A handful of links for you today

He would say it just because he has been there so long and all due to others but Diablo Valley College's Steve Coccimiglio is a Bay Area basketball institution and just earned victory #500. Steve Corkran offers a very good feature. Key quote from a former player: "Coach was vested in you on and off the court. He wanted to make sure that his players grow up to be young, productive citizens. At the end of the day, that's his biggest victory: the players he coached and the men he raised." 

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Ben Enos has the details on a high school conference realignment proposal.  

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Jose San Mateo highlights last week's stellar play by Bethel's Rodney Cook. 

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Thomas Gase previews tonight's the St. Patrick St. Vincent - Salesian matchup. 

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George Watkins looks at the Palma High sophomore class.

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Here is another feature on now Manhattan basketballer Kevin Laue.

Saturday's links and scores

Here's the Jose San Mateo/Vallejo Times article that apparently spurred the whole Jabari Bird situation.

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Sierra College 81, Modesto Junior College 71

Sierra -- Makrus (Brookside Christian) Moore 30, Casey (Del Oro) Arent 13, Darell (Burbank) Gordon 11

Modesto -- Brian Cooksey 12, Julian Green 10, Kory Johnson 10

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We didn't know this: there's a film detailing the Kevin Laue story. Here's the Wikipedia entry on Kevin.

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Former Richmond High star Wendell McKines is tweetin' away about Logan, Utah as his New Mexico State team faces Utah State. It doesn't appear he is searching for a summer home in Logan nor awaiting being awarded a key to the city by the mayor. Wendell is constitutionally incapable of ever being milquetoast and thankfully so.

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Here's a good read on Santa Cruz High backcourter Zen Maki.

Harbor High's Colin Grumer scored 42 points in a win over Aptos High. Grumer is headed to Northern Arizona next season.

Also in Santa Cruz County, Cabrillo College ripped West Valley 84-38.

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St. Mary's upends St. Patrick-St. Vincent -- go here.

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Archbishop Mitty 63, Archbishop Riordan 23

Archbishop Mitty -- Kyle Toth 6-0-17 (five treys), Aaron Gordon 4-4-12, Brent Younger 5-0-10

Archbishop Riordan -- Aaron Anderson 1-4-7, Brandon Edison 2-0-6,

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Serra 50, St. Francis 45

Serra -- Connor McGrath 5-7-18, Henry Caruso 3-4-10

St. Francis -- Khalid Johnson 4-0-12 (four treys), Sean Dawkins 4-1-11, Drew Dickey 3-3-9

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Sacramento 78, Kennedy 66

Sacramento -– Robert Garrett 27, Erik Kenny 16, Darius Graham 12, Aaron Cameron 10

Kennedy -– Derrick West 23

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San Marin 53 (Stuart Wesonga 20 points/24 boards), Branson 45

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Redwood 55 (Michael best 20 points), Terra Linda 50

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Cardinal Newman won convincingly over Maria Carrillo as Howard Senzell reports.

Here's another Kevin Laue article

East Bay native plays with one hand, big heart
Jeff Faraudo
Bay Area News Group
12/28/2009

RIVERDALE, N.Y.

For Skip Connors, whose son, Jackson, was born in the spring without a right hand, the biggest fear was the unknown.

Kevin Laue chased away that fear.

Connors read in The New York Times about how Laue, a 6-foot-10 graduate of Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, signed a national letter of intent in April with Manhattan College, making him the first one-handed Division I scholarship player in NCAA men's basketball history.

Connors, who lives in New York City, is friends with Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen. Last summer, the coach arranged for Connors to meet Laue on campus in the tiny Bronx community of Riverdale.

"I don't know why," Connors said, "but one of the first things I asked him was, 'How do you tie your shoes?' "

Laue bent down and tied a knot with his right hand. "I looked up and he was real teary-eyed," Laue recalled. "He was like, 'My son can do anything.' "

"I still get choked up," Connors said. "It gave some clarity to a few things."

For years, Laue's quest to play college basketball was a personal battle.

Not anymore...

Go here for the remainder.

Another Kevin Laue article

The pride of Amador Valley High keeps on keeping on. What's that line about NYC -- "...if I can make it there, I can make it anywhere...":

6'11' one-armed hoopster Kevin Laue aims to inspire, motivate far beyond Manhattan College campus
Oren Yaniv
New York Daily News
November 1, 2009

Manhattan College basketball player Kevin Laue has a killer one-handed dunk.

And he couldn't have it any other way.

The freshman center - at 6'11", he's the tallest player on the team - was born without a left arm below his elbow. He overcame his disability, and the rejection of all but one coach, to earn a Division I basketball scholarship.

"I'm having the time of my life," said the 19-year-old Laue...

Go here for the remainder.

A new Kevin Laue story

It doesn't get much more inspirational than this:

Hoopster born without a left hand gets his chance
Cristian Salazar
Associated Press

Laue isn’t supposed to be here, standing on the court practicing for his first season of Division I basketball.

Born without a left hand, the 6-foot-11 center from Pleasanton, Calif., is now a freshman at Manhattan College, having earned a scholarship to play for the Jaspers and a chance to live out the dream of anyone who has been told they couldn’t play a sport they loved because of a physical defect.

When the Jaspers’ season opens on Nov. 14, the question will not be whether Laue can dribble, pass, block, score or rebound, but whether his opponents will underestimate his skills.

“It’s to my advantage,” said Laue, explaining what it’s like to come onto the floor during a game and face his two-handed opponents. “They think they’re going to have an easy game and just whip on some one-handed kid. But I think I’ve surprised a couple people out there.”

Go here for the remainder.