Valencia Basketball: Meet the Players

The Valencia Vikings basketball teams have always found a way to get the spotlight when going up against the schools from the William S. Hart school district. With new coaches and new teams in recent years, the players have found a way to continue shining for our school. Taking a look at a few of the players from each team, we can learn about their background in basketball, their feelings about the upcoming season and their team, and more. 

Question: What inspired you to start playing basketball?

Answer (Dabe Princewell): “It was really my cousin and my brother. They started playing basketball at a young age and so I followed in their footsteps when I was around four or five years old and I fell in love with it. Basketball is a generational thing. I mean, my cousin and my brother went here. I felt like it was kind of meant to be and I’ve been around the program for so long so it really just became a part of me.”

Answer (Maddox Espinosa): “I started playing something similar to basketball in pre-school and I started to love the game, so I wanted to play basketball when I got older. I wanted to join the team at Valencia because I wanted to play in high school since I played with teams outside of school prior to high school so I could win some more games.”

Question: What’s your mindset during crunch time in a close game?

Answer (Cara McKell): “Before games I just envision myself winning and doing the things I do best in the game to prepare myself. And when it’s a close game, I tell myself to relax and that I’ve prepared myself for this moment. To stay focused and calm, I just think about one play at a time and to not get myself overwhelmed.”

Answer (Diana Reyes): “To get myself ready for a game, I eat a good meal a few hours before and listen to music. During a close game, I try to stay focused on what we need to do and execute. I kind of just talk to myself if I make a mistake and try to move on to the next play.”

Question: What are you looking forward to the most this season?

Answer (Isaac Franklin): “Spending time with my teammates and just trying to win some games and win league. I think everyone is our biggest competitor this season because we’re all pretty even in league so I think every game will be close. I love my new teammates, I mean, we all have a positive attitude so I’m excited.”

Answer (Amelia Carson): “What I'm looking forward to most this season is growing as a team and seeing how far we can go in league and playoffs. I think our biggest competitor this season is Hart and they’re the team we’ll have to beat in order to win league. I love my teammates and I think we’ll grow to be very strong this season.”

Question: Who is your biggest supporter and why?

Answer (Keira McLaughlin): “My biggest supporter is my mother because even though she doesn’t know too much about basketball, she always has something to say and something to motivate me before every game.”

Answer (Joey Pulaski): “It’s a cliche but definitely my parents. They’ve shown up to every one of my games and they’ve taken me on my tournaments so I’m very grateful for the support my parents have given me.”

All in all, these athletes are ready for this year’s season and are prepared to compete against the toughest teams in our district. They have been working hard in the preseason and are all ready to win league for their teams.