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Quinton Webb BY OLIVIA KIM
Varsity basketball captain Quinton Webb and his teammates are wrapping up the winter basketball season at Loma Linda Academy with a bang. This year, Webb and his co-captain Nate Sitanggang are seeking to lead their team to victory in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Championships. Webb values the bonds he has with his teammates, saying, “I definitely value their encouragement, and I know they’ve always got my back. I usually value my teammates that push me a little more because when you are the best, you tend to get comfortable, and then there’s a whole lot of people coming for your spot, coming to surpass you. So people who push me to stay on top and stay getting better help me more than people who try to let me get comfortable with where I am right now. I need someone to really push me and keep my skill-set sharp.”
At 6’5, Webb is taller than most 15-year-olds. But even though his height serves as an advantage on the court, the sophomore still puts in a tremendous amount of work to hone his basketball skills. On average, Webb practices four hours of basketball everyday, choosing to put in an extra two hours of training after his regular basketball practice. On his weekend training, Webb says, “On Sundays, I’ll get up around 6-6:30 AM, be in the gym by 7 AM, and then I have a two hour workout. I’ll go get food, have another two hour workout, and then have practice. So some days I’ll be playing six hours, on other days, on average, about four. So it’s a lot, but it’s what it takes to be great, so you’ve got to do it.” As for his off-season training regime, Webb is aiming to balance his weight-training with his cardio to build both muscle and speed. He’s seeking to get in top shape before he begins travel basketball, in which he
plans to play in China this August. Both of Webb’s parents played basketball as well, and his mother played her high school senior year in China. Just this last summer, from August 6 to 11, Webb snagged a spot on the Boys West basketball team to play in the 2019 Jr. NBA Global Championships in Orlando, Florida. The championship featured the top basketball teams from all over the world, and just being able to participate in such a huge competition is a feat in itself. But Webb went above and beyond, leaping over three people in an insane slam dunk trick and securing a win in the Jr. NBA Global Championship Dunk Contest. Webb’s team also went on to ultimately win first place in the boy’s championship after winning the title game against the Boys Africa team, which consisted of all the best young basketball players from the entire continent of Africa. Now that Webb’s basketball talents have been broadcast live on televi-