GALA Basketball: A Captain’s Perspective

The 2022-2023 basketball season here at GALA is fully underway, under the new instruction of coaches Carlin Bills and Ms. Petrich. Team captain Delia Mizrahi, class of 2023, says, “This season is exciting. As we enter the second half of the season, I’m looking forward to playing in some competitive games with our dedicated team.” Both varsity and junior varsity (JV) have been practicing hard every week and have played six games in total. Varsity’s record, as of January 17th, 2023, is three wins and three losses. Both teams are made of players from all levels of high school, allowing for a diverse range of abilities and a good opportunity for connection. Their most recent game, a home game on January 13th, was an upsetting but motivating loss against a team they’ve beaten before. But, Delia emphasizes the importance of fan support. So, be there at the next one, scheduled for January 23rd, in the L.A. High School main gym!

Taking it back to the 2019-2020 season, we see that GALA basketball has had a successful past, with lots to build off of. That season, Coach Joe Ward-Wallace helped the team make it to the quarter-finals. Delia, a freshman at the time, was co-captain with GALA alum Kennedy Adams Taylor. Delia says it was a great way to learn how to effectively lead a team from someone with experience. Captain again this year, she’s interested to see how far the team gets, stating, “We have a really good set of players.”

Delia’s been balling for fourteen years and is extremely dedicated to the sport, as well as the school. We’ll certainly miss her after she graduates this year. Here are some words of wisdom from our deserving team captain this year.

Mae: What has your experience been like on the GALA basketball team throughout the years?
Delia: I’ve made a lot of new friends. I’ve improved a lot as a basketball player and as a team captain. We made it to the quarterfinals when I was in ninth grade, and since we haven’t had a full season since then, I’m interested to see how far we’ll get this year. We have a really good set of players.

M: What would you say some of the strengths of the team are this season?
D: I think the team has really great morale. Everyone really is open to making new friends and connecting with new people, so it really lends itself to the team aspect of the sport. But, also, everyone’s really open to learning new skills and working on things that they’re not necessarily great at yet.

M: What’s your greatest challenge this season?
D: I think our greatest challenge this season is harder competition. Since we have a brand-new team, we’re not as tight-knit as some of the teams we play.

M: What do you hope the team takes away from this season, your senior season?
D: I mean I hope they’re happy with where we get in the season, and I hope they think I led the team well. I hope that they’re excited about the next season.

For those of you interested in attending games, here is the schedule. All JV games start at 2:30, and varsity games start at 4:30 unless otherwise noted. The schedule is subject to change.

1/11 vs Fremont
1/13 vs Hawkins @ Hawkins HS
1/18 vs Dymally
1/23 @ Harbor Teacher Prep
1/25 @ Jordan
1/27 vs Port of LA Charter
1/30 @ Port of LA Charter (Varsity Only 3:30 pm)
2/1 vs Harbor Teacher Prep
2/3 @ Fremont