The 2019-20 basketball campaign should be a year of excitement for the El Molino varsity boys squad, as the Lions take a major step toward their long-term goals.
After posting an overall mark of 8-15 last year, the Lions have set lofty goals for themselves, most notably a winning record and spots in both the league and North Coast Section playoffs.
Head coach Collin Walker is back for his second campaign, full of excitement and confidence that his charges will build on the momentum gained last season and reach their full potential this winter.
“Last year was our most successful season in years — eight wins was the most for the program in seven years, and 15 losses were the fewest losses in 10 years,” Walker said. “That success has really reinvigorated our program.”
El Molino returns four senior veterans from last year’s team, including point guard Abel Perez, forward Pat Atkinson, shooting guard Grant Feige and shooting guard Logan Woolsey.
“All four vets were important to our success last year and logged major minutes behind last year’s seniors,” Walker noted.
“Perez and Atkinson will be the undisputed leaders of the team, and not only are they very skilled and reliable players, but they’re also some of the hardest working young men I’ve ever seen,” he said.
The Lions will also benefit from a solid group of first-year varsity players that features junior center Josh Brown, junior shooting guard Dominic Aldana, junior forward Aiden Louis, sophomore forward Saben Atteberry and sophomore center Kerry Thompson.
El Molino kicked off the preseason schedule on Nov. 20 at Ygnacio Valley in Concord, falling to the Warriors, 65-45.
This year’s pre-league schedule will feature some of the same venues as in past seasons, including participation in the Sutter Home Classic Tournament in St. Helena (Dec. 5-7), the Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament in Healdsburg (Dec. 12-14) and the annual “Apple Cup” game with Analy on Jan. 20 in Forestville.
The Lions figure to quickly surpass their 1-9 record last season in the North Bay League Redwood Division, looking to battle for a top four spot. El Mo will open the NBL campaign on Jan. 7 versus Elsie Allen.
“I’m excited and so are the guys, but we all know that we have to prove ourselves on the court in order to be taken seriously,” Walker said. “Now that the season is upon us, there’s a lot of excitement because these guys are hungry, and want to show everyone exactly what they can do.”
