On December 6th, Eagle Bronx varsity basketball team played rival James Monroe. This was the game that all of the varsity players were looking forward to playing the most. This was mostly because of last year’s rivalry that took place. Last year, in league play, we beat them inside of our gym and then we took a trip to their gym and they beat us. But Eagle got the last laugh by beating Monroe at the Bronx borough championship, giving us the privilege to earn a trophy. Also it helped Coach Rose and Coach Mel win a Bronx borough championship in their first year coaching at Eagle Academy For Young Men in the Bronx.  With all of the drama from last year, Eagle’s varsity team, and the entire school, was excited for a rematch in 2022. 

So now let’s talk about the game that took place inside of our gymnasium on December 6th. In case you didn’t already know, our Eagle Academy varsity team was victorious. Everyone chipped in and played their role. Our crowd in the bleachers also brung a lot of energy hyping up our Eagles. To add on, certain teachers showed love and came and supported, for example Ms. Ortiz  and Ms. Knight were in attendance. The final score was 86-66.

I also got to interview some players from the team after the game to reflect on their performance in the rival match. See below for insight into our key players warm up routines, and their strengths and weaknesses on the court. 

Khalil Robison (Class of 2023 / Point Guard):  Khalil’s pre game routine is to lock his mind in on the game nothing else. Then, stretch, and shoot jump shots to warm up for the game. His favorite artist to listen to before the games are drill music and Lil’ Baby. As Khalil reflected on his game against Monroe he felt like his strength was brining energy on both ends of the floor to get his teammates going.  One weakness he identified from his performance was overthinking plays to run it right. That is something he will be working on during upcoming games. 

Braylin Sanjurjo (Class of 2024 / Point Guard): Braylin’s pregame routine is to stretch and shoot floaters and a few 3 point jump shots to get warmed up. His favorite artist to listen to before the game is G Herbo. One strength from the Monroe game was his ability to play-make and to get his teammates involved. One weakness from his game is he could have been more aggressive in order to score more. 

Jonathan Jones (Class of 2023 / Shooting Guard): Evin pregame routine is to stretch and put up jump shots  and eat some candy. His favorite Artists to listen to are G Herbo & Lil Baby . A strength in his game would be shooting from behind the arc and one weakness would be finishing in contact.

Evin Alequin (Class of 2024 / Shooting Guard): Evin’s pregame routine is listening to music. His favorite artist is Nocap.  One of his strengths is when his brothers give him confidence and advice. His weakness is when he plays scared. 

Let’s see if our varsity players will continue their winning streak. There will be a rematch on January 19th at James Monroe High School at 5pm. They are going to be looking for revenge, so please come out and support out Eagle student athletes.