Amir Goss must be the perfect holiday shopper — never thinking of himself.
Last week he helped the Eagles wrap up a 4-0 week to improve to 10-2 on the season. Goss scored 17, 15, 20 and 15 points in wins over Hiram Johnson, Sacramento Waldorf, Esparto and Delta.
True to form, Goss refuses to talk about his role in that success.
“It’s all team with me,” Goss said. “We play and accomplish things as a team. We play team defense, we play team offense. There is no individualism in the way we play.”
That’s true, but the Times-Herald still decided to give Goss a nice individual present, naming him the Athlete of the Week.
ELITE High head coach Duke Brown says Goss is very humble, but at times his “team” play has gotten the Eagles in trouble.
“I actually want him to be more aggressive and take more shots,” Brown laughs. “There have been times early in the game that he’s so focused on getting his team involved that it actually hurts us. He’s not taking the open shot we know he’ll make.”
Goss admits one ot the things he’s worked on the most is his confidence — being more aggressive in taking the ball to the hoop.
Brown also says his leader’s dedication to his team has showed.
“He’s a more vocal leader now which I like, but he’s also gotten better at rebounding,” Brown said. “Because he’s 6-foot-3, we’re having him be more of an inside defender. He’s really taken to it. After games he is always asking me, ‘Did I get my 8-10 rebounds for you?’ He’s really bought into everything we’re doing in the program.”
Goss plays three sports, and admits his favorite sport isn’t basketball, but football — a sport he says prepares him to excel in hoops.
“There is a lot of contact in football and that makes me not afraid to go to the hoop more and get some contact,” Goss said.
Goss is averaging 14.4 points a contest with the Eagles, up from his 10.2 average as a junior and 9.8 points as a sophomore.
But it’s the wins Goss is thrilled about. The same goes for Brown.
“We’re in a good position,” Brown said. “We got beat by Wood (on Monday) but it was kind of a good wakeup call for us. We still have to play good teams like John Swett and Vallejo later in the preseason and that will help us with league play. In order to play competitive we need to play competitive teams. We have a vision of making the playoffs and then making a dent in them.”
Honorable mention
D’Ani Butcher, Bethel High girls basketball. Butcher scored 20 points in a win over Berkeley and added 11 more in a win over South San Francisco.
Jeremiah Pepito, Bethel High boys wrestling. Pepito came in second place in the 126-pound weight class at the Pirate Invitational over the weekend.
Angel Tinai, Bethel High girls basketball. Tinai had 24 points in a win over South San Francisco.
Zurrie Washington, Vallejo High girls basketball. Washington had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals in a win over De Anza.
