As the NBA season gets ready to tip off, LASA students aren’t only excited about who will win the MVP or whether the Spurs are finally back, they are also excited for the return of the “Are You LASA’s Number One NBA Regular Season Knower?” (AYLNONBARSK) competition.
The annual prediction-based trivia event is organized by history teacher Adam Escandell and AP Statistics and Data Science teacher David Arredondo. It brings together super fans, casual watchers, and curious bystanders who just want to see their friends make hilariously wrong predictions.
“I love ball,” Arredondo said. “Basketball fandom is low-stakes fun, and it’s a good way to start a conversation with someone I might have nothing else in common with.”
Escandell is known for his dramatic and over-the-top presentation of the event. He views the competition as part of a long human tradition of fall rituals.
“Today, in a modern globalized world, we are universally connected through the sacred ritual of NBA preseason predictions,” Escandell said. “The ‘Are You LASA’s Number One NBA Regular Season Knower’ is my contribution to these traditions.”
The vibe of the event changes each year, but Arredondo explained that it always ends up being an unpredictable mix of comedy and chaos. Students submit serious predictions, wild guesses, and everything in between, often leading to surprising outcomes.
“The vibe is competitive, funny, and chaotic,” Arredondo said. “The regular season is always unpredictable, and none of us were that confident in our predictions.”
Escandell described the NBA and also the competition itself as naturally chaotic. He talked about how predicting the long NBA season is hard.
“Obsession over the essential chaos inherent over the course of 82 games is madness,” Escandell said. “Serenity comes from knowing this is merely the winding path toward harmony.”
Students added that the competition resonates with them because it gives them a chance to talk about sports in a low-pressure environment. Arredondo agreed that a mix of casual fans, hardcore watchers, and everyone in between is part of the fun.
“Because it’s so hard for even a knowledgeable fan to make a good guess, it encourages everyone to speak up and share their opinion,” Arredondo said. “Most of the participants are casuals.”
Escandell believes that there is no such thing as a causal fan and a super fan. According to him, this division ruins the sport of basketball for everyone.
“The great schism between ‘Casual’ and ‘Sicko’ has unnecessarily ravaged our beautiful pastime for too long,” Escandell said.
Both Arredondo and Escandell talked about the standout prediction moments from students. Many students predicted V.J. Edgecombe as Rookie of the Year, which was something both teachers initially were confused about.
“All the kids picked V.J. Edgecombe for rookie of the year,” Arredondo said. “We thought it was ridiculous, but it’s turning out to be prescient.”
Escandell was more skeptical of one prediction trend in particular. The number of students who ranked the Celtics first in the Eastern Conference was a lot more than he thought, especially with the injuries and the players they traded away during the offseason.
“The deep well of belief in the Boston Celtics was foolhardy,” Escandell said. “I believed the loss of Tatum and the hollowing out of the frontcourt would doom them.”
As the NBA season is underway, Arredondo and Escandell highlighted that the hype only strengthens the competition’s atmosphere. The more chaotic the league becomes, the more invested the students get in their predictions.
“A lot of people said the [Dallas] Mavericks would be good, and they’ve turned out to be trash,” Arredondo said. “Already, things we thought were true about team strength are turning out to be wrong.”
Students participating in the AYLNONBARSK this year include juniors, seniors, and underclassmen, with many joining for fun. One of those students is junior Camino Rojas-Tang, who said he joined because he loves basketball and wanted to test his basketball knowledge.
“I saw there was a prize for the winner,” Rojas-Tang said. “I love basketball, and I pride myself on knowing a lot about the NBA.”
Rojas-Tang follows the league closely and said that helped him during the prediction process. He added that this knowledge of basketball gave him an edge and was key to making accurate calls.
“I follow and watch a lot of basketball,” Rojas-Tang said. “It definitely helped me during the trivia.”
While some students join to connect with others, others like Camino simply enjoy the process. He said the competition doesn’t necessarily increase his excitement for the NBA season, but he still plans to return next year because it’s fun and easy to participate in.
“I would do it again,” Rojas-Tang said. “It doesn’t take much time, and it’s fun at the end of the season to see how you did.”
The competition includes students from all grades, friend groups, and knowledge levels. Arredondo and Escandell emphasized that the shared uncertainty of NBA predictions makes it easy for anyone to jump in.
“Basketball fandom is a safe space to play with aggressiveness,” Arredondo said. “That’s what I like most.”
Escandell said the event’s structure naturally brings people together, even those who rarely talk about sports. He believes that the light-hearted competition makes it easy for anyone to jump in and feel included.
“AYLNONBARSK is capable of bringing all kinds of people together,” Escandell said. “Even my brothers were permitted into the field to evaluate their level of ball-knowing.”
Both Arredondo and Escandell have ideas for future changes to the competition. Some of those ideas include adding the NBA Cup or playoff round predictions.
“The regular season predictions have been fun and low stakes, and it’s fine if it stays that way,” Arredondo said. “But an NBA Cup predictor round would be fun.”
