Photo by John Napalan/Art O’Neill
The Cabrillo boys’ basketball team finished sixth place in the Moore League last year with a 4-16 record, but coach Kyles Hawkins likes the trajectory of his program. Hawkins, a rare Cabrillo alum coaching at Cabrillo, has a youth-oriented team that features just three returners and four seniors this season, with nine underclassmen.
“We’ve got great energy all around, from top to bottom,” he said. “Egos will not be an issue.”
For Hawkins, the key is to keep the same offensive momentum and pace while focusing more on defense, where his team struggled last year.
“We’re still looking to play fast, but we need to make sure the defensive side is our number one priority,” he said. “We have to get stops.”
The Jaguars have four freshmen and a sophomore on the team, and will have to rely on hustle and grit as they’re likely the shortest roster in the league this year.
The leader for the team will be junior Isaiah Hill, a junior who was second team All-Moore League last season.
Hawkins expects junior Eric King to be one of the other leaders on the team, as well as seniors Brandon Vasquez and Ulices Alvarez.
