![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Frosh and sophomore boys basketball open season with 45-18 Stratford win
Ethan Lei (9) dribbles the ball down the court. The Eagles jumped to an early lead and grew it through a barrage of two-pointers and free throws.
November 30, 2022
The frosh and sophomore boys basketball team defeated Stratford San Jose 45-18 in their first game of the season on Nov. 22.
Jumping to 11-3 early into the first quarter, the Eagles maintained and extended their lead for the rest of the game. David Li (9) attempted a three-pointer but missed as the buzzer sounded, and the Eagles headed into the second quarter with a 19-6 lead. Stratford took three timeouts over the course of the game but remained unsuccessful due to several missed two-pointers and free throws.
The Eagles consistently put of shots, mainly centered around the key. This barrage of shooting coupled with tough fights for rebounds kept the game fast-paced. Notably, Thomas Ryan’s (9) first free throw halfway through the third quarter bounced around the rim several times as everyone stared in suspense, eventually falling out. He also missed his second but secured a rebound and scored a layup.
Frosh and sophomore boys basketball head coach Brendan Carroll focuses on building fundamentals and skills for the team.
“We played a young team, but we are a young team ourselves,” Carroll said. “We have a lot of potential, but a lot to work on at the same time. We weren’t able to find a way to run a lot of [the plays] we work on in practice. Still, I think the boys came together and played their first game really well.”
Carroll also remarked on cleaning up concepts and emphasizing proper positioning going into practices and is confident that more repetitions and court experience will continue to help the boys grow. The team, composed of players with varying levels of experience, enjoy a good connection among themselves.
“It’s been really easy fitting in with everybody,” forward Lucas Chen (9) said. “The whole basketball program at Harker is just like a family. [In practice], we’ve been focused on creating chemistry, but we need [to translate] that into our game.”
The team will travel for a Stratford rematch on Dec. 2, followed by games at Woodside and San Lorenzo Valley.
Team member Umair Paranjpye (9) comments on the team dynamic.
“[The team is] great,” Umair said. “I haven’t played basketball in a while, but it’s great to be back playing a sport we all love. We’re all ready to work really hard.”
