It has taken the Sacred Heart Cathedral boys basketball team some time to get going, but after a rough start to the season, the Fightin' Irish are headed in the right direction.
Coming off a two-game winning streak following an 0-4 start, Sacred Heart Cathedral will get its first test in WCAL action Saturday night (6:30 pm) at home when Serra (8-2, 1-0 WCAL) pays a visit.
“The biggest factor in the turnaround was the addition of seven players from the varsity football team," said first-year Sacred Heart Cathedral coach Caesar Smith. "Having a full team has made a huge difference.”
With a deep postseason run that culminated in a state championship victory over Northview-Covina, 48-29, the Irish football contingent was not available to the basketball program until the second week of December. In the meantime, the Irish dropped their first four games, losing to Oakland, Stuart Hall, Oakland Tech and Menlo-Atherton.
Since the members of the football team joined - including starting quarterback and leading scorer from a year ago Ray-John Spears - the Irish have beaten Sequoia and International to improve to 2-4 overall.
SHC planned to participate in the Damian Lillard Classic, but those plans were scrapped after a few COVID cases within the program. As a result, the Irish have not played a competitive game since the December 23 win over International and have played just six games in total. Unless they schedule additional non-league games, they will need to go at least. 500 in WCAL play to secure a spot in the CCS playoffs.
By doubling the size of the roster with the addition of the football team, SHC is well positioned for the start of league play and will have many more lineup options as well as the ability to preserve players and prevent fatigue.
“We adjusted our game play by using different methods to slow the game down in order to preserve our guys and keep us in the game," said Smith of the early-season games. "We only had 7-8 players during our first four games."
The Irish boast a pair of young standout guards in freshman Mykel Patton and sophomore Fedrick Pernell, who picked up valuable varsity experience while the football team was concluding its championship season. Junior forward Jerry Mixon Jr., another standout on the gridiron, is expected to add strength and athleticism to the Irish front line.
Meanwhile, Serra is off to an excellent start under head coach Chuck Rapp, who is back on the sidelines after missing the last two seasons and three of the last five because of hip problems. Serra opened WCAL play Thursday night with a 59-44 win at St. Ignatius behind 24 points from senior Miles Klapper and 12 points and 12 rebounds from senior Garret Keyhani.
With Saturday's game against Serra, the Irish will have another opportunity to capitalize on the abilities of their full roster, and continue to build chemistry.
