The varsity boys basketball team is gearing up for an exciting season with a larger roster, trips to Hawaii and Carmel as well as momentum after being narrowly defeated in the Central Coast Section Division IV championship and first round of NorCals last season. 

Head coach Ben Batory and captain Tate Cohen agree that continuing the success from the end of the 2023-24 season is important for the team — hoping to win another CCS championship after the team’s title in 2022. “Last year, we closed the season really well. We were kind of inconsistent earlier in the year, but we finished on a high note,” Batory said. 

Cohen echoed this sentiment. “We had a pretty successful year last year. We made it to the [CCS] title game; that was really big for us,” Cohen said. “We also grew together as a team. We bonded really well […] and got a lot better throughout the year.”

One change the team has experienced this season is adapting to a larger roster. In order to maximize the competition with 18 players, Batory implemented three teams of six, organized by skill level: Gold, Blue and White. “I think it’s cool and interesting, it will hopefully bring a more competitive spirit to the team and more energy to practice,” Cohen said. 

The team will also be traveling this season, with scheduled trips to Carmel and Hawaii. They are set to play at Punahou School, alma mater of Menlo Head of School Than Healy. Batory noted that these trips have value far beyond the games themselves. 

“I think any athlete would say […] that going on road trips, staying in hotels, long bus rides — that’s where the real camaraderie and, sort of, relationships are built,” Batory said. 

Batory described the upcoming season as one that will showcase speed and precision. “We’re a smaller team [height-wise], but we’re a quicker team, and we’re a better shooting team, so we’re gonna run a press,” Batory said. “We’re gonna be really fun to watch and just play basketball at kind of a high pace.”