The boys and girls basketball teams at Mission Bay are hoping for winning campaigns on the hardwood this winter.
On the boys’ side, new head coach Marshawn Cherry takes over for former head coach Dennis Kane. A season ago, the Bucs went 21-9.
Looking at this season, Cherry expects key players to include: freshman Savaugh Davis; sophomores Andrea Scott, Jamaryee Norton, Rejean Ellis, Ronnie Latting; and senior Marcus Nickerson.
“This year’s team is very young, mostly sophomores and freshmen, with just two seniors,” Cherry remarked. “We are young and talented. It’s a blessing to be young and talented but we will have to give them time to grow. It will be a season of ups and downs as we gain experience and learn to play consistently every game. “It will definitely be on-the-job training. But I look at the future for this team and I’m very excited because we will be very good in the near future if everyone stays focused and disciplined,” Cheery said. “We must be confident in our potential and aware of our inexperience.”
According to Cherry, his goal for this season is to help every player improve individually on the court and in the classroom. He also would like to see the team improve every game and make a late run in the playoffs.  Girls basketball
On the girls’ side, head coach Vince Ichihara takes over for a team looking to improve upon winning only one game a season ago.
“We are a very young and talented team with the key players being freshmen Maggie Acquaah and Noella Coiquaud; and sophomores Natalie Mcdermott, Brooklyn Grooms, and center Ryleigh Maple. Our one senior is leader Samantha Zambrano. Our supporting cast with J.P. Perez and Janice Waites bring a lot of hustle and effort to the table,” Ichihara said.
“I expect the season to be fun with a lot of learning as well as competing,” Ichihara continued. “Besides being pretty young, this team is on the smaller side but is very athletic and can get up-and-down the court.
“They are all learning fast and have shown flashes of their potential to be really good. My goal this season is to play as a team and for each other, get better each practice, each game and get the best out of the girls,” Ichihara said.