

The M-A boys basketball team has high hopes for the 2015-2016 season. With two returning starting guards, senior Christian Fioretti and junior Eric Norton, and eight returning seniors, the Bears have the experience and depth to improve from previous years.
Head coach Mike Molieri explains, “This year's goals are a lot higher than previous years. We have a lot of players returning. We played a lot this summer, over 40 games, and there's a lot of great energy going into the season. The players are showing a lot of commitment, especially with the weights, strength, and conditioning; it's been really amazing. Our goal every year is to win a Pacific Athletic League (PAL) championship and then go from there into Central Coast Section (CCS) and whatever transpires.”
This year coach Molieri hopes to improve the Bears' offense by quickening the pace of the game. “Our culture has always been blue collar mentality: defend first and foremost. I think this year we are going to see a lot better offense. We have a lot of guys who can score consistently: Christian and Lucas Fioretti, Blake Henry and Eric Norton. We’ve got guys coming off the bench who can score as well. So, we should be seeing a lot more high scoring and up-tempo games. We have a lot of guards and we are going to push the ball a lot more, see more transitions, and a set a fast pace.”
Coach Molieri also emphasized the Bears' purposely tough schedule. “We have a very, very challenging schedule as I always like to have because to get recognized, we have to play the good, tough teams. We play Riordan and Bellarmine, two WCAL teams in preseason and Serra in a scrimmage. We also play our local rivalries Menlo and Sacred Heart Prep (SHP) in January, which are always challenging games. Our big rivalry within the PAL continues to get more intense each year: Sequoia High School. We are really looking to bring that PAL title to M-A.”
The Bears' season starts at the end of November. Be sure to come out and support M-A!