Brian Alvarado, News Editor
20 December, 2023
Guillermo “Memo” Zabala is an outstanding student-athlete at Port Chester High School who’s academic and athletic talent deserve great recognition. After a successful debut season with the Rams last year, the current 19 year old junior is once again leading the Port Chester Varsity Rams Boys Basketball team this season, averaging 32.2 points per game in five games, which is higher than his idol, Lebron James’ points per game average during his time in high school, at a peak average of 31.6 points per game.
Zabala came to the United States in 2022 from the Dominican Republic in search of better opportunities. There, he began playing basketball for a travel team called Calero which encouraged him to become serious about playing the sport. He arrived at Port Chester High School early August, eager to play basketball for the Rams and to strive for good grades.
Zabala’s dedication towards the sport is what makes him a great player. He explained that for years he’s trained hard everyday and that he’s trying to take rest days as his coaches and mentors advise him to. Zabala also explained that he’s been working hard on his diet, keeping it similar to that of a professional athlete’s. His attitude towards working hard reflects on game days. The player led the team to a respectable 2nd place finish at the 32nd Howard Godwin Tournament on the 1st and 2nd of December, winning the All-Tournament Award and being recognized as the highest-scoring player.
Zabala’s current goal is to reach 1000 points while playing for the Rams. He is currently approximately 250 points away from reaching his goal with many games left ahead of him. His teammates are sure that he’ll achieve 1000 points this year as long as his points per game average continues to be high.
According to Zabala, one of his biggest challenges is the language barrier that exists between him, his coaches, and his teammates. Zabala grew up speaking Spanish, and although he’s been learning English in school, it’s sometimes difficult for him to communicate. Regardless, Zabala expresses that his coaches and teammates have accepted him into the Ramily and have great respect for him. To the team, Zabala is more than just their best player. He’s also a family member.
Zabala is proud and thankful for the support he receives from his family, friends, coaches, and teammates. He recognizes that the reason he’s able to play basketball for the Rams is because his father decided to fully support his talent. Through it all, Zabala has been receiving great support which motivates him to work harder to reach his dream of playing in the NBA.
This year is the last year Zabala will be eligible to play for the Rams, and so to be able to continue playing basketball, he is planning on transferring to a preparatory school next year where he’ll be able to receive a great education while still being able to work on his dream. He has yet to decide what school he’ll be attending, but anywhere he goes, he knows his desire will be to play basketball.