Boys Varsity Basketball: Amer El-Hariri

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Written by Erica Rios

Tuesday, 05 January 2010 21:07

Basketball captain Amer El-Hariri lets us in on his role as a captain and other details about the team.

1.Do you have any privileges being captain?

As a captain, I do have a couple of privileges. Probably the privilege that I like the most is being able to have other players listen and follow my instructions. It gives you that sense of authority among your teammates. You also get the sense that you influence the other players around you.

2.What position do you play?

I actually have played all five positions before on the court. But about eighty percent of the time, I am the one who brings the ball down and am assigned the position of a point guard. All my life I have played point guard, the “1 position,” but our team’s lack of height has forced me to play different roles on the court.

3.Which famous basketball player do you look up to?

A famous basketball player that I constantly look up to is Michael Jordan. He was simply the best there ever was in the game of basketball. Jordan’s athletic gifts, his competitive fire, and his ability to rise to the moment have no equal. He always strived to be the best that he can be. He constantly worked and practiced to perfect his game, even though he was not the top athlete of his generation. His determination to succeed goes unmatched alongside other greats who have played this game.

4.How does it feel being on varsity basketball since freshman year?

It is an overwhelming and satisfying feeling being on varsity basketball since my freshman year. Not many people get the chances to not only make it to varsity as freshmen, but to start as well. Such an experience has made me realize how fortunate I have been over the past three years.

5.Do you think that the other boys on the team look up to you?

Hopefully they do look up to me but for the most part I think they do. As captain of the team, I have to lead by example on and off the court. I constantly keep in my mind that if the other players on the team see me for example frustrated, then that will affect their mentality on the court. So I have to keep myself in check knowing that there are others on the team who look up to me.

6.Do you believe that you deserve being captain?

I do believe that I deserve to be captain. My leadership on the court has excelled over the past couple of years. I have also had the most experience playing at a varsity level, this being my third year, along with co-captain Joshua Icasas. Being a captain demands a well-rounded understanding of the game and I have been playing long enough for me to fulfill the role of being captain.

7.Being captain, do you feel that it is your job to protect the team if something ever happens on the court, like for example if a fight breaks out?

Of course, as a captain, my responsibility and duty is to not only lead the team but to also protect it as well. In this case, if there is a fight, as a captain I have to control my teammates on the court and stand up for them. If they were at fault, then I would have to cool them down and lead them away from the trouble that could result if a fight breaks out.

8.Do you feel pressured to do well in a game since you are captain?

I sometimes do think about the pressure that is placed on me since I am a captain. But in order to do well, I have to eliminate such thoughts from my mind and concentrate on the game. But as a captain, performing well is crucial to the rest of the team since they look up to me as their leader.

9.Do you think that the team this year will do well?

I actually do think that our team this year will do well. During preseason, we nearly scored fifty points in the second half of the game. That has never been done in the history of the boys’ varsity team. We know we can play. It is just a matter of consistently performing well and trying to avoid the slumps that slow us down.

10.Do you think that the team's actions should be your responsibility?

It depends. If the team’s actions could have been affected or altered within the lines of my responsibility as a captain, then yes I am responsible. But if it is uncontrollable and out of my hands then the responsibility should not fall on me. As long as I do my part to perform to the best of my ability to help the team win, then I am satisfied. Of course losing hurts, but knowing that I did the absolute best that I could is sufficient.