Staff and Basketball Teams Mix It Up

The first week of February would normally be an intense and anticipatory week leading up to the KAIAC basketball tournament, but not so in the year of COVID. For the second year in a row, the basketball teams faced the disappointment of a canceled tournament. 

Despite the setback, there was a chance for a reward for the players to recognize their hard work and preparation for competition. The coaches came up with a creative way to finish the season and generate some camaraderie with the faculty as well. The basketball varsity and JV squads were divided into three even teams, and the YISS faculty formed the fourth team to round out the Battle 4 YISS tournament bracket.

While the staff teams won both tournaments, it was a highlight for the students. On the women's staff side, the team was stacked with former college ballers Carra Beam, Taylor Peterson, and head coach Kendra Hansen. The student teams never quit though, with big contributions from Tanya Kataria (22 points) and Dyanne Ahn (14 points).

On the men's staff team, there was also some college talent in Dr. Bayyan that made defending very difficult for the boys. But it was Mr. Sam Benedict that led the scoring with 37 points in two games, supported by Mr. Trevino (21 points), Dr. Bayyan (19 points, 21 rebounds, 6 steals), Mr. Roper (18 points), and head coach Tim Baker (17 points, 8 assists, 14 rebounds). The leaders on the boys’ side included scoring leader Si Kwak (43 points) and Eric Lee (23 points).

Despite the canceled KAIAC tournament, the Battle 4 YISS tournament created some great memories for staff and students alike, stemming off some of the disappointment and giving the players a way to show off all their hard work during the season.