Reflecting on Three Years as a Varsity Basketball Beat Writer
I’m sitting on the team bus coming back from an away game. Loyola just lost to St. John Bosco in the CIF Quarterfinals, 73–64. That score still looks ugly, even typing it out.
I’m playing Dear Evan Hansen’s “Part of Me” through my headphones, and these lines just came on:
“(A part of me) Can’t believe it’s even real / (A part of me) Doesn’t know how much to feel / (A part of me) Finds a rush within the pain / (A part of me) Needs the feeling to remain.”
Now, this song — somehow cut from the official cast recording — was actually supposed to be sung during a funeral (spoiler alert, someone dies in that show). And, not to be overdramatic, but our season is dead. However, I’m not here to focus on that. I’m here to reflect — not just on this past season where we went 22–7 — but the three years I spent being a varsity basketball team reporter.
This article will be an extension of a previous one I wrote a couple of years ago on the same topic. In the last two years, things have changed quite a bit. At the start of my junior year in August of 2020, I became a sports editor for The Loyalist, effectively giving up my beat writer duties. Months before that, of course, you-know-what started, complicating high school sports seasons across the country. In addition, our head coach of 16 years, Jamal Adams, left his position at Loyola to become the principal of La Salle College Prep; he was replaced by Damaine Powell, who came from St. Paul High School. Aside from the coaching staff changes, the roster changed as well, with six new players joining ten returners. A new era of Loyola Basketball had begun, and I ultimately chose to be a part of it, returning to my beat writing roots for one last run while maintaining my position of Online Managing Editor for The Loyalist.
This team was unbelievably special considering I’m a senior and eight of my friends were on the team as well. I was also friends with one of the juniors there, Joe Longo, having played basketball with him in Loyola’s Summer Session five years ago. I knew it would be an exciting season, and I wasn’t wrong.
From winning two tournaments to a ten-game win streak to upsetting the third-seed in Division 1 playoffs, it was an amazing ride until the end. Our final game was in the CIF D1 Quarterfinals against St. John Bosco, a team that even hoops powerhouse Mater Dei couldn’t beat. Though we started off slow in the first half and trailed by 15 at the end of the third, I knew the guys could find a way to at least go down swinging, and you bet they did. They outscored Bosco 29–23 in the final frame and cut it down to six with around a minute left, but it wasn’t enough, leading to the end of a thrilling playoff run.
Watching this team compete night in and night out was very rewarding. There’s something gratifying about seeing your friends play their hearts out against some of the best teams in their league and the best squads in SoCal. Writing recaps about their performances was even more special, knowing that I was the one to document their experiences, and not an outsider in the slightest.
Looking broader into my three years as a beat writer, I can say that it’s been one of the best experiences of my life. From covering a Christmas break tournament in San Francisco to forging bonds with the players and coaches, I consider myself unbelievably lucky to have been in this role for this long. It wasn’t until I received DMs from current and former Loyola students and student-athletes that I realized the impact I had working with Loyola Athletics. That’s one of the types of students that leaves Loyola: the ones who make a lasting impact. The three years of long rides and late nights really did mean something, and it took me until now — writing the rest of this article two days later — to recognize that.
I’m incredibly grateful for the three years I spent as a varsity basketball beat writer. I’m equally thankful for coaches Adams and Powell and their respective assistant coaches, all of the players and managers, Mr. O’Donnell and Mr. Cruz with Loyola Athletics, Mr. Knoll and Mrs. Gacina with The Loyalist, and my parents, who drove me to and from games and know my dedication to the role firsthand. Finally, I’d like to thank Lucas Yen, Blake Neithart, and Joon Kim, who were fellow basketball beat writers and an absolute pleasure to work with. Everybody has a chapter they wish they didn’t end, but I can close mine knowing it was one of the best ones ever written.
