On a cold winter night in a packed gym, the scoreboard told only part of the story.
Even though the Los Gatos High School boys basketball team couldn’t deliver a victory in front of an electric home crowd in the Lions Club Wildcat Shootout championship game on Dec. 12, what truly energized longtime coach Nick Ward was the way his team competed from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
The Wildcats didn’t just play the game—they embraced it. They guarded every possession with purpose, hustled for loose balls and met each challenge without hesitation or fear. Whether diving on the floor, talking on defense, or stepping up in big moments, their effort never wavered.
For Ward, that relentless commitment is what defines this team. It’s not only about racking up wins—though that’s a tremendously nice bonus—but about habits: working hard, trusting one another and rising to the moment when the pressure is highest.
Those intangibles, he believes, have become the program’s identity—and they are exactly what make this season so exciting to watch for Ward, who is in his eighth season as the Los Gatos coach. Less than 24 hours after suffering a 57-49 loss to California High of San Ramon in the Wildcat Shootout title game, Ward certainly didn’t sound defeated.
“Last night was fun,” he said. “We understood man for man, they should win that game by 20 (points). To see our guys rise to the challenge was incredible. It was a great confidence booster for us to say, ‘Hey, if we stick together, believe and trust one another we can hang with anybody.’ I’m just really happy how things went and how the guys responded.”
Ward had plenty of reasons to be proud of his team’s performance. Cal boasts a roster with two Division I-commits and a third player who is likely to sign with a D1 school. However, Los Gatos held its own, at one point taking the lead in the third quarter before Cal outscored the hosts by five in the final frame to seal the outcome.
“Cal High is so talented it’s almost as if you had to play a perfect game—and we were near perfect,” Ward said. “There were a couple of turnovers and missed shots near the rim that we would like to have back, but I said to the guys after the game if you told me a month ago we’d be 5-1 after six games, I’d sign up for that everyday. I’m really happy with the effort and the defensive focus this group has started off with this year.”
Get a load of this: the Wildcats have an all-freshmen starting backcourt in point guard Milos Grabovac and shooting guard Oliver Evans, which is a rarity in prep basketball.
“Pretty crazy,” Ward said.
The two play well beyond their years. Grabovic has 23 assists to just four turnovers through six games, and Evans is shooting 45% from three-point range. Both players were key in Los Gatos being able to break Cal’s full-court pressure.
“Milos is really strong with the ball, steady and makes passes before the guys are open,” Ward said. “Oliver is really good defensively and doesn’t back down from bigger guys.”
It’s still early in the season, but Ward said he won’t soon forget a sequence involving Evans in the Cal game.
“Oliver gets the ball in transition and No. 33 (6-foot-6 Juremi Ejuwa) is at the rim,” Ward said. “Kind of like a 1-on-1. Oliver pulls up from the free throw line and sinks it. That one play will stand out for a long time. He plays with so much confidence and has great speed and change of pace. He’s not imposing in a game where size often wins, but he’s out there battling with big guys and not backing down. Both of them have been awesome.”
Los Gatos has won the SCVAL De Anza Division in two of the last three seasons, and expectations are certainly high once again amid a 5-1 start. Senior 6-3 wing Dionysis Maroudas has been sensational thus far, ranking first on the team in points per game (13.3), steals (2.5) and second in rebounds per contest (6.0).
After injury and sickness derailed the final month of his junior season, Maroudas dedicated himself in the weight room last summer and has come back stronger than ever. He scored a team-high 18 points against Cal, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range.
“Dionysis has been kind of carrying the load for us at wing forward,” Ward said. “He did a great job defensively and he’s so quick and has got a great first step. He can go right or left and get to the basket, which makes him tough to guard.”
Fellow 6-3 senior Will Campbell has also made a huge impact, buoying the team with an infectious get-after-it mentality.
“Will is claiming the center position, though I typically don’t call anyone on our team a center because we don’t have anyone 6-6,” Ward said. “But when we’ve gone up against teams like Soquel which had a 6-8 guy and Cal with a 6-6 guy, Will without hesitation says, ‘I want that guy.’ It’s ‘Alright then, you’re our center.’”
In addition to his stellar defense and rebounding, Campbell possesses a nice touch in the lane.
“He’s great in that intermediate range, where it’s not quite a jump shot but not close enough to be a layup,” Ward said. “He’s got a great touch in that area, and he’s also able to step back and knock down shots from 3-point range as well.”
Zach Otoupal, a 6-4 senior forward who is also a standout in football and lacrosse, leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game.
“Zach comes off the football season and immediately gets in there and takes a charge (against Cal),” Ward said. “He’s mixing it up and the easiest and best way to contribute is to go in there and hustle, work hard, play defense, rebound, dive for loose balls. He’s doing all those things and the young kids are learning that’s how you do it. That is how you contribute—play hard and do all the little things right.”
Sophomores Ryan Jamieson and Wyatt Robinson along with junior Jack Siri have made solid contributions in a variety of ways.
“Ryan can shoot it and Wyatt is in there defensively putting his nose on the ball,” Ward said. “He’s willing to guard anyone, any size. I think my favorite thing about this group is these young kids are willing to mix it up and not backing down. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”
