November 24, 2011
As basketball season officially tips off Thanksgiving weekend, the release of the final five completes the boys basketball preseason rankings. The Top 5 includes four state finalists and all return at least one Division I prospect. Does Mitty enter the year at No. 1? Will key transfers hurt two perennial Bay Area powers?
COACH: Doug Vierra
LAST SEASON:25-7, Lost in finals of the CIF Division III State Playoffs
FINAL 2010 RANKING: No. 6 in NCP Top 20
STRENGTHS: Richard Longrus, Terrence Daniel, and Kendall Jackson are all in the NCP Top 40 Basketball player rankings. Longrus and Daniel are both heading to the Pac-12. Jackson is a quality point guard leading the team.
QUESTION MARKS: With Brandon Ashley going to Findlay Prep, the loss would be assumed to be big. However, the Dragons have up and coming freshman Ivan Rabb, who probably will be close to 7-foot by the time he graduates. Depth and bench play will probably be the bigger concern than post play.
KEY GAMES OUTSIDE OF LEAGUE PLAY: McClymonds, Berkeley, and Sheldon headline the non-league matchups. The latter two will show if the Dragons can run up tempo or not.
OUTLOOK: Last year saw the Dragons fall to Castro Valley in league play. This year's team will be the preseason favorites and be one of the top teams in Division III. |
COACH: Joey Rollings
LAST SEASON: 24-8, Lost in semi-finals of the NorCal Division I playoffs
FINAL 2010 RANKING: No. 5 in NCP Top 20 STRENGTHS: The team returns Dakarai Allen, Kyiron Thomas, and D'Erryl Williams II as starters. Thomas is a 2012 wing prospect ranked No. 7 in the 2012 class. Allen and Williams are juniors who are becoming national recruiting targets. Armani Hampton, Chris Haney, Jalen Hicks, and Ryan Manning are all 2013 prospects that will surprise some as they enter the starting lineup and main rotation. The Huskies will have more depth in their up tempo pace in the upcoming season.
QUESTION MARKS: Leadership will be a big question for this team. Last season's team had Darius Nelson or Ramon Eaton breaking down defenses on the dribble or taking clutch shot. How will this year's team respond to dry spells and tough situations?
KEY GAMES OUTSIDE OF LEAUGE PLAY: McClymonds, St. Ignatius, Archbishop Mitty, Franklin-Elk Grove, Bishop O'Dowd, Salesian, and Berkeley make up the non-league schedule. Add on the league play and Sheldon will have one of the tougher overall schedules.
OUTLOOK: Expect this team to gel towards the end of the season and really be a playoff favorite. The Huskies have depth and more athleticism than most teams. The youth on this team should not be a surprise.
COACH: Frank Allocco
LAST SEASON: 27-6, Lost in the finals of the CIF Division I State Playoffs
FINAL 2010 RANKING: No. 3 in NCP Top 20
STRENGTHS: Amadi Udenyi and Elliott Pitts will be the core for this team. Udenyi is a senior guard with a long wingspan for a point guard. Pitts is a versatile junior wing who plays bigger than his position. Both have been drawing interest from Division I programs after their summer season. The team will have seven seniors who will play significant minutes. Coach Frank Allocco will be able to rotate a core group guys in pressure defense and matchup schemes.
QUESTION MARKS: When asked of De La Salle's weaknesses, Udenyi says, "We have a great coaching staff and great head coach that is something that gives us an edge. I can't see any weakness at the moment. I feel we are in a good position right now. We just have to continue to go out and work hard."
KEY GAMES OUTSIDE OF LEAGUE PLAY: The Spartans will be hosting their annual Chris Vontoure tournament in early December and then they make a trip to Hawaii before Christmas for the Iolani Classic. The Archbishop Mitty matchup will square off the state representatives from Division I and II last year.
OUTLOOK: The Spartans had an under the radar team from last year that exceeded expectations. With a core group returning, the expectations will be high. The defense should keep the team competitive in all games. If the Spartans force the opponent to play at their tempo, then they will be difficult to defeat. |
COACH: Tim Kennedy
LAST SEASON: 32-2, CIF Division II State Champions
FINAL 2010 RANKING: No. 1 in NCP Top 20
STRENGTHS: Junior Aaron Gordon and Senior Neil Vranicar will be the leaders for this defending state champion. Both will probably play small forward in college but due to their size, they will be manning the paint.
QUESTION MARKS: The Monarchs need to replace both guards (Kyle Toth and Colin Wan) and wing (Brandon White) from last season. Opposing teams will probably key on Gordon and Vranicar on offense while forcing the new starters to convert. In addition, the backcourt needs to be able to handle pressure defenses and full court presses.
KEY GAMES OUTSIDE OF LEAGUE PLAY: A December 10 matchup with Sheldon in Moraga will be an early measurement of the team's backcourt. Sheldon plays an up tempo pace with a multi guard set that can fluster opposing teams. The MLK Classic will have the Monarchs face against De La Salle.
OUTLOOK: Mitty has a 20 game winning streak going into the new season. The Monarchs are well coached and have one of the top players in the country in Gordon. He is capable of taking over the game on either end of the floor but the Monarchs will need some solid guard play and bench play to make another run. |
COACH: Bill Mellis
LAST SEASON: 26-12, Lost in the finals of the CIF Division IV State Playoffs
FINAL 2010 RANKING: No. 2 in NCP Top 20
STRENGTHS: Despite the departure of Dominic Artis to Findlay Prep, Salesian has a plethora of guards available to replace him. Juniors Mario Dunn and Markel Leonard will be the in the starting backcourt. Another junior, Jabari Bird, will be the key wing player and is a top tier national prospect. Leonard says about the departure of Artis, "I think we will handle it fine. We have guards that can pick up DA's minutes and scoring. Obviously, we miss him because he is a great player but we have other guys who can pick up the slack."
QUESTION MARKS: Size and rebounding will be question marks for the Pride. Until football season is done for Freddie Tagaloa, a 6-foot-8 prospect, Salesian does not have a true post player.
KEY GAMES OUTSIDE OF LEAGUE PLAY: Berkeley (January 13), Sacramento (January 16), and Sheldon (February 4) are three of the more interesting matchups for the Pride, who are also participating in the Gridley Invitational Basketball Tournament.
OUTLOOK: Salesian will still be the favorites to defend the BSAL and to be a postseason threat in Division IV. Not many teams will be able to match up with the Pride's athleticism. |
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