The SALESIAN Pride

There is another team in the Bay Area that many would say exceeded outsider expectations this season and that is Bill Mellis' Salesian College Preparatory squad. The Pride finished at a terrific 28-5 and 10-0.

There are a number of reasons why the Pride should not have been so successful. For one, try a roster featuring just three upperclassmen--two seniors and a junior. They were joined by seven sophomores and three freshman.

Plus, membership in the tough Tri-County League Rock Division which usually guarantees some losses along the way since El Cerrito, St. Patrick-St. Vincent and St. Joseph Notre Dame are annually at or near the top finishers.

Yet concluding #1 in league required downing the Gauchos, Bruins and Pilots three times apiece and such was accomplished.

Of the five Salesian losses this season, all came at the hands of another roll call of high quality opposition: Weston Ranch, Capital Christian, Basha (AZ), at Modesto Christian and finally at De La Salle. That final defeat was 51-45 in a matchup that could have gone either way at the end.

During the season, the Pride also posted a 21-game winning streak.

According to Mellis, "I knew we could be good because we have talented players but it's really hard to go undefeated in our league, so our team even exceeded our own expectations. I believe we won so many games because our team chemistry was great and we really shared the ball."

The Pride roster consists of this group of talents:

• Manny Adeoye, 6-foot-8, freshman
• James Akinjo, 5-foot-10, sophomore
• Brandon Betson, 5-foot-10, sophomore
• Jamario Bibb, 6-foot-4, sophomore
• Derek E'Denchukwu, 6-foot-5, senior
• Henry E'Denchukwu, 6-foot-3, sophomore
• Joshua Jefferson, 6-foot-4, sophomore
• Derrick Langford, 6-foot-1, sophomore
• Jaden McClanahan, 5-foot-9, freshman
• Jovon McClanahan, 5-foot-9 freshman
• Brandon McGhee, 6-foot-2, senior
• Jalen Scott, 6-foot-0, sophomore
• Ke'mare Wright, 6-foot-0, sophomore

Mellis offered, "the kids nowadays are playing year-around so being young isn't a big factor. The biggest issue with us is strength because we're two years of lifting behind when we play against juniors and seniors."

Now talent is certainly a factor in any success but here's another thought: maybe being young can be a positive in the sense that kids don't know they shouldn't be winning just yet.