The Mission Hills Basketball programs are nothing short of exceptional, going back many years in the past. Jake Bishop, Maria Gorbushin, and Kyara Walter are all seniors who are confident in the Grizzlies’ hunt for a CIF Championship ring this year. Led by Coach Kroesch and Coach Hofmeister, the Girls and Boys Basketball 2023-24 teams have potential that puts both in the running for a ring year.
“Yes, this is a ring year,” said Kyara Walter.
Walter has been on the varsity team since her freshman year, and it’s safe to say she’s ready to bring home a championship to Mission Hills. She is a talented shooting guard, earning First Team All-League her junior year and is currently averaging 20 points a game as a senior. Walter noted that the heavy number of seniors on the team contributes to composure and experience that will bring them through CIF. Regarding her role on the team, Walter said, “I am a high energy player, and my goal is to always bring good positive energy to the team.”
“The chemistry,” is what senior Maria Gorbushin said would bring a CIF Championship to Mission Hills. Gorbushin said, “I’m trying to do all the little things this season, get rebounds and make all the hustle plays.”
Gorbushin is a successful combo guard, and has over 1,000 points throughout her high school career. She also earned Second Team All-League in her sophomore and junior year. Gorbushin transferred from Rancho Bernardo to begin playing with the Grizzlies her junior year, and when asked for the reason behind her transfer, she said it was because of the MHHS program.
“Dang, I wanna go there,” said Gorbushin.
She mentioned that the community and the way all the girls support each other drew her to the family at Mission Hills. Gorbushin is confident that her team of “all returners” will bring home the Open Division CIF Championship.
“Absolutely, we’re going to bring home the D1 championship,” said Jake Bishop.
Bishop is a skilled shooting guard, earning Second Team All-League and averaging 17 points a game his junior year. Bishop added, “We should’ve won it last year. Tough loss to end the season, but we got it this year for sure.”
Similar to Walter and Gorbushin, Bishop said that the senior leadership and experience is going to bring home the ring this season. Regarding his role, Bishop claimed it was simple.
“I put the ball in the basket a lot; that’s what I do,” said Bishop.
He said he is looking forward to a great year and sees a lot of potential in the team and their solid beginning to the season.
A special part of the MHHS Basketball programs is the alliance between the Girls’ and Boys’ programs. With both teams being extremely prosperous year after year, a healthy rivalry is bound to develop. When asked about what seems like an inevitable rivalry, Walter said, “I mean, I feel like we know who’s better.” However, at the end of the day, Walter said, “We still want them to win as much as we want to win.”
The shared love for the sport has created a relationship between the two programs that has been cultivating for years. When asked about this relationship, Gorbushin said, “Shoutout to Coach Hoffy, if things are tough he’s always giving us words of encouragement.”
Similarly, Bishop said that Coach Kreosch “feeds energy into [his team]”, and this energy is something him and his teammates can embody for themselves.
Walter added, “The guys always show up to our games, especially playoff games. They bring a lot of hype.”
Bishop ended with, “We support each other, on and off the court.” In essence, the teams show up for each other.
This sense of family is seen among the individual teams as well. When asked about teammates that she considers family, Walter said,
“Shoutout to Queen B, Mariah Brown. I’ve known her since my freshman year, we both came in together.”
Gorbushin added, “I want to give a shoutout to Destiny Walker, that’s like my little sister right there, and she’s been hurt for the past year or so. She’s been working out super hard trying to get back,”
Bishop also added to the teammate’s love, and gave his own shoutouts as well.
“Jack Jillson. We’ve been playing together since second grade, and became family. Same with Bradley McGlothlin, we’ve been playing together since fifth grade,” said Bishop.
Overall, all three players consider their teammates family, and this family dynamic will carry both teams to a CIF title this season.
Come support Kyara Walter, Maria Gorbushin, Jake Bishop, and the rest of the Girls and Boys Mission Hills Basketball teams this season to watch some of the best athletes MHHS has to offer.
