After a heartbreaking Division IV CCS loss against rival Sacred Heart Prep last year, Menlo’s varsity boys basketball team is preparing for what they hope is a deep playoff run this year.
A key shift for the team will be adjusting to the loss of former stars Tate Cohen ’25 and Aidan Stull ’25. “Both Tate and Aidan were the main source of our offense last year, so it’s going to be hard to replace their production,” junior Zander Deutch said.
The Knights will feature additional upperclassman leadership from senior guards Ethan Zhao and Evan Arcilla, as well as junior center Kai Mawakana. Mawakana believes that underclassmen can provide a fresh spark to the offense. “I mean, we have a lot of young guys with a lot of offensive potential,” Mawakana said. “But we definitely will need to play as a team this year. So we’ll need to play for each other and play for the seniors.”
Deutch and Mawakana both agreed that the team has what it takes to perform at a high level. “The main goal this year is to win the CCS championship,” Mawakana said. “I believe we’ve got the team to make that happen. I think we can make a deep run in states this season.”
Menlo has begun its season 2–0 with wins over Jefferson High School and Washington High School. They will travel to Los Gatos for the Los Gatos Tournament on Friday, Dec. 12.
