By Hanson Han, Staff Writer

Fall sports are over, ushering in a new season of exciting winter sports. Many people are wondering how different the winter sports season will be, considering the drastic changes due to Covid-19 during the previous season. This article is going to cover the previous season as well as a forecast for the current season for both boys and girls basketball and soccer. It will also spotlight a few important players, worthy of mentioning. 

Last year, boys basketball had a tough season. . According to varsity guard/forward Aaron Ngo (11), their performance in the previous season was “ok”. There were no fans in the stands due to Covid-19, taking away the most exciting part of the sport. No cheering fans when someone hit a deep 3, no standing ovations for a buzzer beater shot, just the small celebration between teammates. With this season, all of the fun and excitement gets returned, uplifting the hopes of many of the players. A prediction for the current season shows that performance would be better than the previous season, due to the return of fans, as well as an improved team from last year. We could expect to see players such as Jonathan Shim (11) and Nareg Aristakessian (12) to lead the Vikings to a better season. 

For girls basketball, the previous season was “average”. Their record almost broke even, but eventually settled at a losing one. According to Serena Mezzetta (11), they are going to be better this season.. A lot of players have made drastic improvements and team chemistry has improved. It is safe to say that this year’s season will be a winning one. As far as star players go, there are none. Not because the team is bad, but because the team is good. “There are too many good players on the team to pick a star. Everyone on the team relies on other players to put up points, really making it a team sport” (Mezzetta). This is surprising, and goes to show how impressive the girl’s team chemistry is.. This would make this year’s season a fun one to watch, with many expected wins with many high level plays happening. 

For boys soccer, the previous season could’ve been better. They held a fairly even record, but their season was cut short due to Covid-19. According to team captain Masaya Miyake (12) the goal for this season is to have a winning record, as well as winning the league. The competition for this season is going to be good, as well as filled with fun, with the Vikings being one of the better teams in the league. In terms of CCS, Miyake reports that there is a 50% chance of them making it. A few important players include Jason Habash (12), as well as Miyake himself. Miyake has been on the varsity team ever since he was a freshman, and has seen consistent improvement during his time at Mills. 

Last year, the girl’s soccer team struggled. They finished with a record of 2-10 in the regular season. According to team captain Anjali Marwah (11), the current season brings about better hopes. There has been an influx of new players, ranging from all grades, creating an extremely diverse and never before seen team. This season will be a memorable one. Marwah noticed that among all the players, the team seems to have excellent team chemistry, even with all the new players. With all the amount of players on the team, there seems to be a few that stand out, most notably Jayme Daijo (12). Marwah reported that there were many players worthy of this spotlight, but Daijo was her final choice. Their goal for the end of the season is to win the division, as well as making it to CCS. We could expect Marwah and Daijo to lead the team to an interesting and hopefully fruitful season. 

At the end of the day, all of the predictions of the current season could be subject to change. Since most of the teams are still in their preseason, with the official season not starting yet, anything could happen. It will take the full support of the school in order to have our winter athletes perform at their best potential.