- East Bay Prep Corner
Prep Corner Live! Friday Night
By mbower
Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 4:39 pm in Uncategorized.
My knee surgery last Friday was a success and I am back and ready for the return of Prep Corner Live! Friday night at 11 right here on the Prep Corner blog. We will have some fun things to talk about with all the North Coast Section championships going on … we might even mix in some wrestling talk since Waterhouse will be covering the grapplers Friday and Saturday. Our main concentration will be the NCS basketball playoffs. As always, we will welcome viewers to phone into our live streaming video show to ask questions or just shoot the bull with us. We will also have interviews with players and coaches. Make sure to tune in. There is nothing better than playoff talk.
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February 26th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
When will the all league bball team from Haal be in the paper, and the final team stats?
February 26th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Gary,
I believe the All-League teams were selected on Monday, but they need to be finalized and made official by the commissioner before I can run them. I am thinking maybe next Tuesday for that. As far as stats go, I don’t believe those will be in the newspaper at all. I will do my best to get them here on the blog. I am missing a few boxscores because some coaches did not phone in results.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Michael, If you can’t get them out how can I get them?The stats; that is?
February 26th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Not sure. The reason we aren’t putting them in the newspaper is because we are understaffed and don’t have the time to compile the stats with everything going on. If I get a chance to compile the leaders, then I will post them on the blog. Otherwise, you can e-mail me (mbower@bayareanewsgroup.com) and I have a spreadsheet on excel with team-by-team stats.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
F*** Monte Vista High School. They refuse to sell Castro Valley any seats. The Den is going to have to show up pretty early to get in. Monte Vista is THAT scared of the Den that they are trying to shut us out.
Monte Vista will be destroyed. The Trojan Den will get crazier and more personal as NCS goes on, we’re about to make Zach Ertz and Brian Barbour cry, we are not holding back. Any of these games could be our last we don’t care about consequences.
Castro Valley is the dark horse of NCS this year. When we are hot, we are unstoppable, especially when The Trojan Den is behind them.
F the haters we the best
February 26th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
They wouldn’t sell you seats? What did they say?
February 27th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Trogan Den,
Welcome to the EBAL. Monte Vista and DLS will do whatever it takes to gain an advantage. Wont sell you tickets, wont let you sit together and cheer, whatever it takes to give them a small edge. You have to get the home court advantage or else they will work you!!!
February 27th, 2009 at 9:42 am
I heard they are not pre-selling any tickets, but they are available for anyone at the gym tonight. The girls game is first with James Logan and it will not be a sellout, so if you want tickets, I would advise people to get there early for the girls game and just wait it out. If you try to show up 30 minutes before the boys game starts, there will be a 2-mile line and they will run out of tickets before you get to the front.
February 27th, 2009 at 9:57 am
NCS should be providing each school with available pre selling tickets for students to purchase. Both at Castro Valley and Monte Vista High Schools. But like I said this is the EBAL and maybe Monte Vista decided to control the event and sorry Castro Valley!! Next year work harder and gain the home court advantage!! Although if you can pull the upset it is that more sweeter!! Good Luck
February 27th, 2009 at 11:37 am
I’m not 100 percent positive, but I don’t think the NCS allows presale. On selection Sunday, I know there were complaints already coming in about the double-header at Bishop O’Dowd, because Dublin folks were worried they wouldn’t be able to get in the door for a 8 p.m. game that was the second of a double-header, especially given the size of that gym. Some consideration was given briefly to a site change, but NCS decided it wasn’t fair to not allow O’Dowd to host as the top seed in a quarterfinal game. I heard a brief mention of allowing Dublin to do a presale, but I think that was shot down.
February 27th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Jimmy,
Well I bought presold NCS tickets every week for High School Football this year. Its a money deal like a gift card. NCS guarntees how much money they make by selling presold tickets. Then when some people dont show they make even more money. Maybe the High School has to request an amount of presells to sell to its students, not sure. Maybe Monte Vista being the home team wants to control the game (event) and wont sell presells to keep Castro Valley students out of the game or at least to a minumum.
February 27th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I do find it interesting that the Carondelet/Livermore girls game is being played on Saturday (DLS is playing Friday) when they are doing back-to-back games for Monte Vista, Bishop O’Dowd and Newark Memorial on the same day.
They could have very easily done a girls Friday, then boys Saturday deal at BOD (or vice versa) like they did for DLS/Carondelet to make it easier for the fans.
Considering the BOD gym is so small it would have been the right move.
February 27th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
It sure will be nice to be rid of the self promoting Trojan Den after Monte Vista beats them. I’m sure Ertz and Barbour are shakin in their sneakers.Maybe they should use the F Monte Vista cheer tonight like they did when SL beat them at CV I’m sure that would go over well in Danville. Or better yet have some moron walk on the court and flip off the referee.The Den will have no effect on the game. Go SL Pirates!
February 27th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Yea, PirateFan u talk like your fans are totally respectful. If we don’t matter so much why does everyone talk about us? You are scared that we upset MV, cuz we beat you guys at your school last time. You would much rather have MV than have the deepest Trojan Den in history.
We don’t care how we act, we are the Trojan Den, the most effective 6th man ever. We fwi.
And to ones wondering about the ticket situation, Monte Vista is apparently not preselling, i dont know why. They probably did that and told their people to stick around after school to lock out their gym. Not gonna happen though, MV is going to have to clean up our mess tonight.
February 27th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I am looking forward to an NCS wrestling update. How are all the local wrestlers doing? The Las Lomas fans are looking for some results.
February 27th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Does anyone here think that maybe if the ‘trojan den’ was alittle more respectful and not getting members of the den suspended and bragging about after ever away game that just maybe MV would have pre sold a few tickets they are already banned from another Ebal school. JUst a thought!!
February 27th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I just got word from Kyle out at Monte Vista that the Trojan Den showed up way early for tonight’s game. Apparently, The Den got in before the James Logan girls basketball team even started to warm up.
February 27th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
The Trojan Den is the Best UnCut Student Section in the West Coast. I had a great time when they picked on me when we played CV in January. They will take over tht gym over there pretty easy.
February 27th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
probably half the Den will be kicked out by the end of the 3rd
February 27th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
What excuses will the Den come up with tonite. As Mentioned before its not about wins its about quality wins. The trojan den says they win games for there team well they did three of them all year, what i mean by that is three quality wins all year one Sl one Bod and one hayward Good season Good luck to all
February 27th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
FYI not one of the Den members got kicked out tonight. And even though they lost, they were far better than the MV 6th man! and for the record..Ertz did cry.
February 27th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Tears of Joy!!!! Victory Victory
February 27th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
actually it was in the 3rd quarter.. but good try Dverdin.. or should I say CV hater???
February 27th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
i am sure it was all because of the den maybe he broke a finger nail
February 27th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
in that case, crying over a fingernail is pretty bad.. but again, good try! concidering I taught Ertz at one point, I know he would not cry over a fingernail. You might though
February 27th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Maybe a foul at the end,and make them shoot free throws instead you give up a three to tie it, really gotta question that call cv
February 27th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
The problem with that is that if you foul Barbour at that point, he will immediately launch up a shot and be entitled to 3 free throws. I would rather make him try to sink an NBA 3-pointer with a hand in his face and the season on the line than give him 3 free throws. I can’t fault the CV strategy there. You just have to hand it to Barbour for burying that clutch shot to put it into OT. CV played them tough right up until the final buzzer, in OT. What a great game by both teams.
February 28th, 2009 at 10:35 am
That game was bullshit. Wayy too many foul calls, especially because our athletic team would get up and pack Ertz every time, but it would be called a foul every single time. Nobody gave us a chance, and we pretty much had that game locked up. That prayer that Barbour threw up just magically went in. It’s true that spoiled white kids get whatever they want.
And Monte Vista’s sixth man… haaaaa. such pussys. The Den solidified the fact that we are the best in the bay, no questions asked.
February 28th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Trogen Den,
Wow sounds like your team and school put on a spirited effort and almost pulled off the upset. Like I said in an earlier post have your kids work harder over the summer so you can get home court advantage. Schedule a more challenging non league schedule and win your league. The fact is spoiled white kids dont get whatever they want when they travel away from mommy and daddy. You need to play them on your turf where they arent nearly as tough!! Good Showing, I hear it is an instant ESPN CLassic!
February 28th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
So who was the CV fan/coach who went after the ref after the game? Very classy, much like “The Den”. Good luck next year. Again.
March 1st, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Nameless, that man is a hero, whoever that was. that ref needs to learn that swatting the ball is NOT A FOUL.
March 1st, 2009 at 1:58 pm
the trojan den is a disgrace. it didnt work at the end so there. next year is o dowd winning the haal. but cv will not come in second. it will be san leandro. because breaking news is that ranked guard/forward is staying instead of leaving to tennyson. also they also have ranked guard devin moss who is a sophmore next year. they will be leading san leandro next year. along with nick armas, jermaine gaines and etc. daniel almonte is their jared cunningham for the next two years. cv be afraid.
March 1st, 2009 at 3:41 pm
i agree with coach rodney but i do respect the trojan den because they intimidate their opponets. but i cant wait unitl next year for san leandro.. because this year they will lose to monte vista once again. so next year they will have devin moss class of 2012 who is ranked. also daniel almonte is officialy staying at san leandro so he is looking to explode next year. those two are phenoms together. but they also have jermaine gaines, nick armas. they can beat cv with that but maybe not o dowd.
March 1st, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Regardless of the refs, it was a classless and terrible example the coach set for his team and the school with what happened after the game. Good luck to the remaining teams throughout NCS
March 1st, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Yeah,
It sounds like the coach( who had coached many of the MV kids at a younger level) forgot the 3 rules of coaching HS sports.
1. Dont let the other teams best player beat you
2. Dont let the other teams best player beat you
3. Dont let the other teams best player beat you
Once the coach from CV realized he should never had allowed the best player from MV ( Barbour) shoot that 3 to tie he realized he had blown the game for his kids and was looking for a scapegoat to take the blame off him. In this case the officials.
Again the same as last year when CV lost a heartbreaker in the last minutes. Take my advice and gain the home court advantage that is your best chance CV. I have a feeling later during the summer the CV will regret his actions after the game more than letting the best player from MV beat him. Good Luck
March 1st, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Coach rodney, why all the hate for cv? San leandro will be decent next year but is going to lack experience. CV has everyone coming back next year except Parker. We started 3 sophomores this year and had 2 others on the team that got significant experience. It should come down to CV and BOD. Roderick Bobbitt, Chris Read, Juan Anderson, Carlye Garrick and Orlawn Ellis will be the most athletic starting 5 CV has ever had. sl and bod be afraid.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Look, Nick Jones took the 9 out of 10 chance that Barbour wouldn’t get that prayer of a shot answered. It was probably better odds to foul him, but then again he could have taken the shot at that moment to get 3 shots, or mv could have rebounded the 2nd ft and tied it up that way. Either way, both routes had ridiculous odds of failing. I’m sure if we had fouled something would have miraculously gone wrong, say barbour shooting, making it, and getting the foul to win it in regulation.
The fact is, that part of the game should not have even been a factor. If the refs got just ONE of those terrible calls right, it would have been a five point game at that point.
Respect the Trojan Den. We are the most committed, most dominating 6th man around. We don’t play by the rules we just do our best to make sure our team beats the other guys and make sure our team gets respect they deserve. Anything else and we don’t go down without a fight. All the haters dont know what they are talking about.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Yea, Rodney, CV wont miss a beat. I bet you thought CV wouldnt win 23 games this year after losing our two best players Broome and DeMuynck. Now we lose our best player Shaddy but we have experienced sophs and juniors to step in. I havent heard of one of those SL guys cuz they havent played yet, losing Cunningham and Shaheed will put SL in 3rd or 4th at best. ODowd will be better and CV could still be better. Those two teams will fwi in HAAL.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:52 pm
The Best Guard in the League next year will be Hameed Ali he won’t be at Tennyson. He will prolly be at San Leandro Or Oakland High…Now talking about a proved player at the varsity level Hameed is gettin looks from Numerous big programs and mid major schools.. He is to haal basketball as is chris martin to haal football….
March 1st, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Trojan Den,
Well if you are going to take credit for helping your team win then take blame when your team loses. Maybe the refs were sick and tired of listening to the Den yell and demean the refs and called fouls on CV out of spite. Take the good with the bad. Not a CV hater just trying to give you some advice. Work harder in the summer and gain the home court advantage or else you are going to be in for a lot of these heartbreaking losses, especially when you come to the leaders of the EBAL. MV doesnt need Luck they have money!
March 1st, 2009 at 8:05 pm
You may be right John, but that just shows how unprofessional and unskilled those refs were. If they get some sick sexual pleasure from spiting rowdy high schoolers, they need to be mentally evaluated. Thanks for the advice tho, u sound sincere.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I did not see any Deer valley fans complaining on here when Cv shot 30 free throws and DV shot 8 and the final score was an 11 pt win and by the way you never let the best player get the ball and shoot a three to tie foul when he touches it make them shoot free throws. The odds of making the first missing the second and putting it back in NOT going to happen ever announcer and coach will tell you that. Learn the game DEN stop making excuses everytime your team loses you are on here making excuses take the defeat and move on
March 1st, 2009 at 8:14 pm
No problem with CV you are the only people that come on here and talk so much and really don’t know what you are talking about it seems like anytime anyone mentions facts about Cv you take it personal just move on the season is over!
March 1st, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Dverdin, do u even root for a school? Every time im on this i see a comment from you hating on cv. Whats your problem?
March 1st, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Hey San Leandro fans,
Word on the street is MV is petitioning NCS to relocate your basketball game. Seems they dont want to play at your old school, cramp, loud, gym with the bent rims. They are trying for Chabot or East Bay? I guess they want to have you give your home court advantage away. Is there any truth to the story??
March 1st, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Haaaaa. Its not that John. Those pussies dont want to play a game in what they consider the “ghetto” surrounded by SL fans that will be just as harsh as we were but in bigger numbers because it will be a home game.
SL’s gym is fine, Monte Vista isn’t used to diversity is all.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Guys (Trojan Den), Watch the profanity.
…
It would make more sense for that game to be played at a venue like CSU East Bay. There is going to be a lot of people who want to see it — much more than can fit into the San Leandro gym.
I can see why SL would want it at San Leandro, but NCS has to do what’s right for everyone involved. A game at Chabot or East Bay is still a lot closer to SL than MV for travel purposes.
OAL schools cannot host NorCal games like most schools and play those games at CSUEB, so a move wouldn’t be without precedent in terms of playoff hoops.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Well Kyle,
SL has the higher seed and won their league so I would think they get the home game. San Leandro gym is their home, right? I work close to the NCS office in San Ramon and their were a ton of Mercedes and BMW’s there today so either the MV parents or their attorneys are up to something. You gotta love it, the EBAL where “money matters most”
March 1st, 2009 at 8:53 pm
I agree, they should get the home game and should ultimately get the pick of where its at.
But if you can get 500 more people in the doors at CSUEB or Chabot (which is still HAAL territory) then at 9 dollars a head plus concessions thats something they have to take into account.
If this rumor is even true…
March 1st, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Hey Kyle,
Are you a MV grad??
March 1st, 2009 at 8:57 pm
No
March 1st, 2009 at 10:02 pm
just spoke with MV coach. they are planning to play at SL.. so you can stop all that talk. And yeah for trojan den about Dverdin.. he is a CV hater and can’t get over a great season they had!!
March 1st, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Haha ncs hoops are always fun I give major ups to the writers doiin this blog
On another bye bye trojan den haha glad to see them get sent home
And as far as the most effective 6th man I disagree because from my memory my student section at hayward seemed to knock the trojan den out they were quiet the last 4 minutes of the game
“JUST LIKE FOOTBALL” !
Hahahahahahahahahahaha
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:54 am
Trojen Den, u can be just as effective w/out all the cursin, threats and demeaning remarks. U guys really get the gym jumpin’. It’s great to see that you have so much school spirit, but if u continue to do “whatever” it takes, I garruntee a few things will happen, there will be a huge fight at one of the games, you will get kicked out or won’t be allowed to cheer for your team at all, and if you help your team as much as you say, where will your team be then. I am curious, though, and this is not in joking, do you guys ever go to any of the other schools in the East Bay, namely Oakland and do all that?
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 am
Bbfan2, to answer your question, yes we act like that wherever we go. Not to sound like “tough guys” or anything, but we honestly were not scared and didnt think of the possible consequences of our actions, no matter where we went. We felt that anywhere we went, we needed to gain a homecourt advantage and the way we went about things is how we treated every game because most of the time it worked.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Trojan73, You actually didn’t answer my question, have you went to any gyms in the Oakland area, besides O Dowd and cheered the same way? I think the concept of what you guys do is great! I just think sometimes you go way overboard and I am pretty sure if it was a large group of primarily african american kids, they wouldn’t be given” pats on the hands” and allowed to continue.They would throw them out of the gym with no tolerance. Not trying to throw in race, but it’s a fact. I have heard some pretty awful things from your group.(ex.racists remarks, cursin etc) Like I said before, you guys can be just as effective without all the other stuff. There’s so many of you, you are loud and with the exception of “over the line” ones, you have really great chants. Trojan Den wants respect, but a 6th man group is not going to get you that, your teams skills will. CV has a good team with some good players, but you guys take away from that.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Ok I see what you are saying. Well the answer is no because we didnt have any other Oakland teams to play besides O’Dowd. I also agree that sometimes the line is crossed when race gets involved but other than that if we get into the other teams head, then we must be doing pretty good. We understand that we arent the typical sixth man, we pride ourselves on taking it to another level so we arent just a normal student section. Most student sections are there to watch and cheer, where as in the Den we try to be part of the game in order to give our team that much more of an advantage.
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
While the subject of Oakland schools is being brought up, I think that’s one thing Castro Valley does need to do to bring its program to the next level. CV is really the only elite level East Bay team that I can think of that didn’t have a single OAL school on its schedule. Playing those types of teams would really help gain valuable experience, especially some valuable road game experience.
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Unless it is at McClymonds, there really is no reason for Castro Valley to go to the OAL. The HAAL road games at Bishop O’Dowd and at San Leandro are going to be better than anything the OAL has to offer, especially this year. CV needs to schedule Monte Vista and Berkeley on the road if it wants to get more experience playing tough road games.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
trojan den i dont have hate for the school, you guys are just to cocky and cant back it up. and you dont know daniel almonte or devin moss? jermaine gaines or even nick armas. daniel used to beast carlyle in 8th grade. daniel is the player of the league next year. imagine if they do get hameed ali. they will be even better. and hameed is better than roderick and juan. also devin moss is as well. devin, daniel and hameed are all ranked. and daniel has i believe texas arlington and airforce looking at him and hameed has some as well. you jus wait and see.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
rodney, you are making some good points. daniel is a special talent and is the next jared cunningham. also devin moss is a pure shooter. but trojan den is right when he says they will lack experience. they will have all the talent but no composure in big games. unless daniel can get some killer extinct over the summer they will lose close games.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
nobody has seen Daniel play at the Varsity level in the HAAL. San Leandro thinks he is a JV player so he needs to obviously develop and to say he is the POY in the league next year is a stretch over players like Brandon Ashley, Bobbit for CV and Hameed at THigh they will prolly be the contenders…….
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
u must have never seen him play dez? he is better than bobbit and ashley is just taller than him. i believe him and hameed are good friends so they are great players. daniel almonte and devin moss is the best san leandro has to offer along with nick armas and jermaine gaines. jus look out for daniel on the aau circuit because i know i will. if the kid has two schools looking at him they must know he will be a great varisty player right?
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:52 pm
The Trojan Den acts the same way wherever we go. We havent had the chance to play Oakland schools besides Odowd which doesnt count. But we go to SL, Hayward, wherever and act in the same brash, over the top manner, because we do whatever it takes and we don’t look at consequences. We don’t condone racist or sexist remarks, but anything else pretty much goes. Thats the way we influence the game, thats why there are so many haters, and yet, thats why so many out there respect us.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
The CV team had a great season and they need to be congratulated. And as for the Trojan Den, this group of seniors took it to a whole nother level and I’ll remember being part of the Trojan Den of 2008-09 for the rest of my life. The single greatest thing at our high school. May the Trojan Den live on throughout CV’s future and continue to live up to the standard of this year and only get deeper and crazier.
Trojan Den FWI. Peace out.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
oh please you guys lost a game that you should’ve won. good season but you didnt finish it. jus be afraid of san leandro next year. its the takeover of the 011 and 012 class.
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Trojan Den, you say you haven’t had the chance to play any of the Oak schools, but you could if you wanted to, just like all the other schools scrimmage or play non league games, you could,too. That’s besides the point, though. Can anyone explain to me why I keep hearing about kids moving schools? Aren’t there rules about that? Maybe I am just naive,someone enlighten me on how this works?
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:28 am
Bower, especially this year? Maybe ONLY this year, and still I disagree. I know you don’t cover the OAL, but you have to know the history a little bit. You’re talking about the most competitive league, top to bottom, in NorCal. In just the last 10 years, the OAL’s sent four teams to the Div. I state title game (three different schools) and won twice. In the modern era of state championship games (since 1981), Oakland High is the only OAL school to never reach the title game. The HAAL has NEVER even sent a team to the Div. I title game.
You’re basing this just on the HAAL having four really good teams this season when the rest of the league is crap. The OAL had four teams of that quality last season. Remember that Newark Memorial team that pushed De La Salle to the limit in last year’s NCS finals? They got beat by Skyline, a non-playoff team in the OAL, at last year’s MLK. Even this year Hayward has a loss to Oakland High, a 20-loss team (but one that is sooooo loaded with young talent that it should be back in the playoffs soon).
So don’t give me that the HAAL road games are going to be tougher than anything the OAL will offer. And if there’s no value to scheduling OAL teams, why does every other ranked team do it? Including the other top three in the HAAL. (Newark is the lone exception of ranked teams this year and they at least had Berkeley and Salesian on the schedule, plus SL and BOD). Even Tennyson scheduled two OAL teams. Every team in the OAL would have a much better looking record if they played in the HAAL because they would have those same automatic 10 wins from playing those bottom 5 teams.
I’m not saying CV isn’t a good program, but for a good program to not schedule a team from the top year-in, year-out league, says something. Honestly though, my guess is that’s probably more a decision from the administration. I know the CV girls coach agreed to come play at Mack before the adminstration pulled the plug and Mack had to go play at CV.
One final fun fact, the HAAL champ San Leandro is an OAL castoff that was in the league back during the Bill Russell days. I have some audio I recorded of Russell talking about his Mack teams going into SL to play back when it was essentially an all-white school and town. It’s some good stuff.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:41 am
Didn’t realize we were talking about the past. Traditionally, it is a great move to schedule some OAL teams. You’re right about that. Just isn’t the case THIS year.
And I will stand by what I said for THIS year. Only traveling to Mack is worth the time. Other than that, I would rather see them go to Monte Vista or Berkeley.
Both are NCS teams and better than anybody beside Mack in the OAL … THIS YEAR. I think most of the top teams schedule the OAL squads based on tradition of the OAL usually being the dominant league. So that’s why the top teams do it. Most of the time that is a great move. Just … yep you guessed it .. not THIS year.
But coaches can’t predict how strong a league is going to be so the safe route is to schedule OAL teams. But that wouldn’t have done anything for CV THIS year. Let’s just be real about that.
Not to say scheduling an OAL team would have been bad. The games for sure would be competitive. But it certainly wouldn’t have changed the outcome of what happend in NCS. It wouldn’t have made CV a better team just because they go play at an OAL court. And it certainly wouldn’t have prepared them for a 3-pointer at the buzzer any better. If the EBAL was strong like it normally is, then CV’s schedule would have been challenging. But like the OAL, the EBAL is down this year.
Like I said, you can’t predict who will be good and who won’t be when you’re making the schedules. So what do coaches do? Schedule the traditionally good teams. So CV elects to play EBAL teams instead of OAL teams. But this year both leagues were down.
If we want to talk about the Bill Russell days then maybe we should get a vintage blog going….
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:52 am
Way to go Jimmy, and Bower EVEN this year it was worth while to get an OAL team on your schedule. PLaying Fremont at Fremont is not a cake walk, Skyline is not a cake walk heck Tech beat DLS so even this year it would behove a team to put an OAL team on there schedule dont get it twisted. You will always get a competitive, battle tested game.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:55 am
I didn’t say it would be a cake walk. Just saying it isn’t any better this year than going to MV or DLS or Berkeley. Wasn’t going to change the outcome of NCS for CV if they had an OAL team on the schedule.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
And let’s remember CV was a really young team. The Trojans overachieved this season by a long ways. I don’t think CV should be worried that maybe it could have done better if it did this or that….
The Trojans did better than anyone expected them to do at the beginning of the season and I think people are forgetting that. CV wasn’t even supposed to be in that game against MV.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:21 pm
I agree with you Michael and I think that is why it is that much harder for CV players and fans to accept that loss last Friday. We were definately the underdogs and the feeling we had being up by 3 with 10 seconds left is unexplainable. No matter what, this season, CV suprised everyone and had a great year. We know we should have won that game and I can only hope that people respect what we did this year….And the next 2 years should be VERY exciting with all the young talent CV has.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:25 pm
There is also something to be said for scheduling teams in your division.
Would playing at Mack only to get smashed be better for Castro Valley than playing at Granada or San Ramon (both NCS D1 playoff teams) and winning by 10-15?
Castro Valley would never have to play at an OAL school in the postseason, odds are that at some point it will have to play at an EBAL school.
So why not put together a non-league schedule that is more like what the post season will be like?
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Castro Valley should hope to have to play against an OAL school in the postseason (I never really said play AT an OAL school, just get one on the schedule. Home, away, neutral, wherever), since that would mean they would be making NorCals. And I never said schedule Mack. But there’s no reason to not go after a Tech or Skyline or Oakland.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Oh and Bower, the past was brought up because of your “especially this year” comment, which made it seem you thought this to be the case in most other years too. And honestly, the OAL — while down a bit — isn’t as down as most people make it out to be. A team that didn’t even make the OAL playoffs (Tech) is still the only team with a win over DLS.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Castro Valley has won 2 playoff games in history.
They need to worry about NCS before NorCals even becomes a thought.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Good point. I think we get so much CV chatter on here that we start thinking of them as an elite program, when really they aren’t there yet. Very good, but not elite yet.
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:36 pm
what’s the ticket info on OAL Championship