Attitude, solidarity key for BBCC men’s basketball
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 10 months AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | November 27, 2024 3:00 AM
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.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
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