South’s girls and boys teams seek to start their seasons off with success.

The South Eugene 2024 basketball season is off to a start, with varsity teams led by women’s coach Jacob Clark and men’s coach Solomon Harris. 

“We always want to get better every game we play, every practice, it’s our biggest overarching goal every day we’re on the court,” Clark said. “I feel a lot of pressure to make sure our seniors have a really good last season, so they can remember it; this is really important to me.” The women’s varsity team has 11 home games this season, so make sure to also show your support! 

This season the boys’ varsity team will be playing Sheldon High School Jan. 28 at a home game at South.This will be a big game, so show up to show and cheer your team on!

SPOTLIGHT: Levi Hawes 

Levi Hawes is a current senior at South Eugene High School taking in his last year of high school sports. In addition to basketball, Hawes also does soccer and track. 

“I’ve been playing basketball since I was six or seven years old,” Hawes stated. “I really like the team. All the guys are super welcoming and we’re all super close. We spend a lot of time together outside of basketball, too.” This season Hawes is the captain of the men’s basketball team, bringing the team together to form a strong community and lead the team. In the spring, he looks forward to track where he runs the 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, and both sprint relays.

SPOTLIGHT: Zara Karpinski

“I’ve been playing basketball since I remember. I probably started in kindergarten or first grade,” Zara Karpinski recalled. “I love the environment, and the sports itself is fun; it keeps things moving. We’ve created a culture that is really welcoming to new people and encouraging young people to start playing and keep playing. That’s something that I’m super proud of and that makes me happy to be a part of the team.” Karpinski is a current senior at South excited for her last year of high school sports. 

“We really hope to make a playoff game,” Karpinski expressed when talking about the team’s goals for the season. “Beyond that we really want to keep that culture going toward a positive direction, urging more people to come out to play; getting more engagement in the sport in women’s sports; to watch our games; and really building out the program to be better than it has been.” 

HOME GAME SCHEDULE MEN’S: 

1/3/25 vs Sprague @ 6:45pm

1/7/25 vs Glencoe @ 6:45pm

1/17/25 vs North Medford @ 6:45pm  

1/24/25 vs South Medford @ 6:45pm

1/28/25 vs Sheldon @ 5:30pm 

2/7/25 vs Grants Pass @ 6:45pm

2/11/25 vs Willamette @ 7pm

2/25/25 vs Roseburg @ 6:45pm

HOME GAME SCHEDULE WOMEN’S:

12/6/25 vs Gresham @ 6:45pm

12/13/25 vs St. Mary’s @ 6:45pm

12/14/25 vs Ridgeview @ 1:30pm

12/17/25 vs Thurston @ 6:45pm

1/10/25 vs Grants Pass @ 6:45pm

1/21/25 vs Sprague @ 6:45pm

1/28/25 vs Sheldon @ 7:00pm

1/31/25 vs Roseburg @ 6:45pm

2/11/25 vs Willamette @ 5:30pm

2/14/25 vs North Medford @ 6:45pm

2/21/25 vs South Medford @ 6:45pm

Article by Sofia Bell