By Jeanne Flores On Wednesday, April 23, 2003, the Knights returned to Mark Keppel High in Alhambra to square off against the Aztec faculty. According to Michael Mirisch, last year’s game was “one of the most competitive games” of the season. Could the Knight’s redeem themselves from a buzzer beater shot from last season? The Knight’s lineup included newcomer and cast member of American Dreams Keith Robinson, Arlen Escarpeta, Wesley Jonathan, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, The Goodfellas, Kiko Ellsworth, Cylk Cozart, Dion Basco, Josh Henderson, guests Sarah Ramos, Josh Keaton, Jeff Licon, and performers At Last. At Last opened up the night by singing the national anthem. Once the game started, the Aztec faculty quickly put themselves on the bored. This forced Arlen to block one of the female Aztecs, causing everyone to “Boo!” because he wasn’t playing easy on the women. The Aztecs were fast paced and moving the ball around with no look and around the back passes. Their fancy maneuvering caused them to give up the ball several times allowing the Knights to make a couple baskets of their own. Off in the stands sat Josh H. cooling off with a fan’s fan while Kiko was at the free throw line. The Aztec faculty was obviously a quick team, but Coach Andre Smith had a plan to stop their opponents in their tracks. “First of all, we need to get ourselves back on defense,” began Smith, “then we need to get in the areas we need to be in.” But did they take any notes from last year’s game to win this year? “We just need to slow it down a little bit,” continued Coach Smith, “pass the ball around, and don’t give up too many easy shots.” However several Aztec players were sure to secure a second consecutive victory. Ken Gable, Music Director, “As opponents, they can play. They fight hard, but we’re going to beat them … again!” As opposed to last years game Hom Crieu, basketball coach, said this about the Knights, “They’re more intense, they want to get us!” Half time consisted with several performances from At Last and the autograph session. Some may have noticed a cameraman following the guys around. They revealed before their performance that it was for a new television show entitled “New Generation”. “All I know is that it’s going to be a TV pilot featuring upcoming artists or a variety feature show that is trying to be picked up,” revealed Justin. The show currently doesn’t have an on air date because it’s still in the make. Along with their signature a capella rendition of “Killing Me Softly,” the guys preformed their latest single entitled “More Than Friends.” Candice Lun, Sophomore, found At Last’s performance to be very entertaining. “They were very good,” began Lun, “I saw them in sixth grade and they were still good.” When it was time to return their seats, the crowd was treated to free visors, hats from the move “Bulletproof Monk,” and Tyrese cd’s. The game was on its way and one Aztec player, Mr. Tan Ha (Volleyball/ Basketball Coach) was all over the Knights and the court. However, the Knights decided to double-team him in the fourth quarter to slow this man down. In frustration, Mr. Ha tried to play sneaky when he pulled Dion Basco down on top of him so the referee could call a foul on Dion. Luckily no official saw because their attention was at the other end of the court, and Dion wasn’t upset over the whole situation. “I thought because they were loosing, they had to do whatever. It was a good trick, but it didn’t work,” began Dion, “It was pretty slick. That’s a good one; I’m going to try it on someone next time.” The buzzer finally rang, and the Knight’s redeemed themselves from last year’s lost 82-90. The after party had the Knights chowing down on some grub while the coordinator for the even and Sophomore class advisor, Linh Duong, gave her insights on the whole night. “We did this event last year,” she began, “so it’s kind of like our second annual celebrity basketball thing.” One on One What is it like to have another cast member join you on the court? Arlen: It was cool man! It’s because we’ve been talking trash on the set all the time. We’ve been waiting play together … or against each other so first we will be able to play together, then next we’ll be playing against each other. But he [Keith] did a good job. How was the welcoming on your first game? Keith: It was cool. It was nice. I got a warm welcome and I enjoyed it. Arlen said that you guys have been talking a lot of smack about ‘who is the better player,’ so now that you’ve gotten to play alongside him, what do you think? Keith: I think he’s a really good player. He quick and he’s a pretty good. I got to give him props because he’s all right. Have you ever played in any basketball organizations prior to the HK? Keith: No I haven’t, but I actually played with the Hollywood Knights a year ago. I played a few games, but that’s about it as far as celebrity leagues. What do you think of the HK as an organization? Keith: I think it’s a real cool set up and organization. Every school they go to, the kids can really appreciate it. It gives us to intermingle with our fans and watch us and appreciate what we do. It’s a good opportunity on both ends because we can both benefit. Is there any significance of the number you chose? Keith: 30? Well...no. That’s just the number of points I hoped to score, but I fell short by about 22. I did score a little bit. 23 was taken, 1 was taken and 12 was taken so this was my fourth choice. Quote of the Knight: "In this game, you’re adrenaline can flow real high. You just got to sit back and count to ten, and just focus on the game, It’s kind of like re-group, pull yourself back a little bit. Otherwise we’ll never catch up. Aight! WE GOT THEM THIS YEAR! YA!" - Romeo on how to stay focused when frustrated during a game

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