Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Good Better Best Skills Clinics

                     Good Better Best Skills Clinics

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great!

Date:
Sundays   
Place: De Anza College -- Stelling & Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino
Time:
8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Cost:
$20.00 per session
Registration:
You can register at the door. Registration opens at 8:15 a.m.

This clinic emphasizes a variety of skill drills in all aspects of Basketball from Offense to Defense. Players will be taught footwork, balance, ball-handling, shooting, creating shots, and spacing. Players will perform a multitude of drills during the event and receive instruction and evaluation from a qualified staff of professionals. Age groups range from 5th grade to 12th grade. Each player receives the same individual attention regardless of age, skill level, etc. Players are required to bring, basketball, basketball attire, and water.

Contact: bigdogwvbc@gmail.com or phone (650) 451-8141

The Family McNally

From Dave Albee, the Associate Director of Public Relations ar Dominican University comes these intriguing three paragraphs:
"Xander McNally, a 6-foot-2 Dominican University of California senior guard out of San Francisco, had a game-high seven steals last night in 88-year-old Kezar Pavilion (the former home of Bill Russell, K.C. Jones and the NCAA champion USF Dons) in a Pacific West Conference win over Academy of Art of San Francisco to take over the nation's lead in steals in NCAA Division II men's basketball. He is currently averaging 3.94 steals per game and has 14 in his past two games.
Xander's parents, Rich and Vicki, were at the game last night but they are not going to Xander's game this Saturday in Belmont against Notre Dame de Namur. They're flying back east again to see their younger son, Xander's brother Oliver, play for 23rd ranked Harvard against Cornell and Columbia this weekend. Oliver is Harvard's team captain. Xander and Oliver led The Branson School in Ross in Marin County to their first ever state Div. V championship in 2006.
So you've got one McNally now playing for a nationally-ranked NCAA Div. I team in Boston and another McNally leading the nation in steals in NCAA Div. II 3,0000 miles away here in San Rafael and their parents criss-crossing the country to see them both play in their senior years"

The top teams this week in the East Bay

Jimmy Durkin has posted the latest East Bay Prep Boys Basketball Poll.

Williams again leads Jackson State

Christian (Sierra High) Williams scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds, passed for three assists and nabbed a trio of steals in Jackson State's 73-69 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

SanFranPreps Top 10

SanFranPrep's has posted its top 10 teams in The City for this week.

Dominican 67, Academy of Art 61

Dave Albee serves up the game details of Dominican University's six-point road victory over Academy of Art. It was truly a team effort.

Vallejo - Bethel ruckus ruling

Matt O'Donnell has the penalty aftermath of the Vallejo - Bethel brouhaha.

Carlos Conerly's play highlighted

Jose San Mateo serves up a feature on sophomore Carlos Conerly of North Hills High.

Gary Porter and Raymond Bowles interviewed

Brian VanderBeek writes about Gary Porter, Modesto Christian and that looooong winning streak.

Richard Estrada talks with MC's Raymond Bowles.

It's not magic

No, it isn't magic. Maybe there is some degree of luck involved and once might be a fluke but twice in such a short period of time simply cannot be ignored.

That being St. Mary's first extending a scholarship offer to Omar Samhan (even if it wasn't a beat-down-the-door-we-have-to-have-him signing) and then enjoying the bountiful fruits of his labors in gaining national respect and attention for the program.

There probably wasn't anyone short of the Samhan home crew who foresaw the blossoming of Omar but credit goes to the Gaels for wanting him and taking the chance.

Now, it's Brad Waldow time. He redshirted last year after coming out of little Shingle Springs and is now an integral cog in St. Mary's being on top in the West Coast Conference.

Just ask yourself: does St. Mary's bounce BYU twice and Gonzaga once (so far this season) without Waldow?

And just where were the other Bay Area teams in beating a path to the Waldow domicile?

Lightning HAS STRUCK TWICE and credit is deserved by Samhan, Waldow and certainly the various coaches on the staff at St. Mary's.

The latest community college rankings

Below is the pertinent information on all the northern California teams in the latest rankings but do also read Robert Schmidt's accompanying analysis.

State Poll

1.   San Francisco, 21-2
2.   Citrus
3.   Yuba
4.   Mt. San Jacinto
5.   Santa Rosa
6.   San Bernardino Valley
7.   Fresno
      tie Mt. San Antonio
9.   Diablo Valley
10. Antelope Valley
11. Imperial Valley
12. Cabrillo
13. Sierra
14. Saddleback
15. Los Angeles Southwest
16. Foothill
17. San Diego City
18. Ohlone
19. Chaffey
20. Las Positas

Northern California

1.   San Francisco
2.   Yuba
3.   Santa Rosa
4.   Fresno
5.   Diablo Valley
6.   Cabrillo
7.   Sierra
8.   Foothill
9.   Ohlone
10. Las Positas
11. Mendocino
12. Cosumnes River
13. Sequoias
14. Chabot
15. Contra Costa

Monday, January 30, 2012

Sac State and Gary Williams

Alex Kline/TheRecruitScoop recently tweeted this:
"2012 Westwind Prep (AZ) SG Gary Williams has added an offer from Sacramento St, per his coach"

A Da'Ron Sims update

Former McClymonds and CCSF player Da'Ron Sims is leading his West Georgia squad in scoring and rebounding -- 18.7 and 6.8 respectively per game.

A Quincy Hill update

Former McClymonds and San Jose City College backcourter Quincy Hill is a junior at West Georgia and is averaging 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and a team-leading 3.6 assists per outing.

A Lavon Gray update

Lavon Gray, a former Bellarmine Prep and Ohlone College player is a junior at West Georgia averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a game, while shooting 67%.

Cunningham paces OSU

Jared Cunningham's 27 points (24 in the second 20 minutes), seven boards and trio of assists led Oregon State to a 67-61 victory over arch-rival Oregon.

Chico State 67. Humboldt State 61

The Wildcats won both meetings this season in this intense rivalry. For equal perspective, below are the details from each sports information site.

The Chico sports game report.

The Humboldt sports game report.

Mike Adras -- bully and liar as coach

The December firing of Northern Arizona Coach Mike Adras has finally been explained, courtesy of Jacob May/Arizona Daily Sun.

Yes, college coaches are in a business that values winning -- despite official platitudes from higher ups AND fans -- above all else but some behaviors are illegal and others should simply be intolerable. What Adras did surely pales in comparison to the behavior and actions of many others in his former shoes but that fails to offer any justification.

Here's a little something we authored on January 1 of this year.

Change the dates of the season

Dan Wolken has a proposal for college basketball and no, it's not raise the basket height to 12 feet or bring back the shorty pants from yesteryear. This one actually makes some sense.

Cherry again propels Montana

Will Cherry scored 20 points plus five steals, three rebounds and three assists in leading Montana to a 69-67victory Sunday night over host Portland State.

Aaron Gordon interviewed

Here's a just under three minute interview with Aaron Gordon.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Cabrillo handles Hartnell

SEAHAWKS WIN 9TH IN A ROW, BEAT HARTNELL 52-41

The Cabrillo College Seahawks won tonight 52-41 on the road in Salinas against Hartnell College (9-11, 3-4) and extended their winning streak to nine games. Cabrillo (17-3, 7-0) started slowly but figured it out as Tyler Velasquez scored 11 first-half points to help give the Seahawks a 34-15 halftime lead.

The second half was difficult to watch as both teams struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter. But again, the Seahawks played outstanding defense. holding Hartnell to only 12 field goals for the game and but five in the first half. No Hartnell player scored more than 9 points on the night.

Aaron Short
lead all scorers with 16 points. Tyler Velasquez scored 11 points (all in the first half). Frank Rogers and CJ Grigg both helped out both helped out with 8 each.

VC 53, Riordan 47

Valley Christian made the trek up to The City and came away with a six point victory.

Valley Christian 53, Riordan 47

Valley Christian High

Cameron Stewart 16
Jay MacIntyre 14

Riordan High

D.J. Harvey 11

Cal State East Bay falls down south

Marty Valdez has the details of Cal State East Bay's loss to host Cal State Dominguez Hills.

St. Mary's takes apart BYU

The game being in Provo didn't matter as St. Mary's won for the second time this season against BYU 80-66 -- this despite 24 turnovers. Redshirt freshman Brad Waldow led with 19 points (8-10 shooting) and eight boards while Rob Jones contributed 13 and nine. Brandon Davies, who had his way in the last meeting between these two teams with 28 points, shot 6-18.

USC over Utah

Former Eureka High star backcourter Greg Allen tallied nine points (3-4 from long distance) in USC's 62-45 victory over Utah.

Mitty by four over SI

Cameron Schott/NorCalPreps has the details of Archbishop Mitty's 67-63 triumph over St. Ignatius.

SHC handles Bellarmine

Jeremy Balan reports on host Sacred Heart Cathedral's 58-43 victory over Bellarmine.

Dominican wins again

Dominican University won 67-61 over Notre Dame de Namur University as northern California talents Jacob Noisat and Connor Haysbert scored 12 and 11 points respectively.

Dons top San Diego

Host USF beat San Diego 84-70 last night -- Angelo Caloiaro's line: 16 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, two assists. Ken Rancifer had a solid night for the Toreros: 17 points, two boards, two assists

Bethel - Vallejo decision coming

Matt O'Donnell offers more on the Bethel - Vallejo dustup.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Cal Poly over Davis

Visiting Cal Poly came from behind (17 points down) and caught UC Davis 67-65 tonight. The Aggies held a 39-25 halftime lead. Kyle Odister scored 12 points of 4-7 trey attempts for the Mustangs. Eddie Miller paced the Aggies with 16 points and was tied for the rebounding lead with six.

UCSB by three over Pacific

Orlando Johnson totaled 13 points and James Nunnally put up 11 points plus seven rebounds in UC Santa Barbara's 56-53 victory at Pacific tonight.

Irvine eight better than Riverside

It was host Cal Irvine 65 to UC Riverside's 57 tonight as Will Davis produced eight rebounds and seven points in 24 minutes plus Mike Best scored seven in 12 minutes of action, each for Irvine.

Sac State cruises

Sacramento State blasted visiting Northern Arizona 77-43 tonight paced by 24 points and seven boards -- in 20 minutes of play -- by Konner Vetoto.

Weber State goes down

It was Idaho State, of all foes, that beat Weber State 64-62 tonight in Pocatello and it was a trey at the buzzer that did the job. Damian Lillard totaled 15 points on 5-14 shooting.

Here's an update on Gary Williams

Former Castlemont star Gary Williams was at ABCD Prep in Dallas but is now attending Westwind Prep. Here's an update.

Cal State LA by seven over Cal State East Bay

Here are the details of Cal State East Bay's 78-71 road loss to Cal State Los Angeles.

Sonoma State by three over Chico

Chico State's Luke Reid has the game report of Chico State coming up short against Sonoma State. Here is the Seawolves perspective.

Santa Rosa by two over Sac City

Santa Rosa 59, Sac City 57

Sacramento City College

Antwoine Davis - 21 points
DJ McGee - 11 points

Sierra 70, DVC 58

Sierra 71, Diablo Valley 58

Sierra College

Devin Murphy 10 7-10 29
Drew Brandon 6 5-8 18
Markus Moore 6 2-3 15

Diablo Valley College

Ronnie Baker 8 6-6 23

Las Positas tops Skyline

Las Positas 79, Skyline 66

Las Positas College

Jarred Jourdan 9 5-12 23
Dylan Heath 5 5-6 16
Cedric Young 4 2-2 12
Roy Rissas 4 3-6 11

Skyline College

Kyle Wong 7 1-1 19 (four treys)
Agustin Arroyo 5 0-1 14 (four treys)
Kenneth Woodard 4 3-4 12
Nate Gartrell 1 8-13 10

Deer Valley tops Freedom

Behind 32 points from Kendall Smith, Deer Valley proved to be seven points better than Freedom High as Jimmy Durkin reports.

San Jose and Peninsula hoops updates

Glenn Reeves was present at the Piedmont Hills - Leigh matchup while Alex Pavlovic reports on the Mountain View - Palo Alto pairing.

Bill Paterson on last night's Sacto hoops

Bill Paterson fills readers in on the Sacramento prep basketball happenings from last night.

Buttersfield erupts for 42

Yuba College's Spencer Butterfield was feeling it to the tune of 42 points in the 49ers win over Merritt College as Andy Arrenquin reports.

More press for Collin Chiverton

Jim Allen offers a feature on former Mitty star Collin Chiverton, now at Eastern Washington.

Palma beats Salinas

George Watkins and John Devine both have game reports on Palma's 26 points-from-Noah-Allen-powered win over Salinas.

Vallejo - Bethel matchup halted

Thomas Gase has the scoop on an early and ugly ending to the Vallejo High - Bethel High pairing.

SPSV tops Encinal

It was an unofficial Jalen Canty Night as St. Patrick St. Vincent had no trouble with Encinal High.

Ratto and Modesto better than ARC

Powered by 26 points from Matt Ratto, host Modesto Junior College won by three over American River College as Ron Agostini reports.

Humboldt by four over Stanislaus

Brian VanderBeek offers a game report of Humboldt State's double overtime win over Cal State Stanislaus.

James Nunnally is back home

Jagdip Dhillon profiles former West Ranch High star James Nunnally as the senior makes his final appearance in Stockton as a UCSB Gaucho.

Friday, January 27, 2012

USF by 13 over SC

It was down in Silicon Valley but USF still topped Santa Clara 90-77, paced by 20 points from Angelo Caloiaro. Niyi Harrison led the Broncos starters with 13.

UCSB handles Davis

It was a road game but the Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara had no trouble downing UC Davis 86-59 behind 21 points and six assists provided by Orlando Johnson.

Fullerton 70, Northridge 68

D.J. Seeley's 20 points and eight boards plus 15 points and five assists from Kwame Vaughn led the Cal State Fullerton Titans to a 70-68 victory over host Cal State Northridge. Vinnie McGhee scored 13 points and passed for six assists for the Matadors.

St. Mary's over LM

Rob Jones posted an 11/15 double-double and Brad Waldow contributed 10 points and four rebounds in St. Mary's 71-64 road win versus Loyola Marymount.

Montana 74, Eastern Washington 60

Montana, behind an all-around 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two assists from Will Cherry, topped Eastern Washington 74-60. Collin Chiverton totaled 22 points for EW.

More on the Gunderson High situation

Scott Herhold offers his take on the Gunderson High boys basketball controversy.

This week's selections for the NorCal Cal-Hi Sports Stat Stars of the Week

Here are the northern California Cal-Hi Sports Stat Stars of the Week:

* David Ahern (Marin Catholic, Kentfield)

The Wildcat senior makes a return to this feature after scoring a career-high 37 points but it wasn’t enough in a 63-52 loss to arch-rival Drake of San Anselmo.

* Matt Donlan (Capital Christian, Sacramento)
Donlan got it done by scoring a game-high 30 points when the Cougars beat Dixon 76-68 in Golden Empire League action.

* Miguel French (Lindhurst, Olivehurst)

In any language you speak, French had a huge night as he scored 38 points in a 96-74 Golden Empire League win over Dixon.

* Jason Gish (Valley Christian, Roseville)

He can dish, but Gish found his niche as a scorer with a game-high 34 points when his team picked up a 98-74 victory over Faith Christian of Yuba City.

* Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose)

The 6-foot-8 junior superstar duplicated the performance he had in the MLK Day loss to De La Salle against visiting Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) later in the week, only this time his 31 points and 14 rebounds came in a 62-59 victory.

* Brandon Hanson (Monterey)

The Toreadores’ high-flying guard had what the Monterey Herald called an “explosive effort,” after he just missed a triple double and finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in a 81-56 victory over neighboring Seaside.

* Matt Hayes (Yuba City)

The only thing that stopped this Honker standout from scoring was the final honk of the horn as he scored 36 points in a 75-47 win over Woodland in Tri-City Conference play.

* Liam Hunt (Drake, San Anselmo)

In his first year of playing in the U.S. after growing up in Australia, where his Marin County native father Dan Hunt played and coached professionally, the 6-foot-6 junior is starting for the same team his father was a member of when the Pirates (with an all-time best 34-0 record) won the 1982 Division II state championship. Coach Doug Donnellan has brought Hunt along slow, but in a 67-48 victory over San Rafael, Hunt was 9-of-10 from the field for 21 points with 10 rebounds in just 14 minutes of play. In his next game, a 63-52 upset of Marin Catholic that gets his team atop the Marin County Athletic League at 8-0, he had a double-double 17 points and 12 rebounds with three blocks.

* Connor Jean (Northgate, Walnut Creek)

The Broncos’ senior and leading scorer had 27 points (10-for-10 from free throw line) with seven steals and five rebounds in a 68-57 win over Concord Clayton Valley.

* Marcus Lee (Deer Valley, Antioch)

The highly regarded D1 prospect had his best game of the season in a 82-65 victory over crosstown-rival Antioch. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound junior had a triple-double 30 points, 23 rebounds and 15 blocked shots.

* Eric Nielsen (Dublin)

The 6-foot-8 junior had what Oakland Tribune writer Jimmy Durkin called a “monster game” with 20 points, 22 rebounds and seven blocks before fouling out late in the Gaels’ 70-67 loss to visiting Moraga Campolindo.

* Amadi Udenyi (De La Salle, Concord)

Spartan coach Frank Allocco says his senior guard’s lockdown defense is his greatest asset, but the 5-foot-11 Udenyi, who was given strong consideration for the Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Week honor earlier this week, can also light it up in a hurry. In the deliberate type offense of Allocco, and in just 18 minutes of action of a 69-36 victory over San Francisco Lincoln, he buried 7-of-10 on 3-pointers and finished with 27 points with five assists and four steals. He came back with 20 points (four treys) this week in a win over San Ramon California.

* Jordan Villaneda (Salinas)

The Cowboys’ star turned in an all-around solid performance after finishing with 30 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals in a 69-55 victory over crosstown North Salinas.

More on Damian Lillard as Weber wins another

Eamonn Brennan brings some good news about Damian Lillard's draft prospects.

Dave Carpenter has the latest, another Weber State win, this time over Sacramento State.

John Dickson scored 20 points for the Hornets.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Darius Nelson officially becomes a Titan

From Cal State Fullerton athletics comes the announcement of Darius Nelson's Titan membership.

CCSF by 20

CCSF 100, Skyline 80

City College San Francisco

Ivan Dorsey 21 points
Raysean Hairston 17 points
Gabriel Aguirre 11 points (10 boards)
Jamal Ford 10 points

1/25 Merritt all over Napa Valley

Merritt 92, Napa 69

Merritt College

Nick Capiti 33 points (eight boards)
Tyler Idowu 16 points (eight boards)
Jordan Fuselier 15 poinjts
Eric Nelson 12 points

Mendocino by two

Mendocino 73, Merritt 71

Mendocino College

Kevin Charles 16
Cesar Mendoza 15
Darren Johnson 15

Merritt College

Tyler Idowu 26 points (15 rebounds)
Jordan Fuselier 18
Nick Capiti 12 (10 rebounds)

Fresno City College romps

Still unbeaten in CVC play, Fresno City College whomped Columbia College 107-69 behind 25 points from both Rodney Webster and Marcus Hall (seven treys).

Fresno City 107, Columbia 69

Fresno City College


Rodney Webster 25
Marcus Hall 25
Junior Morgan 12
Thomas Sanchez 11
Junior Morgan 12

Columbia College

Wayne Surin 28
Tony Williams 13
Keith Robinson 12

Ohlone by one over Las Positas

Ohlone 63, Las Positas 62

Ohlone College

Chris Read 7 1-2 15
Nick Clarke 5 4-5 14
Mikhael McKinney 6 0-0 12

Las Positas College

Cedric Young 4 4-4 13
Dylan Heath 5 0-0 13 (three treys)
Devonae Leach 3 5-10 11

Lee with an OSU offer

From Ian A. Powers:
"2013 PF Marcus Lee just received an offer from Oregon St"
The Deer Valley frontcourter is going to have a tough choice to make but options are wonderful to have.

Former rivals pairing up to help MPC

David Greenberger writes about former high school opponents -- Shayne Perryman and Zen Maki -- now teaming up at Monterey Peninsula College.

Bill Paterson covering Sacto prep hoops

Bill Paterson is all over Sacramento area boys basketball, with this feature (highlighted by a shocking Oak Ridge - Sheldon score) plus this article.

DeAnza High is doing it this season

Jimmy Durkin profiles Coach Mark DeLuca and his surprising DeAnza High squad.

Here's Matt Schwab's Small College Notebook with some interesting details

Matt Schwab's Small College Notebook highlights a bevy of former McClymonds High alumni as well as bringing former Mack Coach Dwight Nathaniel back to the fore, and more.

SI five better than Riordan

Jeremy Balan was present at the St. Ignatius defeat of Riordan High as Stephen Domingo posted a 19/11 double-double.

Serra three better than SHC

Glenn Reeves reports on host Serra High getting by Sacred Heart Cathedral 60-57.

New Mexico routs Colorado State

Behind 13 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks from Drew Gordon, New Mexico blasted Colorado State 85-52.

Jesuit blows past Pleasant Grove

Doug Benton of Nor Cal Preps provides game details, point totals and player analysis of Jesuit's 73-57 victory over Pleasant Grove High.

Foothill beats Center High

Eli Sean-Smith of NorCalPreps serves up the details of Foothill High's triumph over Center High.

Cabrillo tops MPC

It was host Cabrillo winning 73-59 over Monterey Peninsula College as Andrew Matheson reports. Aaron Short totaled 25 points for the Seahawks while Andrew Young led the Lobos with 24.

Another Jerry Brown feature

Robert Kuwada profiles former Sacred Heart Cathedral star Jerry Brown, who is playing a unique role this season for Fresno State.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What's a true point guard?

Eamonn Brennan has an interesting article about point guards, -- there is no ideal or iconic position specifications because of what is needed on each team from the player manning the point.

Andrew Young is a wanted man

Jacey Zembal of The Wolfpacker has a free Rivals feature up on Andrew Young of Monterey Peninsula College.

Jerry Brown featured

In The Collegian, Fresno State's college newspaper, Angelo Moreno offers a feature on Jerry Brown. the former frontcourter for Sacred Heart Cathedral.

SRJC beats Cosumnes River by seven

Santa Rosa 73, Cosumnes River 66

Santa Rosa Junior College

Sama Taku 9 1-1 21
Bobby Sharp 7 0-0 17 (three treys)
Kevin Aronis 6 0-0 16 (four treys)
Fujii 4 0-0 11 (three treys)

Cosumnes River College

JJ Mina 5 1-2 16 (five treys)
James Tillman 7 0-3 14

Sac City nine better than SJ Delta

Sacramento City 81, San Joaquin Delta 72

Sacramento City College

Antwoine Davis 13 2-5 28
Xavier Williford 4 2-6 10
Zach Bartley 7 3-6 17

San Joaquin Delta College

Marcus Beaird 7 2-2 18
Ryan Gaarder 6 3-3 17
Jerrel Green 3 5-7 11
Derrick Wofford 4 0-1 10

DVC by 15 over American River

Diablo Valley 79, American River 64

Diablo Valley College

Brian Goins 12 0-0 27 (three treys)
Ronnie Baker 6 3-3 16
Tyerelle Phillips 7 1-3 15
Andrew Garner 4 2-2 12

American River College

Josh Bonner 5 0-1 12
Mardell Thompson 4 2-2 12
Jose Rodriguez 3 2-2 10

El Cerrito over Berkeley

Jimmy Durkin has the details on El Cerrito High's last-second win over Berkeley High.

Piedmont Hills is rolling

Glenn Reeves serves up a feature on Coach Pete Simos and his 17-0 Piedmont Hills squad.

Irvine beats Seattle 78-67

Paced by a tremendous line from freshman Will Davis -- 21 points (9-10 shooting), 10 boards and five blocked shots, all in 23 minutes  -- UC Irvine took down visiting Seattle 78-67.

A Sacto high school hoops update

Catch up on Sacramento prep hoops with Bill Paterson's latest.

College Park tops Berean Christian

BayPreps.com has print and video of College Park's 72-63 victory over Berean Christian.

Sierra over MJC

Here's a Modesto Bee game report of Sierra College's 91-85 win over Modesto Junior College.

A Dom Artis update

Neal Nieves of Rivals (a sub is required) recently wrote this on Dom Artis after watching Findlay Prep and Gorman High go at it:
"A lot of people jumped off the bandwagon of Point Guard Dominic Artis. With his display on national TV two times in a row the Oregon commit has put those that jumped off ready to find a seat back on the bandwagon. Artis showed off his floor-general skills by getting his teammates involved for easy scores and also showed that he can attack the rim and finish. He has gotten a lot stronger and is finding his role with this Findlay Prep team. Next year Artis should get to Eugene and take over for the Ducks at the starting point guard position"

A Mark Payne update

Sean Maraz has an update for former UC Davis Aggie and St. Mary's High star Mark Payne.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Senses of entitlement

Hey, it isn't just the kids and it doesn't appear on its own.

John McCann writes about a myriad of issues surrounding club team hoops, high school hoops, loyalty and the gold ol' sense of entitlement.

McCann also offers a second feature on these subjects and more.

Oxnard College dropping basketball

Yes, it's news out of the Southland but it leaves one wondering if such a cut might be on the agenda of college trustees at any of the northern California community colleges?

Yuba's Sean Harris hurt

Caught this on a Utah State basketball fan site:
"Sean Harris has a torn ACL

Stew said tonight on the coaches show. To make matters worse, he does not have a redshirt year because he waited a year to go on his mission. Stew said they are trying to get it back, but it seems unlikely ..."
Here's hoping Harris, who will be at Utah State next season, has a full recovery, one as quick as can be. It's too bad because he was also coming back after completing his mission and needed time on the court.

Read this if it's the only thing you do so today

Here a timeless tweet from Jonathan Givony/Draft Express on a player out of New Zealand, a 7-foot prepster who is headed to Pittsburgh
"Hearing lots of people saying Steven Adams is "overrated" after his poor showing. More the fault of those that rated him than anything"
Amen. Regardless of this being about Steven Adams or someone else, did anyone hold a gun to a recruiting analyst's head and force good things to be written? Did Steven Adams twist anyone's arm to exact a promise of praise? Yet scorn is directed at a teenager because he isn't (yet) living up to the expectations of so-called experts. What a bizarre world!

So as not to forget the past

Anyone here old enough to say they saw Elgin Baylor play? I qualify. He was a very unique player, standing 6-foot-5 or so yet a dynamic inside scorer. Henry Abbott offers a short note about Baylor and also features Frank DeFord's lengthy 1966 Sports Illustrated article on Elg.

Nelson heads to Big West Conference

Jeff Goodman reports that Darius Nelson has cast his second lot with Coach Bob Burton and Cal State Fullerton.

He'll be joining Kwame Vaughn, D.J. Seeley, Alex Harris, Sammy Yeager and Jordan Knox. It's time to start calling Fullerton the South by North Titans.

Edwin Moore is Times-Herald Athlete of the Week

The Vallejo Times-Herald has selected Bethel High's Edwin Moore as it Athlete of the Week.

Salesian over SPSV

Jose San Mateo has the game report of Salesian topping St. Patrick St. Vincent.

Dominican falls 74-73

Dave Curtis has the latest on Dominican University men's basketball -- a heartbreaker in which Jacob Noisat scored 17 points.

SanFranPreps' SF Top 10

SanFranPreps is out with its latest top 10 teams in The City.

Palma has worked the kinks out

George Watkins goes long on Palma High hoops, a squad now ready to generate some momentum.

Sacto versus Bay Area hoops

A basketball snippet of Joe Davidson's latest:
Hoops heaven

The conventional thinking that the Bay Area is superior to Sacramento in boys basketball took a major hit this winter. Regional powers such as Sheldon, Foothill, Jesuit, Franklin and others have beaten Bay heavies, including Sheldon using its defense to top Bishop O'Dowd on Saturday.

"The Bay Area always thinks they're better than us, and it's not true," Foothill coach Drew Hibbs said.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/24/4209793/hometown-report-prep-football.html#storylink=cpy

The latest East Bay prep rankings

Jimmy Durkin is out with his latest East Bay Prep basketball poll.

Santa Clara falls at home

Niyi Harrison totaled 11 points and nine boards in host Santa Clara's loss to Loyola Marymount. Harrison and others didn't start because of team violations and Kevin Foster sat out the game for the same reason.

Damian Lillard lauded again

Martin Renzhofer has a piece up on Damian Lillard, with some brutally honest quotes from teammate Frank Otis. Otis shares something not often seen in sports pieces and more power to him for doing so.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Phil Knight U & JBird

Inna Lazarev, with Fox & Scout, tweeted this:
"In Vallejo, California about to watch Salesian vs. St. Patrick/St. Vincent. Oregon head coach Dana Altman is here too, watching Jabari Bird"
Think Dom Artis will be working the phone lines?

This week's CA JC Basketball Team Polls

Here's Robert Schmidt's latest:

California State Poll

1.  San Francisco, 19-2
2.  Citrus 18-1
3.  Mt. San Jacinto, 17-3
4.  Yuba, 21-3
5.  Fresno, 21-3

6.  Los Angeles Southwest, 16-5
7.  Santa Rosa, 17-4
8.  San Bernardino Valley, 16-4
9.  Diablo Valley, 18-2
10. Antelope Valley, 17-3
11. Mt. San Antonio, 15-5
12. Cabrillo, 15-3
13. Imperial Valley. 16-4
14. Saddleback, 13-7
15. Foothill, 15-6
16. Las Positas, 16-5
17. San Diego City, 14-6
18. Mendocino, 12-8
19. Sierra, 11-8
20. Ventura, 12-10

Northern California Poll

1.  San Francisco
2.  Yuba
3.  Fresno
4.  Santa Rosa
5.  Diablo Valley
6.  Cabrillo
7.  Foothill
8.  Las Positas
9.  Mendocino
10. Sierra
11. Cosumnes River
12. Sequoias
13. Ohlone
14. Chabot
15. Contra Costa

Gunderson basketball embroiled in controversy

Who knows what the truth is as Gunderson (San Jose) High boys basketball is just a mess right now. More importantly, can the individuals involved find some common ground, one that benefits all, short and long term? Hopefully, that can happen.

A Collin Chiverton interview

Here's an interview with with former Mitty star Collin Chiverton.

John Seavey profiled

Dave Curtis provides an in-depth profile of San Marin High's John Seavey.

Allen paces Palma

Noah Allen's 26 points led Palma High to a 69-66 victory over Mission Prep down in San Luis Obispo.

Mitch Stephens offers his take on the week

Mitch Stephens has posted his weekly Bay Area prep sports review.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Coach Brian Rooney's Cal Maritime basketball program notched another win last night, 74-63, behind 20 points from Hogan High graduate Josh Greenwell.

The Keelhaulers are undefeated halfway through California Pacific Conference play, standing 6-0, 13-9 overall.

Payton switching high schools

Cameron Schott recently tweeted of Zerrion Payton's (nephew of Gary Payton) departure from Weston Ranch High to ...

Meet Dominican's Mark Lewis

Derek Arild profiles Dominican University's Mark Lewis, a veritable Renaissance man.

Long Beach State takes apart UCSB

In a matchup that turned out surprisingly lopsided, Long Beach State had no trouble with rival UC Santa Barbara 71-48. Orlando Johnson totaled 10 points for the Gauchos on 4-15 shooting while James Nunnally went 1-7 from the floor, scoring five points.

FCC 84, West Hills 71

Fresno City College keeps on rolling winning by 13 over West Hills College in a game in Coalinga. Junior Morgan led with 13 points for the victors who are now 5-0 in league play.

CCSF 69, Ohlone 64

In a close one, defending state champion City College of San Francisco proved five points better than host Ohlone College. No details as yet.

CS East Bay loses to Stanislaus

Marty Valdez reports on Cal State East Bay's 93-82 loss -- this despite 26 points from Mark Samuels -- to Cal State University Stanislaus. Reggie (Ohlone College) Jones led the winners with 30.

Cal State San Bernardino gets Olsem-ed

Will Olsem's 38 points, earned by an amazing 12 three-pointers, powered visiting Sonoma State University to an 86-71 pasting of then league-leading Cal State University San Bernardino. His teammates Justin Herold added 19 points plus Steven Pratt posted 10 assists for the Seawolves.

Chico handles CSUMB

Luke Reid offers the details of Chico State's 82-61 victory over host Cal State University Monterey Bay. Jordan Semple put up a 15/10 double-double while Damario Sims led with 16 markers. Now in a tie for first place, the Wildcats enjoy a string of four straight home contests.

Humboldt over UCSD

Humboldt State nabbed a road win over UC San Diego 65-64. Kyle Baxter just missed a double-double with 23 points and nine boards. Justin Brue finished with 14 points plus eight rebounds for the border dwellers.

St. Mary's tames the Broncos

It was visiting St. Mary's 93-77 over Santa Clara behind twin double doubles by Brad Waldow 14/16 (eight offensive, eight defensive) and Rob Jones 14/15. Niyi Harrison wasn't too shabby himself with a 23/9 Bronco evening.

San Diego State 57, AF 44

The Aztecs of San Diego State proved to be 13 better than Air Force behind 16 points from Chase Tapley.

OSU takes down USC

Oregon State hosted USC and won 78-59 powered by Jared Cunningham's 18 points and five assists.

Cherry powers Montana over Sac State

Will Cherry produced 12 points, three boards and two assists in aiding Montana to an 85-56 victory over Sacramento State.

UNLV over New Mexico

Host UNLV took down New Mexico 80-63 despite Drew Gordon's 14/12 double-double. Seven of his rebounds came on the offensive end.

Fullerton 90, Irvine 84

D.J. Seeley scored 27 points (6-6 from three-point range) and Kwame Vaughn totaled 25 (4-5 from long distance) in Cal State Fullerton's 90-84 win versus UC Irvine. Chris McNealy had six points, six boards and five assists for the Anteaters.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Christian Williams leads Jackson State

Christian (Sierra High, Manteca) Williams scored 28 points and passed for five assists in Jackson State's 80-67 victory over Grambling State.

CRC three better than SCC

Cosumnes River College 72, Sacramento City College 69

Cosumnes River College


Tony Gill 4 10-10 20
Ryan Salmonson 4 6-8 14
James Tillman 4 3-4 11
Tony Baldocchi 4 0-0 10

Sacramento City College

Antwoine Davis 7 1-2 15
Xavier Williford 5 5-6 15
Zach Bartley 7 1-2 15
DeSean Atkins 4 2-5 10

Sierra tops American River by five

Sierra 86, American River 81

Sierra College

Devin Murphy 6 4-6 16
Markus Moore 6 4-9 16
Jamie Ball 4 4-6 14
Gabriel Finley 6 2-3 14
Julian Ball 5 0-1 11

American River College

Mardell Thompson 6 4-5 18
Jose Rodriguez 5 2-2 15 (three treys)
Chad Haysbert 6 2-4 14
Austin Bonner 4 2-3 12
Josh Vonasek 3 4-4 11
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/21/4204160/fridays-college-and-community.html#storylink=cpy

Santa Rosa over Delta

Santa Rosa 58, Delta 54

Santa Rosa Junior College

Bobby Sharp 15 points (4-5 on treys)
Max Fuji 12
Sama Taku 11

San Joaquin Delta College

Derrick Wofford 20 points

Diablo Valley takes care of Modesto

DVC 88, Modesto 68

Diablo Valley College

Brian Goins 7 8-9 22
Tyerelle Phillips 8 6-6 22
Ronnie Baker 5 2-4 17 (five treys)

Modesto Junior College

Austin Keaton 6 11-12 24
Julius Brazzell 7 5-6 19

Alameda no match for Merritt

Merritt 73, College of Alameda 64

Merritt College

Tyler Idowu 4 9-11 17
Kareem Ransom 4 7-10 17
Nick Capiti 2 10-12 14
Jordan Fuselier 4 6-7 14

College of Alameda

Travante Williams 4 8-11 18
Matt Baiardi 4 1-4 10

Las Positas topples Chabot

Las Positas 69, Chabot 56

Las Positas College

Dylan Heath 6 8-9 23 (three treys)
Devonae Leach 6 1-2 16 (three treys)

Chabot College

Terrell Gates 8 0-0 22 (six treys)

MPC by 10 over Hartnell

Monterey Peninsula College 70, Hartnell College 60

Monterey Peninsula College

Andrew Young 29 points
Shane Perriman 14 points

Hartnell College

Preston Anderson 20 points.

Bill Paterson with his Sacto hoops report

Bill Paterson has the details of the top high school games scores and point producers up in Sacramento.

BOD over San Leandro

BayPreps.com offers print and video of Bishop O'Dowd's 59-55 victory over San Leandro High.

Jimmy Durkin also checks in with game coverage.

Yuba 89-63 over Napa Valley

It was close for a half but then Yuba College exploded to down Napa Valley College.

Cabrillo has no trouble with Gavilan

SEAHAWKS ROUTE RAMS 80-46 IN GILROY

Cabrillo College rallied early and never looked back as the Seahawks defeated the Gavilan College Rams (1-16, 0-5) tonight in Gilroy. The win extends the Seahawks (15-3, 5-0) win streak to seven in a row and keeps the Seahawks undefeated in Coast Conference South play.  

Thomas Pierce paced the Seahawks with 10 first half points as the Seahawks led at the half 43-22.

The second 20 minutes were more of the same as the Seahawks quickly ran the lead to thirty points and coasted the rest of the way allowing Cabrillo's bench to get some extended playing time.

C.J. Grigg lead all scorers with 20 points. Tyler Velasquez had 14 hitting four three-point baskets.

AM by three over SHC

It was Sacred Heart Cathedral heading into Archbishop Mitty-town (San Jose) last night and oh what a game.

Jeremy Balan/SF Preps leads off the coverage of the 62-59 Monarch win.

Cameron Schott/Nor Cal Preps was also present.

Alex Pavlovic/Mercury News joined the others in press row.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Las Positas is a TEAM

"All for one, one for all" is the life verse of Alexandre Dumas' creation, "The Three Musketeers." With Las Positas College basketball, the situation and setting are different but with the same theme: they are the Hawks and their chant is "All for 12, 12 for all" as fashioned by Coach Tony Costello.

After last season, Jordan Knox departed for Cal State Fullerton and 6-foot-10 Tim Thomas exited to Pacific, leaving Costello, in the minds of everyone, looking at a rebuilding year in 2011-12. There were no heralded names on the Hawks' roster.

So how and why is Las Positas 15-5 and the best story in Bay Area basketball?

Smoke and mirrors?

Celestial serendipity?

As is usual in these situations, it's actually a fusion of hard work, great attitude and the desire to succeed as a unit above all else.

Call it synergy, defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a common objective not independently obtainable.

It's the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

Yes, call that Las Positas basketball this season.

Remember that old Dupont Corporation product tagline "better living through chemistry"?

That's also Hawks hoops in its current incarnation.

"We like kids who are hungry, who have something to prove," Costello said.
"Our team is a lot of local kids who are very unselfish and get along very well on and off the court."

But even his is surprised, at least to a degree.

"To be honest, I didn't expect this many wins this soon," Costello explained.

He added, "We have very good sophomore leadership in Roy [Rissas], DeMarr [Eagles], Dylan [Heath], who has been shouldering a lot of the scoring burden, Devonae [Leach] and Cedric [Young]. It's all about sophomores at this level."

His only returning starter is Heath, hence the surprise from outsiders at the tremendous success of the Hawks so far.

Another key element Costello stressed during the interview is "even our guys who don't get a lot of playing time, push the others."

Conference play has started and that means pairings with powerful opponents as the the Coast Conference North Division houses Ohlone College, Foothill College, Chabot College as well as City College of San Francisco, the returning state champion.

Costello is well aware of the competition.

"I tell our guys that they are good enough to win against anyone and to lose to anyone,"

Heath leads Las Positas at 14.5 points per game, with Jarred Jourdan next at 14.1. Leach holds down the third spot at 9.2 points per contest while Julian Redmon and Young are both at 9.1.

Young is the top boardman, followed by Heath, Leach and Jourdan.

Heath, Demarr Eagles and Johnnie Warlich are bunched together as the assists leaders.

Now some may say the Hawks are overachievers but that would be a misnomer. Each Las Positas player has invested, choosing to maximize his individual potential through collective action.

What the Hawks have achieved to date is a dream for coaches, players and fans. It's the Little Guy personified, carving out a path to success.

It's happening in Livermore.

The 2011-12 Las Positas roster

* 5-foot-10 Nick Armas, freshman, San Leandro High (injured right now)

* 5-foot-10 Damarr Eagles, sophomore, San Lorenzo High

* 5-foot-10 Jovante Evans, freshman, Granada High

* 6-foot-0 Jacob Contreras, freshman, Amador Valley High (grayshirting this season)

* 6-foot-3 Dylan Heath, sophomore, San Ramon High

* 6-foot-5 Jarred Jourdan, freshman, James Logan High
       
* 6-foot-4 Devonae Leach, sophomore, Skyline High

* 6-foot-3 Julian Redmon, freshman, Bishop O'Dowd High

* 6-foot-7 Roy Rissas, sophomore, San Ramon Valley High
               
* 6-foot-3 James Pugh, freshman, Dublin High

* 6-foot-1 Wayne Tucker, freshman, Oakland Tech High

* 5-foot-11 Johnnie Warlich, sophomore, Dublin High

* 6-foot-3 Cedric Young, sophomore, Livermore High

More national press for Damian Lillard

Beyond The Arc's Mike Miller has joined the chorus singing the praises of Damian Lillard.

Grant Vermeer with another game post

Grant "Boo" Vermeer has another post up at his blog, this one about Bellarmine 57-51 loss in overtime to St. Francis. Vermeer makes every article special because of the insight and background he brings to each piece.

Cherry leads Montana

Montana had no trouble with Northern Colorado to the tune of 76-58. Will Cherry paced the Grizzlies with 27 points plus six assists and four steals.

USF loses in Spokane

USF fell to host Gonzaga 74-63 despite the effort -- 14 points and nine rebounds -- of Angelo Caloiaro.

Herndon paces SF State in loss to Pomona

San Francisco State fell to Cal Poly Pomona 65-54 on the 17th but the notable aspect of the game was freshman Robbie Herndon's 11 points (3-4 from long distance) and eight rebounds.

Dominican falls to Chaminade

David Albee has the details of Dominican University's loss to Chaminade -- this despite Jacob Noisat posting a 16/11 double-double.

Matt Cousins totaled 11 points and seven rebounds for the visitors.

Foothill over LPC

Foothill 73, Las Positas 63

Foothill College

Brett (Mountain View High) McConnell 6 5-7 17
Darryl (Mills High) Wong 4 3-3 1
Spencer (St. Francis High) Britschki 5 0-0 13 (three treys)
Jimmy (Willow Glen High) Renneke 3 1-2 10 (three treys)
David Fullenwiley 4 2-2 10

Las Positas College

Jarred (James Logan High) Jourdan 7 5-8 19
Cedric (Livermore High) Young 5 1-2 12

Will Olsem wins CCAA POW award

Sonoma State's Will Olsem has been selected as the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Player of the Week.

Damario Sims wins award

Chico State's Damario Sims win Wildcat of the Week honors.

St. Mary's wins again

Rob Jones' 17/10 double-double helped St. Mary's continue its hot streak in a 61-47 win over Pepperdine.

Weber over Northern Arizona

Northern Arizona focused on Damian Lillard so it was the other Weber Staters who emerged in the Wildcats 81-67 victory over Northern Arizona. Lillard still finished with 18 points, six boards, six assists and a trio of steals. Jordan Richardson contributed 10 points and three assists plus Frank Otis returned from injury to score 12 points on 5-5 shooting.

OSU three better than the Bruins

Host Oregon State bopped UCLA 87-84 behind 21 points and four steals from Jared Cunningham.

Santa Barbara over Northridge

Orlando Johnson's 21 points, six rebounds and five assists paced UC Santa Barbara to a 69-61 victory over Cal State Northridge. James Nunnally contributed 16, six and four while Greg Somogyi grabbed 10 boards.

The (Nor) Cal-Hi Sports Stat Stars of the Week

Here are the (Nor) Cal-Hi Sports Stat Stars of the Week:

* Dakarai Allen (Sheldon, Sacramento)

Facing a Jesuit of Carmichael team that has been ranked in the state top this season he came up with a huge performance to lead the Huskies to victory as he scored 29 points, had four steals and blocked three shots in a 88-70 Delta River League game

* Ivo Basor (Watsonville)

Ivo became a 20-20 man, and at the same time he gave Seaside the proverbial heave-ho, after registering 25 points and 20 rebounds in a surprisingly easy 64-38 victory.

* Jabari Bird (Salesian, Richmond)

The high-flying “Bird Man” was 12-of-18 (including three treys) from the field and scored 31 points, including 27 in the second half, and all 10 of Salesian’s final points in a 66-47 win over Berkeley.

* Nate Brillington (Granite Bay)

His performance against Woodcreek of Roseville was brilliant as he scored 34 points in the 77-70 Sierra Foothill League victory.

* Will Buell (Colfax)

Despite his game-high 34 points, it wasn't enough to prevent a 70-61 loss by the Falcons to Foothill of Sacramento in Pioneer Valley League play.

* Ali Faruqbey (San Lorenzo)

While Muhammad Ali was celebrating a 70-year birthday, this Ali was celebrating the 34 points he posted in a 76-68 win over Hayward Tennyson.

* Alex Fertig (Buchanan, Clovis)

The senior swing man had a memorable week by becoming the 16th player in Central Section history to reach 2,000 career points, according to section historian Bob Barnett. Fertig put on a one-man show against host Bakersfield as he scored 31 points in a 55-47 road win. Alex then needed 24 points against host Washington Union Friday night to reach the milestone in which he scored 27 points in a 84-48 victory.

* Tucker Forbes (Stevenson, Pebble Beach)

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior had a career-high 31 points with 16 rebounds, four assists and four steals in a 77-75 overtime victory against King City.

* Jordan Franklin (Trinity Prep, Napa)

He may be just a sophomore, but this guard can put the ball in the hoop in bunches as he scored a season-best 48 points in a 82-64 win over Freedom Christian of Fair Oaks.

* Ryan Frommer (University Prep, Redding)

Grabbing nearly as many rebounds as points, he scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a 58-39 win over Maxwell.

* Jordan Gilreath (North Valley Baptist, Santa Clara)

Despite the low score of 49-32 in a win over crosstown St. Lawrence, Gilreath had a nice double-double of 29 points and 16 rebounds, He also collected seven steals.

* Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose)

Although he’s been weakened and lost 15 pounds due to a bout with mononucleosis, the 6-foot-8 junior superstar looked almost like his old self on Monday against De La Salle at the MLK Holiday Classic at Cal’s Haas Pavilion. Just like he did in the D2 state title-game victory last year against Fontana Summit, Gordon became a point pivot until fouling out on a charge in a 69-62 overtime loss. But not before he delighted the crowd with 31 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.

* Max Huff & Dustin Thaxton (Kelseyville)

Despite not being able to practice due to a quad injury and then being hurt in a car accident (not his fault) earlier in the day, Huff showed just how tough he is. After being cleared by a doctor to play, he went out and had a double-double 16 points and 21 rebounds in a 68-58 win over Middletown. On his eighth point, Huff surpassed the 1,000-point career mark. Thaxton must have been feeling Huff’s adrenalin. He nailed seven 3-pointers and contributed 28 points.

* Marcel Jones (Hercules)

He turned in a Herculean performance with 35 points, eight rebounds and five steals in a 78-69 win over Alameda.

* Charlie Moon (Hoopa Valley, Hoopa)

The coyotes out east in Hoopa were howling at the moon when they got word of the performance of Moon, in a 77-74 road win on the Humboldt County coast in Ferndale. The junior guard hit nine 3-pointers and finished with 32 points. Of the nine treys, two were from NBA-range and another was from near halfcourt just before halftime. Obviously, the moon was in Moon’s house.

* John Seavey (San Marin, Novato)

The Mustangs’ senior dropped in a career-high 32 points in a 57-44 win over San Rafael Terra Linda. 

* Luke Winfield (Marin Academy, San Rafael)

The Wildcats’ 6-foot-4 senior gets a call for the second straight week after he went for 37 points and eight rebounds. The difference is this time it was in a 82-79 loss to Stuart Hall of San Francisco.

* Tom Witzel (Arcata)

In the battle for Mad River bragging rights way up north behind the Redwood Curtain, it was Witzel who didn’t fizzle, in a 67-54 win at neighboring McKinleyville. The 6-foot-7 senior power forward had a double-double 25 points and 13 rebounds with four blocks.

Cal Maritime over Holy Names

Cal Maritime committed blasphemy against Holy Names 66-49 as Thomas Gase details.

Windsor over Analy 73-55

Paced by Casey Myers and Tanner Giddings, Windsor High was too much for Analy High as Michael Coit reports.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Two NorCal talents on Wooden 25

Orlando Johnson and Damian Lillard are among the 25 college players remaining in the running for the Wooden Award All American team.

Wendell is back for the last time

New Mexico State is roadin' it in Silicon Valley tonight against San Jose State. That means the Spartans just missed facing Big Wen on Wednesday. Mr. McKines is back in the Bay Area for his final collegiate appearance.

Get the party started.

The Batt is back

Bill Paterson writes about Mr. Sutter's Fort Coach Terry Battenberg's return to the sidelines.

Salesian by a trey over SJND

Jimmy Durkin reports on Salesian's three-point win over St. Joseph Notre Dame.

BayPreps also has a report plus video.

Cabrill has no problem with DeAnza

From the Cabrillo College basketball site:
The Cabrillo College Seahawks improved to 4-0 in Coast Conference South play with a 24-point win tonight in Cupertino over DeAnza College. DeAnza (10-9, 2-2) came into the game looking to make a statement but instead the Seahawks (14-3, 4-0) made one of their own.

Cabrillo jumped all over the Dons early, taking a 12-0 lead and extending that to 16-2. The Seahawks lead at the half 36-25.

The second half was more of the same as the Seahawks got some outstanding perimeter shooting from Joe Saarem who connected on four three-point baskets in the half. Cabrillo was up by as much as 27 with 4:00 to go.

Aaron Short led all scorers with 19 points. Saarem had 15 points on five treys. Tyler Velasquez had 12 points. Frank Rogers and Thomas Pierce scored nine and eight respectively.

Merritt over Contra Costa

Merritt 74, Contra Costa 50

Merritt College

Tyler (Rodriguez High) Idowu 5 6-6 16 (plus 14 rebounds)
Nick (Bishop O'Dowd High) Capiti 4 6-6 15
Kareem (Inderkum High) Ransom 5 2-2 13
Eric (El Cerrito High) Nelson 3 2-2 10 (plus 11 rebounds0

Contra Costa College

Kenonte (DeAnza High) Ramsey 3 2-3 11 (three treys)
Tyler West 4 2-2 10

SDSU wins in The Pit

San Diego State went into Albuquerque and emerged with a 77-70 success against New Mexico. Xavier Thames exploded for 22 points (plus four assists) for the Aztecs while Chase Tapley went for 12 markers and seven boards. Drew Gordon put up 15 and eight for the Lobos and also notched four assists.

It takes a while but Yuba bops COA

Jimmy Graben saw an interesting matchup between College of Alameda and Yuba College in a tale of two halves.

Mendocino two better than COM

Dave Curtis offers a game report of Mendocino College's down-to-the-wire victory over College of Marin.

SHC over Riordan

Jeremy Balan has the details of Sacred Heart Cathedral's 14 point win over Riordan.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

De'End Parker coming home

A tweet from Brad Winton/JUCORecruiting:
"De'end Parker transferring out of UCLA. Headed back to bay area. Parker originally committed to Cal out of JC"

The latest on the Advanced Sports Training Institute (ASTI)

Anthony Eggleton and Aalim Moor II both report that the announcement of their collaboration -- Advanced Sports Training Institute -- has received many positive responses locally, regionally and nationally, including some from various heavyweights in the basketball world and the world of entertainment."

Eggleton and Moor

As Eggleton put it earlier, "Our goal is to create a whole new reality, breaking down walls and barriers. I see this as a responsibility to the world."

Their plan, the New Movement, is to remove the "Berlin Wall" barriers so often in place in basketball through the fusion of community-wide unity, positivity and a holistic player-centric focus and infrastructure. The goal is to eventually roll it out across the nation.

Here's the latest:


As Eggleton and Moor explained: "you make the change or the change makes you."

Stay tuned.

For donations and/or further information, please contact Aalim A. Moor, II via the information below:

Aalim A. Moor, II
Co-Owner
Advanced Sports Training Institute LLC
3820 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, Ca. 94609
510-653-8977 (office)
510-435-9825 (cell)
Aalim@AdvancedSportsTrainingInstitute.com
info@AdvancedSportsTrainingInstitute.com

Adams versus Andoh

Both headed back east so it's been easy to lose track of them but it's worthy to note that that the paths of former Archbishop Mitty graduates John Adams (Lehigh 14-5, 2-1 University) and Enoch Andoh (Bucknell 13-6, 3-0 University) may cross tonight as the top two teams in the Patriot League match up. Both are in their senior year.

John Adams 

Enoch Andoh

Sierra College over CRC

Sierra 92, Cosumnes River 77

Sierra College

Drew Brandon 10 5-6 28 (three treys)
Jamie Ball 7 3-4 21 (four treys)
Devin Murphy 5 2-5 12
Gabriel Findley 6 0-0 12
Markus Moore 4 3-4 11

Cosumnes River College

Tony Gill 10 2-2 25
James Tillman 7 4-11 18
Ryan Salmonson 5 1-1 11

Bill Paterson catching you up on Sacto area high school hoops

Bill Paterson checks in with a column chock full of Sacramento area prep basketball items.

The latest East Bay Boys Basketball poll

Per Jimmy Durkin, the East Bay Boys Basketball Poll for this week is out.

DeAnza High wins again

Ben Enos features Steve Evans-led DeAnza High which is 15-4 on the season and just beat Pinole.

Serra and Half Moon Bay featured

Glenn Reeves serves up a prep basketball update, primarily focused on Serra High's big week and the fast start for Half Moon Bay High.

Dakarai Allen interviewed

BallIsLife is offering a short video interview with Sheldon High's Dakarai Allen.

A Brian Stafford/Denver update

Denver is 14-4 so far this season (including wins over St. Mary's and Utah State) and being led by Brian Stafford who is scoring a team-leading 14.6 points per game on 41% overall shooting, 47% on three-point attempts.

Dom Artis with some national pub

Christian Bradley offered this analysis after watching Dominic Artis play for Findlay Prep in this past weekend's Hoophall Classic tourney:
"Oregon-commit Dominic Artis (21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists) proved to be one of the top performers of the tournament, showing off his unbelievable athleticism and strength to score nearly at will against inferior Simeon defenders. Artis was fearless when going to the rim, having no problem taking any contact that may come his way, and go on to most likely finish the strong lay-up anyways"

DVC over SacCity

Diablo Valley 78, Sacramento City 47

Diablo Valley College


Brian Goins 7 3-3 19
Ronnie Baker 5 2-2 15 (three treys)
Tyerelle Phillips 3 5-7 11
Damon Jones 3 2-3 10

Sacramento City College

DeSean Atkins 3 3-4 10

SRJC 80, MJC 66

Ron Agostini has all the details of Santa Rosa Junior College's 14 point victory over host Modesto Junior College.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Jacob Noisat to be on "Chronicle Live"

By the way, Dominican University's Jacob (Chabot College) Noisat will be a guest tonight on "Chronicle Live" on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. following Warriors game in Cleveland.

The leading scorer in the Ivy League is ...

Hey, take a look at who is the top scorer in the Ivy League at the moment:

1. Barbour, Brian-COLUMBIA 25.0

By the way, Oliver McNally is tied for fourth place at 17 points per game.

Grant "Boo" Vermeer with more hoops posts

Grant Vermeer is back with a trio of posts: in order, here, here and here

What an educational series these are, providing insight that simply doesn't appear anywhere else. You'll gain insight by reading the entries at Vermeer's blog and that's the greatest compliment that can be offered.

Nor Cal Preps/Steve Hu all over the MLK Classic

Steve Hu of NorCalPreps has the outcomes, details and player highlights of every Martin Luther King Classic contest played yesterday, all in one article.

Chiverton score 26

Seattle beat Eastern Washington 91-78 despite a big effort (26 points, 6-13 on trey attempts) from EW's Collin Chiverton.

Mitch Stephens on the MLK Classic outcomes

Mitch Stephens checks in with scores and more of the games at the Martin Luther King Classic at Haas Pavilion.

DLS over Mitty

Jimmy Durkin was present and accounted for in the matchup of basketball titans De La Salle and Archbishop Mitty. It was a close one but the former took it in OT.

Salesian romps (and more)

Ben Enos serves up coverage of Salesian High's 21 point victory over Sacramento High, plus all the games at the MLK Classic in Berkeley.

Antelope gallops by Center

Bill Paterson provides the coverage of the Common Good tourney games, including Antelope High getting past Center High.

Franklin tops Deer Valley

Joe Davidson offers the details of Franklin's High win over Deer Valley.

Thomas to the gridiron

Joe Davidson has the scoop on Sheldon's Kyi Thomas turning to college football.

New Top 10 from SanFranPreps

SanFranPreps has a new City Top 10 posted, with Sacred Heart Cathedral leading the way.

A note about UC Davis

(With an apology to Andrew Lloyd Webber) don't cry for me UC Davis fans for the tide will turn. Your residence in Aggie-dom will be rewarded and rewarding and here's why:

Coach Jim Les has a core of players in Ryan Sypkens (whose season-ending injury has really limited the team's firepower), Tyler Les, Josh Ritchart, JT Adenrele, Tyrell Corbin, plus Corey Hawkins redshirting.  This bunch possesses the necessary skill sets plus solid athleticism, if not yet the requisite experience in both college basketball and Coach Jim Les' new style.

Plus, help is on the way in 5-foot-10 point Darius Graham, 6-foot-4 wing Tyler Ott (although Ott's tenure will at some point be interrupted by his LDS mission) and 6-foot-2 combo backcourter Olivier Paul-Betu. Each possesses plus athleticism and the ability to get one's own shot.

Putting points on the scoreboard should not be a problem in the next or future seasons for the Aggies.

However, at least one but but maybe two frontcourters, ones who can contribute in the paint right away, must be signed. Ritchart seems best suited for at least some time at the wing and two large additions will allow that to take place. The current bigs are Alex Tiffin, who is appearing as more of help off the bench, Mike Kurtz who must add weight and strength in order to be effective and walk-on Justin Dueck. None yet appear as guys don't (yet) appear as talents who can win the individual nightly battles at their position.

UC Davis is an attractive option academically and having a new coach also allows the opportunity of convincing recruits to come in and be program changers. Add in the opportunity for major playing time and you can bet the Aggie coaching staff will have added center/power forward talent and beef by the time April concludes.

But what also needs to come around is a player commitment to defending, a mindset of preventing points. Graham will certainly bring that and it's nice when the tip of the defensive spear prides himself on making opponents work for everything. That contagion needs spreading.

An Aaron Hendricks update

Former Del Oro High standout Aaron Hendricks, currently at New Hampton School in New Hampshire, won the Skills Challenge Three Point Shooting Contest at the Hoophall Classic held in Springfield (MA) this weekend.

The Classic is an invite only tournament featuring top players and teams from around the country. The contest and a lineup of games were featured on ESPN3. You can see the Skills Challenge on the Replay area of ESPN3.com -- it's titled: Geico ESPNHS Basketball Showcase Skills Challenge.

Aaron also was recently honored as the December Athlete of the Month for New Hampton:
Aaron Hendricks '12
1/6/2012

A two-year member of the Men's Varsity A Basketball team,  Aaron Hendricks ’12 always sets a positive example for his teammates by demonstrating an exemplary commitment to his academics and in his willingness to compete in both practice and in games. He is a valued player who is willing to accept his role and is eager to help his team. Aaron consistently sacrifices his body and is second on the team in charges taken this year. Aaron is most often recognized for the work he does from behind the three-point line where he shoots better than 50 percent. Over the holiday break, he scored in double figures during each game of the Mercer Invitational Tournament at The Hill School and was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament for his consistent, strong play. The Athletic Department is thrilled to award the December Athlete of the Month award goes to the "Human Hoop," Aaron Hendricks.

Justin Standley located

Finally located Justin Standley, the former McClymonds backcourter.

After a season at Western Nebraska Community College, he is now playing for Coach Quincy Brewer at San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC).

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 220, Justin is averaging 10 points per game while shooting 32% overall, 29% from long distance and 76% at the free throw line -- this in 10 games so far

He scored 12 points and passed for four assists in the latest SBVC game.

The Wolverines are 14-4 on the season.

Connor Haysbert honored

From Dave Albee, Associate Director of Public Relations at Dominican University, comes word of an honor for Connor Haysbert:

Supported by a career-high 21 point effort at Grand Canyon University last Wednesday, Dominican University of California sophomore Connor Haysbert has been named to the Pacific West Conference Weekly Top 10 Honor Roll this week.

The league office announced the list today from its media office in Phoenix.  The weekly honor is for games contested from Jan. 9-15.


Haysbert, a Biological Sciences major out of Center High School in Sacramento, scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the first half at Grand Canyon on 7-of-10 shooting. He connected on 8-of-11 shots from the floor in the game and also grabbed five rebounds, tying his career-high.


Two nights later, Haysbert tallied six of his nine points in the first half at Dixie State College in Utah.


For the week, Haysbert made 11 of 18 shots (61.1 percent) while averaging 15 points a game. In his last four games – all starts – the 6-foot-8, 240-pound sophomore power has shot .529 percent (18-of-34) and averaged 12.3 points a game. He has moved up to seventh in the PacWest Conference in field goal percentage (.515, 51-of-99), one spot behind Penguins’ teammate Jacob Noisat.


Haysbert, who was the Most Valuable Player in the Capital Valley League as a senior in high school and named “Newcomer of the Year” as a freshman at Dominican, will lead the Penguins against Chaminade on Thursday in the Conlan Center. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

A Roderick Bobbitt update

Former Castro Valley High backcourter Roderick Bobbitt is a freshman at Indian Hills College (Iowa) this season, a perennial national powerhouse currently sporting an 18-0 record.

Bobbitt is shooting 40% overall, 23% from three-point range and 70% from the foul line. He is averaging 9.8 points per game.

CCSF back on top in state rankings

From Robert Schmidt:

California State Poll 1-16-2012

1.   San Francisco, 17-2
2.   Citrus, 16-1
3.   Mt. San Jacinto, 15-3
4.   Yuba, 19-3
5.   Fresno, 19-3

6.   Los Angeles Southwest, 14-5
7.   Santa Rosa, 19-3
8.   San Bernardino, 14-4
9.   Diablo Valley, 16-2
10. Antelope Valley, 15-3
11. Mt. San Antonio, 13-5
12. Cabrillo, 13-3
13. Imperial Valley, 14-4
14. (tie) Irvine, 15-4/Saddleback, 12-7
16. Cosumnes River, 13-6
17. Modesto, 14-5
18. Contra Costa, 11-6
19. Foothill, 14-6

20. San Diego City, 12-6

Northern California Regional Poll 1-16-2012

1.   San Francisco
2.   Yuba
3.   Fresno
4.   Santa Rosa
5.   Diablo Valley
6.   Cabrillo
7.   Cosumnes River
8.   Modesto
9.   Contra Costa
10. Foothill
11. Chabot
12. Las Positas
13. DeAnza
14. Mendocino
15. Sacramento

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Announcing the Advanced Sports Training Institute (ASTI)

"Be the change you want to see in this world" -- Gandhi

With that as bedrock inspiration and guidance, Anthony Eggleton and Aalim Moor II have now partnered to create the Advanced Sports Training Institute (ASTI).   


"It's a new vision for northern California," Moor explained, adding "our desire is to create a movement and build an infrastructure using a holistic and inclusive approach so that we have well-rounded young people becoming citizens of the community. It's a matter of cultivating beneficial values so that the culture thrives."

Eggleton, also the strength and conditioning coach at Salesian High, is very well known in the East Bay and beyond for his Ant's Mind and Body training but this new endeavor goes further.

 Legendary Trainer, Master Teacher and Mentor to all Anthony Eggleton

He said, "it's important that we call it an institute because we will be teaching and, as a group, we can make this happen. I've always been about passing on knowledge to others so that they can grow and establish their own identity. Our goal is to create a whole new reality, breaking down walls and barriers. I see this as a responsibility to the world."

Count Moor as a member of Eggleton's fan club: ""Anthony is a master teacher, one of the most uniquely talented, spiritually enlightened, well balanced and brilliant people I have ever met. I'm humbled and honored to finally be working with him. We've been trying to find a way to link up for over 15 years and now we've found the mechanism to do it. I'm thrilled to be working alongside him. We're all very excited and motivated to help build, shape, change and transform the world as we know it, one young person at a time."

Another individual who will be a mainstay is Kelvin Potts, he of the KP Project. Potts is on board as a basketball skills trainer: "I'm coming in with the purpose of developing basketball skills, all aspects of the fundamentals and some of the new basketball style."

Here's Eggleton on Potts: "I worked with KP when he played at Fremont High (also Eggleton's alma mater) and with the Oakland Rebels and hoped he would be successful at whatever he chose to do. He has, and will be bringing another level of professionalism to our venture and will broaden what we are doing."

Moor is also well acquainted with Potts. "I had the privilege of coaching him when he was a seventh grader and we brought him up to the 8th grade team because of his level of maturity and leadership."

Weighing in on the side of facilities and girls basketball training especially is Laney College Coach Ron Williams. "We have been doing outreach for some time and this new arrangement will be cutting edge crazy and revolutionary. There's a definite need for it."

Williams, who besides coaching at Laney has assisted at San Francisco State plus been the head coach at El Cerrito High and Alameda High, has a special interest and expertise in injury prevention, a bane especially on the female side of hoops.

Marqus Coleman of the Marqus Coleman Elite Boot Camp will be playing a major role in the Movement as well, working with the womens program and all other aspects of ASTI as well.

 Community Organizer, Local Business Man and Long time Oakland/Bay Area Basketball Maven Aalim A. Moor, II

Williams and Moor go way back. "Aalim played power forward at Berkeley High and I was a guard. He was a killer on the court, wrecking a lot of people's dreams our senior year."

Here are the foundation components of the New Movement:

* football camps
* basketball camps
* basketball showcases (tournaments)
* livestreaming of events
* instructional components for sixth, seventh, eighth graders, high schoolers, college players and professionals
*  Mentorship programs
* Job opportunities
* Business development training

This is what is needed in the Bay Area, needed in northern California, needed across the country -- a player/person-centric system, one that puts the needs and interests of each individual first and facilitates the all-around development of youth on the courts and fields but also in the educational and business world.

For too long, so much has been designed to profit the adults in the equation. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with that direction unless and until that becomes the primary focus. Then it's an enterprise where the transaction is profit based and focused, with crumbs left over for those who could most benefit from a wide spectrum of integrated guidance, direction and development.

It's way past time to go long, so to speak, in facilitating progress in this regard. Additionally, the spectrum of need this endeavor covers is both breath-taking and necessary.

The paradigm has at long last shifted.

 "Our personal and professional unity, commitment and focus to the ASTI Movement. We want to create a spirit of excitement, enthusiasm and encouragement, as well as elicit, educe and evoke positive emotions from all!" according to Anthony and Aalim

The approach of everyone involved here is best summed up in a line from Eggleton: "you are not the world, you are part of it -- be humble."

The ASTI Youtube Channel is: ASTIfam

The ASTI Twitter site is: @ASTIfam

The ASTI Facebook page is: Advanced Sports Training Institute (ASTI)

For donations, please contact: Aalim A. Moor, II at the information below

Aalim A. Moor, II
Co-Owner
Advanced Sports Training Institute LLC
3820 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, Ca. 94609
510-653-8977 (office)
510-435-9825 (cell)
Aalim@AdvancedSportsTrainingInstitute.com
info@AdvancedSportsTrainingInstitute.com