By Nick Tomlinson and Ethan Chen
[Coach Hoffman celebrates his 800th victory / Image courtesy of the LCHS website.]
The final game of the boy’s basketball season marked not only another league championship and a historic moment. The victory was recognized as Coach Tom Hoffman’s 800th, an incredible milestone for a coach at any level of the sport. The game itself was incredibly exciting, with the stands packed from the jump ball. Countless students, parents, and cheerleaders were wondering about the outcome of the game between La Canada and Temple City. Once the final whistle blew, the score displayed 72-41 in favor of La Canada. Sophomore Josh Proctor particularly stood out, leading the charge with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Although Proctor played great, the seniors led the charge with Finn Cook, Danny Evans, Sam Guerro, Jacob Pastor, Evan Mulcahey, and Corey Cheung each scoring a basket.
Sitting on the stands was a surreal experience. It was a different feeling for all of the seniors in the crowd, due to it being the last seasonal game they would attend. All of this energy culminated into a large cheer which started mid-game, as the crowd echoed “La Canada” and continued to clap. It was to the extent that it felt like our eardrums were going to explode. Lay up after lay up, jumpshot after jumpshot, our team was unstoppable. By the end of the game, people passed out t-shirts printed with a large “800” to mark the milestone. Every LCHS supporter in the stands put them on to celebrate the occasion together.
After La Canada’s win, the stands filled with cheers. The team gathered around Coach Hoffman and began celebrating the massive victory. Coach Hoffman delivered a speech about his history at La Canada, and how he was incredibly elated about earning his 800th win as the La Canada Head Coach. He was presented a plaque for his achievement and for becoming the 13th coach in California history to reach 800 wins. After 37 seasons with the school, Coach Hoffman says he is still having fun.
We had a phenomenal time at the game, and were glad we were there to celebrate this special occasion for Coach Hoffman. Experiencing the cumulative support of everyone present was incredible. There is nothing like an entire community of students, parents, and alumni coming together to celebrate the success of one of their own. La Canada is proud of Tom Hoffman and what he has done for the men’s basketball program, and we cannot wait to see what he will accomplish in the future.
