Shoes squeaking on the floor, freshman Patrick May comes to a halt as he tosses the ball past a defender. The ball finds the hands of an open teammate, who then races to the basket, putting the Longhorns...
Raj Jaladi, Newsletter Editor/Data Analyst
• January 19, 2024
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zq-u92tFZY
Senior Raj Jaladi: Welcome to another episode of Athletes of West. Today we are joined by varsity basketball player, junior Tyler Kuehl....
During one of the soccer team’s last games before the quarter-finals, senior Abbie Zensen was involved with a contact-on-contact collision, resulting in a dislocated kneecap and torn knee ligaments leaving...
After experiencing a season played in the midst of a pandemic, the winter sports teams are ready to play with some normalcy. Here is what you can expect to see from them this season.
Boys Basketball
After...
“Go!” Head freshmen boys basketball coach Matt Catanzaro yells for the next athlete to begin his dribbling zigzags across the court. Fourteen athletes heaved across the court from baseline to baseline...
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
![In perfect shooting form and with eyes on the rim, junior Tyler Kuehl is about to shoot his next basket in the last game of the season against Marquette High School. Kuehl has been playing basketball since he was 5. “Even though I played basketball all my life, the game-winning shots can be pressure, it's confidence. If you're going into that shot and not thinking that you're gonna make it, it's obviously not going in. And if you believe, [it will]. That's the only way you can succeed,” Kuehl said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/unnamed-32-1-1200x1200.png)
![“I started playing basketball in first grade. I kind of played every sport when I was younger, but basketball has always been the one that stuck with me [for] the longest. Basketball is important to me because pretty much everyone in my family plays basketball, and overall, a very enjoyable sport. I’m definitely excited for basketball season. I’m hoping that we can have a pretty good team this year, win a lot of games, and have a lot of fun. My goal is to get into basketball coaching. A lot of my family is involved in that, and I think that it would be a great career for me. I really like to be a leader, and inspire people. I am really passionate about the game of basketball. Being a senior is so special because [I] get to be [a] leader [in] the school. [I] also get to help out the underclassmen, and it’s [my] last year here so I want to make the most of it, and really enjoy it. It feels great; I’m really happy that I made it through the first three years of high school and get to continue [to] further my education.” - Jamie Franciscus, 12](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DSC_0020-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Jumping toward the basket, above his opponents, junior Tyler King launches the ball. Ending the game 84 to 61, King made one of the winning baskets. “Beating [Parkway] South was one of my favorite parts of the game. We played to crush them and that is what we did,” King said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0222-900x600.jpg)
![In a game against Eureka Jan. 5, junior Tre Bell pushes the ball up the court to start a fast break while the defense is caught off guard. Bell has been playing basketball for the past 12 years. “To be honest I don’t usually think during games. I let my instincts [take] control because I trust my abilities and i’ve been playing for so long,” Bell said. “Before the game we were very eager to win because last year they [Eureka] beat us in the district semifinals so we owed them payback for that.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/P1140059-900x676.jpg)