Former Harker student signs with NBA team; lots of early season success for spring sports

NBA

Hollis Thompson, who attended Harker from 1996 to 2001 for kindergarten through fourth grade, recently signed back-to-back 10-day contracts with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. After his time at Harker, Thompson moved to Southern California before attending Georgetown University and going undrafted in the NBA draft. Thompson then played in the NBA Development League before signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013. He was released by Philadelphia earlier this year, and was soon acquired by another NBA Development League team before being picked up by the Pelicans for a 10-day contract. Thompson averaged 5.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in five games during his first contract with New Orleans before signing another 10-day contract on Sunday.

Lacrosse

The girls lacrosse team had a good week as it went 2-1 over its last three games. In a 10-3 win over Newark, Mahlet Demissachew, grade 12, led the Eagles with four goals and an assist, while Lauren Russell, grade 11, and Elise Mayer, grade 10, added two goals each. Later in the week, in a close 9-8 loss to Los Altos, Demissachew once again led the scoring with four goals with Russell adding two goals. Finally, in a 14-9 win over York, Demissachew scored six goals to lead the way for the Eagles, with Mayer chipping in three goals. This week, the Eagles host Castilleja on Tuesday and Mitty on Friday.

Softball

The softball team defeated Terra Nova 14-4 last week, going to 2-0 on the season. This week the Eagles host Yerba Buena on Wednesday and El Camino on Friday.

Track and Field

The track and field team had a very strong showing at the Willow Glen Invitational over the weekend. Highlights included Grace Koonmen, grade 11, tying for fourth place in the 100-meter; Anthony Contreras, grade 11, finishing eighth in the 200; Niki Iyer, grade 12, taking third in the 800; Sameer Prakash, grade 9, placing fourth in his first-ever hurdle race; Tiffany Shou, grade 11, and Davis Howard, grade 12, setting personal records in the shot put; and Rishi Chopra, grade 11, and Aman Ahluwalia, grade 11, setting personal record in the 800. This Saturday, the Eagles will compete at both the King’s Track Classic at The King’s Academy and the K-Bell Invitational at Bellarmine.

Boys Tennis

Last week, the boys tennis team defeated Sacred Heart Prep 7-0 before traveling to Clovis over the weekend to compete at the California Tennis Classic. The Eagles went 4-1 taking third place in the Division 3 bracket, with wins over Clovis West, Los Altos and Buchanan. It’s a busy week for the boys as they take on Crystal Springs Uplands on Tuesday, Menlo on Wednesday and The King’s Academy on Thursday.

Baseball

The Harker baseball team fell to Del Mar 11-1 last week, before defeating O’Connell 7-6 on Saturday. In the loss to the Dons, Nate Kelly, grade 11, drove in the only Eagle run. Varun Haltore, grade 12, led the offense in the win over O’Connell driving in two runs. Next up for the Eagles is a trip to Westmoor in Daly City on Thursday, followed by a home game versus Pinewood on Friday.

Boys Golf

The boys golf team finished fifth out of 24 teams at the Cowboy Classic in Livermore last week. Daulet Tuleubayev, grade 11, had a great showing as he ended in a tie for first place. This week, the Eagles take on Valley Christian at Coyote Creek, followed by a match with Crystal Springs Uplands at The Peninsula Golf and Country Club. They then travel to Nevada to compete in the Pahrump Valley Invitational on Thursday.

Boys Volleyball

The boys volleyball team improved to 4-0 on the season as it defeated Monterey 3-0, Oak Grove 3-0 and Cupertino 3-1 last week. This week, they travel to Monta Vista on Wednesday and Los Altos on Friday.

Swim

The swim team competes next at the Small School Invitational at Sacred Heart Prep on March 18.

March 6, 2017Tags: Sports