By Karun Sagar

With the new PSAL basketball season tipping off soon, I sat down with Isaiah Linares, a Manhattan High student who plays on the Beacon Junior Varsity Basketball Team. Manhattan High is the school within a school on our building’s second floor, though many Beacon students remain unaware of this fact. Manhattan High students often take classes at Beacon, and some Manhattan students play for Beacon’s teams.  Isaiah Linares is one of these student athletes.  I was curious as to what it’s like for Isaiah when he goes upstairs to play ball.  I sat down with him  to discuss basketball and his experience at Beacon.

Here is the transcript of our interview:

Karun: When did you start playing basketball?

Isaiah: [I started in] elementary school. I was always playing basketball.

Karun: How did you get into basketball?

Isaiah: I watched LeBron James, he inspired me. That’s why I always play ball–I love the guy.

Karun: What’s your favorite team?

Isaiah: Cleveland Cavaliers, only because LeBron is there. LeBron’s my favorite player

Karun: What do you like about LeBron?

Isaiah: [He’s a] great role model, great guy, shows great sportsmanship, [and is a] great player, too. He’s a good guy [and he] puts all his heart into the game.

Karun: What position do you play?

Isaiah: I play center or power forward [on the Beacon team], outside [of Beacon] I play all around.

Karun: When did you first try out for the team?

Isaiah: Freshman year. I tried out for the JV team last year. Next year I’ll try out varsity. [Being on the team] feels amazing. It is a privilege.

Karun: How are you preparing for the new season?

Isaiah: I’m practicing with my team all the time. Lots of conditioning. [It’s] a struggle, but you get used to it. We practice on our offense and our defense. Our amazing coach Mr. Moscow prepares us all the time and teaches us new plays every practice.

Karun: How is it like going up to Beacon?

Isaiah: I don’t know…How is it going up to Beacon? Going up, I know I have to work hard with all my classes–there will be challenging work I have to overcome.

Karun: Do you have any last words for our readers?

Isaiah: You guys are doing a great job. Keep on doing what you’re doing.