Alumni homecoming game brings entertainment, tears, and nostalgic memories

The Varsity Boys and Girls welcomed the alumni back home with the Annual Homecoming Basketball Game, held on December 27 in the Shark Tank. As the alumni players entered into the gym, they stared in awe at the new renovations made, complete with new bleachers, a second floor, and an entirely new design. “When I was here, everything was different: there were no bleachers, the floor was not [blue], we didn’t have baskets like these, so it’s totally different. The school looks so different, and it’s a change for the better,” commented Alisson Chiu (‘09). Iwen Lam (‘11) further added stating, “Part of me wishes we had these facilities, but at the same time it is good to see the way that the school has developed.” The Varsity players were eager to greet them, especially the alumni students who were previously their teammates. “I was pretty excited, because these are the alumni that we haven’t seen in a long time. Some graduated [a while back] and some just recently graduated, and it was really nice to see some familiar faces and some new faces,” expressed Ray Chang (12B). During the game, each team played with intensity, precision, and determination, while also displaying respect for each other. The gym was roaring, filled with constant cheering from students and faculty while they enjoyed popcorn supplied by STATCO and several dances from the Dance Club.

The Varsity Girls kicked off the Homecoming event and narrowly edged the Alumni Girls with a score of 32-30. The Varsity Girls started the match on top, but as the game went on, the Alumni Girls rallied together and started to mount a comeback. Unfortunately, they were unable to win the game, despite their hard work and persistence. Due to a shortage of players, several Varsity players played on the Alumni team. However, this did not hinder the performances of both sides, as they played with speed and intensity. “I was more nervous than excited, but I think we did pretty good. Considering the score, we’re not that old and not that behind,” commented Alisson. On the contrary, the Varsity Girls were fairly relaxed about the match. “We took the game as a practice and wanted to have fun with our old teammates. However, we were too relaxed, and it wasn’t our best performance tonight,” stated Sophie Chao (12C).​

​Sophie Chao attempts to block a shot Courtesy of Benson Lin

The Alumni Boys dominated the Varsity Boys, winning by a score of 28-43. The Alumni Boys started extremely well, maneuvering the ball swiftly with their passing and taking advantage of every opportunity to score. The Varsity Boys started to recover some ground during the latter half of the game, but it was not enough to beat the alumni team. Despite the loss, the Varsity Boys were still in good spirits. “Today we just wanted to have fun, but we made a lot of sloppy [mistakes], but I think it is good practice for us to prepare for the tournament because the [team] we played against is a lot more physical,” explained Ray. “It was a lot of fun. Even though we were all out of shape, we pulled together pretty well and had a good time. The [Varsity] team is looking pretty good, and let’s hope they’re ready for the tournament,” said Iwen. Coach Bates was particularly amazed by the performance of one player. “Ben Chen dropped 12 points. That’s like a third of his team’s points. He never scored 10 points in a game here for us!” exclaimed Coach Bates. ​

​Ben Chen (’17) rises to shoot Courtesy of Benson Lin

However, the night was not all about having fun playing basketball. During the end of the 2nd period of the Boys game, the Alumni Boys gathered together in the middle of the court to commemorate their former basketball coach Coach Roland Cabanos, who sadly passed away this year. A blue banner was hung from the second floor, with “In memory of Roland Cabanos” written on it, along with the years of the 4 SISAC Championship titles he won as a coach. It was an emotional moment for the Alumni team, since they all had been coached by him. Iwen dedicated the Alumni Boy’s win to him, proudly stating, “That was for Coach Cabanos.”​

​The Alumni Boys remember former coach Roland Cabanos Courtesy of Luke Chong

Reflecting on this year’s game, Coach Brian Bates explained how the homecoming game was created, saying “It happened quite naturally, since the alumni would come back during the break, and we would schedule a friendly match for them to play against the seniors. That was 8 years ago. About 5 years ago, in 2013, we officially had our first homecoming game. When [students] hear the word ‘homecoming,’ they think about what they see on TV shows, like a homecoming king and queen, but what ‘homecoming’ means is when the alumni come back for a visit, since they’re coming home. I guess we need to call it ‘Alumni Homecoming,’ so the students understand that homecoming doesn’t have to be a pageant.” Coach Bates was also extremely pleased with the alumni teams’ performances this year. “The alumni looked really good. Some of them are better than when they played [in SMIC]. It’s like they got better somehow.”
Remember, come on over to the Shark Tank and don’t miss out on next year’s Homecoming Game! Until then, let us continue to support our current basketball teams!

Featured Image – The returning alumni pose for a group photo Courtesy of Benson Lin

by Luke Chong