Oscar Liquidano (right), younger brother Woody (left) and one of their fans.
Liquidano gets ready to rumble. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Oscar Liquidano is a scary, scary man.
Well, at least he can be on the basketball court. Off the floor, he remains one of the easiest-going guys in school, fist-bumping with a parade of fans who stop to chat with the man when he’s camped out in the stands between games.
When he’s in the game, he’s a key member of a Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball team that has won two straight games — blowing out Orcas Island by more than 40 Saturday night — who is growing by leaps and bounds this season.
A football lineman who is playing basketball for the first time, the six-foot-two sophomore is still rough around the edges. But Liquidano has muscle to go with his height, is picking up the finer points of breaking a press on the fly and nailed what might have been the most impressive shot of the year.
Playing at home against Sultan, he took the ball, rolled sharply to his left and threw down a hook shot that banked off the glass with a loud crack and then dropped softly through the bottom of the net.
That he was being hammered by two players as he shot — he made the free-throw to complete the three-point play — was even more impressive.
Liquidano, who is a man for all seasons (football, basketball, soccer) lives for moments like that.
“What I love about basketball is that it is competitive,” Liquidano said.
The key now will be to mesh his power with the skills he’s picking up. As he continues to grow, he could develop into quite the presence in the paint.
“For basketball I need to work more on my ball handles,” Liquidano said. “My goal for next year is to play some varsity.”
A big fan of music (“I listen to just about any type of music”) Liquidano credits his parents, fellow players and his coaches for helping him, both as an athlete and a person.
And he himself sets an example for his younger brother, Uriel “Woody” Liquidano, who has played football and basketball this year as a Coupeville Middle School 8th grader.
With the chance the brothers could be playing together starting next season, Coupeville coaches can start counting their blessings.
Leave a Reply