Just sitting here wondering about some former players in the Bay Area and where they’re at, or what they’re doing?

 Let me start ….. Last I heard former Newark Memorial (George Washington/San Jose State) men’s basketball player Marquin Chandler is playing pro overseas?

Got me thinking about that 2000-01 team that made that run to State. Nick Lash, Vernon Hunter, Matt Rasmussen.

other names:  Jason Steverson, I’lario Vital, Jeff Revay (Washington High), Anthony Oliver (Washington High boys hoops), Jimmy Olson (Encinal High, catcher on the baseball team to Dontelle Willis).

Anyway, you folks get the hint. Let’s some see what you guys can come up with. Anyone with updates, feel free to respond.

Some leagues around the East Bay have already begun and others are getting set to begin this week. A couple of leagues won’t start until after the new year. But here I am ready to give you the NCS Division I bracket three months in advance! OK, well not the actual bracket. But my predictions, anyway. Join in and create your own in the comment section.

This is a prediction of what I think the brackets will look like by the end of the season. Not a prediction of what I think the bracket would be if the season ended today!

 NCS Division I bracket

FIRST ROUND GAMES

No. 8 Granada vs. No. 9 San Ramon Valley

No. 5 Monte Vista vs. No. 12 James Logan

No. 7 Amador Valley vs. No. 10 California

No. 6 Berkeley vs. No. 11 Antioch

SECOND ROUND GAMES 

No. 1 De La Salle vs. No. 8 Granada

No. 4 Castro Valley vs. No. 5 Monte Vista

No. 2 Newark Memorial vs. No. 10 California

No. 3 San Leandro vs. No. 6 Berkeley

SEMIFINAL GAMES

No. 1 De La Salle vs. No. 5 Monte Vista

No. 2 Newark Memorial vs. No. 3 San Leandro

FINAL

No. 1 De La Salle vs. No. 2 Newark Memorial

CHAMPION

De La Salle

This is it, folks. Our final live football blog of the season! Don’t miss out now. This is the biggest game of the year for the Northern California football fans. NorCal perennial power De La Salle will get a chance to redeem its loss in the state title game last year on Saturday night against Centennial.

This should be a good one, as DLS is ranked No. 1 in the state and Centennial No. 2 by Calhisports.com.

Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m. The game will be blogged live from the Home Depot Center in Carson by our friends over at the Contra Costa Times.

Here is the link to the live blog: http://www.ibabuzz.com/eastbayprepsports/

In an effort to bring everyone as much information as possible, we will try to provide as many scores as we can each night. And, don’t forget to check out “Hoose and Whistle” Thursday as Hoose will be taping from Newark Memorial High. There is a Shootout Friday/Saturday at Newark Memorial.

Friday has Clovis East vs. San Leandro (6 pm) and Newark taking on Oak Grove (8 pm). Saturday will feature a couple of good ones again as McClymonds faces Oak Grove (6 pm) and Newark vs. Drew Gordon-led Archbishop Mitty (8 pm).

Monday:

James Logan 59, Campolindo 46

Tuesday (non-league):

Kennedy-Fremont 55, Alameda 43

American 72, Hillsdale 57

Mt. Eden 65, Washington 59

Mission San Jose 53, Yerba Buena 43

Fremont Christian 55, Oakland Military 38

Moreau Catholic 63, St. Patrick/St. Vincent 43

Castro Valley 52, California 40

Bridgemont 48, Head-Royce 42

Oakland Tech 64, College Park 51

Kennedy-Richmond 85, John Swett 51

Albany 43, San Rafael 43

Emery 53, Jesse Bethel 51

Libert 63, Livermore 52

Antioch 61, Foothill 57

San Ramon Valley 60, Dixon 45

Heritage 60, Northgate 45

Non-league

CSD 59, Pescadero 30

College Park 55, Mission San Jose 46

Arroyo 75, American 74

San Jose 55, Fremont Christian 19

Rancho Cotate 54, Irvington 46

Castro Valley 55, Clayton Valley 36

Vanden 65, Alameda 45

Skyline 70, Tennyson 38

Castlemont 82, Fairfield 57 (Monday)

(BSAL) St. Mary’s 65, St. Joseph 36; Piedmont 64, Salesian 46

California 74, Mt. Diablo 17 …. OUCH!

Berean Christian 63, Ygnacio Valley 33

Liberty 50, Amador Valley 49

Foothil 53, Antioch 42

The whole game went something like this:

Here’s a question I have for the Northern California prep football fan base - Will you root for De La Salle or against De La Salle this Saturday night in the State Bowl game.

People in NCS are always tired of De La Salle winning every year, but when the represent all of Northern California to you put aside your feelings and root for the NorCal team.

My take — we have to rally behind the Spartans and pull for Northern California. We constantly get looked down upon by our water-stealing neighbors to the south. It does us no favors if DLS goes down there and gets beat.

Let me know what you think….

The Whistle 

Sports Focus shockingly announced that Dec. 21 would be its last show. I am not sure why the show is being cancelled, but it certainly is a shame.

I got a chance to be on the show in 1998 and it was a blast being in the studio. I remember our team was juiced to be there. Dec. 21 will be a sad day in prep sports. We can only hope another channel picks up the show.

Mike Sklut and Brodie Brazil have called my phone at the Daily Review in Hayward many times looking for scores or asking questions about the area. The two did a great job hosting and their love for prep sports shined through on the show.

Make sure to stop by the kicu.com website and drop them a line.

Division-I

De La Salle vs Centennial

North
De La Salle
Obvious choice. Spartans handled Cal 37-0 and now has their second chance at the title after losing to Canyon last year.

San Ramon Valley was also eligible to be chosen.

South
There were three teams (Long Beach Poly, Centennial-Corona and Birmingham) with a legit shot at getting a shot at De La Salle.

Poly won the Southern Section Pac-5 title, which is widely considered the toughest section bracket in the state, but lost to Birmingham. They did, however, beat Crespi, which handed Birmingham its only loss of the year. Birmingham was DLS-esque in its run through the L.A. City Section outscoring their opponents by over 150 points. Centennial came in ranked as the top team on most accounts and won the Southern Section Inland Empire title. After watching the FSN selection show, it seems like Poly wasn’t really considered…

After Centennial was selected a player from the team said “Were going to get it done”
… prior to that The writer from the L.A. Times said he was going to pick the south regardless of who was selected.

That can’t sit well with the Spartan faithful…

I can just see coach Lad now, “Well done is better than well said … That’s been the motto of the team.”

Division-II

Novato vs Oceanside

North
It came down to Novato and Foothill-Palo Cedro. Both teams were undefeated, but Foothill plays in the unheralded Northern Section while Novato is an NCS team. Novato was edged out by Palo Alto last year and that may have played a role in Novato getting picked.

South
When Crespi lost to Poly it really opened it up for Oceanside, which has won four section titles in a row. Oceanside would be Division-I if they were in Northern California, I wrote about it earlier in the week. That makes absolutely no sense. They have an unfair advantage going into the game.

Division-III

North
Central Catholic - San Joaquin Section champions of Modesto. CC went 11-1-1 with a loss to St. Mary’s (Stockton) and a tie against Cardinal Newman. After Newman lost to San Ramon last night, this became an easy choice for the comittee which also probably considered undefeated Sutter.

St. Elizabeth and McClymonds were also eligible for this bid, but at 8-4 and 5-6-1, the local teams really didn’t match up.

South
St. Bonaventure - Ventura
Came into the season ranked No. 1 in the state in all levels by CalHiSports and finished 13-1. Its lone loss came Crespi.