Elliot Mobley exited the Chabot court in tears. Walking outside in the cool air, he threw his head up looking into the sky, sobbing.
Next to him were two of his teammates — freshman guards Richard Banks and Coby Christensen — attempting to comfort the distraught sophomore guard.
The Hawks had just lost their second straight game by double digits. But Mobley wasn’t crushed about the 90-77 loss at Chabot on Feb. 7. His anguish was from a greater loss: his great-grandmother.
A day prior to their matchup against their sister school, Elliot and his twin brother Elijah received news she died. She had been hospitalized before their game against City College of San Francisco on Feb. 5.
“I was very close with her,” Elliot said. “I would see her every day after school back in fifth and sixth grade, talk to her every day.”
The Mobleys playing through personal trauma is a microcosm of how Las Positas’ season has shifted. Adversity has officially hit the Hawks. They have lost consecutive games for the first time this season. After starting 20-0, Las Positas has lost three of its last four games. Late-game heroics kept them from two other losses immediately after they surged to the top of the rankings on Jan. 12.
Being the hunted comes with a price. For the Hawks, paying that price has proven to be steep. Their opponents feed off the extra motivation of wanting to take down the No. 1 ranked JUCO team in California.
Now they’re pressed to get their groove back — clean up the mental issues while getting back to playing as a unit.
“It’s more a mentality thing,” Elliot said. “We know we’re good. We’ve shown we can win basketball games. We’ve shown we can compete with the No. 1 teams in the state. Now it’s just the mentality thing. Now it’s about the effort, the heart, the toughness. That’s what’s going to get us through this.”
Their offense is spiraling. Their lack of confidence can be seen in their hesitation from deep — their seven three-point attempts against the Chabot Gladiators was a season low. The starters shot one.
The defense, the Hawks’ bread and butter, has lost its edge. Before, they gave opponents nightmares. Their aggressive full-court press forced constant errors. Now, they can barely slow down their opponents.
Off the court, the issues compound for the Hawks — from grieving stars to benched reserves.
The recent struggles threaten to blow up their entire season. Being ranked No.1 was never the end goal. This team wants to compete for a championship. But with issues compiling both on and off the court, their status as contenders is seemingly up in the air.
With four games left before the playoffs, the Hawks have limited time to recapture the magic that saw them undefeated through 20 games.
“It’s a challenge, but basketball seasons are that way,” Giacomazzi said. “You have things that happen within a season, and then you just have to overcome (them). I think people become stronger for it and you learn a lot about yourself in adverse situations.”
Lack of shooting fuels their recent offensive struggles. In this four-game slump, they are 6-for-56 from three. The loss of confidence bleeds into free throws. They made just 11 of their 25 attempts from the charity stripe.
Despite a spark off the bench in freshman forward Jaden Woodard, who scored 19 points while shooting 7-for-10, the Hawks still failed to meet their season average of 85.3 points per game. Sophomore guards Sterling McClanahan and Jorren Edmonds, their second and third-leading scorers, managed four points each — 18.6 points below their combined average coming into the game.
The Hawks also played their worst defensive game of the season. They allowed 90 points at Chabot, the most scored against them this season. The game before, the home loss to San Francisco, the Hawks’ defense allowed 80 points for the first time.
Three Gladiators managed to score 20 or more on the Hawks — sophomore guard Marcellus Edwards 22), freshman guard Amani Johnson (21) and freshman forward Zion Yeargin (20). Las Positas surrendered 20 points or more to eight players in its first 23 games, never giving up multiple 20-point scorers in the same game.
“They’re really good players and we knew that,” Giacomazzi said. “They stepped up and made plays when it was time… When you have a lot of talented players in the league, you have to play well at all times.”
Off the court, the Hawks’ problems only deepen. On top of the Mobley twins battling through their intense emotions, the Hawks were short two players. Banks and Christensen didn’t play against the Gladiators. Giacomazzi said the pair of freshman guards found themselves on the bench for a lack of communication.
“They had a little bit of a hiccup yesterday, which then kind of spilled into today,” Giacomazzi explained. “My hope is that they get it right and sort it out and we can get back to the positivity of our whole group.”
The team considers themselves to be family. But with that can come brotherly squabbles.
“They may argue and they may bicker and they may fight,” Giacomazzi said, “but it’s all with the intent of trying to get the best out of them… We’ve all had those scenarios where maybe you’re not as happy with your brother, and you’ve got to communicate, you got to be accountable and you got to be honest.”
The mixture of on-court and off-court issues find them slumping. A slump that’s seen them fall from the top of the conference standings to now being in a three-way tie for second. The Gladiators and the Skyline Trojans, who gave the Hawks their first loss, hold the same 7-3 conference record as Las Positas. The Hawks travel to Skyline for the season finale on Feb. 21.
Las Positas certainly feels the rigors of playing in California’s top-ranked JUCO conference.
“You look at a lot of good teams in our league,” Giacomazzi said, “and it’s hard to stay positive and stay focused all the time when there’s hiccups along the way. That’s something that we’re going to have to learn and overcome.”
Even while grieving, the Mobley twins modeled the resilience the Hawks need to escape this rough patch.
Despite playing with a heavy heart, the pair put on a show. Elijah, the Hawks’ leading scorer, matched his season average with 19 points while grabbing seven rebounds. He drove to the basket with a newfound authority as he tried to carry the Hawks’ lackluster offense. He led them in attempts and makes, finishing 9 of 23 from the field.
Defeats such as these can often break a team’s bond. Stacking losses while individuals deal with their own personal grief threatens to stretch them thin.
But the Mobleys’ suffering seems to be deepening their connection. Their teammates act as a second family for them. Watching them struggle, the team has bound together to support their basketball brothers.
Before the game, the siblings took to Instagram notes as an outlet. There, Elliot made a promise — “This one for you tonight grammy.”
Elliot followed through with his pledge. He matched his season-high of 15 points while leading the Hawks with four assists and four steals. When the final horn sounded, he simply couldn’t contain his emotions.
“I felt her spirit in the building,” Elliot said, choking up slightly. “I don’t know. I just was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna put on a show for her.’ So why not try to show out?
“The emotions were very high. I just know I made her proud. I know I made her spirit proud.”
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TOP PHOTO: The emotions begin to overwhelm Elliot Mobley as he leaves the court following the Hawks’ loss at Chabot on Feb. 7 in Hayward. It was his first game since his great-grandmother died. (Photo by Jakob Arnarsson/ The Express)
Jakob Arnarsson is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow him on X, formally Twitter, @JakobA2004
