Kiree Hutchings set to go

Santa Cruz High's Kiree Hutchings is like a waterbug on the court, or make that all over the court as he seems to appear in more than one place at a time. The 5-foot-10 Hutchings averaged 15.5 points, 3.1 boards and 2.1 assists per game last season, thereby earning First Team All Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League (SCCAL) honors.

The 2015 prospect posted a season high of 34 points against rival Aptos High in 2013-14 and also packaged together 24 points, 10 boards, 10 assists and seven steals in another contest.

His play for the Cardinals also earned him Central Coast Section Junior of the Year honors from Prep2Prep.

Santa Cruz is coming off a 19-10 season overall, 11-1 in the SCCAL and will likely be favored to again win conference. There's some pressure with Hutchings being a senior on the team and the point guard but with that also comes opportunity.

He determined his game needed a greater challenge than what could be found in Santa Cruz County and made the decision this summer to play with the Golden State Arsenal squad, headed by former California guard Ayinde Ubaka. That also brought him into the circle of Kelvin "KP" Potter who works his Reps on Reps training out of the East Bay. It was a matter of going  against some of the better preps around on a daily basis under the auspices of a former professional player and an up-and-coming trainer.

"It was super beneficial because it was way, way more competitive," Hutchings offered. "There was lots of skill training involved and KP liked my defense a lot."

Santa Cruz High will be getting out and about this season matching up with St. Mary's up in Albany and Leigh High which ended last year with a 24-5 record plus having Oakland High coming down on December 17. That's followed by participation in tournaments at Palma High and then St. Ignatius. SC opens with Skyline High in the latter.

These multiple pairings will be occasions for Hutchings to put on display what was gained over the summer. The level of competition will also now not be something new.

"The [Cardinal] team this season is hugely different," Hutchings explained. "There's greater chemistry and a lot more energy plus the offense has changed." Lawan Milhouse, who has coached basketball in the area for years and was the Santa Cruz JV coach last season, has taken the top spot. "Coach has already had a barbeque for us at his house," Hutchings noted.

As for goals this season, Hutchings said, "Obviously keep the top spot (the Cardinals won league in 2013-14). Aptos will probably be the toughest team but a lot of seniors graduated from the other teams. We also want to keep the chemistry we have."