Article 253: East meets West

September 19, 2011

The inaugural two day West Coast Exposure Basketball Camp presented by Muscle Milk and C9 by Champion in Walnut Creek provided mutual exposure for Division III/NAIA schools and Northern California basketball talent. Run by Oakland based Ant's Mind and Body, coaches from the east included Colby College (Maine), Oberlin College (Ohio), Salisbury School (prep school that former St. Mary's Berkeley Glenn Baral attends in Connecticut) Skidmore University (New York), Tufts University (Massachusetts), Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri), and Wesleyan University (Connecticut) while California Maritime (Vallejo), Pacific Lutheran (Tacoma, Washington), Pomona Pitzer (Claremont), and UC Santa Cruz represented west coast schools.

Twelve college level men's coaches instructed the 140 high school boys and seven college women coaches attended to the 75 girls in separate gym locations. The prospects were given hands on coaching, personal evaluations, and exposure from actual college coaches, many of whom have had Division I coaching experience. A question and answer session addressed the application process, academic rigor, and college lifestyle.

The overwhelming majority of recruits do not end up playing Division I and they are allowed five official visits to Division I colleges, but must pay their own expenses to visit lower division schools. Hence, the camp served to help bridge the information gap.

Here are the camp participants who caught our eye on Sunday:

Isaiah Boone 6-foot-3 PG Lick Wilmerding 2012: Boone has been a varsity player since his sophomore year. He is a quick player who moves well on his feet on defense. Boone has a good frame for a guard. The city of San Francisco has been headlined by Sacred Heart Cathedral, St. Ignatius, and University in recent years. But Boone leads a Lick team that can make some noise and challenge University in their division this year.

Jeffrey Parker 6-foot-6 F Salesian 2012: Parker has been overshadowed his Salesian team. But he is a long and versatile player who has a good outside shot and post move. Parker plays physical and could easily be the featured player on lesser teams.

Jamir Andrews 6-foot-2 SG Dublin 2013: Andrews has been on varsity since his freshman season. He possesses a good pull up jumper and is big for a guard who can post up smaller players. His Dublin team also has JoJo McGlaston and Eric Nielsen to make a formidable team.

Tavita Jimenez 6-foot-3 SG Serra 2012: Jimenez is going into his second year on varsity. Jimenez displayed good passing, solid on ball defender, and a mid range shot. He will help fill the void left by Connor Mcgrath for the Padres.

Adam Wuebbens 6-foot-3 SG Piedmont 2013: Wuebbens has a good perimeter shot and sees the court well. Has a good frame for a guard. He will be going into his second year as a starter.

Deryck Ylanan 6-foot-2 W Moreau Catholic 2012: All round complete player. Ylanan is able to do a little bit of everything and is strong enough to guard bigger players and quick enough to guard smaller ones.

Noah Labonte 6-foot-5 F Deer Valley 2012: Labonte showed good hustle and physical play. He will have to provide some interior play for Deer Valley as Andre Mcphail has gone on to prep school.

Alec Fetzer 6-foot-3 G St. Helena 2012: Good shooter who can create and sees the court well. Fetzer will be going into his third year on varsity.

Dylan James-Kavanaugh 6-foot-4 SG Piedmont 2013: One of the better, accurate perimeter shooters in the area. Good wingspan for a guard. Played for Norcal Supreme under noted shooting instructor Glen Graham.

John and Michael Daily 6-foot-1 G College Park 2012: The Daily twins do a little of everything in terms of passing, shooting, and defense. They are the type of players that play physical and relentless. You love to have them on your team but hate to have to play against them as they are not afraid "to get into your grill."

Grant Vermeer 6-foot-2 SG Bellarmine 2013: Vermeer is a solid perimeter shooter who can pass. Plays tight on the ball defense. Bellarmine returns a more seasoned team that may surprise some in the WCAL.

Jonny Crosthwaite 6-foot-5 SF and Connor Jean 6-foot-0 G Northgate 2012: Northgate looks to be a solid team in the upcoming season. Crosthwaite is a versatile defender who can guard any player on the floor with his size and quickness. He plays smart. Jean is an accurate shooter and can direct floor traffic well.

Clinton Noble Jr. 6-foot-5 PF Castro Valley: Raw basketball skills but physically developed. Even without polished offensive skills, he can contribute with his body in terms of rebounding, screens, and defense.

Alek Carlson 6-foot-5 SF Turlock 2012: Carlson is a complete player at the small forward spot. Has a good size and frame to play inside and rebound but also has a good perimeter game to create matchup problems.

Tyronne Gaines 6-foot-0 SG Fremont Oakland 2014: Mcclymonds is probably the OAL favorite going into this season. But Gaines is a scorer who should average double digits as he has a high, accurate release on his perimeter shot and is fearless in going to the basket. His Fremont Oakland team is young and probably will not make much noise this year. But the 2013 and 2014 teams could be pile driver loud.

Owen Putz 6-foot-10 C Half Moon Bay 2013: Putz has good fundamentals for a big man. He rebounds well, keeps the ball high, and makes good outlet passes. He runs the floor reasonably well but could add some more bulk before heading to college.

Ryan Diew 6-foot-1 G Head Royce 2013: In the one on one competition, Diew was nearly unstoppable in his perimeter shooting and dribble drive to the basket. Diew is a sleeper in the upcoming season as he will be going into his first year on varsity and also since he is playing in a lower division for Head Royce. But he has the tools to average 20 plus.

Richard Harris 6-foot-6 PF Menlo: Probably the most active player at the camp and translates into a productive player in terms of points, rebounds, and defense. His motor was nonstop.

Jamaree Strickland 6-foot-8 Post McClymonds 2012: Was in attendance on Saturday to look into prep school options.

McKenzie Moore 6-foot-5 SG College Park 2011: Moore is headed to City College of San Francisco.

Article 252: Cardinals outrun VC

September 17, 2011

In a matchup of Top 20 teams in San Jose, host and No. 9 Valley Christian was looking to duplicate last year's 34-0 defeat of No. 16 Cardinal Newman. However, the Warriors lost running back Byron Marshall midway in the second quarter and the Newman offense found its rhythm to avenge last year's loss with a 35-28 victory. Steven Tomasin accounted for three touchdown runs in the win.

Offense: The Cardinal's run game helped to set up the pass. The offense really reminded one of the current Nebraska Cornhusker offense as quarterback Matt Sullivan often took off up the middle for sizable runs, handed off to Tomasin, or threw in the open middle space vacated by the linebackers who cheated on the run support defense. Sullivan accounted for the other two scores as he threw for a 62 yard score and had a one yard dive for a touchdown. After the game, Tomasin stated that the team gave good effort and executed well. Sullivan noted that the offense was balanced as the offensive line opened big running lanes but also was solid in pass protection.

When Marshall came up hobbled in the middle of the second quarter, the prospect of winning looked bleek for the Warriors. But they have a deep running game. Jarrod Lawson accounted for the first score of the game by going 43 yards to give VC its only lead of the game at 7-0. The deceptively fast Lawson tied the game at 14-14 with a 63 yard run. Ryan Severson also ran for a 42 yard score to tie the game at 21 midway in the third quarter. Sophomore quarterback Jay MacIntyre is still raw but has the tools to be an effective passer. But opposing defenses will probably put eight men in the box to force the young signal-caller to beat them with his arm. Despite being down by 14 points with about six minutes left, Valley Christian was run heavy in a scoring drive that cut the deficit to 35-28 but also left less than two minutes left in the game.

Defense: Newman allowed a few break away runs but for the most part tackled well and limited the damage to those long touchdown runs. The Cardinals looked to be the more physical team and was flying to the ball in this game. After the game, some of the Cardinal players were bloodied up and muddied up despite the fact that the Valley Christian field is artificial turf.

Valley Christian made some big plays to keep them in it that included two interceptions by Dillion Saldivar. But Newman's balance on offense kept the Warrior defense guessing.

What's Next: Cardinal Newman ends their regular season non-league play at Palma next week. Ironically, Palma's postseason ended last year against Valley Christian. A win against Palma would allow the Cardinals to avenge both of their non-league losses from a year ago. Palma is run oriented but also has a big wide receiver threat in Noah Allen. In addition, the defensive line is anchored by Jack Powers.

Cardinal Newman is the dominant team in Division III and there is no reason to think that they will not continue so for the rest of the season. Last year's team missed out on a state title invitation despite a formidable strength of schedule. This balanced offense looks to be a difficult matchup for opposing defenses.

Valley Christian ends its non-league schedule with a home matchup against a talented Vacaville team that upset Granite Bay and played well against Marin Catholic. Marshall's injury is reported to be a shoulder and he may not be available in the next game.

Regardless of Marshall's status, the Warriors' running game will be keyed on by opposing defenses. The passing game will need to be the difference in the more contested games. The defense looked to be physically dominated in this loss and will face similar physical opponents in the WCAL.

WCAL outlook: Sacred Heart Cathedral and Serra are both undefeated at 3-0. Serra had to squeeze a win over DIII Encinal in overtime and St. Francis bounced back as they got their first win against Willow Glen. Before league play even starts, the early favorites would have to be Bellarmine and Serra.

Division III outlook: Marin Catholic had a very good win against Vacaville who will play Valley Christian next week. And of course, Cardinal Newman probably has the season's signature win for the DIII teams up to now.

Article 251: Palma 'Powers' up

September 16, 2011

In video games, the protagonist is often chasing mushrooms or getting magical stars to power up his skill level. In high school, football teams often look for their junior varsity squads to reload the varsity team. In the case of the Palma Chieftains, they are literally powering up with 2013 defensive end Jack Powers.

At 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, Powers is a force at the line as he also can run the 40 yard dash in 5.0 seconds, bench press 250 pounds, and squat 400 pounds. The junior has been a starter since his sophomore year when he helped Palma to a 13-1-1 record. As a sophomore, Powers recorded 71 tackles, 5 fumble recoveries, 7 deflected passes, 6 sacks, 1 blocked punt, and 1 interception that earned him 2nd team all TCAL, TCAL sophomore of the year, and first team all-state defensive team.

Palma Coach Jeff Carnazzo says, "Jack has great size and athleticism. He is a hard worker and is a team leader. He also shows great toughness. Jack plays hard on every play and is the key to our defense. He is our Rush end and plays equally well against the pass and the run."

Powers models his game after 49er Justin Smith because he is huge and physical, but has enough finesse to be a rushing threat. Powers is used as an outside rush that stops the run but also puts pressure on quarterbacks.

Powers sports a 3.50 GPA as English is his best subject and he is undecided on his major. He wants to play for a great coach at a great program where he can showcase his skills. He is open in his geography and is looking for a solid academic program.

Coach Carnazzo adds, "Jack is a great leader on and off the field. He is a very good student and a great person. Jack is a definite Division 1 prospect. The sky is the limit for Jack and he is only a junior. As long as he continues to dedicate himself he will be able to excel at any level."

Powers was raised in an Irish Catholic home and considers family to be important as he has seven siblings. His immediate goals for his football team are to win TCAL, CCS, and then state.

Powers also has started on the varsity basketball team since his freshman year and has been to a CCS championship and a CCs semifinal game in his first two years. Last year, he was named TCAL first team All League and Monterey Herald first team all county. Despite his success in basketball, his main focus is on football.

This defensive end should be pin balling off of opposing offensive lines into the quarterback. Palma to "Powers" up in its journey to a deep postseason run in Salinas, California for the next two years. Then watch for Powers to level up to the college gridiron in the fall of 2013.