For second-year coach Brittany Taylor, the focus for the Los Altos girls basketball team this year will be bringing energy every day.
“We’ve got a new group, mixing it up,” said Taylor. “Big energy and defensive intensity, that’s the name of the game here.”
After losing a big senior class from last year’s team that finished 12-13 last season and made the Central Coast Section Division I quarterfinals, Taylor continues implementing an uptempo style and pressure-focused emphasis that began last year.
“It’s a night and day difference,” Taylor said of the philosophy compared to last year. “They are pressing now, a lot more trapping and big pressure to get us more transition buckets. I think starting to get into the culture we are trying to build here a little bit, just compete.”
The Eagles’ Ella McFarlane is the team’s go-to player, while Los Altos will also rely on Chinglam Tseung to provide a shooting spark, with Tseung leading the team in scoring in the team’s win over Mountain View.
“She’s a really prolific shooter,” Taylor said of Tseung. “When she gets going and she gets hot, she gets really streaky, so we definitely look for her and McFarlane for the two-man game, but the three-ball is going to be big for us.”
Shooting guard Abigail Santos, point guard Vara Vedati and freshman center Chloe D’Amico are several new players who will have significant roles for the team this year.D’Amico is expected to clean up on the offensive glass and has already emerged as a vocal voice on the team to set culture and expectations.
“We have a young freshman, Chloe D’Amico, strong force down there, just physical,” coach Taylor said. “It really adds a lot of promise for us down there.”
Los Altos (1-4) has had a competitive non-league schedule to start the season and build experience for some of the younger players, with Los Altos’ goal to win league and get to the Central Coast Section playoffs. Taylor wants the girls to focus on competitive spirit early in the season so that anytime they are on the floor, they have the will to want to compete and play together.
“They have really good energy top to bottom, so I think team chemistry has been really good for us and again just trusting each other and moving the ball,” Taylor said. “Ball movement and competitive spirit.”
The Eagles will have to compete with teams like Los Gatos, Monte Vista and Lynbrook to finish at the top of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division. The Eagles finished tied for fourth in league play at 6-6 last year. Homestead, Milpitas and Fremont round out the league.
“It’s going to be tough,” Taylor said of league play.
