Junior varsity finishes 20-0

By Matt Phelps
Mercer Island Reporter

While the Mercer Island High School boys varsity basketball team lost its four post-season games this past month, the junior varsity team sat at home and on their bench. Junior varsity teams do not have a post season, but if they did the Islander team would have been a No. 1 seed for sure with a perfect 20-0 record.

“The group I had were a bunch of guys who knew the game and an easy group to coach,” said junior varsity head coach Brett Ogata. “Guys like that can achieve a special season as we had.”

But this past season was not the start of the run of perfection for the team. In 2005-2006 the Islanders went 19-1. The loss came at the beginning of that season.

“Some of these guys have won 39 straight games,” said Ogata.

Varsity head coach Ed Pepple said that all the players and coaches in the program are proud of how the JV has played but is quick to point out that there are a lot of elements that make it difficult to tell weather the wins will carry over to the varsity team in the years to come.

“I hope it would when they are 20-0,” said Pepple. “And they played a tough schedule. We feel ike a number of them can contribute to next year’s team.But it is a big jump from junior varsity to varsity and Ogata did an excellent job of coaching.”

Ogata also coaches junior varsity tennis and is the football team’s offensive coordinator.

Ogata’s junior varsity squad included: Forrest Marowitz, Ben Shoemaker, Tobi Erhardt, Will Hanson, Jacob Bloom, Isaac Tobis, Peter Zajac, Jon Poli and Luke Salaiz.