by Ani Janakiraman ’26
With fall sports season coming to a close, Bellarmine’s athletes are preparing to participate in one of the most competitive seasons – the winter sport season – consisting of sports like basketball, soccer, and wrestling. As we head into Thanksgiving breaks, the basketball tryouts for all teams have been completed, and there is plenty of talent that has been showing itself down in the courts. Bellarmine’s teams compete in one of Northern California’s most difficult leagues, the WCAL, and nearly 100 new athletes try out each year. Basketball is a sport that requires resilience, dedication, teamwork, and decisiveness, thus making it one of the most demanding sports, but also fun and rewarding.
BCP’s basketball teams put in hours of hard work each day to get better, and when we interviewed Tariq Weiser ’23 and Will Corbett ’26, it was a common trend between the two athletes. As you’ll learn soon, both are trying hard to achieve their goals this year: not only to improve as players, but also collectively as a team.
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Will Corbett ’26
Q: When did you start playing basketball?
A: I started playing basketball at the age of 3.
Q: How were the tryouts for you? Did you make the team that you initially expected to?
A: I mean the goal was to make varsity initially and I achieved the goal. The tryouts went well, and it was competitive, but I bonded with the other members in the process.
Q: What’s your favorite part about Bellarmine basketball?
A: My favorite part is probably being part of the basketball community with like-minded individuals.
Q: Do you think practicing in the offseason, and outside of school basketball helped prepare you a lot for the season?
A: Yeah, playing as much as you can helps you get better, and hard work is the most important thing to improve at basketball.
Q: Do you have a goal you want to achieve by the end of the season?
A: My goal is for us to improve as a team and be successful, as well as learning more and hopefully getting better as players collectively.
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Tariq Weiser ’23
Q: What are your goals for your last year playing basketball here at Bell?
A: My goals for myself are to make first team all-league, but as a team our goal is to win league and advance to NorCal. Because we have underclassmen, mentoring them is another important part of being a senior varsity member on the team.
Q: Since you’re a three-year varsity player, what are your standards for new guys that join the team?
A: You got to be willing to learn, willing to take advice from coaches, play hard, and outwork the upperclassmen, and you know the guys getting minutes are pushing. It’s about showing that you’re willing to put the work in. Another thing is being an underclassman, you should maintain your hard-work and stay committed, which is something I’ve learned over my years on the team.
Q: What was your favorite year on the team?
A: My sophomore year was during Covid was extremely tough, but the seniors on the team my sophomore year were really awesome, and I built connections with them.
Q: When did you start playing basketball?
A: I started when I was 5, but it wasn’t really my favorite sport until I moved to Morocco, and they didn’t have baseball, so I started to veer towards basketball more. After that, I started to love the sport, and dedicated myself to it.
Q: Do you think the offseason is important for basketball especially?
A: Yeah, the offseason is just as important as the regular season because it’s time for you to develop skills and work individually. Another big thing is growing your body physically and getting stronger [bulking] and maintaining that during the season. It’s also good to take a little break and focus on [recovery].
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So there we have it folks! In the coming weeks and in the future, a wide range of talented athletes will be playing down on the basketball courts. Ranging from aspects like teamwork and effort, the BCP basketball teams have a lot to be proud of, and have already started scrimmaging other teams, but play their first official game of the year against Piedmont here at Bell. Through all the teams’ bonding, brotherhood, and dedication, there will surely be success to come. Be sure to be on the lookout for more articles as we head into tournament season for the Basketball Bells!