With basketball season around the corner, expectations are running high for the Jesuit High School Marauders.

Jesuit finished last season with a 21-9 record and made it to the second round of the Division I Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs. The Marauders’ success came despite being younger than most of their opponents. 

Although Jesuit’s youthfulness worked against them last year, they should reap the benefits this season in terms of experience as many players from the 2018-2019 team will return this season. 

One of the returning players is 4-star recruit point guard Isa Silva ’21, a skilled scorer and passer who is ranked 57th on ESPN’s list of the top 60 players in the Class of 2021.

Jesuit Assistant Coach Jay Nacionales worked with Isa over the summer to prepare him for the upcoming season.

“From a physical standpoint, Isa has gotten stronger and more powerful in the off-season,” Coach Nacionales said. “We are expecting Isa to play a lot of minutes this year, and we are anticipating that most teams will double team him and attempt to play him in a very physical manner.”

Another challenge Jesuit faced last season was its lack of size with no player taller than 6-foot-4. Jesuit has added size with 6-foot-11 Alex Horiuk ’21 and 6-foot-8 Jack André ’20.  

Jesuit guard Mark Studer ’20 has high hopes for his team. 

“I expect us to stay together as a team and every time we step on the court,” Mark said. “I also expect us to give maximum effort, to be tough, and win every game in front of us.” 

While Jesuit has improved, league opponents such as Sheldon High School and Franklin High School remain dominant. Forward Kyle Anderson ’20 believes defense is the key to defeating the league’s best teams.

“In order to stop teams like Sheldon, our man-to-man defense, which comprises of cutting off the driver, limiting fouls, and forcing contested shots, will prove critical,” Kyle said. 

Jesuit will begin its season on the road, visiting Saint Mary’s High School and Woodcreek High School on Nov. 25 and 30, respectively.