The Hawks men’s basketball team haven’t been on the court since the 2019-20 season, where they had a 20-9 record and had a streak of 2 losses. The team has returned and they opened this season with an impressive start of 4-1.
During the spring semester of 2021, the team’s coaches and players were outside for conditioning because of the cancellation of the 2020-21 season. There was uncertainty if they would have indoor sports this fall season until recently.
Giacomazzi says,
“Coaches feel great, kids feel great getting back out there competing and playing.” Giacomazzi said that the team’s chemistry is good and has been very positive.
Giacomazzi is the head coach of the men’s basketball team and director of the Athletics department here at Las Positas College. He has served as head coach since 2015 and the director since 2020.
While the numbers for COVID have been unstable around the Bay Area given basketball is an indoor and close-contact sport, there is a vaccine mandate for coaches and players. Though our men’s basketball team is fully vaccinated, they still wear masks during practice, while weight training and as they travel.
Giacomazzi shared his thoughts on the opening game of the season against Butte College Roadrunners, in which the Hawks lost in overtime 103-100. The team was led by Brandon Fisher, who scored 32 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.
Giacomazzi told his team,
“you can play well, but if certain teams make one more play than you, then you can open yourself up to getting beat.” He said they looked at the things that need improvement from that day onward and it has helped in the following games.
The Hawks almost closed out the opener with 12 seconds left in the second half with a 4-point lead of 90-86. However, Butte found a way to tie the game at 90 before the end of regulation.
The team is still figuring things out and they’re working on improvements.
Since their loss to Butte Roadrunners, the Hawks have been on a 3-game winning streak as of late, defeating Sacramento City, Siskiyous and Modesto. Several players, both starters and reserves, have stepped up in leading the team in game stats.
Their latest victory against the Pirates of Modesto Junior College was another big victory for the Hawks with a final score of 89-54. Three of their reserve players stepped up and combined for a total of 49 points, 22 from Jordahn Johnson, 14 from Domonick Victor and 13 from Isaiah Victor.
According to Giacomazzi, the expectations going into the game was to play better basketball to which he said they did well for the most part. He felt the team won by their depth.
“We started off a little rocky,” Giacomazzi says.
“We missed a lot of shots we would normally make. We were a little complacent on the defensive end, which is what we’ve been working on.”
On Saturday, the Hawks hosted the Thunderbirds of Merritt College and had their fourth victory of the season with a final score of 77-56. On the 19th, the Hawks will hit the road to take on the Storm of Napa Valley College.
Gibran Beydoun is a writer for The Express. Follow Him @Gibran580MSCM
