Three games. Three losses.
For a Coronado High School boys basketball team that had grown accustomed to winning, dropping three straight games to start the 2022-2023 campaign put them in somewhat uncharted territory.
Despite the adversity, Head Coach Anthony Ott has been able to right the ship, leading the Islanders to an 18-6 record as of Jan. 26th. In the three losses to begin the season, Coronado High averaged just 40.3 points per game while allowing 64.3 ppg. Since a Nov. 23, loss to Eastlake High, the Islanders have found their rhythm offensively, averaging 67.1 points per contest.
The Islanders (18-7) play at Mira Mesa High School (4-21) in San Diego at 6:15 p.m on Tuesday, and wrap up the season with two home games next Tuesday and Friday.
Senior guard and four-year varsity letter winner Nolan Reuter’s shooting from behind the arc has provided a record breaking spark at times, as Rueter broke the school record for made three point attempts in a game with nine on Jan 17. against Madison. Despite the individual ability of the players, Ott says the team’s balance and selfless nature is what truly drives their success.
“We don’t care who scores, we are a family.”
Head Coach Anthony Ott
“Our team is very balanced. On any given night, we could have a different player lead the team in points, rebounds, assists or steals. We don’t care who scores, we are a family,” Ott said, “Nolan is a huge part of the success of the team, but he would not have those opportunities if the other four players on the court were not collectively and individually doing their jobs.”
This brand of selfless basketball has proven effective, as the Islanders ripped off 10 straight wins from Nov. 25 to Dec. 21. Outside of their style of play on the court, the work ethic and the will to get better that has been constant through his varsity career is what Rueter cites as crucial to the team’s winning ways.
“Whether it’s showing up to practice 90 minutes early to get shots up or going to get a quick workout before school, success has always come from the work,” Reuter said.
As Ott and Co. gear up for another playoff run, the ghost of titles past looms.
This year’s squad is just two years removed from sanctions handed down to the school from the California Interscholastic Federation, stripping Coronado High of its 2021 CIF championship because tortillas were thrown at Orange Glen players, a predominantly Latino team, after a playoff win in 2021.
The sanctions carried into this season, barring the team from hosting a home playoff game.
Reuter, a member of the 2021 squad that had their title vacated, expressed that the tortilla fiasco doesn’t provide any added pressure, although he is chomping at the bit to get another opportunity to win a championship. Ott echoed this, stating that no outside force can be harder on the Islanders than themselves.
“The only pressure we feel is the pressure we put on ourselves, because we are our own worst critic. That mentality empowers us to be better each day, allowing us to be the best version of ourselves. We embrace the journey and in doing so, the desired destination will come to fruition,” Ott said.
