State boys basketball powerhouses are back for more

(12-09) 21:56 PST — There are quality rivalries and then there is McClymonds and De La Salle. Once again, the two storied programs will be the teams to beat this season and will face each other in the much-anticipated Martin Luther King Jr. Classic at Cal on Jan. 19.

McClymonds-Oakland beat the Spartans two times last season, but De La Salle-Concord appeared to have an edge heading into this season when Georgetown recruit Hollis Thompson transferred to the school from Loyola-Los Angeles in September. Thompson recently moved to Atlanta, but De La Salle coach Frank Allocco is confident his returning players are ready to compete for a Division I title. Meanwhile, new McClymonds coach Brandon Brooks is hoping to get his team back to Arco Arena for the third straight year.

TOP FIVE TEAMS

1. McClymonds (32-0 last season, 2-0 through Monday): Dwight Nathaniel retired as coach after Mack’s 73-54 win over Dominguez-Compton in the Division I state title game, but the dynamic backcourt of Will Cherry (Montana recruit) and Quincy Hill returns, along with energetic forward Damon Powell. The Warriors also benefit from the arrival of Justin Standley, a 6-foot-3 senior transfer from Amador Valley-Pleasanton.

2. De La Salle (28-4, 1-0): Thompson is gone, but Cal-bound point guard Brandon Smith teams with Jordan Estrada in the backcourt. Denver-bound Jefferson Powers (6-7), John McArthur (6-8) and Beau Levesque (6-6) make up a frontline that held its own against Mater Dei-Santa Ana in a preseason scrimmage.

3. St. Mary’s (33-2, 3-1): The state finalists return a solid core of players including senior point guard Aalim Moor, Chris Brew and twins Dominique and Demetrius Lee. The Panthers’ frantic style of play lends itself to some of the more impressive dunks in the region.

4. Bellarmine (19-10, 1-0): The Bells, led by senior Niyi Harrison, a 6-8 post who signed with Santa Clara, have all the pieces to win a West Catholic Athletic League title and another CCS crown. Their early success depends on the transition of football players like sophomore point guard Kris Olugbode and post Michael Clay.

5. Newark Memorial (26-7, 3-0): Newark nearly shocked De La Salle in the NCS Division I final last season, and upset Sacramento High – the defending NorCal Division III champ – 79-72 in the opening game of this season. Khion Sankey had 21 points in that victory and freshman Casey Norris added 20 for the Cougars, who also have a tough returning guard in 5-10 Bobby McCall.

TOP FIVE PLAYERS

1. Powell (McClymonds, 6-6 F): Many players with more refined skills have competed for the west Oakland power, but few have played with the intensity Powell brings to every game. He averaged 16.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a junior. His dunk over a De La Salle defender in last season’s MLK Jr. Classic became must-see footage on YouTube.

2. Brew (St. Mary’s, 6-3, G): The UC Santa Barbara-bound guard turned down offers from Pac-10 schools to play with his brother Will Brew, a freshman starter for the Gauchos. Brew, who averaged 19 points per game as a junior, is known for his dunks, ability to slash to the basket, unselfishness and defensive intensity.

3. Jared Cunningham (San Leandro, 6-4 G): The lanky guard no longer is committed to Arizona State, so Cunningham could be playing with renewed motivation. His ability to move without the ball and handle it make him especially versatile. Cunningham averaged 17.8 points as a junior.

4. Smith (De La Salle, 6-0 G): Smith has all the intangibles that make a great point guard. He is a master at orchestrating the De La Salle system and an on-the-ball defender who makes setting up an offense difficult for opposing point guards.

5. Tim Harris (Valley Christian, 6-3 G): The often-injured Harris hasn’t lit up the WCAL in three varsity seasons, but signing a letter-of-intent with a rising program like St. Mary’s showed that he has turned the corner in his development. Harris scored 25 points in a 61-49 win over Fremont-Oakland at the NorCal Tip-Off Classic.

Defending champions

State: Division I – McClymonds; Division II – Mater Dei; Division III – Santa Margarita; Division IV – Campbell Hall; Division V – Branson.

NorCal: Division I – McClymonds; Division II – Mitty; Division III -Sacramento; Division IV – St. Mary’s-Berkeley; Division V – Branson.

NCS: Division I – De La Salle; Division II – Las Lomas; Division III – Campolindo; Division IV – St. Mary’s-Berkeley; Division V – Branson.

CCS: Division I – Bellarmine; Division II – Mitty; Division III – Riordan; Division IV – Menlo School; Division V – Sacred Heart Prep.
Source

Unique visitors to post: 4

read more:

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Among Baseballs Elite

   ***While they did make the playoff in 2009, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim would surely consider the season a disappointment. To have a team that was as stacked as this team and not get to the World Series is hard to digest. While it is easy to justify any of the Big Three getting [...]...

2. Improve Your Basketball Shooting in Two Simple Steps

   I had a chance to check out the local high school play-offs this season and was horrified by the poor shooting. In four championship games, many featuring D-1 bound players, the best offense was “chuck and chase”: throw the ball towards the rim (hoping that goes in) and fight for the offensive rebound and any [...]...

3. ‘Fringe’ Goes Back To Season One For ‘Unearthed,’ A Never-Before-Seen Episode

   “Fringe” is a show that’s built entirely on the idea of opposing alternate realities, and that central premise is about to leak over into our realm of reality. According to Sci Fi Wire, Fox has decided to air an episode of “Fringe” titled “Unearthed” on Monday, January 11th, in an effort to combat NBC’s “Heroes” return. [...]...

4. David Tennant On His ‘Doctor Who’ Mementoes… And When He’ll Be Back For A Cameo!

   While much of the world is busy bidding farewell to 2009, “Doctor Who” fans will be saying a different type of goodbye on January 1 when series star David Tennant concludes his celebrated run on the long-running BBC science-fiction series. One of the most popular actors to ever play the iconic role, Tennant has been [...]...

5. Ethics as the State Theory of Democracy

   visit new projects All about INSURANCE All Types of Sport AllTimes news Xtreme Sport Sport Journal Martial Arts WorldWide Tourism BUSINESS news Popular news Ethics is founded on the view that the values of liberal democracy should be rethought rather than abandoned on the excuse of globalization, or defended by an attempt to recreate the strong states of the recent...

6. Ashley Cole – The World’s Best Left Back?

   Is it just me, or is Ashley Cole severely under-rated in his own country? I certainly can’t think of a better left back in world football at the moment. In fact, after watching England matches for nearly 50 years, I can go back to Ray Wilson and still not find a match for [...]...

7. Blair Betts

   Drafted by the New York Rangers in the 2005-2006 season, Blair Betts plays the 4th defensive line and is known as one of the best face-off men in the entire NHL.The New York Post wrote that Blair Betts and his teammate, Sjostrom, could be the best penalty kill tandem in Rangers history and they had [...]...

8. Basketball layout

   In this same way you could market your company, chances are, however, that you will not get a big a fan base for your company site as a basket ball fan or a football fan would get for his site. However, if you keep it up long enough you will up your traffic to your [...]...

9. Fantasy football winner reveals secrets of success

   LONDON, England (CNN) — “Incredible” is how John Frisina remembers the moment he logged on to Fantasy Premier League and discovered he was beating nearly two million other competitors. t’s the stuff dreams are made of for the millions of people managing fantasy football teams in online leagues around the world every year. But in most players’ [...]...

10. Exteme Sport – To Heli And Back

    A game of pool on a Saturday evening is quite enough sport for some – for others they like their activities to be a little more energetic with the more risk the better! Biking for example continues to grow in popularity each year, often attracting a younger audience as it develops. As this younger audience grows, [...]...