The Brophy Basketball team, compiled of athletes with offers all across the country, approaches this season with 11 returning players, newly built chemistry, and a new addition to the coaching staff.
The Broncos finished the 2023 season with a 17-11 record and a playoff run where they lost to Perry in the semi-finals. The team is working to progress all throughout the season and have an even deeper playoff run than last year.
“Our goal is always to play our best game of the year in the next game on our schedule. By focusing on improvement over the course of the season, we aim to be playing our best basketball in February when the playoffs begin,” Varsity Head Coach Mr. Matthew Hooten said.
This team is very versatile with their style of play. The addition of returning Ryan Burbach ’25, who is the starting wing for the team and a Cornell University commit that is known for his shooting ability. Burbach believes this is a special group with a lot of potential.
“We are a very fast and good shooting team. Coach Hooten has also put a very good offense in place that is taking shape and that we are always very excited about,” said Burbach.
With all the preparation they have done, the Broncos are eager to get out on the court once more and compete against powerhouse schools, like Boulder Creek and Sunnyslope, whose Brophy has had close games last season, losing to both. However, the team isn’t fixated on their opponents. They are looking to treat every game on their schedule with the same intensity.
“We don’t necessarily worry about who the toughest team is; we focus on the next game on the schedule. Right now, that’s Desert Mountain on December 3rd,” Burbach said.
The Broncos have gained chemistry amongst themselves, but also with a new member of the coaching staff as they now have the new addition of the Assistant Varsity Coach, Mr. Matthew Smith. Coach Smith has infused the team with the “relentless” mentality that he has brought from the previous schools he’s coached at.
“Starting in the weight room during the offseason we push our minds and bodies together towards building a resilience that will carry these guys all year. We talk about mantras like ‘If I go, you go!’ to motivate teammates to feed off each other’s positive energy and effort. Relentless isn’t just a word to me; it’s a lifestyle,” said Coach Smith.
The Broncos approach the season prepared with various strategies. “This team is a versatile group, which gives us the ability to play smaller or bigger, vary our defenses, and attack teams in different ways. I think that will make us a difficult opponent to prepare for during the season,” said Coach Hooten.
