, he said players have begun taking practice “a lot more seriously,” adding that he is trying to instill more consistency.
“I’m getting them to calm down, be patient and see the floor. Kind of Matrix-style where they have to stop and analyze things before they make a move.”
But ultimately, he said, the team has to rally together, talk on the court and prove that they’ve been studying what they’ve been taught.
“I tell them, ‘I can coach you in practice, but in the game, that’s your test.’”
The last word goes to the youngest player on the team, who expressed the spirit of the feisty competitors.
“What do I see for us this year?” said Tollison. “I see another banner up on the wall in the gym. That’s what I see.”
Boys basketball schedule
1/5 – Pajaro Valley High School at 5:30 p.m. (away game)
1/7 – York High School at 7 p.m. (home)
1/9 – Trinity Christian High School (TBA, home)
1/21 – Kirby Prep High School at 6 p.m. (home)
1/29 – York High School at 7 p.m. (away game)
2/2 – Trinity Christian High School (TBA, away game)
Brayden Tollison dribbles during the Anzar High boys basketball team’s season opener. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Felix Io soars for a layup under the basket. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Felix Io weaves through the opposing defense. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Vinh Lieu drives toward the lane during the season opener. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Felix Io (center) waits for a pass from a teammate. Photo by Robert Eliason.
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