With the ball in his hand and feet behind the free throw line, Lawrence Lam (10) prepares to take his foul shots, with the clock reading only fifteen seconds into the game. His first shot sinks into the net, and the crowd erupts in cheers. Feeling the pressure, Lam lines up to shoot his second free throw. The referee passes Lam the ball and the court goes silent. He swishes the ball through the net once again, and puts the first points on the scoreboard for the Westview vs. Scripps Ranch varsity boys basketball game, Dec. 6.
Lam has been on varsity boys basketball since his freshman year, and he was the youngest player on the team. Since he joined, he has grown as a player and is now one of the leading scorers for his team.
Joining the team his freshman year created the problem of having to get up to speed with the high-school level of play. Lam worked on developing his dribbling and shooting techniques along with improving at his position his first year, and is continuing to do so going into his second year of varsity basketball, in order to prove he deserves to be competing along with those players.
“During practice, me and my teammates got closer and our chemistry grew,” Lam said. “Last year I was definitely nervous because I was competing for a varsity spot, but I feel like I’ve gotten better because playing at the varsity level makes you adapt.”
Lam’s 6’6” height gives him an advantage over a lot of other athletes, and makes him an ideal guard. In games, his job is to bring the ball up, and put pressure on the other team. This year, Lam averages 14.5 points per game, and 4.4 rebounds. He has been working and improving at his position ever since he played in his first basketball league when he was in first grade.
The boys varsity basketball team has had a strong start to the season as opposed to last year. Their 5-4 record gives them hope for the games to come.
“We’ve started off a lot better and I feel like we are going to do better this year,” he said. “We did lose a lot of players but we also have an easier schedule.”
Outside of the high school season, Lam plays for the San Diego All-Stars and does training sessions where he individually devops his techniques, and improves his skillset with a private coach. He has been going to Dynamic Basketball Training two times a week since first grade.
Lam’s passion for basketball took off when he discovered his role model, Kevin Durant’s style of playing. Lam always tries to take his persistent qualities into his own basketball career, which he says makes him a better player.
“I look up to him because he is a good role model and really good at basketball,” he says. “I also like to model my games after him. His dedication and hard work inspires me.”
