Noki Lam
Staff Writer
On Nov. 8, 2022, the Mira Costa boys and girls varsity basketball teams collaborated with the cheer and dance teams to hold the first ever Mustang Madness pep rally to promote the upcoming basketball season. The event took place in the gym at 7 p.m., and featured a series of dance and cheer performances and basketball skill competitions.
“I played Division I basketball at LMU and saw how big of a tradition Midnight Madness rallies were,” girls varsity assistant coach Haley Herdman said. “Coming to coach at my alma mater Costa, I wanted to bring [the same] spirit, support, and involvement from the student body.”
The event started with a tribute to the late John Lapham, former girls basketball varsity head coach. Thirty seconds of silence were taken to honor Lapham, who had stepped down this yearafter a serious bicycle accident left him in critical condition.
“Coach John taught me to believe in myself,” senior forward India Pines said. “He held his players accountable and treated us all like family. He was one of the strongest people I’ve had the honor of knowing and truly was an inspiration.”
Mustang Madness started with two shooting competitions between two teams comprised of a mixture of players from girls and boys varsity basketball. Players were able to showcase their shooting ability in a head to head matchup against their teammates in a contest to see who could make more shots.
“It was a bit nerve racking to be back shooting in front of a packed crowd,” sophomore guard Christian Kranz said. “But it was really cool to be back in that environment.”
The dance team performed next, followed by a performance from the cheer teams. The dance and cheer teams previewed routines they will perform during halftime of the home games this upcoming season.
“It’s always fun to cheer on our teams,” sophomore JV cheer captain Maggie Ryan said. “It’s amazing to show love and support in our new gym.”
The two teams from the shooting competition later participated in a skills contest, where players dribbled through a series of obstacles, then shot a layup before passing the ball off to their teammates to continue the relay race.
“My team chemistry with my varsity team is really good because we are all genuinely really good friends,” junior guard Hayden Lin said. “The guys were all really nice too, so we worked well together [during the skills contest].”
Following the skills contest, the boys varsity team had a dunk contest. Sophomore forward Preston Ezewiro beat out senior forward Trey Pearce to win the contest in the final round.
“Every single one of our players is able to dunk,” boys varsity head coach Neal Perlmutter said. “I think that’s a testament to how hard our boys have been working [on their athleticism].
To finish the night, ten seniors from various Mira Costa sports teams, including volleyball, baseball, football, and soccer, took part in a half-court shooting competition. Jack Nammack, a senior on varsity baseball, made the shot with a mustang mascot head on to win $1000.
“I didn’t expect any [of the participants] to actually make the shot.” sophomore forward Justin Cricri said. “Making a half court shot with a mask on is extremely difficult.”
According to Herdman, the girls and boys basketball teams hope to continue the tradition of Mustang Madness in the future as a way to generate excitement around their teams and receive more support from the school.
“We want to show the Costa community and the greater South Bay Area what MCHS basketball is all about,” Coach Herdman said. “We will definitely be doing this next year and many years to come.”
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