With football season coming to an end, another fan favorite season is starting at San Tan Foothills, basketball.  With basketball being one of our excelling programs every year here at Foothills, I decided to get an inside scoop with Coach Galish.  When Coach Galish was asked about this year's team as opposed to last years team, he stressed the difference in the number of players, and with more players, comes competition among teammates for the starting five.  He also mentioned another year of experience under the veteran’s belts which promotes chemistry among teammates and a knowledge of each other's capabilities.

          Coach Galish was remotely enthusiastic about the many talents that his team possesses.  When asked what parts of the game his team excels in, there wasn't much that he couldn't think of.  “I think we are outstanding on defense because the players are so aggressive and play with emotion and a passion for the game.  Controlling the boards and getting a lot of rebounds also comes strong with this group of players, but having an even bigger toll on the game, all these players are basketball smart.  They know what's going on in the game and can pick up on things like an opponent's tendencies.  They work together”.

          As the Sabercat basketball team struggled during last season, keys to a successful one is a main focus on Coach Galish’s mind.  “Cohesion” Galish mentioned, “the kids need to play as a team and stick together on and off the court.  This will allow them to work together and gather a high knowledge of what's going on on the floor.  It will help them counteract other teams strengths and tendencies”.

Before the regular season kicked off, we saw a rather impressive performance by the varsity basketball team against an experienced alumni team.  Coach Galish couldn't have been more pleased with this pre-season showout.  “I was absolutely expecting them to perform that well against the alumni.  That’s going to give these kids a lot of confidence going into the season playing against a team of that caliber and competing with them so well.  I have no doubt that our team this year will compete with every team in our conference and non-conference.  We have approximately 28 games this season and we will compete in every single one of them.  We will definitely be making a run for the state playoffs this year”

          We have high expectations for the Sabercat Varsity Basketball Team so if there is any more room on your list of things to do before the end of 2016, add watching this team play to that list.