Summer prep spotlight: Q&A with Zach Lyons
Mountain View basketball rising senior Zach Lyons sat down with Prep Hoops writer Eric Newman to discuss how he has improved this summer, as well as his hopes for his last high school basketball season and college moving forward.
Newman: So, you’re entering your senior year, and it’s your last high school summer before recruiting and graduation. How are you trying to become a leader on the basketball court?
Lyons: I’ve been working on my handles and trying to get stronger in the weight room. I’m trying to improve on all aspects of my game. Last year I got double knee surgery too, so I’m just also trying to stay healthy so I can get through the entire season.
How do you deal with that when you can’t get that extra inch or two, what do you add to your game to make up with it?
I just try to stay loose, so I don’t get sore. Then they cramp up and I can’t play to my full ability.
I understand you haven’t gotten any offers from the college level, but you want to play in college, right?
Yes, absolutely. BYU invited me to come visit the school and practice there, but not an official offer or antyhing, so hopefully that goes well, but I need to just keep working.
What do you need to do to keep improving, so that you can make it there? Is it about exposure or just getting better?
If the BYU workout goes well, maybe them and other schools will get more interested in me. But I’ve just got to keep working hard and keep lifting. My coach plays me at the power forward, but on club I’m more of a two or three, so I’ve got to make sure I’m good wherever they play me.
How has that affected your game?
In high school, I have to guard the biggest guy a lot, because I’m one of the biggest on our team, but when it comes to club, I can guard any position. So that’s what, when people look at me, they see my hustle and defense. My offense is improving, but the other stuff is there every single day.
Have you worked harder this year than ever before?
I have. It just kind of hit me one day that this is my last club season, my last high school season, so I need to do everything I can to make sure that I am giving everything I have before I go.
Mountain View has a pretty talented team this year. What gives you hope that you’re going to have success for your senior year?
We’re pretty young, and we have a lot of juniors coming up that will have to learn how to play at the varsity level. I think we’ll be pretty good, we just have to keep growing, all of us. It all starts on defense. This year we’re all longer, taller and stronger and so we should be pretty good. I have a lot of hope.