The Los Gatos High School boys basketball team’s season hasn’t unfolded the way the team expected, but there’s still plenty of time for the squad to accomplish at least some of its goals.
The Wildcats entered the week at 12-5 overall and 3-3 in Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division play after suffering a 57-47 loss to Palo Alto High on Jan. 24.
The contest marked the return of senior standout wing Scotty Brennan, who missed the previous seven games due to injury.
Brennan finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in the loss, which saw the Vikings outscore the Wildcats 22-9 in the decisive fourth quarter to win going away. Anthony Martin was dynamite during Brennan’s absence, scoring a career-high 25 points on a laser-like accurate 11-of-14 shooting in a 76-58 win over Henry M. Gunn High School, Jan. 22.
The senior shooting guard added six steals, as Los Gatos bolted to a 20-13 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Osha Moloney had 18 points and Zach Otoupal had eight rebounds and six steals in the victory.
Even though the Wildcats’ quest for a third consecutive De Anza Division championship is likely out of reach—they’re three games behind Palo Alto with just six league games remaining—they’re still in the running to repeat as Central Coast Section Division I champions, should they return to their early season form.
Whatever happens the rest of the way, the Los Gatos players can count on their coaches—head coach Nick Ward and assistant coach Steve Seandel—to help them reach their potential.
Ward and Seandel have guided the Wildcats to a league title in each of the last three seasons as Ward returned to the sidelines for his second go-around with the program in 2021-2022.
Overall, the duo have coached together for seven seasons, starting in 2014-2015.
“He’s a great secret weapon,” Ward said. “We couldn’t have the success we’ve had without Steve on the sidelines. He’s absolutely incredible.”
Seandel had already coached 20-plus years at the college level and another dozen years as a head coach at the high school level before joining Ward in 2014.
“He brings such a wealth of experience and knowledge of the game,” Ward said. “He’s great with the guys, and I’m really fortunate to have him on staff. He’s irreplaceable—that’s how good he is.”
High school basketball teams have anywhere from two to six assistant coaches, depending on the program. What makes LGHS unique is its total coaching number: two.
Outside of Ward and Seandel’s first couple years together, they’ve gone their last four seasons in this slim configuration.
“My first year we had four (total coaches), the next year we went down to three—and then down to two; and it’s stayed at two,” Ward said. “We looked at each other and said, ‘Well, what do we do?’ We kind of brainstormed. And knew we had found something that worked. But we figured, at some point we’ll bring somebody else in.”
That time has yet to arrive.
“We’re pretty dialed in,” Ward said.
And who’s to argue?
Los Gatos has proved itself to be one of the top programs in the CCS the last several years.
They achieved runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2023, which went along nicely with the CCS titles they brought home in 2018 and 2024.
