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02/14/2023 07:02 AMThe free-flowing nature of basketball really drew Josiah Perez to the game, and kept him in the game since he was a young toddler. The passion for the court has carried over quite well and is evident with Josiah as a selfless senior leader for the East Haven boys’ hoops team.
The Yellowjackets’ athlete, who doubles on the floor as a point and shooting guard, first started playing basketball at the young age of 3. Encouraged by his parents to push forward on the hardwood, he parlayed his pride for the rock to a lengthy tenure on the East Haven varsity squad.
This season for the 4-12 Yellowjackets, Josiah has paced East Haven with numbers of eight points per game, including a season-high 24 against Grasso Tech on Dec. 27 in a 59-58 win.
“I started basketball at 3, and the rest has been history since. My parents instilled basketball in me,” says Josiah. “I am a pass-first guy; I love getting the entire team involved out there. I also love playing on the defensive end in crunch time of a game. All of us coming together as a team has been great for us as the year has gone on. The team camaraderie has been huge for us.”
No matter his backcourt assignment on a given night, Josiah jumps at the opportunity to be a top-notch ball facilitator. When everyone gets involved, it is exactly when he enjoys the glorious game the most.
“When it comes to being a guard, I love passing the ball and getting assists,” Josiah says. “I love passing it to a guy and seeing them getting the shot off. I just love ball movement. To me, to be honest, there is not really a tough part of playing the position.”
Though he is focused on bolstering the assists section of East Haven’s stat column, Josiah is consistently working on jumpers to provide point production where he can, in addition to being a sound handle with the ball.
“My offensive game has improved greatly. I try to work extensively on my jump shots and also sliding my feet on the defensive end,” says Josiah. “Ball handling is my favorite part of my game. If it is the best part of my game, I love to put it on display.”
In such a frenetic pace of play sport like basketball, Josiah follows the time-honored tenet of firing downfield to the open man when he feels the extra pressure when the spotlight is on him. It is there where he makes the snap decisions that lead to crucial outlet passes and shots knocked down.
“When the defense is coming up to me, and I see the double team on me, I look for the open teammate,” Josiah says. “I just pass it off to that open guy and have them go for the open shot or the layup.”
Josiah and the Yellowjackets recently took a close 67-66 overtime loss to rival Branford in their home gym back in January. Despite the defeat, it was a moment that revealed not only the team’s heart and character but also showed the club’s close-knit nature.
“The most memorable moment this season for me was when we played Branford recently,” says Josiah. “We lost a close game, but we played our hearts out. No one saw how close we were in the locker room after that game. It was a moment that drastically changed us into becoming a family.”
As the Yellowjackets are winding down their regular-season run, Josiah and the remainder of the team are simply looking to give their all in practice so that the revelations revealed in preparation pave the way to strides made in the heat of battle.
“We have been all about locking in during practices and making every possession count, both on offense and defense,” Josiah says. “We have been working our tails off both in practice and games. We just have to have what we do in practice translate to the games.”
East Haven Head Coach Frank Lyon notes that while Josiah has started every game on the floor this winter, he additionally brings an added spark of inspiration through his hustle and leadership.
“Josiah is a great leader,” says Lyon. “He comes ready to work every day and pushes the younger guys to be better.”
Josiah notes that college is something very much on his horizon as he moves toward the next phases of his life. Putting a bit of introspection on what he has learned from his tenure as a Yellowjacket, Josiah has garnered great knowledge on persistence and patience with regard to attainable targets.
“I would like to go to college for basketball. I want to also maintain a high grade-point average, so the colleges see it. I want to go to a four-year college, and the rest can sort itself out,” says Josiah. “Playing for East Haven has taught me to never give up and to always keep your head up through the wins and losses. You also have to just focus on the next goal or objective in front of you.”