MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend men’s basketball team got thrown a bit of a curve ball when they started their season in Arizona, said head coach Jason Hopkins.

“Two of the games that we were (going) to play were supposed to be exhibitions, and at the last minute we were told that they were going to have to count as regular games,” Hopkins said. “That changed the outlook in terms of how we were going about doing that, because the (teams) that we were playing were some of the best junior college programs in the nation.” 

The Vikings played four games in Arizona, counting those two suddenly-serious matchups. They won two of those, and one of the losses was by a single point. That’s a serious improvement over the program’s showing two years ago, Hopkins said, in which the Vikings won only four games for the season. 

“We're half of the way there after one weekend,” he said. “We won 10 games last year. We expect to be better than that this year. And we think with these four guys in the group that we're on our way to doing that.” 

Those four were Gil Gonzalez, Gideon Harris, Marc Anthony Ibrahim and Diego Carrera, all of whom had ideas for how to make this a winning season. 

Working on body language and attitude was a biggie. 

“Body language is very important on the court and off the court,” Gonzalez said. “In the game, you don’t want to give in to your emotions, especially when you know the team counts on you and you know you’re fighting for the guys beside you. You can’t let your pride get the best of you.” 

“Not underestimating your opponent,” Harris said. “I feel like we do that a lot going into games, just because we know how well our stuff works, and how much work we put into a lot of things. So the more we can focus on the task at hand, instead of pushing it off and trying to focus on what's ahead, I think that will make us a lot better team.” 

Ibrahim agreed that attitude was key. 

“They don't expect from us a lot this year, but we already know that we are the underdogs,” he said. “We have to come to every game hungry and disciplined and ready to fight as if it's our last game. We're gonna surprise the league this year, and we know that.” 

Teamwork is more than just making good plays, Carrera said. 

“I feel that this year's team is a lot closer and collected than last year's team,” he said. “We formed lots of brotherhood with each other, all of us. We always check up on each other, we do stuff together as well … and it all really shows on the court.” 

The four players were the only returning players from last year, Harris said, which means they have a responsibility to guide the incoming freshmen. 

“I trust these four with a lot of things, including my life, and hopefully we can get the same trust going with these younger guys,” Harris said. 

Playing at college level, even a community college, is a far cry from high school ball, Hopkins said, something that the incoming freshmen aren’t always ready for. 

“A lot of people think that they know what it takes and what goes into actually competing and winning championships, the type of sacrifices that you have to make, the willingness to put the team above yourself, those sorts of things,” Hopkins said. “That doesn't happen overnight …  that road’s a journey, and you don't always get exactly what you want in the moment. (You’ve) got to keep focusing on what that end, goal and outcome will be, and doing what it takes to get there.” 

    Diego Carrera, a six-foot-seven sophomore from El Paso, Texas, goes up for a shot against Columbia Basin College.