NAU Basketball League or my tribute to Nikkei's playin ball

jeremy Lin

2012-02-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

First Asian Knick passes on advice to Lin

2012-01-03T23:33:00.000-08:00

First Asian Knick passes on advice to Lin
By Jared Zwerling

While former Knick Wat Misaka was glancing through the NBA box scores Tuesday morning, he noticed that Jeremy Lin's name was not included with the Warriors in their 99-91 win over the Bulls. What he didn't realize was Golden State waived Lin earlier in the month and New York claimed him this morning.

Sixty-four years since the Knicks made Misaka not only their franchise's first draft pick, but the first Asian-American in the NBA (then called the Basketball Association of America), Lin is now coming to New York.

Kevin P. Coughlin/Icon SMIWat Misaka was not only the Knicks' first draft pick, but the first Asian-American in the NBA.
"I wish him luck," Misaka said Tuesday from his home in Salt Lake City, Utah. "I don't know exactly what kind of player he is, except for what I've read about him. I sure hope that he can stick. New York could be a great place for him, although Oakland would've been great too with all of the Chinese people that are in California. I think it was one of the reasons why they drafted him. He should have a big following [in New York] if he gets a chance to play."

Ironically, the Knicks play the Warriors on Wednesday night on the road, and Lin should get some immediate playing time. Since Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert are out with prolonged injuries, and Mike Bibby is still recovering from his lower back spasms, the Knicks were in the market for a short-term point guard. In a surprise move, the Knicks went with a young, untested player whose career average is 2.6 points in 29 games. Lin provides some skills and insurance at the one, but Misaka had a hunch the Knicks also signed him because of his ethnic background, a strong tie-in with New York City's large Asian population.

"It makes a difference," he said. "That's certainly one of the reasons why people draft players. It's not strictly about their talents, but their ability to draw fans."

Misaka said he hasn't met Lin yet, but he once tried to get in contact with him. When Lin was signed by the Warriors in 2010, after going undrafted and playing well in the Las Vegas summer league, Misaka wrote him a congratulatory letter to wish him good luck.

"He didn't know me, but I thought that he might have heard about me and maybe would get a little encouragement from words from me," Misaka said. "I'm wishing that he gets some playing time and gets some fans out there excited about a local boy kind of making good."

Misaka never heard back from Lin, but he would like to add one more word of encouragement: "Ganbare."

"It's Japanese for 'hang in there,'" Misaka said of Lin, whose contract is non-guaranteed, so the Knicks can waive him at any time prior to Feb. 10. "I'd like to just tell him, 'Hang in there, something good might happen.'"

For someone who just turned 88, and still works every day as an electrical engineer, that's saying something.

2011 AAA/CIF Championship Wash vs Bal @ AT&T

2011-07-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Baseball: Washington completes undefeated season, triple crown with win over Balboa
click on title to go to original story on sanfranpreps.com
Friday, May 13, 2011 | 53 Comments

Washington players and coaches celebrate after the final out of their win over Balboa in the AAA championship on Thursday at AT&T Park. (Photo by Doug Ko)

By Jeremy Balan

Call it the Triple Crown, call it the Trifecta, call it whatever you want — there wasn’t a need for a name, because it hadn’t been done before.

With a 4-1 win against Balboa High School in the Academic Athletic Association baseball championship on Thursday at AT&T Park, Washington High School became the first school in history to win a AAA championship in football, boys basketball and baseball in the same school year.

Washington junior starting pitcher Dane Vande Guchte sends a pitch toward the plate against Balboa on Thursday at AT&T Park. (Photo by Doug Ko)

The Eagles also wrapped up an undefeated league season and will advance to play Oakland Tech in the Transbay Championship Series, which begins Wednesday at San Francisco State University.

“The first word that comes to mind is that it’s just crazy,” said Washington head coach Rob Fung. “It’s history, it’s never been done, and this is something that no one will every take away from this group.”

Balboa took an early 1-0 lead on three singles in the top of the third inning, but it didn’t take long for the Eagles to respond.

Washington’s junior starting pitcher, Dane Vande Guchte, tied the game in the bottom of the third on a deep fly ball to the warning track in left field. Due to a base-running error, only one of two runners scored and Vande Guchte was limited to a single, but on the next at-bat the Eagles scored the eventual game-winning run.

Vande Guchte broke to second base on a delayed steal, and freshman Jordan Wilson, who was on third, broke home on the throw to second to score the go-ahead run.

“It was different being behind [early], but we knew we had our chances and knew it was going to come,” Vande Guchte said. “We weren’t scared or anything like that, we just played our game.”

The Eagles tacked on two runs in the bottom of the sixth, and Vande Guchte shut down the Buccaneers on the mound.

After allowing the lone run in the third, Vande Guchte didn’t allow a hit in the next three innings, and sophomore Chris Hau shut Balboa down in order in the seventh to collect the save.

“He’s a big player. A little guy, but a big player,” Fung said of Vande Guchte. “He gave us everything he could and he couldn’t even go that seventh inning, he left it out there.”

The lack of Balboa offense spoiled a solid start from junior Alex Arnold, who struck out three in 5 1/3 innings and kept the Bucs in the game before running into trouble in the sixth.

Balboa only got one runner in scoring position after the third, but the future seems bright, as the Bucs are only losing one senior to graduation, and have played their best baseball in the postseason, including an upset of Lowell in the semifinals.

“We started maturing and peaked at the right time,” said Balboa head coach Tom Pontino. “We’re certainly going to be back. We’re going to try our best.”

Scoring Summary

Third Inning
B – Michael Li singles, Eduardo Herrera scoreshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
W – Dane Vande Guchte singles, Avery Velasco scores
W – Jordan Wilson steals home

Sixth Inning
W – Alex Kozakiewicz reaches on a fielder’s choice, Javon Philips scores
W – Chris Hau walks, Kozakiewicz scores

Washington completes Triple Crown of San Francisco
At AT&T Park, Dane Vande Guchte and Chris Hau pitch Eagles to baseball title following championships in football and basketball.
hey've been playing organized baseball, basketball and football in San Francisco since 1924, but never had a school won Section titles in all three during the same year.

That is until Washington (San Francisco) completed the triple crown on Thursday at AT&T Park, home of the defending World Series champions San Francisco Giants.

"Winning it there made it extra special," said Washington coach Rob Fung following a 4-1 win over Balboa (San Francisco).

Dane Vande Guchte and Chris Hau combined on a four-hitter as the Eagles (19-6-1) won their 16th straight Academic Athletic Association game overall.

Photo by Brad Kupper
Dane Vande Guchte was the winning
pitcher and had key RBI single.
Vande Guchte (7-1) pitched the first six innings before giving way to Hau and the Eagles manufactured four runs on an RBI single from Vande Guchte, a double steal, fielder's choice by Alex Kozakiewicz and bases-loaded walk to Hau.

It was the fifth title in 17 seasons under coach Rob Fung who has reached the Section final 16 times. Washington's football and basketball also won section crowns during the 2010-11 school year.

Balboa (12-14), which had a 1-0 lead, lost previous games to Washington 12-2 and 10-2. The game was played after the Giants' 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

"I can't say I saw this coming before the season," Fung said. "We lost all our pitching from last season. We caught the ball well all season but our pitching really emerged, especial (Hau). He turned into a real mainstay."

The Eagles managed just five hits themselves off of tough-luck 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior loser Alex Arnold.

"(Arnold) pitched a very good game," Fung said. "He was tough."

Balboa took the lead in the third on an RBI single by Michael Li, the only player in the game with two hits. That scored Eduardo Herrera, who had also singled.

Washington came back with two runs in the bottom half on Vande Guchte's RBI single that went over the head of the right fielder and a double steal with Jordan Wilson crossing home safe.

That put Washington up for good.

The Eagles added two more insurance runs in the sixth on Kozakiewicz and a bases loaded walk to Hau.

"Those runs were huge," Fung said.

File photo by David Stephenson
Washington manager Rob Fung won his
fifth SFS title in 17 seasons.
Hau worked a 1-2-3 seventh and the Eagles stormed the mound.

"It was a pretty good dog pile," Fung said. "It was a very emotional scene."

Washington now gets ready for the Transbay Series, which starts Wednesday at San Francisco State. The Eagles will play the Oakland Section champions in a best-of-three series.

Washington hopes to repeat 2006 when it also went undefeated in league and captured the Transbay Series.

As far as winning the Trifecta in all three major sports, Fung said the entire Washington community was thrilled.

"There were lots of alumni out and that's all they kept talking about," Fung said. "I'm glad we were able to make everyone happy."

Everyone but Balboa, that is.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
By: Mitch Stephens | MaxPreps.com

Thomas on Cal Hi Sports

2011-04-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

Did not show diving catch which they showed twice and he still did not make top 5

2011-04-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

April 20, 2011

Kevin McCarthy
NorCalPreps.com Analyst

Talk about it in the Message Boards
The package. For basketball recruiters, that means a prospect sporting prodigious talent alongside top of the chart physical skills. Rarely, if ever, do academics enter the definition, let alone the will and effort to get and perform better. That's why the number of flameouts exist in both national prep rankings and early NBA draft selections -- heart, determination and attitude are too often overlooked in lieu of eye-opening raw material.

Washington High's Brenden Glapion has never drawn the attention of the power elite in college hoops but, through his exemplified values, he has sculpted the odds in his favor for enjoying a successful collegiate tenure as well as a fruitful life afterwards in the real world.

The 6-foot-3 Glapion plays in the Academic Athletic Association in San Francisco. He and his team went 25-10, 14-2 this past season and his performance garnered him Player of the Year honors, earned in part by his 23 points per game scoring average. But his game doesn't rest on volume shooting attempts. In a game that decided the league crown against Mission High on December 4, Glapion went 14-17 at the foul line in a 75-72 victory. Two days before, he made 14-15 free throw attempts in a win over Lowell.

The outcome of that title match turned out to be his best basketball moment. "We won the city championship but it was a great game because we really played together well and clicked as a team," Glapion explained. Duly note the sentiment ultimately feeding his satisfaction. The Eagles had lost 77-66 two weeks earlier to Mission.

He notes his best basketball skill as "probably scoring but I like to dribble and then pull up." For Glapion, it's a matter of always working to add to his skills set, such as the element above in an era when it's long distance shooting and/or taking it to the rack, with a void for displaying any in-between game. This is another setting apart difference for the young man.

Glapion also offered the following as part of his skills set: "having a high basketball IQ, making the right plays at the right time and staying poised and composed."

He sees dramatic growth in his basketball evolution. "As a freshman to a senior, I've grown in every aspect -- physically, shooting, defending, being more focused and playing every game like it is your last one." The latter will bring a smile to even the most discerning of coaches.

The backcourter also sees himself as playing different roles, depending on the time of the year. "With Washington, I carry more of a scoring and leadership role but in club team ball I'm usually one of the main scorers but don't have to get 20 a night for us to win."

Two summers ago, it was the Bay Area Warriors and the San Francisco Rebels from sixth to eighth grade for Glapion in spring and summer hoops. He played for Coach Todd Petersen and the Silicon Valley Vipers last year.

Here's Petersen on Glapion: "Brenden was a combo guard for us, primarily a two and our backup at the point plus probably our leading scorer. He has a scorer's mentality, an effective mid-range game and finishes well for his size. He'll get by his opponent and the next thing you know the ball is in the basket. Brenden is as coachable as they come and he does what it takes to get better. I also worked individually with him last year and he's gotten bigger and stronger and his ballhandling has gotten better. I see him as a late bloomer, a smooth, understated player."

Jolinko Lassiter coaches the Washington High squad. He's a 2002 alumnus and worked with the Eagles' girls team for three seasons before switching over to the boys in 2008. Having enjoyed Glapion at his disposal of late, Lassiter describes his senior as "a high IQ player, not flashy but someone who has worked hard on his game. Brenden is a great student with a high grade point average and he is a great teammate on and off the court."

Glapion says his grade point average is 4.1.

As for what the future portends, Glapion again distances himself from others with what he is considering as majors in college: "Political science and history are my favorites," he explained, adding that he is thinking about a future as a lawyer.

But first comes choosing a school and he has four colleges currently under consideration and is certainly open to others joining in: Occidental (Los Angeles), UC Santa Cruz, Dominican University (San Rafael) and Academy of Art University (San Francisco).

"I will decide in a week and a half to two weeks after sitting down with my family and talking about the pros and cons," Glapion explained.

So some lucky school and coach will be receiving a student-athlete who possesses what constitutes the bonafide package for succeeding short and long term on and off the court.

2011-04-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

Hideki Matsui celebrates Japanese Heritage Day with his 2,500th professional hit

By Joe Stiglich

jstiglich@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 04/03/2011 06:38:39 PM PDT
Updated: 04/03/2011 10:48:20 PM PDT

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Kurt Suzuki back in A's lineup despite sprained ankle

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Matsui hits milestone on Japanese Heritage Day

Japanese Heritage Day turned out to be a big hit at the Coliseum on Sunday, highlighted by Hideki Matsui's first official hit with the A's and the 2,500th of his professional career.

Matsui, hitless in seven at-bats in Oakland's first two games, led off the second inning with a double down the left-field line. Feeling frisky, he tagged up on Kurt Suzuki's subsequent fly out to right field but was gunned down by Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki at third.

Matsui admitted afterward he wanted to try something special for the crowd of 22,292, many of them Japanese fans who came out for the occasion.

"I know the strength of (Ichiro's) arm and usually I don't run in those situations," Matsui said through interpreter Roger Kahlon. "But knowing it was Japan Heritage Day, I took a chance, and unfortunately it didn't quite work out."

Manager Bob Geren thought it was a good aggressive play to make with one out.

"There aren't too many guys who would throw him out," Geren said. "Ichiro's one of the few who would, but even though he got behind the ball on the throw, he just got him by a couple of inches."

Even though a number of teammates lauded Matsui's 2,500th hit afterward, the veteran designated hitter wasn't terribly thrilled by it.

"I feel more relief just getting a hit as a member of the A's and getting our first win," he said. "I'm not focused on
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the combined 2,500 hits between the U.S. and Japan. I kind of feel the same way about the goal of 3,000 hits. I think I'd like to focus on one hit at a time and just see what happens."

The A's generated more than $65,000 for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief through the Heritage Day event. The team donated $1 from every ticket sold, and amid other fundraising functions, raised more than $10,000 through a silent auction of game-worn jerseys by Matsui and Suzuki. Ichiro's netted $6,015 and Matsui's $4,555.

After hitting a single, triple and double earlier in the game, Coco Crisp admitted he was thinking cycle when he came to bat to lead off the eighth. He grounded out weakly to first base.

"I got a pitch up and I like pitches up, but I'm like Kit from 'A League Of Their Own' -- sometimes I get them and sometimes I don't," he said. "This was one where I didn't get it. But it definitely crosses your mind."

Mark Ellis has a 16-game hitting streak dating back to last season. He is hitting .387 (24-for-62) over that span.

Daric Barton dropped a foul pop in the first inning, his third error in three games. He made just 10 all last season, including three over his final 127 games

SF Chronicle Player of the year

2011-04-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Boys player of the year: Mitty's Aaron Gordon
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Mitch Stephens, Special to The Chronicle

Monday, April 4, 2011

At one end, in the WCAL championship game against Serra, Mitty's 6-foot-7, 215-pound sophomore Aaron Gordon blocked a shot off the backboard and secured the rebound.

He dribbled the length of the court, twice changing directions - first going behind his back to go left, then immediately spinning right to avoid two defenders.

Gordon was fouled as he approached the free-throw line, but he took one more dribble before floating 7 feet through the air and swishing a finger roll that didn't even count.

It didn't matter. The crowd groaned in amazement anyway. Gordon's coach, Tim Kennedy, and his teammates barely blinked.

"He does that sort of thing at practice every day, and he has for two seasons," Kennedy said. "We're almost spoiled how good he is."

The sequence might have bored the Monarchs, but it showed almost all of the vast skills that have made Gordon ESPN's No. 8 recruit nationally from the Class of 2013. It also demonstrated why he's The Chronicle's Player of the Year.

Gordon - the younger brother of two-time first-team All-Metro player Drew Gordon, who averaged 13 points and 10.5 rebounds per game at New Mexico this season - averaged 18.1 points, 13.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game.

Among all the big-name Bay Area players up for the award - and there were many - Gordon was the only to lead his team to a state title. He is the first sophomore to earn WCAL Player of the Year honors and is the first to win The Chronicle's boys Player of the Year in recent memory.

He had 17 points and tied a state Division II championship-game record with 21 rebounds in a 53-50 win over Summit-Fontana. He had 17 rebounds in the NorCal finals and 15 points, 19 rebounds and eight blocks in the WCAL title win over Serra.

Beyond his long wingspan, big vertical jump and guard skills, what sets Gordon apart is his maturity and competitiveness. He shot 63 percent from the field and took perhaps 10 bad shots all season as Mitty finished 32-2 and No. 1 in The Chronicle's rankings.

"The main thing about Aaron is he just wants to win," Kennedy said. "He doesn't care if he scores two or 20, he just finds a way to win, whether by block or assist or rebound ... or dunk."

Regional players of the year

Contra Costa/Tri-Valley

Travis Pacos (De La Salle-Concord): The 6-foot-3 senior was the heart, soul and leading scorer of the overachieving Spartans (27-6), who surprisingly won the NorCal Division I championship. Pacos, who scored fewer than 20 total points as a junior, averaged more than 17 per game and led De La Salle to a 49-43 win over Castro Valley in the NorCal title game, scoring 13 of his team-high 19 points during an 18-0 run starting in the third quarter.
East Bay

Jabari Brown (Oakland): The 6-5 senior guard, an Oregon signee, averaged 24.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game for the Wildcats (20-9), who lost in the NorCal Division I semifinals. One of the nation's top 15 recruits, Brown was even better during the postseason, when he averaged just less than 30 points per game.
North Bay

Stuart Wesonga (San Marin-Novato): The powerful 6-7, 220-pound senior led San Marin to a historic season, claiming the school's first North Coast Section title in 43 years. The UC Irvine-bound forward averaged 21.5 points, 20.3 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game. He had a combined 52 points, 55 rebounds and 11 blocks in NCS semifinal and championship-game wins.
San Francisco

Brenden Glapion (Washington): The 6-3 senior guard averaged 23.0 points per game, seventh most in the Bay Area, leading the Eagles to their first San Francisco Section title since 1982. Glapion scored 27 points in the Eagles' wild 75-72 win over Mission in the final, making 14 of 16 foul shots. He was a model of consistency, scoring at least 20 points in his final 13 games and in double digits in all 35 games (25 wins).

Boys Basketball: SanFranPreps.com All-City Team

2011-04-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

Boys Basketball: SanFranPreps.com All-City Team
Sunday, April 3, 2011 | 24 Comments

SanFranPreps.com Player of the Year Johnny Mrlik (top center) and firhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifst team selections (clockwise from top right) Joshua Fox, Aaron Anderson, Brendan Glapion, Noah Springwater and Taylor Johns. (Photos by AJ Canaria, Devin Chen, Christian Chew, Doug Ko and Eric Luis. Illustration by Josh Jalil)

By Jeremy Balan

Brenden Glapion, Johnny Mrlik and Noah Springwater really have a lot in common.

All three are left-handed guards, stone-cold scorers, senior leaders and candidates for City Player of the Year.

While Glapion averaged 23 points per game to lead Washington to its first Academic Athletic Association title in 29 years, and Springwater wrapped up a four-year varsity career as University’s top scorer in school history en route to three consecutive Bay Counties League West titles, no player carried his team quite like Mrlik this season.

He averaged 18.4 points per game on the season for St. Ignatius, and led the West Catholic Athletic League in scoring with more than 17 points per game in league. He led the WCAL in made three-pointers and free-throw percentage and set a league record for free throws made in a season.

Mrlik also had a distinct sense for the dramatic, with big showings in the Bruce-Mahoney game against Sacred Heart Cathedral and a shocking upset over eventual Division II state champion Mitty (one of just two losses for the Monarchs on the year).

That’s why he’s the SanFranPreps.com boys basketball Player of the Year.

Mrlik may have edged out a deep group of guards for Player of the Year, but the first team is loaded with talent and athleticism.

Glapion was Washington’s leading scorer all season, and Columbia-bound Springwater (the City’s only Division I recruit this season) dominated the stat sheet, averaging 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks per game.

Bucking the trend of solid guard play were Sacred Heart Cathedral junior forwards Taylor Johns and Joshua Fox, who led the Irish to a Central Coast Section title on the strength of their frontcourt play and imposing defense.

The pair could impact the momentum of a game with a thundering dunk just as much as a highlight-reel block.

Aaron Anderson, Riordan’s top scorer and rebounder, was also a lockdown defender. In a down year for the Crusaders, it’s hard to find another player who gave more effort on the floor, even when it meant playing against rival St. Ignatius with a debilitating sickness.

While the entire All-City team is ruled by mostly seniors, the favorites for next year’s Player of the Year are on our second team.

Johns and Fox should factor into the discussion, but just as it did this year, the fact that they play on the same team hurts their chances. But Marshall’s Theoatis Hill and St. Ignatius’ Stephen Domingo (both second team) will likely have to carry the load for their respective teams.

Domingo’s still-developing game should mature nicely, and Hill has already proven that he can carry the load, averaging a city-high 24.7 points per game this year, to go along with nearly 13 rebounds per game.

Our selection for Coach of the Year, like Player of the year, was also a three-horse race.

Randal Bessolo led University to a second consecutive NorCal title game and Lincoln’s Matt Jackson took over the reins of the program after the sudden death of coach Mike Gragnani, coaching both the Lincoln varsity and junior varsity programs, but our nod goes to Mission coach Arnold Zelaya.

Along with the pitfalls that can accompany coaching at any public school in San Francisco, and after winning the AAA championship last year, Zelaya led an almost entirely new lineup back to the league championship game.

Additional reporting by Bonta Hill

SanFranPreps.com Player of the Year
Johnny Mrlik, senior guard, St. Ignatius

Coach of the Year
Arnold Zelaya, Mission

First Team
Aaron Anderson, senior guard, Riordan
Joshua Fox, junior forward, Sacred Heart Cathedral
Brenden Glapion, senior guard, Washington
Taylor Johns, junior forward, Sacred Heart Cathedral
Noah Springwater, senior guard, University

Boys Basketball: Glapion named AAA Player of the Year

2011-03-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

Boys Basketball: Glapion named AAA Player of the Year, All-AAA teams announced
Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Selections made by Academic Athletic Association coaches, not SanFranPreps.com staff.

Washington senior guard Brenden Glapion takes the ball up the court against Piedmont Hills on Dec. 12 at Overfelt High School. (Photo by AJ Canaria)

Academic Athletic Association Player of the Year: Brenden Glapion, senior guard, Washington

First Team
Gione Edwards, junior forward, Mission
Theoatis Hill, junior forward, Marshall
Jeremy Jetton, senior guard, Washington
Antoine Porter, sophomore guard, Mission
Ricco Price, senior forward, Lowell

Second Team
Jonathan Burnoski, junior guard, Balboa
Ronnie Campbell, senior guard, Wallenberg
Terence Ching, junior guard, Burton
Kevork Demirjian, senior center, Lincoln
LeVander Moore, senior forward, Washington
Chris Young, junior guard, Lincoln

Honorable Mention
Aaron Brown, senior forward, Wallenberg
Casey Chow, senior guard, Lowell
Jeffrey Hua, senior guard, Galileo
Sharif Jenkins, junior guard, O’Connell
Thomas Kroner, senior center, Lowell
David Li, senior forward, Wallenberg
Damonta McForland, junior forward, ISA
Christian Pulusian, senior forward, Balboa
Jaleel Stancil, senior guard, Mission
Artrix Thomas, junior guard, Lincoln
Darius Webb, senior center, Jordan

Taft High basketball gets old-school coaching lift from Yutaka Shimizu

2011-03-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

Taft High basketball gets old-school coaching lift from Yutaka Shimizu
If Taft High wins its third City Division I title Saturday against Westchester, it will be due in part to the quiet counsel of assistant coach Yutaka Shimizu, an institution in Los Angeles high school basketball.
By Eric Sondheimer

March 4, 2011

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Woodland Hills Taft Coach Derrick Taylor was in Louisville, Ky., four years ago coaching the West team in the McDonald's All-American game when he walked into a room for breakfast with assistant coach Yutaka Shimizu.

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke up.

"Coach Shimizu."

It was John Wooden.

"That's when you know you're the man, when the ultimate coach calls you over," Taylor said.

For 52 years, Shimizu has been coaching basketball, mostly at the high school level in Los Angeles. He has made it through 11 U.S. presidents, though don't ask him to name them.

"Heck no, I wouldn't be able to answer that," said Shimizu, who declined to reveal his age.

He never won a City title at Hamilton, where he was head coach from 1959-81, or at Granada Hills Kennedy, where he was head coach from 1982-99. He made it to the championship game when his best player, Sidney Wicks, was a sophomore in 1965. But since joining Taft as a volunteer assistant in 2003, he has helped the Toreadors win two City Division I titles, and a third could come on Saturday, when the Toreadors face Westchester in a 1 p.m. final at USC's Galen Center.

"He's my man," Taylor said. "It's more than coincidence when he came on we took off."

He serves as Taylor's Yoda, using his wisdom and experience to make observations and suggestions.

"He showed me how to structure practice and how to move on," Taylor said.

Shimizu has been coaching for so long that last week, he faced one of his ex-Hamilton players, James Paleno, who has been the longtime coach at Palisades and who bought a used car from Shimizu years ago.

Just as the car still works, so does Shimizu.

"I'll keep going as long as I can, as long as my health holds out and somebody wants my help," he said.

To say that Shimizu is old school would be an understatement.

He doesn't use a computer and he has no understanding of text messages.

"The only thing I use is an adding machine," he said.

Said Paleno: "Why should he need a computer? He has everything in his brain."

Teaching fundamentals and getting his players ready for games through practice are what he believes in.

Former North Hollywood Coach Steve Miller tells the story of a Hamilton game he officiated in the 1970s. The score was tied, and a Hamilton player called a timeout with 15 seconds left after a rebound.

"I walked over," Miller said, "looked at Shimizu and he's standing there and turns to his captain, 'Why did you call timeout? I don't want a timeout. I don't know what to tell you. You guys go make up a play.' I went over to him, 'Why don't you make the play?' He says, 'I wouldn't know what to say and they wouldn't listen to me.' The kid gets the ball, dribbles down, seven seconds left, drives and scores. Hamilton wins. I go, 'Great call, coach.' He says, 'I had nothing to do with it.' "

A player stepped up with leadership to win the game. That's what Shimizu wanted.

Shimizu stays in the background these days. He hasn't blown a whistle during practice in years. It's buried in a holder in his car. He sits quietly during games near the Taft bench, watching and letting Taylor do his thing.

"His style is a little different than mine," he said, referring to Taylor's sometimes fiery demeanor. "He's the head coach, I'm the assistant. Whatever he decides, that's what we do. He's very knowledgeable about the game, and to me, he likes to be offensive-oriented and gets along with the kids very well."

If anyone brought together a group of former Hamilton players and someone yelled out, "41," all would know what it means — the signal to full-court press. Ex-players don't forget what they learned under Shimizu.

"He's a phenomenal person," Paleno said.

Santa Teresa marches past Washington-S.F.

2011-03-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

Santa Teresa marches past Washington-S.F.
By Alex Pavlovic
apavlovic@mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/08/2011 10:38:56 PM PST
Updated: 03/08/2011 10:57:58 PM PST
As it turns out, Santa Teresa's impressive run through the Central Coast Section playoffs was just a taste of things to come.

Playing in their first ever CIF regionals game, the Saints marched right past Washington (San Francisco) and into the Division I second round Tuesday night at Santa Teresa. Trevor Priest did the heavy lifting on both ends, leading Santa Teresa to a 70-60 victory that wasn't nearly as close as the final score.

Priest scored 20 points and for much of the night completely shut down Brenden Glapion, who came in averaging over 23 points per game. Glapion, an AAU teammate of Priest and Saints' guard Denzel Copeland, was held to 17 points, five of which came in the final minute after Santa Teresa coach Mitch Priest pulled his starters.

A picture of intensity during games, Mitch finally cracked a smile afterward when asked about his son.

"You know I'm his worst critic "... but he played a good game tonight," Mitch said of Trevor. "A lot of his athleticism is starting to show."

Trevor Priest showed off that athleticism with two stunning sequences in the second half. In the first minute of the fourth quarter, he made an acrobatic layup on one end and sprinted back on defense for a chase-down block after the Eagles (25-10) tried to get their transition game going.

With the Saints' offense stalling late, Priest jumped a passing lane for a steal and completed a tough old-fashioned three-point play on the other end.
Not that Santa Teresa (23-7) needed any more points by then.
The Saints ran off a 21-4 run to close the first quarter and led by 20 at the half.
"Being here for our last home game, we wanted to give our fans a show and get off to a great start," Copeland said.

Copeland finished with eight points, and like the rest of the Saints, he consistently found Spencer Koopman open in the corner. The Saints' sharpshooter hit four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. Santa Teresa hit eight 3's and got big all-around contributions from Daniel Gunter and Chris Shaw, who scored seven points apiece.

The sixth-seeded Saints travel to Sacramento on Thursday for a 7 p.m. matchup with No. 3 seed Sheldon (23-7).

"We hear they're real tough but we'll take this as far as we can," Daniel Karnes said. "We're setting school history every time we take the court."

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Here is another blog that I found
http://www.coach41.com/
CIF NorCal State Division I Boys Basketball Playoff: Washington (SF) vs. Santa Teresa (San Jose)
I was working in Santa Clara today and realized that the Washington High Eagles boys basketball team would be playing in San Jose tonight against Santa Teresa at 7 PM in a CIF State Playoff game. Since I was in the area (sort of, it was estimated to be some 19 miles + 30 minutes away), I decided to head over to the game. Some thoughts......

The drive to Santa Teresa High School took about 40 minutes as I ran into rush hour traffic. As I pulled into the school's parking lot, I was surprised to see a lot of cars already there. As I walked to the gym, I saw a short line out the door. It was then I knew I would be walking into hostile territory.

The environment was crazy. Both sides of the gym were packed with fans (the majority of them Santa Teresa). There was a student cheering section as well as cheerleaders. The entire gym was loud, especially since Santa Teresa played well and eventually beat Washington 70-60. I don't know if Santa Teresa is like this every game they play, but it was definitely a boost to their team and hostile to the visiting Washington team.

The Santa Teresa team deserves some credit too. I haven't watched a ton of varsity basketball games this year but Santa Teresa was one of the better teams I have seen. Santa Teresa shot the lights out from three point land, had great fundamentals, played hard defense and crashed the boards. In my opinion, Santa Teresa was probably the best team Washington had seen in recent weeks. I don't think Washington had seen such a balanced team in a while and that proved frustrating. Washington's defense couldn't lay back as Santa Teresa would hit the three's. If Washington played tight, Santa Teresa was able to blow by the defenders.

The Washington team wasn't bad though. While I am not a graduate of Washington, I had officiated one of their games during this past season and knew the coach personally. After winning the San Francisco AAA championship against Mission last week (first championship since 1982), I was curious how Washington would do in the bright lights of the CIF State Playoffs.

Some of the things I had noticed during the AAA championship game came to light against Santa Teresa. Washington and Mission both thrive on up tempo games as evidenced by the 75-72 final score in the championship. I thought it was interesting that Washington didn't hit a lot of outside jumpers. Most of their shots were put backs or layups.

This proved to be a key against Santa Teresa. With Santa Teresa hitting their shots, Washington was forced to play half court and had trouble generating offense. They went through a cold streak from halfway through the first quarter into the second quarter and allowed Santa Teresa to pull away to a 20 point lead. Washington never really challenged after that.

While it was a tough night for Washington, they should keep their heads high for making a great effort. Good luck to Santa Teresa as they travel to Sacramento for their next game.

Washington pulls away late against Lowell in AAA semis

2011-03-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

Washington senior Brenden Glapion drives past a Lowell defender on Wednesday at Kezar Pavilion. (Photo by Devin Chen)

Boys Basketball: Washington pulls away late against Lowell in AAA semis
Thursday, March 3, 2011

By Bonta Hill

Washington High School advanced to the Academic Athletic Association championship game for the first time since 1986 with a 60-48 win over rival Lowell in the AAA semifinals on Wednesday at Kezar Pavilion.

Washington guard Brenden Glapion had a game-high 22 points (14 coming from the free throw line), Jeremy Jetton had 12, and Levander Moore chipped in nine points and 14 rebounds, lifting the Eagles one step closer to claiming their first AAA championship since 1982.

Washington senior forward LeVander Moore rises up for a contested shot in the lane against Lowell on Wednesday at Kezar Pavilion. (Photo by Devin Chen)

After watching his team struggle with Lowell’s slow-down style in the first half, which ended with Washington forward Kenneth Lui receiving a technical foul, head coach Jolinko Lassiter wrote one word on the board inside the locker room — composure.

The Eagles responded coming out of the locker room, going on a 13-4 run sparked by two Jonathon Lowe jumpers, and Glapion’s fast break layup off a steal put Washington up 39-32 with 4:18 left in the third quarter.

Washington outscored the Cardinals 20-6 in the third, taking advantage of the absence of Lowell’s leading scorer Ricco Price, who was mired in foul trouble. The Eagles also forced six turnovers in the quarter.

“[In] the first half, we were all over the place. We were fast breaking against four Lowell defenders and we’d turn it over,” Lassiter said. “But we came out [and] we made our run. It was 16 minutes left in the season and the guys really stepped up and responded.”

For Lowell, the end of their season certainly can’t be blamed on a lack of effort. The Cardinals flustered Washington in the first 24 minutes, making the Eagles play at their pace, diving and scrapping for loose balls that had the Lowell student section in a frenzy.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the game’s opening four minutes, but after Washington ended the first quarter on a 15-5 run, Lowell hung on without Price, who picked up two fouls in the opening frame.

Point guard Byran Robinson, who had a team-high 15 points, fueled the Cardinals with six points in the second frame, including his three-point play midway through the quarter that gave Lowell a 22-21, before going into the break leading 28-26.

“Even though we were kind of in control in the first quarter, it still was a little too fast paced for us. But I was really proud of the effort that we gave in the first half,” said Lowell head coach Robert Ray. “[In] the third quarter, the wheels kind of fell apart. Not having the senior leadership on the floor with Ricco getting in foul trouble, it caught up with us.”

Still, Lowell had its chances in the final quarter to get back in the contest. Down 46-38 with just over five minutes left, Lowell guard Casey Chow’s wide open three-point attempt to cut their deficit to five was just off the mark.

“[If] a couple of those shots drop, we get our momentum back and it’s a different ballgame. But credit Washington for doing what they do. We knew what they were going to do and we still couldn’t stop it,” Ray said. “It’s a down locker room, but not a sad one because we’re pretty proud of our effort. We’ll be back.”

Awaiting Washington is a rubber match with Mission, which beat Wallenberg 69-66 in the second semifinal to set up the showdown between the top two teams in the AAA.

Both teams won on each other’s home court in the regular season, with the Eagles winning the first meeting 89-66 back on Jan. 18, then Mission evened the score on Feb. 22 with a 77-66 win.

“It’s a great achievement for the school [to be in the AAA final],” Lassiter said. “It’s a great accomplishment, but we still have one more game.”

Scoring Leaders

Washington
Brenden Glapion – 22
Jeremy Jetton – 12
Levander Moore – 9
Johnny Fu – 7
Jonathon Lowe – 5

Lowell
Byran Robinson – 15
Thomas Kroner – 12
Ricco Price – 10
Max Pollard – 4
Three players tied with 2 points

All time Nikkei Baller Wally Yonamine

2011-03-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Wally Yonamine, Nisei baseball and football pioneer, dead at 85
The two-sport star for the 49ers and Tokyo Giants, passed away Monday in Honolulu.

Wally Yonamine is safe at home with a hard slide, as Nankai Hawks catcher Keizo Tsutsui is sent flying in Game 1 of the 1951 Japan Series. (From the Yonamine Collection, courtesy Robert K. Fitts)

By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
Rafu Sports Editor

During pregame festivities for Japanese American Community Night at Dodger Stadium in 2004, Wally Yonamine was the quietest and least assuming of all the sports luminaries and community leaders being recognized on the field.

As his name was announced and echoed throughout Chavez Ravine on that balmy April evening, the demure, silver haired player from a bygone era softly smiled and lifted the baseball he held in his left hand toward the crowd.

“I’m so happy to see all the Japanese players who are doing so well,” Yonamine said before the game, referring to the four Japan-born players who were involved in that night’s matchup between the Dodgers and New York Mets. It was a typical sentiment for the man whose inner determination and athletic talent led him from plantation obscurity to international fame.

A true pioneer of sport on both sides of the Pacific, Yonamine has died from complications of prostate cancer. His family reported that the 85-year-old passed away at a Honolulu retirement on Monday night.

Yonamine threw the ceremonial first pitch on April 28, 2004, during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Japanese American Community Night. (MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS/Rafu Shimpo)

Born Wallace Kaname Yonamine in Olowahu on the island of Maui in June of 1925, the Nisei son of immigrant farm workers first tried football during his prewar childhood, practicing on the beach with a can of corn wrapped in newspaper.

Although some Hawaiian residents of Japanese descent were uprooted and interned after the United States entered World War II, Yonamine was allowed to continue at school, and when his family moved to Oahu, his athletic abilities sparkled.

During his senior year in 1944, Yonamine starred at halfback at Farrington High School, leading his team to an undefeated season and the championship.

“Wally was a symbol and an inspiration for many people, a symbol of the underdog,” Robert K. Fitts, author of “Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Japanese Baseball,” told the Rafu on Tuesday. “In those days, there was still this kind of rivalry between Okinawans and Japanese, and since he had an Okinawan father and Japanese mother, both sides kind of claimed him when he began to do well in high school football.”

Fitts said that Yonamine was already the best player in Hawaii and set to take a scholarship to Ohio State, when the San Francisco 49ers came calling. The young man, barely into his 20s, signed a two-year contract and headed to the City by the Bay, taking along with him the hopes of all of Hawaii.

“It was only a year ofter the war had ended,” Fitts explained, “and here he comes, when rebuilding begins, a Japanese player on this all-white team in a sport that personified the typical ‘American’ college experience. Just being there, he became a symbol for all Japanese Americans.”

A 30-year 49ers season ticket holder, Hats Aizawa said he was among a group of Nisei that attended nearly all of Yonamine’s games in San Francisco.

“He made us proud that we were Japanese,” Aizawa was quoted as remembering.

Despite his celebrity, Yonamine faced the same paranoid hysteria and racism that befell an entire postwar generation of Asian Americans. Fitts said Yonamine fought against the discrimination through his superb play and by keeping his poise in public.

His ability to keep off-field pressures at bay and excel in the game has led many to refer to Yonamine as the “Japanese Jackie Robinson,” making his professional sports debut in 1947, the same year as the Dodgers’ star.

After a solid rookie season, Yonamine suffered a wrist fracture during training camp the following year, effectively ending his season. He returned to Hawaii, still a young man, and took up his other favorite sport, baseball.

After stints with the Asahi team on Oahu and the Salt Lake City minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, the left-handed infielder was recommended to the Yomiuri Giants in Japan’s Central League.

“I think he would have dramatically altered the course of baseball history if he decided to stay in the U.S. and become the first Japanese American player in Major League Baseball,” wrote Gary Otake, co-curator of the exhibit “Diamonds in the Rough: Japanese Americans in Baseball.”

Yonamine, as a rookie with the San Franciso 49ers in a 1947 publicity photo. (From the Yonamine Collection, courtesy Robert K. Fitts)

As it was, Yonamine became the first American to play professional sports in Japan following the war. Though he had the talent and skills to play in Japan, Yonamine soon discovered an old foe: his new Japanese teammates viewed him as an outsider, arrogant in his manner and “American” style of play.

“As a foreigner he paid his harsh dues on and off the field, but…he helped to pioneer the way for future American players,” Kerry Yo Nakagawa, cited in his book, “Through a Diamond:100 years of Japanese Americans in Baseball.”

The suspicions of his new mates quickly subsided when Yonamine excelled on the field for the Giants. He hit a scorching .354 as the speedy rookie leadoff batter in 1951, stole 28 bases and led the Giants to the Japan Series. As Yomiuri’s center fielder, he was a sensation and went on to a 12-year career in Japan, which included the 1957 MVP award, three batting titles and seven All-Star appearances.

Once his playing days had ended, he remained in the coaching and managerial ranks, the highlight of which was guiding the lowly 1974 Chunichi Dragons to their first Japanese Series title, ending the nine-year streak of the Giants.

For his playing and pioneering, Yonamine was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994, the first foreigner to receive such an honor.

In 2006, the 49ers announced the creation the creation of the Unity Award, named after former players and pioneers Yonamine and Joe “The Jet” Perry. Each year, the team honors a current 49ers player, a Bay Area youth football coach and a local company that have demonstrated, as Perry and Yonamine did, an exceptional commitment to promoting unity with their team and in their community.

In his later years, Yonamine and his wife, Jane, opened pearl and jewelry stores in Tokyo and California, and spent much of their time working for charitable causes. Fitts explained that during the 1990, Yonamine worked to promote Hawaii tourism, donated time and money to the American Cancer Society and helped to establish sports programs for underprivileged kids in his home state.

“He realized that he came of a poor plantation life and that sports was a way out for him,” Fitts said. “Once he became a star, he felt it only right to help other people.”

Wally Yonamine dies - 49er, Japanese baseballer

Staff and News Services

Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wally Yonamine had 19 carries for 74 yards for the 1947 4...

Onetime 49ers running back Wally Kaname Yonamine, the first American to play professional baseball in Japan after World War II, died Monday after a bout with prostate cancer. He was 85.

"Most people remember him for his accomplishments on the diamond, but our family, we have a great deal of respect for him for what he's done off the diamond," his son Paul Yonamine said. "One hell of a guy."

He became the first Asian American to play professional football when he lined up for the 49ers for the 1947 season, rushing 19 times for 74 yards.

The outfielder was known as the "Nisei Jackie Robinson" for breaking into Japanese baseball and building ties between the countries in a highly sensitive period after World War II.

Facing a language barrier, Mr. Yonamine was sometimes met with hostility, including rock throwing, for being an American and for his aggressive style of play.

Travis Ishikawa wasnt the only JA to get a full 2010 world series share, Taira Uematsu , SF Giants,

2011-02-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

San Francisco Giants bullpen catcher and jack-of-all-trades Taira Uematsu at spring training at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011. (Dan Honda/Staff) ( Dan Honda )

San Francisco Giants' support staff reaps rewards of winning season
By Andrew Baggarly
Click on the link to read full article

For some, the World Series share is a reward for perseverance.

Taira Uematsu lived on fast-food salaries, first as an intern at Triple-A Fresno in 2006 and then as the Grizzlies' bullpen catcher a year later. He was promoted to the Giants' traveling party in '08 when right-hander Keiichi Yabu needed a translator.

Yabu didn't crack the team the following season. The Giants needed to make cuts to their support staff budget. But Uematsu made himself indispensable by doing the work of three people, and Bochy went to the mat to keep the quiet man whom clubhouse assistant Rob Dean calls, "the Japanese Swiss Army knife."

"It's more a case of what doesn't he do," Bochy said.

Uematsu arrives at Scottsdale Stadium at 5 a.m., fills water buckets and delivers them to the back fields in a golf cart. Then he starts making ice packs and assists Dave Groeschner while setting up the training room.

He catches in the bullpen, throws batting practice and plays long toss with rehabbing players. After practice, he helps stretch players and breaks everything down again. By the time he gets in a quick workout, it's after 7 p.m.

"I just wanted a job and to work," said Uematsu, who plans to keep his share in the bank for now. "I am so appreciative to the players. For me, this is more than my dream."

Glapion puts on a show in Washington's win over Lincoln

2011-02-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

Boys Basketball: Glapion puts on a show in Washington’s win over Lincoln
Thursday, February 17, 2011

By Bonta Hill

On a night where Lincoln High School dedicated its home court to former head coach Rick Boyle, a senior guard from Washington crashed the ceremony and had one of his best performances of the season.

Brenden Glapion strengthened his case for Academic Athletic Association player of the year, setting the tone with 10 first-quarter points, and finished with a game-high 30, to go along with five assists, helping the Eagles win 68-60 in Academic Athletic Association play on Wednesday.

Washington senior guard Brenden Glapion goes up for a layup against Lincoln on Wednesday at Lincoln High School. (Photo by Devin Chen)

“[I tried] to do whatever I could do to win,” Glapion said. “I was just trying to be aggressive at the start of the game and carry that momentum throughout the rest of the game.”

With the win, the Eagles (21-8, 13-1) remain in a first-place tie with Mission the AAA’s Lang Division with two games remaining before the playoffs.

Lincoln (17-12, 10-4) couldn’t climb out of a 16-point second-half deficit, committing 25 turnovers and giving up 14 offensive rebounds to the Eagles.

“We just didn’t take care of the ball, and that led to easy fast break points for them,” said Lincoln interim head coach Matt Jackson. “We just have to come out and be ready, not come out and play from behind.”

Washington took advantage of Lincoln’s miscues early and often. After Mustangs guard Chris Young tied the game at 13-13 early in the second quarter, the Eagles answered with a 15-4 run, mostly off layups, capitalizing in the Mustangs’ sloppiness.

Later, with the Eagles commanding a 41-29 lead with 4:45 left in the third quarter, Glapion sank a smooth baseline jumper, followed immediately by a Jeremy Jetton layup, putting Washington up 45-29.

“We did a much better job on [Glapion] the first time we played, and made everything difficult,” Jackson said. “We didn’t come out with the same intensity, especially on the defensive end. We were way too quiet. We need to be disruptive and we weren’t disruptive tonight, and that allowed [Glapion] to have a big night.”

Lincoln would get aggressive immediately after, and on three consecutive offensive possessions, Young would penetrate and draw fouls from the Washington defenders. Young, who finished with a team-high 20 points, spearheaded a 10-0 run that cut the lead to 45-39.

Glapion had an answer though, getting behind the Lincoln defense for a layup to break the Eagles brief scoring drought.

The Eagles also had solid contributions from Jetton, who had 18 points, and LeVander Moore, who chipped in nine points with 15 rebounds, but this night belonged to Glapion.

With Lincoln down 53-46 with just under three minutes remaining, Glapion calmly dribbled between his legs and dropped a three-pointer from the left wing over Mustang center Kevork Demirjian to give the Eagles a 10-point lead with 2:58 left in the contest.

“This is a game our guys wanted. Lincoln gave us our first loss, but we knew if we could play well we would be in good shape,” said Washington head coach Jolinko Lassiter. “Brenden played great tonight, he answered virtually every run they made.”

Washington then went 12-of-17 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.

A showdown against Mission on February 22 awaits Washington, a game that could determine the regular-season Lang champion, but the Eagles are not looking past Friday’s date with Marshall.

“Marshall is a good team and they always play us tough,” Lassiter said. “We’re going to have to be ready to play well against Marshall and we can’t focus on Mission until after the Marshall game.”

Scoring Leaders

Washington
Branden Glapion – 30
Jeremy Jetton – 18
LeVander Moore – 10
Galen Hall – 3
Three players tied with 2 points

Lincoln
Chris Young – 20
Kevork Demirjian – 19
Tre Thomas – 10
Remfel Ganal – 4
Nick Young – 3

Boys Basketball: Washington’s inside presence too much for Lowell

2011-01-30T22:25:00.000-08:00

Boys Basketball: Washington’s inside presence too much for Lowell
Saturday, January 22, 2011
By Ernest Stone

While Washington’s go-to scorers are clearly senior guards Jeremy Jetton and Brenden Glaipon, fellow seniors LeVander Moore and Galen Hall are beginning to lay claim as a dynamic duo in their own right.

While Moore and Hall combined for just eight points on Friday night at Kezar Pavilion, they combined for 30 rebounds and five blocks, dominating the interior and leading the Eagles to a 53-49 league win over rival Lowell in Academic Athletic Association play.

Washington senior forward LeVander Moor rises up for a contested shot in the lane against Lowell on Friday at Kezar Pavilion. (Photo by Devin Chen)
“Everybody on our team plays big and fast,” said Moore, who finished with seven points and 18 rebounds. “We are extremely athletic and it’s an identity we’ve had all year.”

Early on, Lowell’s (13-6, 5-1) execution of its motion offense neutralized the Eagles’ physical advantages.

Five Lowell players scored in the first half, while Glaipon shouldered most the load for the Eagles, with 10 of their 26 first-half points.

“I thought we matched up very well,” said Lowell head coach Robert Ray. “They have some talented players and we slowed them down. I mean, 53-49 is the type of score we would like to play to every time.”

Unfortunately for Ray’s squad, Moore and Hall’s ability to clean up the glass allowed Washington (13-8, 5-1) to capitalize on several second-chance opportunities. The multiple opportunities greatly benefited Jetton, who finished the game strong with 10 second-half points.

Although Lowell continued to counter Washington’s man-to-man offense with its balanced passing schemes, Cardinals senior Casey Chow managed to take over with three three-point shots in the third quarter to put Lowell ahead for the first time since the first frame.

But the additional threat of Kenneth Lui, who scored eight points off the Washington bench, along with the Eagles’ dominant rebounding, proved to be too much, as the Eagles built a lead that they would cling on to for the remainder of the third quarter and through the end of the game.

“As is what happens a lot of times, you expend all this energy to get back in the game, and once you are there, you take a step back,” Ray said. “Against Washington, you can’t take that step back, and we found that out tonight.”

Lowell’s loss to Washington is just its first defeat in AAA play this season.

With their four-point win following a 23-point blowout of Mission earlier this week, the Eagles have proven they can win in a variety of ways. Next week, Washington will look to register a complete effort against Galileo on the road.

“Our role players stepped up today, and that’s always a welcome sign,” said Washington head coach Jolinko Lassiter. “Our guys always do a great job of playing to their strengths, and I don’t see anything changing.”

Scoring Leaders

Washington
Jeremy Jetton – 16
Brenden Glapion – 14
Kenneth Lui – 8
LeVander Moore – 7
Austin Hedani – 3

Lowell
Casey Chow – 12
Jorell Cacatian – 10
Jackson Miao – 8
Ricco Price – 7
Avery Nicastro-Aikman – 4

Washington bounces back to rout Mission on the road

2011-01-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Boys Basketball: Washington bounces back to rout Mission on the road
Wednesday, January 19, 2011

By Bonta Hill

Going into its Academic Athletic Association Lang Division contest against Mission High School, Washington was looking to put together a complete game, something that its has struggled to do this season.

That all changed Tuesday, as the visiting Eagles made a huge statement by dismantling the Bears 89-66 on their home floor.

Washington seniors Jeremy Jetton (left) and LeVander Moore (right) trap Mission forward Alec Tatum in the key on Tuesday at the Mission High School. (Photo by Eric Soracco)

Brenden Glapion had a game-high 29 points, Jeremy Jetton had another solid all-around game with 28 points, five rebounds and five assists, but it was the play of center LeVander Moore that set the tone for Washington (12-8, 3-1). Moore was the unsung hero, as his double-double (13 points and 20 rebounds) included seven rebounds on the offensive end, to go along with four steals, which helped the Eagles lead throughout the contest against the defending AAA champions.

While Washington has been prone to blow double-digit leads this season, head coach Jolinko Lassiter reminded his team at halftime to finish strong.

“Every time you can get a division win, especially a big road win like this, we had to earn it coming off a tough loss to [Lincoln],” Lassiter said. “It’s been an Achilles heel of ours to give up leads, but the guys played well tonight and we put together a full 32 minutes for once.”

For Mission (9-9, 2-1), the game was a huge letdown. The Bears were sloppy all night, finishing with 21 turnovers, and struggled from the field shooting just over 33 percent in the game, including 22 percent in the first half that led to a 40-25 Washington lead.

“We were not very good tonight,” said Mission head coach Arnold Zelaya. “It’s kind of been up anddown all year, and this was definitely a down. To be honest, we played like garbage.”

While Mission struggled on offense, Washington had no trouble breaking the Bears vaunted full-court pressure defense.

Moore’s dominance on the glass led to many fast breaks as Jetton and Glapion leaked out for several easy layups.
“I just wanted to give it my all, [because] last Friday [against Lincoln] I didn’t give it my all and I felt I slacked off,” said Moore, who was in foul trouble throughout the contest. “I needed to get myself going today, to set the tone and by my rebounding, I wanted to get everybody pumped, get us in the game, and get us running.”

For the game, Washington shot 58 percent from the floor and led by as many as 26 points in the second half.

The one negative for the Eagles was the 17 turnovers they committed.

“Everybody played as a team, everyone worked together,” Glapion said. “The last two days of practice, everyone was working hard. That just carried onto the court today.”

Antoine Porter led the Bears with 20 points and tried to ignite Mission with 12 second quarter points, but the Bears failed to make any significant dent in the Washington lead.

“I told our team all week that LeVander is tough, and our team knew we had to keep him off the boards,” Zelaya said. “It was real sloppy all along. From shot-selection to shot percentage, it was bad all the way around.”

Scoring Leaders

Washington
Brenden Glapion – 29
Jeremy Jetton -28
LeVander Moore – 13
Kenneth Lui – 6
Galen Hall – 3

Mission
Antoine Porter – 20
Gione Edwards – 10
Miles Prescott – 9
Travis Price-Moku – 8
Shaquille Fisher – 6

Boys Basketball: Washington holds off Marshall comeback in overtime

2011-01-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

Boys Basketball: Washington holds off Marshall comeback in overtime
Friday, January 14, 2011

Washington senior guard Brenden Glapion (center) tries to break through two Marshall defenders on Thursday at Marshall High School. (Photo by Devin Chen)

By Jeremy Balan

After blowing a 22-point second-quarter lead, visiting Washington High School escaped with a 77-70 Academic Athletic Association overtime road win over Marshall on Thursday.

The Eagles (11-7, 3-0) carried a 47-29 lead into the half and withstood a second-half rally by the Phoenix (7-9, 2-2) in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

Marshall junior forward Theoatis Hill rises up for a rebound against Washington on Thursday at Marshall High School. (Photo by Devin Chen)

Washington pulled off the win, but at the end of regulation the Phoenix looked to be keyed for the upset.

Down 66-64 with nine seconds remaining, Marshall senior guard Travalle Johnson took the ball up the court, slipped and lost the ball. Marshall forward Theoatis Hill went to the floor and wrestled the ball away from a Washington defender, then, while still on the floor, he found a streaking Johnson, who hit a floating runner in the key at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

As exciting as the finish in regulation was, the gym quickly deflated in the overtime period on an ending to the game that was equally anticlimactic and unfortunate. With just under three minutes remaining in overtime and Marshall trailing 71-68, junior Arthur Captain was the fourth Marshall player to foul out of the game, forcing the Phoenix to finish with only four players.

Washington simply wound down the clock and added six more points on free throws and the undermanned Phoenix wouldn’t threaten again.

“We’ve been playing with five or six guys the majority of the season, so tonight we had a luxury with eight, but ended up with four at the end,” said Marshall head coach Dezebee Miles. “All I can say is that I have a great bunch of guys and all we can do is keep pushing forward and do the best we can.”

Washington standout senior guard Brenden Glapion led all scorers with 33 points, but it was an all-around performance from fellow senior guard Jeremy Jetton that may have been the difference.

Jetton added 25 points, but after forward LeVander Moore dealt with foul trouble early, he took over the responsibilities of guarding Hill, who may be the most dynamic scorer in the AAA.

Hill came into the game averaging more than 23 points per game, and finished above his average with 25 points, but the undersized Jetton held him to 7-of-25 shooting from the floor.

“It was his decision [to guard Hill],” said Washington head coach Jolinko Lassiter. “Once LeVander came out of the game, Jeremy took over and did a great job on him. We know [Hill] will get his, but we did a good job of making it difficult on him.”

Lassiter wasn’t happy about letting the Phoenix back into the game, but knows Marshall is one of the toughest places to win in the AAA.

“Marshall is just one of those teams that always plays well against us,” Lassiter said. “Today, we knew they were going to make their run, but it was good to go out in overtime, stay composed and win the game.”

Scoring Leaders

Washington
Brenden Glapion – 33
Jeremy Jetton – 25
Galen Hall – 6
Johnny Fu – 5
LeVander Moore – 4

Marshall
Theoatis Hill – 25
Travalle Johnson – 24
Arthur Captain – 9
Mark Alexander – 5
Malik Ngumezi – 4

Boys Basketball: Lincoln remains undefeated in AAA with win over Washington

2011-01-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

Boys Basketball: Lincoln remains undefeated in AAA with win over Washington
Saturday, January 15, 2011

Lincoln senior center Kevork Demirjian rises up for a jump shot against Washington on Friday night at Washington High School. (Photo by Devin Chen)

By Jeremy Balan

In the game that was supposed to be played on the day of Mike Gragnani’s funeral, the Mustangs honored their late head coach with yet another win, this time against what may be the best team in the Academic Athletic Association.

The visiting Mustangs stunned Washington with a 60-54 win on Friday, to remain undefeated in AAA play and since Gragnani’s death.

Washington senior Jeremy Jetton goes up for a long-range jump shot against Lincoln on Friday at Washington High School. (Photo by Devin Chen)

“Mike just preached intensity to these guys and for them to still have it and show it on the court and play the type of basketball he wanted, means a lot,” said Lincoln interim head coach Matt Jackson. “It really shows the impact he had on them. Our hats off to a great teacher, and there’s a big hole in our hearts, but we’re going to keep fighting for him, one game at a time.”

Lincoln was led in scoring by junior guard Chris Young, who had a game-high 19 points on a combination of sleek three-point shooting and hard drives to the basket, but it was a dynamic performance from senior Kevork Demirjian that may have been the difference.

The 6-foot-5 center had a season-high 18 points and attacked the Washington defense inside early, but when the Eagles went to a zone to combat his size, Demirjian’s midrange game flourished and he scored eight points in a crucial third quarter. The Mustangs extended a 31-30 halftime lead to 51-38 after the third.

“I really love it when the midrange game is open, because that’s a big part of my game,” Demirjian said. “If it’s open, I’m going to hit it. We just made some adjustments.”

The Mustangs offense was efficient in the third quarter, but stumbled in the fourth, as frequent turnovers allowed the Eagles to stay within striking distance. But even though the opportunities were there, the Eagles could not put together a significant rally, to the dismay of a Washington crowd that appeared to be ready to explode.

Senior guard Jeremy Jetton led Washington with a game-high 25 points, but it was a frustrating night of uncharacteristically bad shooting from fellow senior Brenden Glapion that hampered the Eagles throughout.

“Everyone else picked up the slack,” said Washington head coach Jolinko Lassiter. “We’re more than just one guy and Jeremy played a great game tonight, just unbelievable.”

Glapion still had 16 points, but the Mustangs held him to just 6-of-23 shooting from the floor.

“We made it hard for Glapion,” Jackson said. “I’m sure he got his points, but nothing for him came easy. We wanted to focus on him and make sure one guy didn’t beat us. We just played great team defense.”

The win puts Lincoln into a first-place tie in the AAA’s loaded Lang Division with defending champion Mission, but when talking to the Mustangs, the focus is still on honoring Gragnani.

“It’s what coach Mike would have wanted us to do and we’re going to do everything in our power to keep his legacy alive,” Demirjian said. “It’s been tough, but we’re trying to play hard for him and stay positive in everything we do.”

Scoring Leaders

Lincoln
Chris Young – 19
Kevork Demirjian – 18
Artrix Thomas – 14
Ares Brown – 7
Nick Young – 33 3

Washington
Jeremy Jetton – 25
Brenden Glapion – 16
Johnny Fu – 7
Galen Hall – 4
LeVander Moore – 2

SI vfs Washington

2010-12-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

Boys Basketball: St. Ignatius pulls away after early Washington leadThursday, December 23, 2010

St. Ignatius' Nick Johnson backs down Washington senior Galen Hall on Wednesday at St. Ignatius Prep. (Photo by Devin Chen)
By Josh Levine

Johnny Mrlik scored 12 consecutive points for St. Ignatius during a three-minute stretch of the third quarter to lead the way for the Wildcats’ 60-47 victory over visiting Washington High School on Wednesday night.

Mrlik, who led the Wildcats (5-2) with 21 points, recovered from a slow first half to lead the charge over a Washington (6-6) team that never lost the lead in the first half.

Washington senior guard Brenden Glapion tries to drive past a St. Ignatius defender on Wednesday at St. Ignatius Prep. (Photo by Devin Chen)

“In the third quarter we really stepped up our defense, and that carried on to the offensive side,” Mrlik said. “We hit open shots and swung the ball well around the perimeter today.”

The Eagles got 24 points from Brenden Glapion, including 10 in the first quarter and 19 by halftime, but he only took only seven shots in the second half, as Wildcats head coach John DeBenedetti decided to move Mrlik to guard Glapion late in the first half.

“That kid Glapion is a talented player,” DeBenedetti said. “Our gameplan was to force him to go left, and he did just that in the first half. In the second half we made him go right. He really was a good offensive presence out there for them.”

The Wildcats played Wednesday night without starting 6 foot, 7 inch center Stephen Domingo, who was not dressed because of a sprained ankle. Antonio Aguilar and Mat Collins replaced Domingo and combined for 18 points.

Even with the loss, the Eagles definitely made a mark on St. Ignatius, a team that Glapion called one of the best teams in the West Catholic Athletic League.

“We proved today that we can hang with the WCAL,” Glapion said. “The AAA needs to be prepared for us.”

Eagles Head Coach Jolinko Lassiter said after the game that the Eagles have a lot of things to figure out before AAA play begins in January.

“If we play hard we will be in good shape,” Lassiter said. “But what kills us is usually one bad quarter. Last week it was the fourth and today it was the third. If we fix that bad quarter we will be OK.”

The Eagles were held to only six points on 2-of-11 shooting in the third.

“There was not as much movement in the second half,” Glapion said. “They were denying me looks and we lost the game in the third quarter.”

St. Ignatius hosts the Sand Dune Classic, which begins on Dec. 28 and has a short holiday break before starting WCAL play on the road at Serra and Bellarmine. DeBenedetti sees the Wildcats making improvements from their 2-12 league record last season.

“We definitely left some wins on the court last season,” DeBenedetti said. “We tried to play a harder preseason this year and that helped us. For some reason we have a tough time starting games and we fall behind. On Friday [against Maria Carrillo] we fell behind by 14 and still won. The players need to learn to trust the coaches, each other, and the game plan.”

Scoring Leaders

St. Ignatius
Johnny Mrlik – 21 points
Mat Collins – 12 points
E.J. Silvia – 6 points
Antonio Aguilar – 6 points
Nick Johnson – 5 points

Washington
Brenden Glapion – 24 points
LeVander Moore – 9 points
Jeremy Jetton – 8 points
Johnny Fu – 6 points

Lincoln vs De La Salle

2010-12-23T22:39:00.001-08:00

Lincoln guard Mitchell Lee drives against a De La Salle defender Tuesday night Dec. 21, 2010 at Kezar Pavillion, San Francisco, Calif.

SanFranPreps.com Player of the Week: Brenden Glapion

2010-12-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

Washington senior guard Brenden Glapion takes the ball up the court against Piedmont Hills on Saturday at Overfelt High School. (Photo by AJ Canaria)

SanFranPreps.com Player of the Week: Brenden GlapionMonday, December 13, 2010
Every Monday, we will be selecting a player of the week who shows extraordinary effort and performance on the field or court in the prior week. We will be taking nominations from coaches, athletic directors and fans. Please send potential players of the week to contact@SanFranPreps.com.

By Jeremy Balan

SanFranPreps.com Player of the Week: Brenden Glapion, senior guard, Washington boys basketball

The early favorite for AAA player of the year, Glapion averaged 20 points per game in the Eagles’ three games of the WCO Showdown at Overfelt High School in San Jose.

Glapion also has a very good supporting cast in fellow seniors Jeremy Jetton and LeVander Moore, but when the pair got into early foul trouble, Glapion had to carry the Eagles almost entirely himself in the WCO final against Piedmont Hills, while the Pirates pressured him and denied him the ball.

“The guy averages 22 points a game and I didn’t want to see him go for 40,” said Piedmont Hills head coach Pete Simos. “He still got his points though. I mean, we were keyed on him and he still had 17. He’s awfully good.”

Boys Basketball: Washington’s slow start too much to overcome against Piedmont Hills

2010-12-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

Washington senior guard Brenden Glapion drives past Piedmont Hills defender Alex Aguilar in the championship game of the WCO Showdown on Saturday at Overfelt High School in San Jose. (Photo by AJ Canaria)

Boys Basketball: Washington’s slow start too much to overcome against Piedmont Hills
Sunday, December 12, 2010

By Jeremy Balan

SAN JOSE — At times during Washington High School’s matchup against Piedmont Hills of San Jose on Saturday, the Eagles looked like the better team on the court.

But a lethal combination of turnovers, foul trouble and a large early deficit led to a 51-42 loss for Washington in the championship game of the WCO Showdown on Saturday at Overfelt High School in San Jose.

Washington's Jeremy Jetton (left) and Jonathan Lowe (right) swarm Piedmont Hills' Chris Hamption in the championship game of the WCO Showdown on Saturday at Overfelt High School in San Jose. (Photo by AJ Canaria)

Washington (5-3) committed nine turnovers in the first quarter, allowing Piedmont Hills (4-0) to open up a 15-5 lead.

The Eagles would only have four more turnovers and would outscore Piedmont Hills the rest of the way, but they would never overcome that early blow.

“We had to match their intensity, and it wasn’t until after the first quarter that we started doing that,” said Washington head coach Jolinko Lassiter.

Making things worse, two of Washington’s senior leaders in guard Jeremy Jetton and forward LeVander Moore, were plagued with foul trouble throughout.

Moore, the anchor inside to Washington’s solid guard play, would miss large parts of each quarter due to the foul trouble and would only score three points, but it was his absence in the rebounding game that may have had the most impact.

While Moore wasn’t on the floor, Piedmont Hills feasted on offensive rebounds, opening up countless second-chance opportunities.

“He brings a lot of stuff to the team other than just scoring and rebounding,” Lassiter said. “When he goes hard, everyone else goes hard. We have other guys who can do it, but when he’s not out there, it’s just hard for us to get a rhythm.”

With Jetton and Moore missing so much time, the offense ran almost exclusively through standout senior guard Brenden Glapion, who had a team-high 17 points.

But those points did not come easy, as Piedmont Hills made it clear early that Glapion would be shadowed throughout. Pirates senior guard Alex Aguilar blanketed Glapion throughout the first half, denying him the ball on every possession.

“The guy averages 22 points a game and I didn’t want to see him go for 40,” said Piedmont Hills head coach Pete Simos. “He still got his points though. I mean, we were keyed on him and he still had 17. He’s awfully good.”

The Pirates had 12-point leads at halftime and at the end of the third quarter, but a momentary lapse opened the door slightly for the Eagles in the fourth.

Riding a run sparked by seven Piedmont Hills turnovers in the final frame, Washington would cut the lead to 46-39 with 1:22 remaining, but the Pirates, after struggling from the free throw line the entire night, hit key free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

The two teams will meet again on Dec. 21 at Piedmont Hills, a game Simos knows Washington will be looking forward to.

“I’m a little worried about that game, because I know they’re going to be out for revenge,” Simos said. “They’re a good program and a good team, and it was a good test for us early on.”

Scoring Leaders

Piedmont Hills
Stephen Anderson – 19
Juan Avila – 10
P.J. Nelson – 6
Martin Greer – 5
Jalen Robertson – 4

Washington
Brenden Glapion – 17
Jeremy Jetton -12
Kenneth Lui – 7
Galen Hall – 3
LeVander Moore – 3

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Tags: Boys Basketball, Piedmont Hills, Tournaments, Washington

Posted in AAA, Basketball, Email, Featured

One Comment
Neil S.
says:
December 13, 2010 at 7:11 am
Nice coverage Mr. Balan….without the “bigs” early foul trouble, Washington wins this game 8 out of 10 times…the rematch game on 12/21 should be a good one…Brenden Glapion is, indeed, the “standout” on this team and one of the best players in SF this year…thanks for your great promotion of SF high school sports…NS

Washington holds of Jefferson to win Blue and Gold Tourney

2010-12-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

Washington senior guard and tournament most valuable player Brenden Glapion drives past Jefferson's Kyani Harris in the Bud Bresnahan Blue and Gold Tournament on Friday at Jefferson High School in Daly City. (Photo by Devin Chen)

Boys Basketball: Washington holds of Jefferson to win Blue and Gold Tourney
Saturday, December 4, 2010

By Graham Henderson

DALY CITY — The championship game of the Bud Bresnahan Blue and Gold Tournament between Washington High School and host Jefferson High School was still up for grabs with less than three minutes remaining in the game.

The Eagles held a one-point lead over Jefferson, but Washington senior Brenden Glapion pulled through for the Eagles, hitting three of his last four free throws to give the Eagles a four point lead, holding off a run led by Jefferson point guard Edward Mangibin.

Washington senior forward LaVander Moore goes up for a layup in the Bud Bresnahan Blue and Gold Tournament on Friday at Jefferson High School in Daly City. (Photo by Devin Chen)

Mangibin would go 3-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc in the second half, but Glapion’s dead-on accuracy from the free throw line proved to be enough, and the Eagles edged the Indians 57-53.

Glapion was the game’s leading scorer and finished with 16 points. Ten of his points came in the second half.

Washington trailed by four points early in the fourth quarter after giving up five unanswered points, but a timeout by Eagles head coach Jolinko Lassiter changed the momentum.

“We kind of laid into them that they had to play better basketball,” Lassiter said. “They responded well, and they stepped up to the challenge.

Glapion, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, averaged 23 points and over five rebounds in the Eagles’ three tournament games.

The slower-paced Washington offense was a stark contrast to that of Jefferson’s, which relied heavily on fast breaks and quick 3-pointers by Mangibin, who led the Indians with 14 points and nine from beyond the 3-point line.

While Washington turned the ball over more in the first half, giving the ball away nine times to Jefferson’s two, it was second-half turnovers that hurt the Indians more than anything. Jefferson gave the ball away nine times in the second half.

With both teams shooting inconstantly, it was Washington forward LeVander Moore that controlled the post and gathered a team-high 12 rebounds.

“I was struggling to get the ball at first, but in the later quarters, the ball was coming to me,” he said. “I got some put backs and [got to the] free throw line, but controlling the post was a struggle tonight.”

At times Moore was battling three Jefferson players for rebounds at once. Moore and Washington senior guard Jeremy Jetton both shared the second-highest scores for the night with 15 points each.

Jeremy Lin’s Official Website Live

2010-12-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Lin’s Official Website Live
from 8Asians.com by John

I was checking out a Jeremy Lin fansite and learned that his official website at www.jlin7.com just recently launched, which has his own blog, YouTube channel, as well as his Twitter account, @JLin7 (which has been around for a while). Check it out!

Washington almost loses big lead, but edges Westmoor

2010-12-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

Washington senior guard Brenden Glapion takes the ball up court while holding off a Westmoor defender in the Bud Bresnahan Blue and Gold Tournament on Wednesday at Jefferson High School in Daly City. (Photo by Devin Chen)

Boys Basketball: Washington almost loses big lead, but edges Westmoor
Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Washington senior guard Brenden Glapion takes the ball up court while holding off a Westmoor defender in the Bud Bresnahan Blue and Gold Tournament on Wednesday at Jefferson High School in Daly City. (Photo by Devin Chen)

By Bonta Hill

DALY CITY — Washington High School nearly blew a 24-point, second-half lead before holding off Westmoor 69-68, in the first round of the Bud Bresnahan Blue and Gold Tournament on Wednesday at Jefferson High School.

Washington senior Brenden Glapion led the Eagles (1-2) with a game-high 26 points and LaVander Moore chipped in 18 points.

Even though the Eagles forced the Rams (0-1) to commit 25 turnovers, there were feelings of disappointment in the way they finished the game.

Washington senior forward LaVander Moore rises up for a shot in the lane against Westmoor in the Bud Bresnahan Blue and Gold Tournament on Wednesday at Jefferson High School in Daly City. (Photo by Devin Chen)

“I’m not really [disappointed], it’s just whoever is in the game, they have to finish,” said Washington head coach Jolinko Lassiter. “We’re still trying to learn and implement the guys we got from [the football team], but at the same time we have to play 32 minutes.”

The Eagles set the tempo early as their full-court press caused Westmoor to commit 17 first-half turnovers and that enabled them to jump out to a 38-23 halftime lead.

Glapion was 8-for-10 from the floor in the first half and had 18 points, but it was two free throws he missed with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter, with his team clinging to a one-point lead, that had Glapion frustrated after the game.

“I’m bringing what I need to bring to get that championship,” Glapion said. “I miss those two free throws at the end there, which I’ve got to make.”

Westmoor fought its way back in the fourth quarter by shooting 11-of-15 from the floor and outscoring the Eagles 32-9 in the final frame. But, as was the case in the first half, a turnover on their final possession halted the Rams from completing the improbable comeback.

Errol Fernandez and Kevin Penado paced the Rams with 19 points apiece, and Maynard Raymundo scored all of his 14 points in that frantic fourth quarter.

“We played so poorly in the first three quarters, so I told our guys our objective was to just play hard in the fourth quarter,” said Westmoor head coach Herb Yaptinchay. “I didn’t care what the score was, I just told them to play hard.”

Although Washington nearly gave away the game, it moved on to the tournament semifinals, where they’ll take on Aragon, who beat Galileo 59-42 on Wednesday.

“Westmoor did a good job of playing hard and getting back into the game, but the guys understand that they have to play 32 minutes and not let their foot of the pedal,” Lassiter said. “We definitely gave the fans their money’s worth.”

Scoring Leaders

Washington
Brenden Glapion – 26
LaVander Moore – 18
Jeremy Jetton – 13
Jonathon Lowe – 4
Austin Hedani – 4

Golden State's Jeremy Lin scores one for the Ivys

2010-11-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

By Jeff Chiu, AP

Golden State's
Jeremy Lin scores
one for the Ivys

Updated 1d 19h ago

By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — In his second game, Golden State
Warriors guard Jeremy Lin made his arrival to the
NBA official.

The undrafted free agent from Harvard got his first
significant playing time and scored his first points
in a 107-83 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on
Sunday.

The 22-year-old tried his best to downplay his
impact. Lin played three minutes in a win against the
Los Angeles Clippers last week but didn't take any
shots or make any assists.

"I'm not going to really talk about what I did
personally when we lost by 24," Lin says of the
Lakers game. "I'm just learning slowly the NBA game.
…

"There's not one specific thing that I might have
learned in between one game and the next, but just
this experience to be able to get out on the floor
and stay comfortable" was helpful.
The 6-3 guard only scored two points, missing four
of five shots, but Lin also had four steals and five
assists in 16 minutes.

He scrambled on the floor in the third quarter to
wrestle the ball from Lakers power forward Lamar
Odom, then fed Brandan Wright for a dunk while in a
sitting position. The Warriors still trailed 68-51.

Less than 30 seconds later, Lin converted a fast-
break layup and received some applause at Staples
Center, the Lakers' home court.

"We got a chance to get some good information on
Jeremy Lin. He came in and did a good job, gave us
a good tempo," Warriors coach Keith Smart says.

Lin's desire impressed one of his favorite players,
Lakers point guard Derek Fisher.

"He plays with good energy on the floor. He's
aggressive. He plays hard. He's not afraid of the
competition," Fisher says. "Those are good things to
have when you're a young player regardless of
where you're from. You have to be willing to go out
there and compete against the best."

Being an underdog for his entire career, Fisher
understands Lin's mind-set. At 6-1, Fisher is
undersized and came to the NBA from a small school
in Arkansas-Little Rock.

Lin, the third Asian American player in the NBA, is
the first Ivy Leaguer to get playing time in the league
since the 2002-03 season.

"He's carrying the hopes of an entire continent. I
Advertisement
By Jeff Chiu, AP

Warriors guard Jeremy Lin has received attention from his coach and opposing players for his hustle.

only had to carry the hopes of Little Rock, Arkansas.
He's accomplished a lot more than I have already,"
says Fisher, who has won five NBA championships
with the Lakers.

"He just has to keep working hard and remain

Warriors' Jeremy Lin beat all kinds of odds in reaching the NBA

2010-11-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Lin is an undrafted rookie with the Golden State Warriors. (Kyle Terada / US Presswire)

latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/la-sp-warriors-jeremy-lin-20101031,0,7519421.story

latimes.com
Warriors' Jeremy Lin beat all kinds of odds in reaching the NBA
The undrafted rookie is only the third Asian American, and the fourth player from Harvard, to make an NBA roster. And it's looking like he'll stick for a while.
By Baxter Holmes

7:36 PM PDT, October 30, 2010

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The odds of making an NBA roster are slim.

They're near impossible if you're Asian American (only two have done it), if you attend Harvard (only three), or if your name isn't one of the 60 called during the NBA draft.

And if, by chance, you happened to be blessed/cursed with sharing all three of these traits, the odds then would be, well . . .

"Very, very, very small," said Jeremy Lin, an undrafted Asian American Harvard alum rookie guard for the Golden State Warriors, No. 7 in Sunday's Staples Center program.

Lin, 22, took a statistics class in high school, and again in college — he majored in economics — so he knows Halley's Comet comes around more often (visible from Earth about every 75 years) than someone like him.

"It's definitely unbelievable," Lin said.

After leading his Palo Alto High team to a 2006 state title against powerhouse Santa Ana Mater Dei, Lin failed to get any Division I scholarship offers, despite being named state player of the year in several publications.

Some Pacific 10 Conference schools courted him as a walk-on, but the strongest pitches came from Harvard and Brown. Lin picked Harvard, which has produced eight U.S. presidents and 41 Nobel laureates but just three NBA players, the last nearly 60 years ago.

Had Lin simpler aspirations, the odds of finding gainful employment would have stacked nicely in his favor. The name "Harvard," after all, bumps resumes to the top of most application stacks.

But Lin was determined: Basketball or bust, never mind Harvard's pathetic NBA track record, or that Lin, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, was trying to become just the third player of full Asian descent to earn an NBA paycheck.

"I didn't have any backup plan. I didn't apply for any jobs," Lin said. "I was going to try for the NBA."

Lin recognizes how a few key things fell into place late for him to make it.

After four years at Harvard in which he became the first player in Ivy League history with 1,450 points, 450 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals, eight NBA teams invited him to pre-draft workouts. But none drafted him.

Then, Lin received one invite to play on a summer league team: the Dallas Mavericks, a team that would play against the Washington Wizards with No. 1 overall pick John Wall. And on the night the Mavericks and Wizards squared off, another Mavericks guard happened to be injured, so Lin received more playing time than usual.

And soon, the focus turned from Wall to the 6-foot-3 Lin, who kept one-upping the Kentucky star in one-on-one matchups. With the crowd on his side, Lin finished with 13 points, and a few days later, teams, including the Lakers, started calling.

Eventually, Lin, a Palo Alto native, chose his hometown Warriors, where in limited minutes he'll play the combo guard position after playing point in college.

In July, he signed a two-year deal with the Warriors — the first year partially guaranteed, and the second with a team option that Warriors General Manager Larry Riley has said is likely to be picked up.

However, Lin is now on a team with talented guards Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, so he's near the bottom of the Warriors' depth chart.

Warriors Coach Keith Smart said Lin is "a driver, not a shooter," but that he can defend, rebound and is a quick learner, though he now needs to learn that "you have other good players on the team, it's not just you anymore."

Lin, a devout Christian, one day hopes to become a minister, regardless of where professional basketball takes him.

But that he ever made it to the NBA at all, considering the odds, is, well . . .

"A miracle from God," he said.

Jeremy Lin Preseason updates

2010-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

From the Fast Break Blog
Big Changes (Warriors 95, Kings 86)
Jeremy Lin — The Jeremy Lin NBA highlight reel will not need to be updated following his second NBA appearance. Tyreke Evans and Luther Head are real NBA players (unlike the ragged collection of Clipper camp invitees he faced Friday) and they pretty much ate Lin alive during his brief fourth-quarter appearance. Lin attempted two drives — the first ending in a steal, the second a jump ball. Both started from half-court sets and Lin couldn’t find daylight to the rim against his defender. He looked like he was forcing it — understandable given the adrenalin kick you must get from having 10,000 people cheer your every touch of the ball — but he wasn’t in long enough to settle down. With Adrien playing so well, I still think there’s a reasonable debate to be had over whether the team should eat whatever is guaranteed on Lin’s deal in favor of signing Miles to play back-up point. Regardless, until people start showing up in the Arena in Aaron Miles jerseys, I doubt Lin’s roster spot is in any real danger.

David Lee puts on strong showing in second game with Golden State Warriors
By Marcus Thompson II
mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com
Jeremy Lin made a brief stint at the end of the game. He had two turnovers in 1:21, prompting Smart to pull him for guard Aaron Miles.

Jeremy Lin stirs crowd in Golden State Warriors debut
By Marcus Thompson II
mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 10/08/2010 10:31:32 PM PDT
Updated: 10/09/2010 04:10:10 AM PDT
The loudest ovation of the night came when Warriors rookie guard Jeremy Lin, a Palo Alto native, got off the bench to walk to the scorer's table in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors were well on their way to a 127-87 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in an exhibition opener at Oracle Arena. But the crowd was just getting started.

Fan favorite Lin capped the night by totaling seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes. Not as impressive a stat line as his teammates. Guard Monta Ellis had 22 points. Guard Stephen Curry had 18 points, six assists and four rebounds. Forwards Dorell Wright and David Lee combined for 33 points and 13 rebounds.

But Lin stole the show. When he scored his first basket -- a three-point play on a driving, windmill layup -- the fans erupted loud enough to create a mild earthquake in Oakland. Moments later, fans got even louder as Lin got a steal and led a fast break that he capped with a look-away pass to Brandan Wright for a dunk.

As much as he tries to tune it out, Lin notices the hype and expectations following him. Though he is beloved as a Bay Area product and a rare Asian-American in the NBA, Lin said he knows what some of his beloved fans seem to forget -- he is an undrafted NBA rookie. That means rough spells and hard lessons.

"I've got news for them," Lin said with a smile before the game, "I won't be an All-Star this year."

Coach Keith Smart said Lin has a tendency to be
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hard on himself and get frustrated. So Smart's plan is to take the pressure off Lin, get him to just play and learn as he goes.

Of course, his fans aren't trying to ease him into anything. They cheered every time he touched the ball, even if for a split-second. Some chanted "MVP!" after he knocked down a floater in the lane.

Lin, on the other hand, said he is focused on doing what rookies do: learning. He has been nothing short of a gym rat -- staying after practice, getting in his film work, looking to learn.

Lin said he is trying to be patient and embrace the rookie process.

"As a player, you want to always play well, so sometimes it gets frustrating," he said. "So I'm just focusing on working hard and getting better."

Lin grabs spotlight in exhibition

Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, October 9, 2010

(10-08) 23:33 PDT -- The Warriors' first preseason game, a 127-87 victory over the Clippers on Friday night, was supposed to be about finding a pecking order for the reserves and seeing just how much of the defensive emphasis has taken hold.

Instead, it was mostly about the starters until, with 10:49 remaining, the focus shifted to Jeremy Lin.

Actually, the focus has been on his every movement since the Palo Alto High and Harvard grad signed here July 21. Seven international media outlets taped his every step in his first practice last week.

The 10,004 fans at Oracle on Friday started chanting for Lin in the third quarter. When he went to the scorer's table to check into the game in the final 11 minutes, the place reached its highest decibel level of the night.

They cheered every time he touched the ball, and spilled popcorn when he showed good strength and body control to complete a layup while being fouled. He wasn't done. On the other end, Lin stripped John Scheyer, raced out on the break and found Brandan Wright for a powerful dunk.

"That really touched me. It's something I'll remember forever," Lin said. "This whole opportunity is a blessing from God, and I'm very thankful for that. To get to play in front of so many family and friends, it's pretty indescribable."

Coach Keith Smart is trying to bring along Lin slowly. He doesn't want to overwhelm the rookie.

"Even in the preseason, you don't want to just throw a young guy out there," Smart said. "The pace jumps, and you don't want him to get too frustrated or down on himself. We're not rushing him to be a factor. We're going to keep this nice and simple."

Lin ended up with seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes, but his teammates made sure to keep him humble. When he headed for a postgame shower, they hid his shoes.

"I have a long way to go and a lot of improvements to make," Lin said. "I've proven nothing.

"Anyone can have a good 10-minute stint."

Smart hasn't decided whether Lin will play mostly as a shooting or a point guard - or whether he'll play at all.

Travis Ishikawa post season play

2010-10-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

It wasn't lost on Travis Ishikawa that the guy who wears No.10 scored the tying run on 10-10-10.

POSTGAME NOTES: Giants’ comeback stirs feelings of deja vu for J.T. Snow, but not what you think; plus much more

Posted by Andrew Baggarly on October 11th, 2010 at 12:54 am | Categorized as Uncategorized

When Travis Ishikawa stood on second base, a thought crossed my mind.

When Ishikawa looked in the dugout, that thought took a U-turn and made a second pass.

And when Aubrey Huff’s flare landed in right field and Ishikawa came lumbering around third, that thought was pounding, pounding, pounding…

Did you think the same thought? Not-so-fleet first baseman. Ninth inning. Nobody on the roster to pinch-run for him…

This time, there was no Pudge at the plate to hang onto the baseball. There wasn’t even an on-target throw to make a play develop. There was no J.T. Snow redux from the final out of the Giants’ season in the 2003 Division Series against the Marlins – the last playoff series the Giants played before this.

Ishikawa was safe, the score was tied – and thanks to bobbling Brooks Conrad, the Giants soon would take the lead on their way to a wild 3-2 victory over the gut-wrenched Atlanta Braves.

And Ishikawa got to laugh about not having a pinch runner.

“I’ve been doing it all September,” he said. “We’ve had (Darren) Ford and (Eugenio) Velez and Manny (Burriss) and I only got pinch-ran once that month. It’s sort of become a joke. I’m just really glad Aubrey hit it in that perfect spot, and gave me a lot of time to score.”

The Giants didn’t have room for any of those speed guys on the playoff roster. Neither did they create space for Eric Young back in ’03, as Snow so helpfully pointed out following their elimination loss in Miami.

Snow is on this trip with the Giants. So I asked him if he had any flashbacks.

He said yes, he did. But not to Ishikawa’s rumble home.

Snow identified most with Eric Hinske.

“I know that feeling,” Snow said. “You’ve just hit a huge home run to save the game, the biggest home run of your life – and before you know it, your team lost. It’s the strangest feeling.”

Snow, you’ll recall, hit the three-run homer in the ninth off Mets closer Armando Benitez to force extra innings in Game 2 of the 2000 NLDS. It remains one of the clutchiest swings by a Giant in San Francisco history.

But Felix Rodriguez, who already had given up a two-run homer to Edgardo Alfonzo in the ninth, couldn’t put away the Mets in the 10th. Darryl Hamilton hit a two-out double, Jay Payton singled him home and the Mets won.

The Giants didn’t bounce back, losing the next two games at Shea Stadium to get knocked out.

In fact, that Game 2 loss to the Mets echoed what happened to the Giants in Game 2 of this current series.

But obviously, the Giants were able to bounce back on the road this time – refusing to give up after Hinske’s huge, two-run pinch homer got the tomahawks chopping and the entire ballpark shaking in the eighth. (Seriously, at that moment, it felt like the press box was going to collapse.)

Anyway, as Snow said, the analogy to 2003 doesn’t hold. “This wasn’t an elimination game,” he said.

“Besides,” he said, “Ishi’s a lot faster than me.”

Fast Don't lie

2010-10-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

Usually dont see very many Asian Am in Sports ads maybe it will change with Jeremy Lin hitting the NBA

Plus some harsh words from John Shea on Travis Ishi

-- Two dozen Japanese reporters eagerly await whether reliever Takashi Saito, who has had a sore shoulder, will make the Braves' playoff roster. If he's left off, it would be the first year since 2007 Japan isn't represented in the postseason, and lots of reporters would be bummed. No, they wouldn't stick around to cover Travis Ishikawa.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/07/SPTE1FPBLT.DTL#ixzz11goIC0wQ

2010-09-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

No ‘Rime’ or Reason to Impatient Mariners
After leading the team to a surprising 85-win season last year, the last place Mariners fire manager Don Wakamatsu.

Don Wakamatsu talks to his players during Spring training at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona during his first season as manager of the Seattle Mariners. On Monday, Wakamatsu was fired after the team floundered to a 42-70 record in his second season at the helm. (MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS/Rafu Shimpo)

By JORDAN IKEDA

Rafu Sports Editor

The hits keep coming for the Japanese/Japanese American MLB community—only they aren’t the ones needed to win ballgames.

Monday, Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu along with bench coach Ty Van Burkleo and pitching coach Rick Adair, were given the boot as the scapegoats for a season lost to unrealistic expectations, injuries, and the curious inability to score any runs.

After helping to turn around a franchise-worst 61 wins into an 85-win campaign in his first year, Wakamatsu leaves the Mariners at the same low point he joined them, dead last in the American League West with a 42-70 record—or, more specifically, on pace to win 61 games.

“I have concluded that these changes needed to be made now and that they are in the best interest of the Mariners as we move forward,” general manager Jack Zduriencik said Monday.

“Don, Ty and Rick are all good baseball men and they have done their very best. But we are where we are. I no longer have confidence [they] are the right long-term fit for our organization. New leadership is needed and it is needed now.”

Ironic the choice of words Zduriencik used. “We are what we are.”

The Mariners were terrible offensively last year. They scored 640 runs, the worst mark in the AL, matched by their AL-worst OPS, and their bottom four finishes in batting average, RBI, and homeruns. While fantastic defensively thanks to solid glovework and a pitching staff that posted the league’s best ERA and WHIP, the Mariners’ 85 wins was extremely fluky seeing as how they were outscored by 52 runs over the course of the season.

That’s what the Mariners were and continue to be. A team rooted in defense and pitching that has absolutely no punch in the middle of the lineup.

The Mariners are currently dead last in the entire MLB in runs per game with a paltry 3.25, more than .25 runs less than the next worst team, as well as dead last in homeruns. The two highest batting averages on the roster are the two players at the top of the order. Ichiro Suzuki leads the team in average, while Figgins comes in second with at .254. Yes, .254.

What’s even more incredible is that Ichiro’s .753 OPS leads the team! That means the Mariners best power threat is its leadoff hitter. As a squad, the Mariners are hitting a whopping .236 with 67 total longballs and have no one, outside of Russell Branyan (signed a few weeks ago), that has ever hit 20 homeruns in more than one season. Branyan, the cleanup hitter, is hitting .200 with four home runs, and the No. 3 hitter, Casey Kotchman, is hitting just .215 with seven home runs.

This is the squad that Zduriencik put together.

Of course, coming into spring training, everything was supposed to be different. A lot of pundits had the Mariners pegged as the odds-on-favorite to win the AL West (this writer included) what with the Angels getting weaker and none of the other teams making any big moves. Zduriencik pushed his chips all in, trading away promising pitcher Brandon Morrow for hard-throwing reliever Brandon League, trading for 2008 Cy Young-award winner Cliff Lee, and signing speedster Chone Figgins, talented headcase Milton Bradley and defensive whiz Kotchman.

While those were upgrades at certain positions, the bottom line remains that he failed to address the squad’s most glaring need—power.

Everything went south as soon as spring training ended, as Lee missed the first month and a half due to an abdominal injury, Figgins struggled to adjust to life in the two hole, and Bradley was forced to spend time away from the team due to personal problems.

Then “NapGate” happened.

One of the reasons, cited by Wakamatsu himself, that the team was so successful last year was the leadership that first ballot Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Junior added to the clubhouse. This year, for whatever reason, old age, lack of motivation, discontentment, Junior couldn’t cut it. When it was released in the news that he had missed a possible pinch-hit situation because he was sleeping in the clubhouse, rumors of his dissatisfaction with Wakamatsu ran rampant. This despite Wakamatsu’s best efforts to get him in the lineup, every which way possible. Griffey hit .184 with a .454 OPS and ended up retiring quietly.

To make matters worse, two weeks ago, Figgins got into a physical confrontation with Wakamatsu over being benched, and veteran Mike Sweeney (who was ironically brought in to help stabilize the fractured clubhouse and is now with the Phillies) vocalized his displeasure and purposefully neglected to defend his manager.

To add to the futility, Ichiro had the worst month of his career, hitting .246 with a .548 OPS, a problem Wakamatsu speculated (in my mind, rightfully so) was rooted in the fact that teams were not afraid to walk him.

“I think if you have a real productive lineup,” Wakamatsu said last week, “or somebody that they’re worried about, all of a sudden it’s a two-run home run or a three-run home run, I think that’s as much of a factor. But if you walk in that situation, where you’re not intimidated maybe by the meat of the order then I think that’s the case, yeah, where they’re going to pitch him a little bit tougher.’’

The Mariners just wrapped up tying the worst month-ever in franchise history with a 6-22 mark. During that span, they hit .219 while the opposition hit .285. The pitching staff held a 4.54 ERA, but the offense only managed 2.7 runs per game. The team could’ve been pitching with a 3.00 ERA and still lost most of its games.

So, here’s the Mariners reasoning behind canning Wakamatsu in a nutshell: managed the league’s worst offensive team; compiled the league’s second worst record; on pace to tie franchise worst season; just tied worst month in franchise history; had physical confrontation with big offseason acquisition; mishandled swan-song season of most beloved player in franchise history; and lost the clubhouse to outspoken, misguided veterans.

Looked at that way, sure, Wakamatsu had to go.

Of course, looked at a bit differently: the fact that last year should have been Griffey’s swansong; that the manager doesn’t trade players or bring in highly opinionated veterans; that the offense actually lost power hitters from last season when it had one of the least productive lineups in the league; the fact that the star pitcher was injured for the first part of the season; and the fact that instead of adding a power bat when the team struggled early, the team instead fired then hitting coach Alan Cockrell, setting up what is turning into a habit of blame-shifting even at that early juncture in the season.

Add all that up, and it sure does appear that the Mariners former coaching staff was used as the scapegoats for mismanagement at the “general” level.

Solid future planning was uprooted after the excitement last season generated and impatience filled every aspect of what should have continued to be a rebuilding process.

In the end, Wakamatsu took the fall, despite helping to lead the M’s out of the cold wastelands of last place. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how the winds of change continue to dictate the feelings of the Mariners’ faithful.

Regardless, Wakamatsu by all accounts is a solid manager. His laidback approach and attention to defense and pitching are sure to land him another MLB gig in the future. Whether that’s sooner or later is yet to be determined.

After two years at the Big League level, seeing both the highs and lows of the business and how quickly praise can be turned into condemnation, regardless, on the morrow, Wakamatsu will be a “sadder” yet certainly “wiser man.”

Rock Solid Foundation

2010-09-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Clink on title for original link to Rafu Shimpo
As he embarks on a new NFL career, Haruki Rocky Seto continues to be himself.

By JORDAN IKEDA/SPORTS EDITOR &

TREVOR WONG/STAFF WRITER

When the Rafu sat down to interview Haruki “Rocky” Seto in late July out in the San Gabriel Valley, before the first question had escaped our lips, he simply asked if we could pray. Actually, it was more of a statement than a request, but done in such a confident and unassuming manner that we indeed began the interview in prayer.

This, at the heart, is who Rocky Seto is.

A man of God.

He could surely be defined in many other ways. Nisei. Former USC Trojans linebacker. Father of three kids. Football coach.

But he wasn’t just any coach – he was a coach under the leadership of coach Pete Carroll, who helped shape arguably the greatest college football dynasty ever, winning seven straight Pac-10 championships, a record three consecutive Rose Bowl wins and five BCS bowl games. He is a champion, a leader and a former USC defensive coordinator. But tomorrow, in the Mile High City, he’ll be roaming the sidelines for the Seattle Seahawks with a brand new title: NFL assistant coach.

Spend a couple minutes with the man, and you’ll come away seeing him through a different lens. He is easy-going, with a hint of what might be mistaken for a Hawaiian accent, using words like “dude,” and “cool,” Seto exudes confidence while effortlessly remaining humble.

And despite the success he has achieved through football, and despite the fact he has enjoyed and continues to enjoy every minute of his job—the struggles, the wins, the practices, the travel and the players—none of it has come to define who he is as a person.

“With identity, sometimes, you get pushed into certain things that logically fit,” Seto said. “Being a Christian, that’s freed me up from a lot of stuff. You go off of what God calls you to do.”

Born to hard-working Issei parents, Seto grew up in Boyle Heights. Like most Japanese-American (JA) kids raised in Los Angeles during the ‘70s and early ‘80s, Seto adopted his father’s love of John Wooden basketball and John McKay football. On occasion, his father attended USC football games and would later describe to him O.J. Simpson in his glory days. It was from these moments with his dad, that his love of football blossomed into the aim of wearing the Cardinal and Gold.

His family moved to Monterey Park and then to Arcadia where he went to school and played football. After high school, Seto was not “physically or mentally ready” for USC so he opted to attend Mt. San Antonio Community College. His reasoning was simple – the head football coach at Mt. Sac, Bill Fisk, had been an All-American at USC three decades earlier, and that proximity, no matter how marginal, kept alive his dream of playing for USC football.

Three years later, after waiting nearly the entire summer to hear back from USC about walking onto the team, Seto took a leap of faith. He drove out to the campus, entered Heritage Hall, walked amidst the rows of bronze-casted Heisman Trophies and gleaming National Championship trophies, and sought out former coach John Robinson.

“He invited me into his office when I told him that I wanted to play,” Seto said. “He listened to me, then tossed me a notepad. I wrote down my information and a couple weeks later, I got a letter that told me to report to training camp.”

Seto spent 11 seasons working with Pete Carroll at USC and has continued on with Carroll on the Seahawks' staff.
“It’s unbelievable how it happened.”

Seto made the team as a walk-on, though it wasn’t without serious concerns from his parents whose Issei thinking had them struggling with the idea of him playing football. Undeterred, he pressed on and through his perseverance, eventually earned a scholarship during his senior year.

“That scholarship was a huge moment for our family and not just for the financial reasons,” Seto said, emotions causing him, for the first time during the interview, to falter to find the right words. “My father…he literally told me that I made him believe in the impossible.”

That belief was tested again when Seto declined to get his doctorate in physical therapy and instead felt called to coach. His parents just couldn’t understand this line of thinking. Coaching was such a foreign notion to them.

Seto joined the USC coaching staff in 1999 as an unpaid volunteer assistant under then—head coach Paul Hackett, where he worked with the defense and special teams.

“You can see these things where God was leading me in a certain way,” Seto said. “I could see how God was using football to keep me on course. I just wanted to play and I wanted to coach.”

A year later, he was upgraded to an administrative graduate assistant where he would do anything and everything to help out whether it be paperwork, cleaning, putting together scouting reports, getting lunch.

“It was good because it taught me to serve,” Seto said without an ounce of irony in his voice. “As you grow in your profession, as you grow in leadership, I think it’s important that you learn how to become a good follower, so that you are able to meet and understand the needs of the guys that are following you.”

He also learned the tenuous nature of coaching, when he, Hackett and the rest of the staff were let go before the start of the 2001 season. Based on a chance meeting at a USC volleyball game Seto had only attended to impress his then girlfriend (now wife) Sharla, he saw then-newly hired coach Pete Carroll in the stands. Seto introduced himself, talked with him and was offered the graduate assistant position.

A week after he accepted, Seto received a call from the Washington Redskins. One of his fellow coaches under Hackett wanted to know if he was interested in being the graduate assistant. From a purely professional perspective, this was a no-brainer.

He turned it down.

In explaining his decision, Seto references a verse in the book of Matthew in the Bible that states, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.” This same verse and the message behind it would play a major role in his decision four years down the road.

In the meantime, he worked two years as the USC graduate assistant, coaching the general defense in 2001 and safeties in 2002. In 2003 he became a full coach, in charge of safeties, and from 2004-2005 he coached linebackers.

Then, coming off a heart-breaking loss to Texas in the 2005 Rose Bowl, Seto was again offered an NFL job. This time, the Buffalo Bills were interested. He flew into Buffalo, aced a four-hour interview conducted by the general manager, head coach, and the defensive coordinator, and was offered the linebackers job right on the spot.

But, it was his wife who gently reminded him of a promise he had made to one of his players at USC, who had asked him if he would leave the team if he was offered an NFL job. Never thinking he would actually get an NFL gig, Seto told the player that all he needed to worry about was football, that he would indeed be back the following year as coach.

“We prayed about it and we decided to stay,” Seto said. “As we have grown older and closer to Jesus Christ, our priorities became a lot clearer. It’s always what’s pleasing to God first, then what’s best for our marriage, then our children, then what’s best for our work … in that order. It didn’t even get past priority number one.”

Another offer, this one to be the defensive coordinator for Steve Sarkisian at the University of Washington, came down to a family decision and was aided with a little advice from John Wooden, who asked Seto if he was happy.

“I was extremely happy,” Seto said. “Coaching at USC was my dream and my family was well taken care of. Plus, California was my home. And I could hear in his voice like he was almost saying, ‘Then what’s the problem?’”

So, Seto continued to live his dream. He coached the secondary for a couple years and last year, he was promoted to be the defensive coordinator. But sometimes living a dream is not all its cracked up to be. Last season didn’t exactly live up to USC football standards—the Trojans finished 9-4, fell short of a Pac-10 title and didn’t qualify for a meaningful bowl game. Furthermore, there were whispers that it was the Trojan defense that lost a few of the closer games.

To top it all off, Carroll left USC for the NFL, the coaching staff was overhauled and the NCAA imposed sanctions on the football program including a bowl ban for two years and stripping former running back, Reggie Bush, of his Heisman Trophy.

“It makes us appear like we were cheating throughout the whole time and it’s sad because that’s not the case,” Seto said. “We weren’t paying the players, getting the parents paid. It’s very, very unfortunate to coach Carroll, the staff and the players for all the hard work that was put in. It puts a negative tone on it. Nonetheless, I was there, coach Carroll was there and it is our responsibility on how things turned out. Unfortunately, all these things that happened…we weren’t able to keep them from happening.”

Despite all this, Seto never regretted his decision in deciding to stay at USC. And despite uncertainty for the future, he never worried, nor wavered in his faith that has helped shape his identity.

“The perception is that we cheated,” he said. “Me too … I was there for 13 years. But perception is a thing you can never control and you should never live for. It’s who you are before God that is the most important thing.

“I believe the more you focus on who you are, perception will take care of itself. And even if it doesn’t, I’m at peace with who I am. Just like this whole probation thing, the perception is very negative. I feel saddened by what’s happened, but for me, because I only answer to God, I feel okay with it.”

Seto explained how fleeting things are—how Heisman Trophies and national championships can disappear as quickly as momentum after a goal-line fumble. He talked about finding peace concerning not coaching after he left USC. He also talked about finally joining the NFL after turning it down twice before.

In January, Carroll brought Seto onboard with the Seahawks as the defensive quality control coach. Now, Seto and his family live two minutes away from where his wife was born and raised. He’s coaching three of his former players, Lofa Tatupu, Mike Williams and Anthony McCoy. And he’s helping to build up a team that has been languishing at the bottom of the NFC for the past several seasons.

Last year, Seattle was one of the worst defensive teams in the NFL.

Last week, they dismantled the 49ers, holding San Francisco to six points.

“The goals remain the same here,” Seto said. “Maximize our team and the team we have right now. The goal, even back at SC, was never to win championships. We never talked that way. The goal was to see how good we could be. To see how far we could go if we maximized ourselves.”

Seto has come a long way since that first time he set foot in Heritage Hall. Never worrying about results whether it be in football or in life, through the highs of championships, to the lows of sanctions, through all of the uncertainty, he has remained certain in his identity.

“God allowed me to experience a lot [at USC],” Seto said. “Those championships were fun, they are life-long memories and they were tremendous. But what’s sold out in the media is the championships, the money and the fame. All those things are really promoted, celebrated and really worshipped—but in the end, if you put your hope in these things, they will disappoint you.”

Seto understands where his identity lies, where his foundation is firmly planted. And he wholly embraces it.

“This is how I am,” he said. “I don’t know how to not be myself. In coaching or anything else, it’s important to be who you are.”

Jeremy Lin-spiration

2010-09-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

Suicide lines: Jeremy Lin-spiration; Granger's step back

By Trey Kerby

Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your biscuits and honey.

Kevin Ding, Orange County Register: Before change comes inspiration. Before inspiration, someone must inspire. Here is Jeremy Lin(notes). Even if in his own mind he's merely just another American kid playing ball, here is Jeremy Lin. He's a somewhat reluctant torch-bearer for race. He has not even begun his NBA career and is trying to pursue his dream his way. His reservations are completely understandable - yet altogether secondary to the greater good. He is already someone to so many, and that's the thing about inspiration: It's not about the one causing the inspiration as much as it's about the effect on many. Quick summary of Lin's recent months: unwanted in the June NBA draft, fortunate to have one offer to take part in NBA summer-league play, absolutely captivating against No. 1 overall pick John Wall(notes) in a televised head-to-head matchup and suddenly in position to turn away teams such as the Lakers to accept an offer from his hometown Golden State Warriors for a partially guaranteed contract that half the guys who were drafted couldn't get. Lin will be in the NBA this season. He is not a pioneer, technically: The NBA is unsure of its exact track record, but Japanese-American Wat Misaka was the league's first non-Caucasian player way back in 1947. Raymond Townsend and Rex Walters followed more recently, their stories begun when born to Asian mothers but hard to read from their bi-racial faces. What people see when they look at Lin's face is clear. Asian publications based in New York, Boston and Washington recently dispatched reporters to San Francisco just because Lin was giving a 5-minute speech to a group of basketball campers. What was said to Lin's face by heckling opposing fans during his four years at Harvard was also clear. For the closed-minded, nothing is more frightening than a true game-changer - and Lin has had to carry that burden. Yes, he went to Harvard; no one offered an athletic scholarship despite Lin being a legit 6-foot-3 and honored as the California prep player of the year. He will be Harvard's first NBA player in nearly 50 years. He posted a 3.1 grade-point average while there and has his degree in economics, thank you very much. There's no doubt that among the inspired now are Lin's fellow academics who can only dream of the cool points of being a professional athlete. But any Ivy League grad torn between risking financial insecurity and pursuit of a less conventional dream should be finding inspiration in Lin, too.

Lin is the NBA's Asian-American inspiration
By KEVIN DING
By KEVIN DING
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
kding@ocregister.com
Story Highlights

Kevin Ding column: The story of Jeremy Lin becoming a rare Asian-American to make the NBA -- his whirlwind summer included spurning the Lakers -- is an inspiration before Lin even plays his first minute with his hometown Golden State Warriors.

Before change comes inspiration.

Before inspiration, someone must inspire.
Article Tab : rookie-golden-achievement
Golden State Warriors rookie Jeremy Lin appeared in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 28 to commemorate his achievement as the first Taiwanese-American to reach the NBA. Click on the link for more photos of Lin.
WALLY SANTANA, AP

Here is Jeremy Lin. Even if in his own mind he's merely just another American kid playing ball, here is Jeremy Lin.

He's a somewhat reluctant torch-bearer for race. He has not even begun his NBA career and is trying to pursue his dream his way. His reservations are completely understandable – yet altogether secondary to the greater good.

He is already someone to so many, and that's the thing about inspiration: It's not about the one causing the inspiration as much as it's about the effect on many.

Quick summary of Lin's recent months: unwanted in the June NBA draft, fortunate to have one offer to take part in NBA summer-league play, absolutely captivating against No. 1 overall pick John Wall in a televised head-to-head matchup and suddenly in position to turn away teams such as the Lakers to accept an offer from his hometown Golden State Warriors for a partially guaranteed contract that half the guys who were drafted couldn't get.

Lin will be in the NBA this season. He is not a pioneer, technically: The NBA is unsure of its exact track record, but Japanese-American Wat Misaka was the league's first non-Caucasian player way back in 1947. Raymond Townsend and Rex Walters followed more recently, their stories begun when born to Asian mothers but hard to read from their bi-racial faces.

What people see when they look at Lin's face is clear. Asian publications based in New York, Boston and Washington recently dispatched reporters to San Francisco just because Lin was giving a 5-minute speech to a group of basketball campers.

What was said to Lin's face by heckling opposing fans during his four years at Harvard was also clear. For the closed-minded, nothing is more frightening than a true game-changer – and Lin has had to carry that burden.

Yes, he went to Harvard; no one offered an athletic scholarship despite Lin being a legit 6-foot-3 and honored as the California prep player of the year. He will be Harvard's first NBA player in nearly 50 years. He posted a 3.1 grade-point average while there and has his degree in economics, thank you very much.

There's no doubt that among the inspired now are Lin's fellow academics who can only dream of the cool points of being a professional athlete. But any Ivy League grad torn between risking financial insecurity and pursuit of a less conventional dream should be finding inspiration in Lin, too.

He has stayed determined to keep playing basketball despite all obstacles. And now he's a study of American society in so many ways, another being religion because Lin has spoken of his interest in the ministry.

Race, religion, education ... these are the pillars of the house in which we all live together. In his own head, Lin feels like another 22-year-old dude playing Halo on his Xbox. In reality, he's everybody's documentary.

Time Magazine featured Lin in December. CNN did an extended interview with him in August. The New York Times just wrote 1,000 words about him.

Lin's parents came from Taiwan to the U.S., and they embraced the freedom – including Jeremy's computer-engineer father, Gie-Ming, ardently supporting his sons in basketball with the all-American spirit of doing what you are good at and love. That's a stark contrast to typical Asian immigrant parents intent on producing valedictorians who become doctors – or if it must be athletics, perhaps tennis players or figure skaters.

This is another way Lin stands to initiate change here far more than someone like Yao Ming, whose people rushed to capitalize on Lin's emergence with a last-minute invitation to Yao's annual charity game in Taiwan. The reality is that Lin has almost nothing in common with Yao, a 7-foot-5 freak who was born into and groomed through China's communist sports system to be what he became: a basketball Ivan Drago.

That would mean Lin is Rocky Balboa or any other classic underdog. He already lived through his own "Hoosiers" movie by shockingly slaying the mighty Mater Dei Monarchs in the 2006 Division II state championship game.

These days, Lin is largely secluded in the Warriors' practice gym, trying to make up for working harder as a pre-teen playing pickup games against grown men than in structured team practices. He knows he still has much to prove.

Is his 5-on-5 court savvy that didn't come through in individual pre-draft workouts truly that unique? Can he really flash off picks and attack the rim with a fearless burst reminiscent of Dwyane Wade? Will he develop his jumper into a consistent 3-point shot?

If so, he earns the Warriors' backup point-guard job this season, that Asian-American face becomes a lasting image in this place where they say amazing happens, and the inspiration grows.

But make no mistake: Something has already changed.

Someone has made it ... and made it change.

Japanese Heritage Night II at AT&T Park

2010-08-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Special Edition Masanori Murakami Jersey T
A very rare warm night baseball game at AT&T in which you could actually wear shorts and t shirt and not be freezing cold

Jeremy Lin, Instant Sports Celebrity in Taiwan

2010-08-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to some Jeremy Lin stuff, alot of video from taiwan game

Jeremy Lin, Instant Sports Celebrity in Taiwan

By John | Monday, August 2, 2010 | 1 Comment and 0 Reactions

Kenichi Zenimura, the Father of Japanese-American Baseball

2010-08-20T10:15:00.001-07:00

Kenichi Zenimura is in between Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, in 1927

Kenichi Zenimura, the Father of Japanese-American Baseball
By daigo | Published: Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Nisei Baseball Research Project has started its campain to nominate Kenichi Zenimura, the Father of Japanese American Baseball, for the National Baseball Hall of Fame Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. (Press Reliese about nominations being accepted)

Nominations for the award must be submitted via standard U.S. mail, and electronic submissions are not accepted. So, Nisei Baseball Research Project have a letter that you can just download, print, sign and send with a stamp.

I just sent in mine today.

Zenimura, an issei who was born in Hiroshima, was the driving force of Japanese-American baseball in the time of World War II. Here is a link to very nice story abot Zenimura in mlb.com, by Stephen Ellsesser. Here is nice write up about how Nisei Baseball Research Project was started. Here is history of History of Nisei Leagues

Following is the quotes from NBRP’s nomination letter, which .

Top 10 Kenichi Zenimura Career Highlights for the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award

1. A True Baseball Ambassador
Before, during and after WWII, Zenimura leveraged the game of baseball to break down barriers and build bridges between people of different racial, cultural and geographic backgrounds. In 2007, MLB.com called Zenimura “a true baseball ambassador,” showcasing his quote: “It is much easier to make efforts of starting a better understanding between us in the field of sports then trying to talk your way through rough spots.”
2. Bridge to the Pacific
Zenimura was a tireless exporter of the American style of baseball to Asia, including goodwill tours to Japan, Korea and China in 1924, 1927 and 1937. In fact, between 1923 and late-1931, no MLB team toured Japan. One reason was because of the thrown-game incident of 1922 when the MLB-stars lost 9-3 to a Japanese ballclub on purpose. “We welcomed the American team because we thought they were gentlemanly and sportsmanlike,” said the Japanese players. “They have now shown themselves to be full of the mean professional spirit …they disappointed our hopes and left an unpleasant impression upon us.” Zenimura, his Nisei peers, and Negro League counterparts stepped in and served as the U.S. baseball ambassadors during this eight-year MLB-team void.
3. Royal Giants’ 1927 Japan Tour
After the all-black Los Angeles White Sox were guests of Zenimura’s in Fresno during Fourth of July weekend 1926, he convinced manager Lon Goodwin to take his club on a tour of Japan. Goodwin changed his ballclub’s team name to the Philadelphia Royal Giants and departed for Japan in April 1927. Japanese author and historian Kazuo Sayama credits the 1927 tour, especially Biz Mackey and his gentlemanly teammates, for inspiring the start of professional baseball in Japan in 1936.
4. Babe Ruth’s 1934 Japan Tour
In October 1927 Zenimura was teammates with Lou Gehrig in an exhibition contest against Babe Ruth and a team of local all-stars. Several months after the game Zeni sent a copy his photo with the Yankee sluggers to his contacts in Japan. “I got a call from Japan to see if I could get Ruth to go to the Island and play for $40,000 guarantee,” said Zeni. “I contacted Ruth and he said he would go for $60,000. It was too much but a few years later (1934) he went (to Japan) and made a big hit.”5 Ruth’s visit is widely believed to have inspired the start of pro baseball in Japan in 1936 as well.
5. Breaking Down Barriers
“No Japs Wanted!” These were the words displayed on billboards in 1923 Livingston, CA. Zenimura and his team courageously “put together enough guts and made the trip – trying especially hard to play clean ball.” Zeni scheduled return games in Livingston and soon the signs disappeared. This event was one of the earliest known cases of Zeni using the game of baseball to transcend the ignorance and intolerance of his era.
6. Turning a Negative into a Positive
In 1924 Zenimura’s all-Japanese Fresno Athletic Club applied to join the newly formed San Joaquin Valley Baseball League. Before the season could start, the team from Porterville protested: “We don’t want the Japanese to play in Porterville … We have kept them out in other lines and if we let them come in baseball, they will bring a following and this we don’t want … This is a white man’s town and we intend to keep it as such.” Turning the negative into a positive, Zeni instead scheduled a three-game series against the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League. The FAC surprised everyone by taking one game 6-4. The series also marked the first time for Lefty O’Doul – future goodwill ambassador to Japan – to compete against players of Japanese ancestry.
7. Twilight League Leadership
Zenimura transcended the racial tensions of depression-era California by serving as player/manager of the predominately white Twilight Leagues in the 1930s. Twilight League teammate Don Jorgensen said of Zeni: “He was a little small, but real smart in baseball, real smart. He knew all the trick of the trade in baseball … He had my respect and he had the respect of all the ballplayers on his team.”
8. The Nisei-Negro Leagues Brotherhood
Japanese Americans and African-Americans shared a bond through their common struggle for equality. Throughout the 1920s and 30s Zeni scheduled numerous contests against west coast Negro League teams. In fact, Zenimura won 7 of 12 games against Negro League teams. And when the allblack squads were not competing against Zeni’s ballclub, they were welcomed guests at his Fresno Japanese Baseball Park. In fact, O’Neal Pullen, former Philadelphia Royal Giants catcher, leveraged his relationship with Zenimura to use the field as late as 1935 as player-manager of the Bakersfield Cubs.
9. From Internment to Hope
During WWII, Zenimura was one of 120,000 people of Japanese Ancestry sent to internment camps by the U.S. government. Behind barbed wire in Gila River, Arizona, Zeni constructed a ballfield and organized leagues that gave internees a sense of hope and normalcy. The late Pat Morita, actor and former Gila River internee, said of Zeni: “(He) showed that with effort and persistence, you can overcome the harshness of adversity … Zenimura and others created a fraternal community in the desert—and baseball was the glue.”
10. Little Man, Big Impact
During his four decades in baseball, Zenimura made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of players. Tets Furukawa, pitcher with the 1945 Butte High Eagles, captured the essence of Zenimura’s legacy best: “Coach Zeni … indeed possessed a tremendous knowledge of baseball savvy, but above all, he wanted every player to become a better human being by realizing his responsibility and compassion for his fellow man.”

References

1. “Baseball Czar K. Zenimura Gives Thanks and Regards,” Gila News Courier, August 1, 1945, Pg. 6
2. SABR Asian Baseball Committee, Japanese Baseball Page
3. “Big Leaguers Boot One in Japan, Herbert Hunter Takes Major League All-Stars to Japan,” Fresno Bee, December 14, 1922, pg. 9
4. David King, “Finally Getting His Due,” San Antonio Express-News, July 30, 2006, Pg. 01C
5. “Fresno’s Ken Zenimura, Dean of Nisei Baseball In US, Recalls Colorful Past,” Fresno Bee, May 20, 1962, pg. B-9
6. “New Ball Park at Livingston opened, Japanese defeated,” The Fresno Bee, May 1, 1923, pg. 12
7. “Editorial: Huge Signs Disappeared,” Gila News Courier, September 25, 1943, Pg. 6
8. ibid.
9. “Porterville Would Bar Japanese,” Fresno Bee, February 26, 1924, pg. 10
10. “Bees Wallop Japanese 15-2,” Fresno Bee, March 31, 1924, pg. 4
11. Documentary: Diamonds in the Rough: The Legacy of Japanese-American Baseball, Chip Taylor Productions, 1998
12. “Fourth of July Fette is Planned,” Fresno Bee, June 23, 1936, pg. 5B
13. “A Field In The Desert That Felt Like Home, An Unlikely Hero Sustained Hope For Japanese-Americans Interned In World War II,” Sports Illustrated, November 16, 1998, Pgs. 48-51
14. Tetsuo Furokawa, “When Gila Fought Heart Mountain,” National Japanese American Historical Society, Nikkei Heritage, Sports 2006, Pg. 11
15. Kerry Yo Nakagawa. Through a Diamond: 100 Years of Japanese American Baseball, (San Francisco: Rudi Publishing, 2001), foreword.

This entry was posted in Asian Issues, Baseball, Softball, and Judo. Bookmark the permalink. Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment.

Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu relieved of his duties

2010-08-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

Mariners fired manager Don Wakamatsu, Monday, Aug. 9, 2010.
Photo: Kevin P. Casey / AP

Manager firing, triple play make for wild M's day
By GREGG BELL, AP Sports Writer

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

More... (08-10) 00:07 PDT Seattle (AP) --

Don Wakamatsu, the major leagues' first Japanese-American manager, got fired by the Seattle Mariners hours before they hosted a Japanese heritage day celebration on their field.

As some of Seattle's more fed-up fans would say: Only the wayward Mariners.

A Monday that began with the last-place team canning Wakamatsu after one great season and about one half of a terrible one also included Seattle's first triple play in 15 years. That was in an oddly efficient, 3-1 win over playoff-contending Oakland.

Then 43-year-old interim manager Daren Brown, dazed from a lack of sleep following a short Sunday night managing Triple-A Tacoma and then a flight from Omaha, climbed into a laundry bin in Seattle and got rolled down a hallway by closer David Aardsma and into his first major-league beer shower.

Brown looked like an oversized baby in a stroller, smiling with his feet dangling over the front edge and arms over the sides.

He celebrated like a man who had finally made it to the big leagues after 1,485 games managing in the minors — and won.

"If I was going to sit down and draw it up, that's how I would have done it," Brown said in his Oklahoman drawl.

It's the first time something has gone according to plan in this wacky Mariners season, which has featured:

_ Wakamatsu benching storied slugger Ken Griffey Jr. because he was hitting .200 without a home run, and then the franchise icon angrily driving away to Florida — but not informing the Mariners he was retiring until he was hours into his drive, almost out of the state.

_ Outfielder Eric Byrnes inexplicably pulling his bat back on a suicide squeeze play to get a runner thrown out at home. A few minutes after that 2-0 loss in 12 innings to Texas, Byrnes drove out the clubhouse door on a beach cruiser bicycle and did a 90-degree left turn in a tunnel around startled general manager Jack Zduriencik. Byrnes was cut a few days later.

_ Wakamatsu taking mercurial slugger Milton Bradley out of a May game and sending him into the clubhouse because Bradley was irate for striking out. Bradley left the stadium during the game, and then got pulled over by a traffic cop for speeding on his way home. He came in the next day to ask Wakamatsu and Zduriencik for help with emotional issues. Bradley spent two weeks in counseling and on the restricted list.

_ Ace Cliff Lee, the prized winter acquisition and presumed piece that would get Seattle to its first postseason since 2001, missing the first month of the season following an unsuccessful attempt to heal his strained abdomen with unproven blood-spinning treatment. Lee returned to dominate, only to be traded to division-rival Texas last month when the Mariners fell so far out of the AL West race.

_ Chone Figgins, whom Zduriencik signed to a $36-million, free-agent contract last winter, repeatedly clashing with Wakamatsu. The last time resulted in an in-game dugout fracas. There was shouting, pushing, players trying to jump over others to fight, and infielder Jose Lopez getting his shirt pulled over his back — all in front of half the home stadium and a national television audience. Figgins never apologized.

Monday, when approached following Wakamatsu's firing, Figgins smiled, shook his head and politely said, "I'm not going to talk about it, man."

_ First baseman Russell Branyan, the lone consistent threat to hit a home run on the worst offensive team in baseball, injured his foot recently when a table in his hotel room fell on it as he was trying to close curtains.

_ And starting shortstop Jack Wilson slipped in his bathroom early Sunday and broke his right hand. He's headed to surgery Wednesday and is likely out for the season.

So of course Seattle would turn its first triple play since July 13, 1995, against Toronto, on the day they fired Wakamatsu. Lopez took a chopper by Oakland's Mark Ellis in the fourth inning Monday and immediately stepped on third base for a forceout. Lopez then threw to second base for a forceout there, and Figgins' throw to first baseman Casey Kotchman appeared to arrive at the same time as Ellis' foot hit the bag, but first base umpire Cory Blaser called Ellis out.

The 5-4-3 play was the 10th triple putout for the Mariners, who began play in 1977.

Brown got the game ball from center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who caught the final out. It will be the first souvenir for Brown's new office. That room was empty after Wakamatsu was forced to clear it out.

Brown became the 10th of Seattle's 17 managers to win their first game. Only one of the other 16 finished their Mariners tenure with a winning record: Lou Piniella.

Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle's perennial All-Star and cornerstone, called Wakamatsu's firing "frustrating."

"It's not just his responsibility (that we're losing). It's the whole team's responsibility," Suzuki said through his interpreter. "I don't think it's fair to say the manager's responsible to take the blame, because he's not."

Suzuki sees his Mariners back at square one, less than 12 months after Wakamatsu finished a revitalizing, 85-win season.

"That's the only way we can look at it," Suzuki said.

Zduriencik disagreed.

"I don't think we are back to square zero," the GM said, fittingly going even lower. "However, this season presented an opportunity for us. In that opportunity, a lot of things had to fall into place — with the acquisition of Cliff Lee, with the addition of Chone Figgins, and players I thought had to have good seasons.

"To look around and see so many players having sub-par seasons is very disturbing."

Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu relieved of his duties; Bench coach Ty Van Burkleo and pitching coach Rich Adair also let go
08/09/2010 3:19 PM ET
MLB.com

SEATTLE, Wash. -- Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today that Don Wakamatsu has been relieved of his duties as manager. Zduriencik met with Wakamatsu this morning and informed him of the decision. In addition, Zduriencik has replaced bench coach Ty Van Burkleo and pitching coach Rick Adair, and released performance coach Steve Hecht from his contract.
"I have concluded that these changes needed to be made now and that they are in the best interest of the Mariners as we move forward,"

Zduriencik said. "Don, Ty and Rick are all good baseball men and they have done their very best. But we are where we are. I no longer have confidence that Don, Ty and Rick are the right long-term fit for our organization. New leadership is needed and it is needed now."

Daren Brown, who has managed the Mariners AAA Tacoma Rainiers affiliate in the Pacific Coast League for the past four seasons, has been named interim manager for the remainder of the 2010 season. Roger Hansen, who had been the Mariners minor league catching coordinator, takes over as the bench coach. Carl Willis, who was the Mariners minor league pitching coordinator, takes on the responsibility of big league pitching coach.

"Daren is an experienced manager with over a decade of minor league managing experience. He is intimately familiar with our club; he was with the club in Spring Training and managed many of the players on our current roster in the minors. I believe he will do a fine job," Zduriencik said.

Brown, 43, spent the past three Septembers as a coach with the Mariners. He has extensive minor league managing experience, with a career mark of 794-691 (.535). The Rainiers are currently atop the PCL North Division with a 61-54 mark. Tacoma also won the PCL North Division Title in 2009. Brown has managed in the Mariners system since 2001: at Tacoma (2007-2010), AA San Antonio (2006), High A Inland Empire (2004-2005), A Wisconsin (2003) and High A San Bernardino (2001-2002). Brown spent the 1994-2000 seasons with the independent league Amarillo (TX) Dillas. He was the team's manager from 1998-2000, compiling a 203-77 (.725) record, and won the Texas-Louisiana League Title in 1999. Brown was the pitching coach from 1994-97, and pitched for the team from 1994-1999, compiling a 60-24 record as a starting pitcher.

Brown spent five seasons (1989-1993) pitching in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system, reaching AA in his final two years. He finished his minor league career with a 90-49 mark. Brown graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 1994. His father, Paul, pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1961-63 and 1967.

New bench coach Roger Hansen spent the past eight seasons as the Mariners minor league catching coordinator. He was the Mariners bullpen coach in 1992 and, at the time, was the youngest coach in the Majors. He also spent two seasons as a roving catching instructor with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan. Hansen spent 10 seasons in the minors as a player, including three years (1987-89) bouncing between AA and AAA in the Seattle system.

New pitching coach Carl Willis was in his first season as the Mariners minor league pitching coordinator. He spent the last seven seasons (2003-2009) as the Cleveland Indians Major League pitching coach. During his tenure, the Indians staff consistently ranked among the best in the American League, including ranking in the top-six in starters ERA in six seasons. He was pitching coach for CC Sabathia (2007) and Cliff Lee (2008) during their back-to-back Cy Young Award seasons. Willis pitched the Majors during parts of 12 seasons with Detroit (1983-84), Cincinnati (1984-87), Chicago (AL, 1988-91) and Minnesota (1992-95). He was a member of two World Series winners, with the Tigers in 1984 and the Twins in 1991.

Wakamatsu, 47, was named manager of the Mariners on Nov. 19, 2008. He posted an 85-77 mark during the 2009 season. The Mariners are 42-70 this year. Van Burkleo and Adair were part of his original staff in 2009.

"We want to thank Don, Ty and Rick for their service," Zduriencik added. "We appreciate their efforts and wish them all the best in the future."

For more information, please contact the Seattle Mariners baseball information department at (206) 346-4000. More information on Seattle's roster is also available online at www.mariners.com or www.losmarineros.com.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Some interesting coaching videos

2010-07-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

2010-07-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Lin Personally Invited to Play in Yao Ming’s Charity Game

By Marcus Thompson
Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 7:59 pm in Uncategorized.

Wanna know how big time Jeremy Lin is?

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is having his annual Charity basketball game in Taipei on Wednesday. All-World center Dwight Howard is playing. So is rookie point guard sensation Brandon Jennings. And NBA’s Most Improved Player Aaron Brooks.

But with a lineup like that already set, Yao Ming felt the need to pick up the phone and call Lin personally to invite him to play. Lin accepted and is leaving tonight. Not bad for a guy who would be doing well to get 10 minutes a game as a rookie.

LIN: “I’m extremly excited and honored to have been personally invited by Yao Ming to participate in his charity game. I can’t wait to meet him and be a part of this special event.”

Lin — the first Asian-American on the Warriors since Raymond Townsend in ‘78 — hasn’t been to Taiwan since he was in the 7th grade. His parents are both natives of Taiwan. So, no doubt, the native son will have some serious support at Taipei Arena on Wednesday. The only other rookie on Yao’s celebrity squad is Luke Babbitt, who was drafted No. 16 overall and traded to Portland.

Yao’s team will play against the Shanghai Sharks Chinese National Team. The game is for the Yao Ming Foundation, which is helping re-build schools in provinces of China devastated by earthquake.

Bill Duffy, Yao Ming’s agent: “Yao Ming is proud of how Jeremy has positioned himself to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. In addition to his desire to help the Children in Taiwan, who are in need, he also wanted all of the citizens of Taiwan to celebrate the accomplishments of Jeremy.”

This event is the latest in what has been a whirlwind of a month for Lin. After going undrafted in late-June, he became a NBA summer league star and signed with his childhood team, which has set off media storm. There are talks of shoe deals, billboards in the Bay Area, and fans ready to deem him a starter.

Despite it all the chaos, Lin seems to be enjoying it. Check out this post on his Twitter page (JLin7):

“Going to Taiwan for Yao’s charity game. Funny txt msg from a friend: “Congrats on signing! U and David Lee. That’s 2 asians on the same team.”

Golden State Warriors sign ex-Palo Alto High star Jeremy Lin

2010-07-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

The Warrior's newest player, Jeremy Lin spins a ball for the media on... ( ALEX WASHBURN )

Golden State Warriors sign ex-Palo Alto High star Jeremy Lin
By Marcus Thompson II
The Warriors officially landed a player who is turning out to be a cult figure.

Guard Jeremy Lin, a Bay Area native who played at Harvard, signed a two-year deal with the Warriors on Wednesday afternoon. A press conference was held Wednesday to introduce Lin following his signing.

"Obviously playing in the NBA would have been a dream come true, but this is really a dream come true," said Lin. "This is the team I grew up cheering for and this is the one team I really, really wanted to play for."

Lin, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound combo guard who was undrafted out of Harvard, played for the Dallas Mavericks summer league and piqued the interest of several teams with his play. But the former Palo Alto High School star chose the Warriors, his favorite team growing up.

Lin's deal is partially guaranteed this year, and the Warriors hold a team option for the second season.

The Warriors needed a point guard after trading C.J. Watson to the Chicago Bulls. Lin is going to get his chance to fill that void. The Warriors could still go out and get a veteran point guard. That would allow time for Lin — who has the game of a shooting guard but needs to play point at the pro level — to develop without pressure.

Lin would become the first Asian born in the United States to play in the NBA since San Jose's Rex Walters, the current University of San Francisco coach.
Golden State also has guard Monta Ellis and Charlie Bell as
options at point guard to spell starter Stephen Curry

Palo Alto native Jeremy Lin draws much attention at Warriors news conference

By Marcus Thompson II

mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 07/21/2010 09:40:34 PM PDT
Updated: 07/21/2010 09:58:55 PM PDT

Rookie guard Jeremy Lin signed his two-year deal with the Warriors on Wednesday, and the moment ink touched paper, he perhaps became the most popular player on the roster.

"I don't think I've ever been a part of something like this before," Lin, a Palo Alto native, said from the players' lounge at the Warriors' downtown facility in Oakland. "This is unbelievable. Words can't really express my feelings right now and how happy I am and how grateful I am. This is crazy."

General manager Larry Riley said the serious talks began in earnest Monday. He was won over by Lin's play for the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team in Las Vegas.

"Boy, he had a nice summer league," Riley said. "He was pretty good most of the time. I wouldn't base it on one game."

Lin-sanity has hit the Bay Area since word of his signing with the Warriors broke Tuesday.

That an undrafted rookie out of Harvard with a partially guaranteed contract had an introductory news conference is odd enough on its own. But Lin drew more media members than the draft or the news conference introducing the No. 6 overall pick, Ekpe Udoh, illustrating Lin's pull in the Bay Area.

But that wasn't the only reason the 6-foot-3 Lin signed with the Warriors. According to multiple sources, he got offers from Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers. He even got a counteroffer that possibly topped the Warriors' deal.

In the end, Lin couldn't pass up the chance to play for his
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favorite team growing up. Plus, he has been assured he will have a chance to compete for playing time.

The first order of business for Lin is to develop a more consistent jumper and adapt to the NBA 3-point range. Riley said he also wants to see Lin develop his defense.

Still, Riley said Lin will get every opportunity to earn the 10 or so minutes available behind starting point guard Stephen Curry. He wasn't just brought on to be the 15th man.

Riley, who still has three open roster spots, might add another guard. He said he wants some experience on the bench, but he also wanted the 21-year-old Lin. Even if the Warriors had been able to keep Watson, the veteran point guard they traded to Chicago, Riley said he would have signed Lin.

"From my point of view, I'm ready to go," Lin said. "I feel like I'm ready to play, and I feel like my game is very suitable for the NBA style, because I'm a slasher and there's a lot of pick-and-rolls."

As a senior at Harvard, Lin was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, which goes to the nation's top point guard. He averaged 16.4 points and 4.6 assists per game.

In 2006, Lin led Palo Alto High to a victory over powerhouse Mater Dei for the state championship.

WHAT JEREMY LIN SAID

The Warriors" newest player, answered questions at the team"s practice facility Wednesday.
On his game:

New Warrior Jeremy Lin draws the cameras, says he’s ready to play

2010-07-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

New Warrior Jeremy Lin draws the cameras, says he’s ready to play
Posted by Tim Kawakami on July 21st, 2010 at 3:24 pm | Categorized as NBA, Warriors

There were more cameras and reporters and the whole shebang for Jeremy Lin’s introduction at the Warriors’ facility today than at any Warriors event since… umm… probably Media Day last October.

And if I subtract any event that did not include free food, then I’d say this was the biggest gathering of assorted media since Don Nelson’s hiring in August 2006.

There were probably five times more media representatives at W’s HQ today than were on draft night, when they picked 6th overall.

Pretty powerful showing for an undrafted point guard from Harvard. But obviously, Lin’’s from Palo Alto High, and he’s also Asian-American, in a market that is rumored to have a few Asian-Americans walking around and buying tickets and clicking on stories and blogging and etc.

Overall, Lin was poised, confident, and, as usual, not particularly in love with speaking as a role model for the Asian-American culture–which, believe me, I understand.

He just wants to play ball.

He also made it clear that he expects to earn a rotation role right away, backing up Stephen Curry.

I don’t know about that–especially with Lin’s shaky jumper–but just standing next to him, I can tell you that he’s certainly big enough and rangy enough to cover a lot of ground.

If he can play the angles, and muscle past the quicker guys on the dribble… Lin has a shot at this. I wouldn’t expect him to be the Warriors’ back-up point guard right away, but I’m not ruling out some kind of role this season.

I also think it’s clear that,even if this wasn’t directly ordered by the incoming owners, it was done with Larry Riley believing it was what Joe Lacob and Peter Guber wanted.

That the Warriors didn’t offer a summer league spot to Lin… and weren’t in on him until a few days ago… and then suddenly offered him a 2-year, partially guaranteed deal days after the sale was announced…

Well, that has NEW OWNERS MAKING A SPLASH stamped all over it. (With the added benefit of not costing very much.)

I didn’t tape Lin’s session with the TV cameras, but there were some highlights form it…

* He made it clear that he thinks he can make an impact right away.

“From my point of view, I’m ready to go,” Lin said. “I’m ready to play. I’m thankful the Warriors are giving me that opportunity.”

* He thinks the best model for the way his game could develop is Phoenix 6th man Goran Dragic, especially the way Dragic attacks the rim in the pick-and-roll.

“Neither of us is a freak athlete, but we’re both effective and know how to play the game,” Lin said.

Dragic is a crafty, daredevil player who happens to back-up Steve Nash, whom some people believe is Curry’s greatest role model.

That is a smart comparison. By a smart guy.

* How does he describe his game? “I’m a playmaker,” Lin said. “I’m always attacking the rim and have somewhat of a reckless style. I try to be everywhere at once.”

* Said that his performance matched against John Wall in the summer league was definitely the event that raised his NBA stock. Lin scored 13 points, attacked the rim, and held his own against the No. 1 pick throughout the game.

And said he was thankful to the Mavericks for putting him on their summer league team.

“I knew all along I could play with (NBA players),” Lin said. “I’m thankful to Donnie Nelson. He was the only one who gave me a chance to get on a summer league roster.”

Now here’s the transcript from the print-media gaggle…

—JEREMY LIN, some questions and answered edited for length/

-Q: I know you’ve had some media attention, but when you get a group like this, does it sort of amaze you?

-LIN: I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of something like this before. This is unbelievable. Words can’t really express my feelings right now and how happy I am and how grateful I am. This is crazy.

-Q: Why didn’t you play for the Warriors’ summer league team?

-LIN: They didn’t… they were already full.

-Q: When was the Warriors’ first contact with you about signing?

-LIN: I heard from my agent yesterday around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. We hadn’t made a decision yet. I hadn’t really heard anything about that because I told my agent I didn’t want to hear anything until it was final.

He told me they had been talking for a few days.

-Q: So the Warriors hadn’t been on you for that long…

-LIN: No, no. I think it was all within the last week.

-Q: How aware were you of other teams being interested?

-LIN: There was a lot of stuff on the internet and I was reading that for the first time…

-Q: What have the Warriors told you about your possible role? Have they said you’re competing for a back-up spot?

-LIN: I think they want me to come in and compete, yeah, for a back-up position. I think there’s a need for guards right now.

-Q: Minutes right away?

-LIN: It just depends on how I develop, how I perform. It could be… it’s all based on my performance. It’s tough to say right now without me having been through any training camp or anything.

-Q: Do you feel like you’re ready to play point guard in the NBA?

-LIN: I feel like I’m ready to play and I feel like my game is very suitable for the NBA style, because I’m a slasher and there’s a lot of pick-and-rolls.

-Q: What was your approach to playing against Wall in the summer league?

-LIN: My approach to that game was no different than any other game. It was just to play basketball and to stay true to my game and what I do best and not to go outside of myself.

-Q: Do you think you can keep up with NBA point guards defensively, especially the smaller, quicker ones?

-LIN: Yeah, I think being 6-4 with shoes and a pretty decent wingspan, I think I’ll be all right.

-Q: Was Dallas involved trying to sign you?

-LIN: Yeah.

-Q: How tough a call was that for you to not pick Dallas knowing that Donnie was the one who gave you the shot?

-LIN: Donnie took care of me. He really took care of me. He really, really did. I’m not just saying that. And I’m really thankful to him. I actually am going to call him right after this.

It was tough, obviously, because I was there for 10 days before the summer league training. And I had met with Donnie in Portsmouth back in March or April. That was a tough decision.

I’m very thankful. But at the same time, I couldn’t pass on this opportunity.

-Q: Because this is home, or because there’s a possible role here… or all of that?

-LIN: Just everything. All of the factors combined, this was the best situation for me.

-Q: When you say Donnie took care of you…

-LIN: He let me go out there a week early. He invited me to his lake house for July 4th festivities. He scheduled some media stuff for me. He went out of his way to take care of me.

-Q: Did you go to the lake house?

-LIN: Yeah I went… It was me, Omar Samhan (and a few other players).

-Q: You think Donnie Nelson saw something in you?

-LIN: He has a different type of vision than most people do. I think he saw something inside of me or my game at Portsmouth that he fell in love with. He’s been saying consistently that he thought I need some time to develop before I was NBA-ready, but he saw potential in me. So I’m very thankful to him for that.

-Q: Who have you talked to with the Warriors’ organization?

-LIN: Today, just the people who are here right now. And I talked to Larry Riley on the phone last night.

-Q: Some people don’t like or don’t do so well playing at home because there’s so much pressure and attention. Maybe there’s more pressure for you here and expecting things right away?

-LIN: I’m not really worried about that right now. I’m just going to play my game and see where that takes me. And I’m not worried about filling shoes or meeting other people’s expectations. That’s never how I’ve approached the game.

-Q: Was there a thought that you’d go to the D-League this year?

-LIN: During the process? Yeah, during the process you think about all the potential options. Overseas, D-League, NBA… There were times when that crossed my mind absolutely.

-Q: And now, are you thinking no way for the D-League or is that still maybe a possibility?

-LIN: It’s always a possibility if you don’t play well. It’s always a possibility that you could get cut, waived, if you dont play well.

But that’s not the attitude that I’m going to come into training camp with. I’m going to come in to ready to compete, ready to fight for my time, for my spot on the team.

-Q: You’ve said going back to high school that you think of yourself as a basketball player more than as an “Asian-American player.” But because you’re here and the fan base has so many Asian-Americans, do you understand how much impact you’ll have?

-LIN: I don’t think I fully understand it yet, but I think I will later on. I’m getting a glimpse of it right now.

-Q: There are some stories that mention some slurs that you had to endure when you played at Harvard. How bad was that?

-LIN: It was bad the first couple times. But I just learned to block it out. It taught me a lot. It just made me a better player, just mentally stronger.

-Q: Did it stop?

-LIN: Uhh, no.

-Q: Do you expect it to continue at the pro level?

-LIN: Yeah.

-Q: The Warriors have just been sold, as I’m sure you know. What do you think about that and that you might be the first personnel move that involved the new owners?

-LIN: Well, I’m very thankful to the new ownership for giving me this opportunity. I know that this wouldn’t have happened without their approval.

In my opinion, I think they’re doing a great job.

-Q: Have you talked to either of them?

-LIN: I haven’t personally talked to them, but my agent has and I’ve heard stuff that they’ve said to my agent.

-Q: It’s possible that they asked for this…

-LIN: It’s possible. That’s something that you’d probably have to ask my agent.

-Q: What part of your game do you need to work on?

-LIN: My jumpshot. Just developing a consistent jumpshot out to the three-point line. That’s what I’m going to focus on the most up until training camp.

-Q: Toby Gerhart ran into some stereotypes about being a white running back. Have you run into any of those things or talked to people about it?

-LIN: I actually roomed with Omar Samhan from St. Mary’s. He was on Dallas with me. And we have very, very similar stories. Not really recruited out of high school and went on to have a pretty good college career and now we’re back in that underdog role.

So I got to talk to him a lot and he’s been real supportive. It’s nice to have someone to relate to.

-Q: How about the Ivy League stereotypes?

-LIN: I feel like an Asian from Harvard… if you think about that, you’re not going to think, ‘Oh, a player in the NBA.’ I understand that. That’s just the way it is.

There haven’t been that many Asian-Americans. There haven’t been that many Ivy Leaguers. So… I understand that. But I’m hoping I’m breaking the stereotypes.

-Q: What was the situation when you were coming out of high school with the local schools?

-LIN: They were… the Pac-10 schools wanted me to walk-on. The Ivy League schools, Harvard and Brown, were the two ones that really wanted me to go there and play for them. I was deciding mainly between those two conferences.

I didn’t really want to walk-on. I wanted to go somewhere the team wanted me. Not somewhere I’d have to go and potentially not have a spot on the team.

-Q: Before you played Wall, who was the most pointed guard you’d gone up against?

-LIN: I played Tywon Lawson in high school in AAU and also at Portsmouth. He’s always been a handful.

-Q: Do you mind if I ask what your GPA at Harvard was?

-LIN: My GPA was not a 4.2. That’s been the rumor. It’s not even possible. My friends have been absolutely killing me about that. I had a 3.1 at Harvard.

Palo Alto native Jeremy Lin is on the verge of signing a two-year deal with the Warriors.

2010-07-20T21:09:00.001-07:00

Milwaukee Bucks' Larry Sanders reaches in for a steal against Dallas Mavericks' Jeremy Lin during an NBA Summer League basketball game in Las Vegas on Monday, July 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Golden State Warriors to sign ex-Palo Alto High star Jeremy Lin
By Marcus Thompson II
Oakland Tribune

Posted: 07/20/2010 08:39:36 PM PDT
Updated: 07/20/2010 08:39:37 PM PDT

Palo Alto native Jeremy Lin is on the verge of signing a two-year deal with the Warriors.

Lin, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard, was undrafted out of Harvard, but he played for the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team and piqued the interest of several teams. Lin's deal would be partially guaranteed this year, and the Warriors would hold a team option for the second season.

Lin has the game of a shooting guard, but probably needs to play point guard in the NBA. The Warriors need a point guard after trading C.J. Watson to the Chicago Bulls.

Jeremy Lin on the Verge of Joining the Dallas Mavericks

2010-07-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Lin on the Verge of Joining the Dallas Mavericks
from 8Asians.com by John

Back in June, Harvard graduate and basketball player and Palo Alto, California native Jeremy Lin didn’t make the NBA during the draft. But he did get invited to play for the Dallas Mavericks during the NBA’s summer league. Well, Lin is starting to turn heads. In his 4th summer league game last week where the Dallas Mavericks took on the Washington Wizards, Lin went toe-to-toe with the #1 NBA draft pick this year, John Wall, and more than held his own. I’ve been seeing this video online posted everywhere – you can really hear the crowd supporting him after some pretty awesome attacks to the basket as well as the commentary lauding Lin’s performance. ESPN Dallas is reporting that due to Lin’s performance, he might be signed soon:

Lin is on the verge of signing an NBA contract, and it could be with the Mavericks, who view him as an intriguing developmental point guard and a strong candidate to run the club’s new D-League affiliate that begins play this fall in Frisco. “We’re in discussions as we speak,” Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said Friday afternoon. “We are extremely interested in him as a young player.” Suddenly, the player deemed too flawed in most major areas to survive in the NBA is in contract discussions with three teams, according to league sources. The Los Angeles Lakers are believed to be one, with an Eastern Conference team the other.

(Note: Frisco is NOT San Francisco but Frisco, Texas located30 miles outside of Dallas.) ESPN radio has a terrific interview with Lin the day after his performance while another blogger has a great video interview with him right after the game. With his performance, you can imagine that Lin is getting a lot more press, like this NBA.com piece where I learned that the basketball player was no dumb jock at Harvard:

The most important accolades he left Harvard with were a 4.2 GPA and a degree in Economics. In his what seems like his non-existent spare time, Lin also was editor of the school newspaper and interned for a California senator.

On a 4.0 grade point scale, a 4.3 is an A+, which means Lin must have gotten a lot of straight A’s. That’s pretty crazy when you think about it, even if you take into account grade inflation. Maybe Lin will start a new stereotype: the Model Minority Athlete ?!? We’re already “blessed” with an Asian American Jersey Shore.

POSTGAME NOTES: A blown call, a bloated bullpen and Brandon Belt

2010-07-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

This is from extra baggs at the SJ mercury click on the link for full article

POSTGAME NOTES: A blown call, a bloated bullpen and Brandon Belt

By Alex Pavlovic

To some notes, quotes and observations from the series finale:

— Right as I started typing this they showed the replays again on the monitors up here. Missed. Call. Ishikawa was stunned after what was a very weird ninth inning for him. Here’s his take on the call:

“To feel like I was so sure the game was over was satisfying but then my heart sunk when I saw him raise his arm for the out. It was tough. I felt like I made it but Phil and I have different opinions. There was no explanation, he just called me out. For me to be so sure about it was tough.”

Ishikawa said he tried to stay out of the drama between Cuzzi and the Mets earlier in his at-bat, did say that “there was a lot of yelling going on.” By the way, let’s hope today gets Ishikawa a few more starts. He’s more than earned them.

postgame-notes-it-all-comes-flooding-back-to-ishikawa-

2010-07-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

POSTGAME NOTES: It all comes flooding back to Ishikawa,
Posted by Andrew Baggarly on July 3rd, 2010 at 10:14 pm | Categorized as Uncategorized

Travis Ishikawa had all kinds of help in the minutes before he took the field Saturday night.

Infield coach Ron Wotus thoughtfully pointed out where Ishikawa could find first base. Ishikawa playfully pretended like he was going to take the field with the Rockies in the top of the first.

It’s good that Ishikawa can keep a good sense of humor after not starting a game since May 19. He’d gone 40 consecutive games collecting splinters on the bench.

And his first start came against all-world pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. And he hit a grand slam.

Baseball’s an amazing game, isn’t it?

Bruce Bochy told hitting coach Hensley Meulens Friday night that Ishikawa would be playing, but apparently, the message didn’t get relayed to the player.

“I came in doing my normal routine,” Ishikawa said. “I caught some Frisbees with the strength coach. I was on my way to do 20 minutes on the treadmill when I saw the lineup. Every day I come in ready to start. And if I don’t, I do what I do to get ready.”

How frustrating has it been?

“Well, you guys haven’t seen me throw or break anything in the clubhouse yet,” said the mild-mannered Ishikawa, smiling. “I knew coming into the year after Aubrey (Huff) signed that this would be what it’s like. I really wanted to work on it. No matter what role they put me in, I wanted to be the best at it.”

Ishikawa hadn’t forgotten where first base was at. And when the time came, he rounded those bases in the right order, too.

“That grand slam is what won it for us,” said Bochy, “even though (the Rockies) came back.”

Ishikawa will be in the lineup tomorrow, Bochy said. And he’ll get more starts now that Buster Posey will be getting regular time behind the plate.

3 Views of a next-generation GM

2010-07-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Ian Thomsen>INSIDE THE NBA

• Freakonomics. To understand how Thunder general manager Sam Presti has steadily assembled a low-cost, high-upside roster that is the envy of other small-market teams, give credit to two factors that are out of reach for most franchises. First is the presence of Kevin Durant, who arrived as the No. 2 pick in 2007 and is fast developing the talents and leadership skills of a league MVP. Second is the discipline of Presti, who continues to develop -- and most importantly, stick with -- a long-term plan to develop young players according to the team-first demands of the Thunder program while keeping costs low. It's fine for franchises to envy OKC now, but how many owners would have the foresight and patience to adhere to the plan a couple of years ago when the Thunder were struggling?

The third factor, which may be available to other teams: Assistant GM Rich Cho, the Swiss army knife of the Thunder's front office. Cho is a lawyer and capologist who also knows a player when he sees one. "He's so smart with numbers and negotiations and the cap," said Hawks GM Rick Sund, who worked with Cho with the old Sonics in Seattle, "and he's an attorney and he's brilliant in finance and he's a good people person."

Most fans (and many NBA owners) have never heard of Cho, but people in the league view him as a prototype for the next NBA era, an executive who draws on a number of backgrounds to come up with solutions. "Rich is incredibly talented," said Presti. "He has great versatility in his approach and skills and is someone that consistently thinks of the long-term interest of the organization."

• The law. Former Sonics president Wally Walker used to employ Cho in both the basketball and business offices in Seattle, where Cho would work on sponsorships and other business deals in addition to helping Walker and Sund structure their basketball payroll. When Presti took over, he focused Cho entirely on basketball and has turned him into a scout as well as a numbers-crunching salary-cap expert.

Someday, Cho will be a GM or team president in the NBA, and as such he'll be able to draw on his experience in the business office while not needing to hire legal counsel or a capologist -- he'll fill both roles himself. "The combination of all of those things gives him a really good future," said Sund. "Going back over my career of 30 some years in the NBA, I wish I'd picked up a law or business degree along with my understanding of basketball. I've been in basketball all my life, but the different dimensions Rich has -- I wish I had them."

• The analysis. Cho is not the only executive who applies an unusual point of view to assembling NBA talent. Nuggets VP Mark Warkentien and Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman -- both reportedly on the short list of candidates to take over as GM of the Suns -- are both highly regarded as outside-the-box thinkers. Rockets GM Daryl Morey uses data analysis in an unprecedented way with the help of his VP Sam Hinkie, a brilliant number-cruncher who previously worked in private equity and venture capital. Nets VP Bobby Marks is another promising capologist.

Crucial to all of these planners is their ability to translate a player's strengths and weaknesses into a salary. What is the player's value in the current market? The Thunder's success has depended on making the difficult decisions of knowing when to spend on certain players -- like the three-year, $15.6 million deal they gave to center Nenad Krstic -- and when to walk away from others who aren't worth big money. "I always felt I was a half-step ahead with Rich," said Sund. "When I was with Seattle he'd already developed a software package of evaluating every player in the league, it was all done by numbers and all I had to do was type in the name or the value. Plus he's one of those lucky guys who has a photographic memory -- he can remember everything that happened from when you were trying to do a trade four years earlier or when you were looking at a guy in the draft."

"This game has become a numbers game," said Hawks director of pro personnel/college scouting Steve Rosenberry, who worked with Cho in Seattle. "It's easier to assess the talent than it is to assess to attach a number to that talent. You can inherit a bad contract and you can trade for one, but you damn sure don't want to give one."

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/07/02/free.agency/1.html#ixzz0sdLwDeUQ

Mavericks to bring in Lin

2010-06-30T23:43:00.000-07:00

Posted at 1:50 PM on Fri., Jun. 25, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Eddie Sefko / Reporter Bio | E-mail | News tips

Harvard's Jeremy Lin, who apparently is trying to become the first American-born Asian to make it in the NBA, will be joining the Mavericks for mini-camp on Monday and Tuesday and, possibly, for their summer league team in Las Vegas.

The 6-5 shooter went to school at Harvard and got his fair share of notoriety - some good and some bad - for his ethnicity at Harvard.

But the guy can play, no doubt there.

He's one of several players who went undrafted Thursday night who are expected to come in to the mini-camp.

--Eddie Sefko

Ishikawa's routine pays off in the pinch

2010-06-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

Ron Kroichick, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Travis Ishikawa prepares for pinch-hitting appearances by facing fastballs off a pitching machine deep beneath AT&T Park. The pitches zoom toward him between 85 and 90 mph, a logical speed - except Ishikawa stands 25 feet away, not 60.

"That makes them look faster," he said.

The routine, which he started in mid-May, obviously is working. Ishikawa's double Monday night made him 9-for-17 (.529) as a pinch hitter this season, the highest average in the major leagues. His ninth-inning flyout Tuesday night dropped him back to .500.

Candy Maldonado owns the highest pinch-hitting average in San Francisco history, at .425 in 1986. Ishikawa hopes his success in the role elevates him into another realm.

"I still think of myself as an everyday player," he said before Tuesday night's game. "I definitely believe I can have a long career in the big leagues. As frustrating as this season has been, playing-time-wise, I'm confident it's just a bump in the road."

The Coach

2010-06-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

taken from from the Rafu shimpo online

Edward Takahashi of Koyasan Boy Scout Troop 379, recalls his experience with UCLA coaching legend John Wooden.

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden pictured with Edward Takahashi.

By Edward Takahashi

In 2004, a group of the present and former scouts of Koyasan Boy Scout Troop 379 gathered to plan for the Troop’s 75th Anniversary celebration in late 2006. Like everything else, nothing happens until the last minute.

A year before, I entrusted my 401K program, with what little I had, to Tetsu Tanimoto of Merrill Lynch. I’ve known Tetsu for some years, when he was playing for the Lords AA championship teams, and his daughter played in the JAO girls basketball program. In passing we talked about JA basketball, and John Wooden’s name came up. Tetsu was the Coach’s “bodyguard” at the Wooden College Basketball Player of the Year Award programs at the LA Athletic Club. He told me quite a lot of Coach Wooden.

For the 75th Anniversary, we were seeking a speaker for all ages. I called Tetsu at his office, but he was out of the city. By the end of the day, Tetsu called back, from Atlanta. I asked if he would be kind enough to ask the Coach to be our luncheon speaker. He told me that when he returned, he would call Coach with the request.

A week later, Tetsu called back to inform me that Coach John Wooden had accepted our invitation to be our luncheon speaker. I broke down with joy. One of the guys in the meeting asked if there was a problem. I replied, no. I quickly made a couple of calls to the members of the luncheon committee to inform them the Coach’s acceptance to be our keynote speaker.

As a memento of the 75th celebration, I purchased 100 copies of the Coach’s book on Leadership, for each Scoutmaster, Cub Master, Girl Scout leaders of the past 75 years, and the anniversary committee members. Several weeks before the luncheon, Tetsu made arrangements for the Coach to autograph the books.

When we arrived at his condo in Encino about 2 p.m., after he had returned from attending Sunday church services, we were greeted by Coach, waving at us from his window.

He was just getting over his brief illness from a couple of months ago, looked a little weak, but he was in great spirits. When I walked into his unit, it was like stepping into a basketball museum. There were photographs donning the walls of the Coach with his teams, basketball and other sport personalities, dignitaries, and letters and poems from his former players. He gave us a tour of his unit, room by room, slowly walking without a cane.

When I was following him, I noticed an opened box with a red and white ribbon and a silver buffalo. In 1990, Coach Wooden was a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America’s Silver Buffalo award, an honor bestowed to those persons who gave noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth. It is Scouting’s highest commendation of the invaluable contributions that outstanding Americans make to youth.

In 2003, Coach Wooden was one of the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush.

Coach was a gracious host. As we made small talk, it was as if we were long time friends getting together. I was nervous and apprehensive in the presence of this basketball legend, but he made me feel comfortable.

We sat down at his dining table, and Coach enthusiastically autographed each book with the name of the recipient. I printed out the list of the book recipients in large type, so it would be easy for Coach to read and autograph the cover page.

Years before, I talked with Richard Banton and Kenny Booker, K/T basketball refs, both who had played for Coach Wooden. Dick and Kenny both still remember how to put their socks and shoes on to play basketball, and now to officiate basketball games. Dick gave me a gem—on Tuesdays, there was a light practice, because Coach made sure he would not miss an episode of Gunsmoke. Both consider the Coach as a father figure, a teacher of life, not just basketball. Coach remembered both of his former players.

I asked about a former Dorsey High player, Conrad Burke. Coach remarked that Connie was not as talented as some of his teammates, such as Willie Naulls, but he was a good reliable and consistent player, he could always depend upon.

Coach Wooden talked about some of his players. He was very fond of Swen Nater.

When Swen was coaching in Blythe, he asked coach to speak to his team. It was a great experience for the kids, but I sensed gratification in the Coach’s mind of how well Nater progressed as a person. Swen used to write poems and send them to him. Some of the poems were framed on his wall. Coach recited some of Swen’s poems.

When Tetsu asked Coach about his schedule, Coach replied he had to go the Reseda Post Office next week. Tetsu asked why, Coach dryly replied, they are going to name it in his honor.

When Coach Wooden asked me about his luncheon topic, his philosophy of the Pyramid of Success came up. I had always heard of the Pyramid of Success, but never saw a copy. The Coach presented me with a copy. As part of the luncheon program, we arranged for the printing of the Pyramid of Success, from a printer recommended by UCLA’s Athletic Department. Banton has his 50-year old autographed copy framed at home, as a treasured family heirloom.

We invited Coach Wooden for an early dinner. He first accepted, but I think it was too early, and he humbly declined. Marcus Tanimoto, Tetsu’s son, and his wife brought the Coach to the Luncheon at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello. When he arrived, walking with a cane, he was enthusiastically greeted by everyone.

After the introductions of guests, we had the Coach come up on the stage, seated in a chair with armrests, as he requested. The first honorees were the pre-war scouts. Some had served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, several were members of the Military Intelligence Service, and one diminutive former scout served in BCI (Burma, China and India Theater) for OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the present CIA). They gathered around the Coach for a photo op.

Coach Wooden then presented his autographed Leadership books to the past Scoutmaster, Cub Masters and Girl Scout leaders or their family members, in attendance. For those that could not attend, former Eagle Scout Ernie Ikuta sent them the book, after an exhaustive search of the Internet. When Coach Wooden discussed the evolution of his Pyramid of Success, you could have heard a pin drop. There were members of the serving staff in the back and sides of the room. Everyone listened intently about the Coach’s philosophy of life. It was a momentous occasion for everyone.

At the end of the program, the Boys and Girls Scout, Cubs and their leaders got a photo op with the Coach.

After the luncheon, Coach Wooden graciously took time, for over an hour, autographing copies of his Pyramid of Success, luncheon programs and basketballs for everyone. I saw the joy in the Coach and the individual eyes, as he greeted each one and autographed an article for them.

As Coach Wooden made his way slowly to the parking lot, he was greeted by the luncheon crowd that gathered to thank him and wish him well.

Last year, I met a scouter from South Bay. Because one of our former 379 Eagle Scouts was his troop’s assistant scoutmaster, he attended the luncheon. He said that luncheon was the highlight of his scouting career.

Thanks Coach, for sharing your life with us.

= = = =

Edward K. Takahashi is the Luncheon Committee Co-Chair of Troop 379 and former Eagle Scout, 1953. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Rafu Shimpo.

Richard “Duke” Llewellyn, 93, Co-Founder of Wooden Award, Opened Door for Nikkei Basketball

2010-06-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Posted By jikeda On June 12, 2010 @ 11:15 am In English, Sports | No Comments

LOS ANGELES.—Richard “Duke” Llewellyn, chairman and co-founder of the John R. Wooden Award that goes to college basketball’s player of the year, died Friday, June 4. He was 93.

Llewellyn’s longtime companion, Nancy Tew, said he died of congestive heart failure at Hollenbeck Palms, a retirement home in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles where he had been for the past week.

Working with Wooden, a friend for more than 60 years, Llewellyn founded the Wooden Award in 1976. He remained on the board through this past college basketball season, meeting with sponsors, players and staff as he battled cancer.

Wooden died Friday night of natural causes at 99.

“We are devastated to lose Duke,” Los Angeles Athletic Club president Steve Hathaway said. “Quite simply, he was the Wooden Award, and symbolized everything that is right about college athletics and amateur sports. He led an incredible life having touched so many people along the way. We will miss him deeply.”

Llewellyn’s life was dedicated to people and sports. He began at the Los Angeles Athletic Club as director of athletics in 1956 and advanced to a senior vice president position. He created Olympic training programs that led to gold medal performances for such athletes as divers Pat McCormick and Kathy Ferguson and swimmer Murray Rose of Australia.

The club’s sports-themed restaurant Duke’s is named for him.

Llewellyn’s other contributions to sports included serving on the board of the World Boxing Hall of Fame for more than 20 years; as attache for his native Bermuda at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics; as director of the Southern California Tennis Association; and as a college, high school and junior college football coach and official for several decades.

But perhaps his most important contribution, one that continues to extend beyond the physical activities, awards and committees, was his willingness to cross color lines. To the post-war Japanese American community, he was a friend to a group of people who had been ostracized by many of their fellow citizens and imprisoned by their own government.

When former Rafu Shimpo publisher Akira Komai and others began the Nisei Athletic Union, they were met with great resistance and were unable to find gymnasiums to host the league. But while others had said no to Japanese Americans, Llewellyn said yes. Llewellyn granted access to gyms for Nikkei basketball and even officiated the games.

“One of my heroes is Duke,” said Tetsu Tanimoto a longtime friend of both Llewellyn and Coach Wooden and one of the founders of the Aki Komai Memorial Awards. “People don’t realize how big a guy had to be to allow Japanese Americans to play, at that time, in that day, when prejudice was rampant.”

Llewellyn saw the value of opening up space for Japanese Americans to play sports and continued his relationship with NAU until the 1960s as a game official. Today, thanks in great part to Llewellyn’s foresight, the Japanese American basketball leagues’ players number in the tens of thousands.

Last September, Llewellyn was awarded an Aki Komai Award for all that he has done for the Japanese American sports community.

Born in the Bermuda Islands, Llewellyn’s family eventually moved to Los Angeles where he became a four-sport letterman at Loyola High School. Continuing his all-around athleticism, he matriculated to USC and was a three-sport letterman. In 1936, Llewellyn finished fourth in the decathlon in the U.S. Olympic trials. He played football in the Pacific Coast League with the L.A. Bulldogs and Hollywood Rangers and after the war with the L.A. Dons. While in the Army, he became the heavyweight boxing champion of the 9th Service Command, which led to his exhibitions with heavyweight world champion Joe Louis.

Llewellyn was inducted into the Los Angeles Athletic Club Hall of Fame where he was recognized as a “citizen of the world” and lauded for “his welcoming demeanor and his loyalty to friends…a model for everyone.” Whose “deeds and accomplishments will live in the hearts of those he continues to touch.”

In addition to his companion Tew, Llewellyn is survived by sons, Mark and Mike; daughter, Debby; and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are private. A celebration of his life will be held later.

Article printed from Rafu Shimpo: http://rafu.com/news

URL to article: http://rafu.com/news/2010/06/obit-richard-%e2%80%9cduke%e2%80%9d-llewellyn-93-co-founder-of-wooden-award-opened-door-for-nikkei-basketball/

Jeremy Lin video and interview

2010-06-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

jeremy lin works out with the warriors

Here's an interview with Harvard hoops star Jeremy Lin, who worked out for his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors, over the weekend: 6.20: Warriors Workouts - Jeremy Lin, RAW.

He talks a little bit (not much) about his chances in the NBA Draft. I don't what the future holds, but I think it would be cool to see an Asian American player with the Warriors, especially one hailing from the Bay Area.

More here: Jeremy Lin Interview. I know a lot of folks are hanging their hopes on Jeremy Lin being the first big Asian American NBA star, and that's a lot pressure. But overall, he always comes across as a smart guy with a good head on his shoulders. His future's bright, no matter what.

Jeremy Lin Interview
By Eric_Guilleminault
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 8:18am

Jeremy Lin was one of the premier seniors in the NCAA this past season. He has been featured in numerous major publications including Time magazine and Sports Illustrated despite playing in the academically focused conference. He has been an athlete of interest for the Asian American basketball enthusiasts who are eager to see a contemporary succeed at the highest level of basketball.

Lin was a finalist for the John Wooden Award and led the Harvard Crimson to a record number of wins. He now is like most graduating seniors trying to impress his employers. His potential employers happen to be NBA teams. Eric Guilleminault of HoopsDaily.com had a chance to speak with him recently during his down time between workouts.

Jeremy LinJeremy LinNBADraft.net: Jeremy you had some great performances this season at Harvard which game(s) standout in your mind?

Jeremy Lin: I had great performances in the wins against William & Mary and Boston College; as well as against Michigan and Connecticut, but my best overall game was probably my sophomore year against Mercer when I nearly had a triple double.

NBADraft.net: The Ivy League was a particularly competitive league, given that you led Harvard to a record 20 win season and were unable to get an automatic bid do you feel that you should have gotten more consideration in being part of the field of 65?

Jeremy Lin: I do think that we could have gotten more consideration but then again we were blown out in the first round of the CIT tournament (93-71 loss to Appalachian State) so it's tough to say.

NBADraft.net: Do you feel with the new expansion that a team like Harvard has a better shot?

Jeremy Lin: It would be nice for a team such as our selves get consideration next year, in particular with thre success Cornell had in the NCAA tournament.

NBADraft.net: Last we saw you were participating at Portsmouth, tell us how that experience went?

Jeremy Lin: The Portsmouth Invitational was really valuable to me. It gave me a chance to go back to the point guard position and allowed me to run a team. A lot of scouts did not have the chance to watch me play live at Harvard and we also had very few games that were televised so this gave me a chance to showcase my skills to them.

NBADraft.net: Since Portsmouth what have you been up to?

Jeremy Lin: I have been working out with Impact in Las Vegas and in San Antonio where my agent is based working out with some of his other clients including Sonny Weems.

NBADraft.net: What NBA workouts have you participated in and or will you be participating in next?

Jeremy Lin: I have worked out with the Thunder, Lakers, Knicks, Grizzlies, Spurs, and a few others before the draft. I have worked out primarily against shorter and supposedly faster players in these workouts.

NBADraft.net: How do you feel you performed in those workouts?

Jeremy Lin: I feel I performed well in all of them. I think my top two workouts were the Grizzlies and Thunder (given the fact I came straight off a red-eye flight).

NBADraft.net: When working in these NBA workouts what position have you played?

Jeremy Lin: I have been working out as a point guard.

NBADraft.net: Do you see yourself as a combo guard similar to a Jordan Crawford?

Jeremy Lin: I see myself more as a Goran Dragic type of point guard. We both love attacking the rim, effectively using the pick and roll and playing with high basketball IQ, although neither of us are freak athletes. as he does. Because I also played some 2 guard in college, I have the abilty to play that position well.

NBADraft.net: What areas of your game have you developed the most since your last game at Harvard?

Jeremy Lin: I have improved my defense and getting to play against quicker players than in the Ivy League. I have been working on my handles and developing a consistent jumper out to the NBA 3 point range.

NBADraft.net: What areas of your game do you feel you need to work on the most?

Jeremy Lin: I have been working on tightening up my handles, being more consistent with my 3 point shot, I want it to become one of my strengths in my game.

NBADraft.net: You’ve played the role of underdog with success before winning a California state title for Palo Alto, winning a school record amount of games for Harvard. Were you overlooked in the recruiting process?

Jeremy Lin: Yes I feel I was. If I had even gotten one scholarship offer from a local team (he is a Bay Area native) I would have jumped on it. But I understand why I was not highly recruited, at the time I was 6 foot 1, 170lbs and I have grown and developed since.

NBADraft.net: What is the greatest advantage of playing in the Ivy league for an aspiring NBA player such as yourself?

Jeremy Lin: The high IQ of players forces you to always have to have good footwork. You really have to pay attention to back door cuts and double screens on defense. And for me personally it’s a slower paced game. It forced me to adjust to the slower tempo game and sets and now I feel both comfortable with the running style offense and the half court sets.

NBADraft.net: Who is the toughest player you have ever had to guard?

Jeremy Lin: Kevin Durant in AAU.

NBADraft.net: Who was the player you tried to mimic the most growing up?

Jeremy Lin: I was a big Michael Jordan fan growing up. I don’t feel my game resembles his though.

NBADraft.net: As an Asian American of Chinese decent do you speak Mandarin or Cantonese?

Jeremy Lin: I speak Mandarin and can read and write a little. I took a few classes at Harvard to get better in my reading and writing skills.

NBADraft.net: Is that something that could give you an advantage to make an NBA team, being the first Asian American to make the league?

Jeremy Lin: Not sure if that will benefit me or hurt me, but I know I have the skills and am ready to playin the NBA regardless of my ethnicity.

NBADraft.net: You have become an inspiration for the Asian-American community, how do you feel about that?

Jeremy Lin: I’m very humbled and honored. I'm very thankful to the Asian-American Community for all their support!

NBADraft.net: And is there an extra sense of pressure to succeed because of that?

Jeremy Lin: No, I’m not playing for other people; if I start thinking in those terms I would put too much pressure on myself. I play basketball because that is what I love to do.

NBADraft.net: If you couldn’t play basketball what would be your profession?

Jeremy Lin: I would be a pastor. It is something I think about doing when my playing days are over.

NBADraft.net: Anything you would like to add?

Jeremy Lin: I would like to thank NBADraft.net and your viewers for all the support.

Daughter of the Late Pat Morita Protests Karate Kid Remake

2010-06-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

Daughter of the Late Pat Morita Protests Karate Kid Remake
from 8Asians.com by jozjozjoz
1 person liked this

Quentin Lee’s FilmHustler blog published a great interview with Aly Morita asking her thoughts behind her protest of the new Karate Kid movie that opens this weekend.

While Edward criticized Aly for passing judgment on a film she hasn’t seen, I believe Aly does a great job in expressing her thoughts and reasoning of why she does not support The Karate Kid. She says, “My issues are based from my point-of-view as an Asian American, and my stake is mostly Asian American. I feel that the remake is a blatant disregard of Asian American issues and concerns. The most obvious fact is that they interchange Kung Fu and Karate.” She also points out the flaws of the original film– including her struggles with the Mr. Miyagi character who her father portrayed– and says that the remake simply rehashes many of the same themes which were problematic with the original 1984 film. Much more poignantly, she gives us insights to her father’s acceptance of the role and how much influence Pat Morita had in creating Mr Miyagi as an icon.

[FilmHustler]: How did you feel about you dad’s success as Mr. Miyagi?
I was embarrassed by my dad playing Mr. Miyagi in the height of his 80s’ popularity. I was constantly having problems with it as my own identity politics grew. Eventually I was able to separate my struggle and my dad’s struggle.

My dad fought fought tooth and nail for that role. He struggled and struggled as an actor. After Happy Days, he got his own TV series developed but it got canceled. He went into depression and came from the bottom when Karate Kid happened. He was ready for it and knew he had to work hard for it.

The role of Mr. Miyagi could easily have been a two dimensional character. But it was really the chemistry between Ralph Macchio and my dad that made it so special. A lot of those one-liners and jokes were very much my dad’s. He poured his heart and soul into that role.

While it may be interesting to discuss and debate the flaws of the Mr Miyagi character 25 years later, what cannot be denied are a few points:

* Pat Morita was an Asian American actor and the original Karate Kid made him a star in the true sense of the word, even garnering him an Oscar nomination for the role.
* The Mr. Miyagi character was an Asian American– and even included aspects of Asian American history like being a decorated veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
* The success of the original Karate Kid was groundbreaking because an Asian American was the hero of a film, showing for the first time that a film with an Asian American lead actor and character could be not only a true blockbuster, but a beloved one, as well.

Though the inevitable comparisons between Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han will likely be about the character’s lines and teaching styles, I wonder how many people will remember that former is Asian AMERICAN and that the latter is (essentially) Asian. For those of us who identify as Asian American (and not Asian from Asia), this happens to be a big difference, but one that many will likely be swept under the rug.

I don’t know how much traction her Facebook campaign to Boycott the Karate Kid Remake is going to garner, I admire Aly’s convictions and willingness to speak up and to share her personal reasoning for her stance. (For the record, I personally am NOT boycotting this film; I have not joined the above-mentioned FB page.)

Photo credit: FilmHustler

Ishikawa gets more out of less practice

2010-06-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

Ishikawa gets more out of less practice
SAN FRANCISCO -- Travis Ishikawa has adopted a novel approach to preparing for his rare opportunities to hit. Recently, he has taken less batting practice, not more.

Ishikawa has shelved his near-daily early-hitting sessions and relies on regular batting practice and stints in the indoor cage adjacent to the dugout during the game. The backup first baseman attributed his success off the bench to this change. Entering Monday, Ishikawa led the National League with a .556 pinch-hitting average (5-for-9). That included doubles in each of his previous two at-bats.

"Thinking too much about my mechanics hurts me," said Ishikawa, whose 22 at-bats before Monday were the fewest among any Giants position player on the Opening Day roster. "If I go up there for one at-bat every few days, thinking about where my hands or my stride are, you kind of lose focus on seeing the ball."

Ishikawa, the Giants' primary first baseman last season, realizes that his playing time will remain extremely limited, barring unforeseen circumstances.

"The way Buster [Posey] and Aubrey [Huff] have been swinging, I know I'm not going to get many chances," Ishikawa said. "I go up there kind of almost more relaxed. There's no pressure on me."

Ishikawa has impressed manager Bruce Bochy.

"He's our Smoky Burgess," Bochy said, citing the portly catcher who thrived as a pinch-hitter while spending 1949-67 in the Major Leagues. "He has a calm demeanor about him, which probably helps him pinch-hitting. He's very relaxed. ... He's not overhyped. That's a big part of being successful as a pinch-hitter, being able to control yourself for one at-bat. Sometimes your adrenaline gets the best of you and you get a little overaggressive."

Kinji Shibuya dead at 88

2010-06-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

By GREG OLIVER - Producer, SLAM! Wrestling

Kinji Shibuya and Killer Kowalski await their next victims.

Kinji Shibuya, who died Monday at the age of 88, once described his move from wrestling to acting in realistic terms that also applied to his 25 years of villainry in the ring: "You're an ugly bugger and they wanted an Oriental villain or something like that. I was ready to oblige."

Of course, the fact that the evil Japanese bad guy was actually born in Utah, raised in California, and starred in football in Hawaii was beside the point.

He looked the part, with his squat body, cropped hair and goatee; the publicity folks could do the rest.

"Kinji Shibuya admits he knows 24 centers on each side of a man's body where pressure of varying amounts will result in the man losing his grip," describes a Wrestling World article from May 1954, talking about "The Nerve Specialist."

A 1971, Reno, Nevada story previewing an upcoming show has local promoter Buddy Traynor fretting about Shibuya's karate chop. "Sam Muchnick (president of the National Wrestling Alliance) told me," said Traynor, "that Shibuya is never again to use the karate chop. You know, he once killed an opponent with it."

In a 1999 interview with the Japanese-English language newspaper Rafu Shimpo, Shibuya said, "the meaner I acted in the ring, the richer I walked out of it. Playing the bad guy was fun. I would have been a run-of-the-mill wrestler without the dirty stuff. As a villain, I became a champion."

Born May 16, 1921 in Utah, the fourth of five sons to Kinkichi and Kura Shibuya, Robert "Kinji" (or Kenji) Shibuya grew up in Los Angeles, graduating from Belmont High School. He played left guard for the Los Angeles City College team and was named to the Helms Athletic Foundation's All-Southern California Board of Football's all-western division jaycee second team star squad in 1940.

At the University of Hawaii, he was a four-year "Hula Bowl" football star and amateur wrestler before playing semi-pro ball for the Honolulu Polar Bears and Honolulu Warriors.

"I was a name before I became a wrestler because of my football background," Shibuya said in 2004.

The wrestling promoter in Hawaii, Al Karasick, suggested he try the squared circle in 1952.

"I was a natural draw," Shibuya said. "Hawaii was a natural place to draw because they could go to Australia, or Japan."

Speaking both Japanese and English, Shibuya was admittedly typecast as a villain in the years after World War II.

After breaking in, Shibuya hit the road, getting to the Minneapolis territory followed by Calgary.

Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion was full of "wonderful people," he said.

"When I first got there, I was going towards Alaska! What the hell is this? I was supposed to be going towards Calgary, then it says so many miles to Alaska," he laughed. "I have a lot of fond memories of Calgary."

Shibuya also had a lot of success in Vancouver's All-Star Wrestling promotion.

"I loved Vancouver," he confessed, adding that he thought All-Star "ran a really good program. They had the influence to get the top guys in there."

Kinji Shibuya and Mitsu Arakawa. Courtesy of the Wrestling Revue Archives: www.wrestlingrevue.com
Though Shibuya had numerous tag team title reigns with various partners, he is most associated with Mack "Mitsu" Arakawa.

"I was the senior part of the tag team. We were both from Hawaii. I took him under my wing and we formed a great team," said Shibuya of Arakawa. "He was big and he was young and at the time, I guess it would have been good for both of us." Mitsu was originally billed as Kinji's cousin.

The pairing was indeed good for both of them. They were big draws in many territories including San Francisco, Indianapolis, Vancouver and Australia, and had a run with the Minneapolis version of the NWA tag titles in 1957. They were good friends away from the ring, said Arakawa's sister Thelma Morifuji. "He was a big island boy too," she said of Shibuya. "When he came to Hawaii, Kinji always came to our house and visit."

A fun-loving man who enjoyed life and was well-liked away from the ring by his peers, Shibuya shared some stories over the years about his friendships. "I'm a good bullshitter," Shibuya once told this writer.

He said Ben and Mike Sharpe, the giant brothers from Hamilton, Ontario, liked him because he knew how to cater the diet they'd acquired on numerous trips to Japan. "They had gone to Japan and they learned to eat raw fish. I used to go down in Boston and places like that where you could buy that tuna so inexpensively it was unbelievable. So I'd buy a whole bunch of that. As you know, we had to travel in cars. My wife would prepare that raw fish. Then we'd get the rice bowls and they loved me for that!" he laughed. "They were wonderful guys. They got me out of a lot of bad shapes, bad situations."

The Australian great Fred Atkins he called a "great beer drinker," admitting "we tipped a few cases of beer." On one occasion, Shibuya teamed with Atkins against the famed boxer turned wrestler Primo Carnera. "You know how big he was, size 22 show or something like that. He wrestled Moto and knocked all his teeth out! So when he got in the ring there with me, I said 'let me get my ass out of here before he knocks my teeth out!'" remembered Shibuya. "Atkins, he'd go there and get Primo Carnera yelling."

Don Leo Jonathan was a close friend, said Shibuya. "I always treated him like a brother. We were a tag team in Hawaii. We wrestled local guys. The Samoans could throw these connected chairs, three or four chairs in a row. You know how powerful they are. They'd pick them up and throw them at Don Leo, who was standing in the corner ... annoyed. So he'd take off after them and chase them out of the building. I'd be in the building by myself. What the fuck is he doing?

"He's like me, he's a little boy, never grew up. Dad's in the wrestling business. You have to be boys because, my God, I would never let my kid go in the business."

Kinji Shibuya and Killer Kowalski team up to best historian/writer Tom Burke at a Cauliflower Alley Club reunion. Photo by Mike Lano, WReaLano@aol.com
Fellow wrestlers spoke highly of Shibuya's skills in the ring.

"I remember in 1972 when Kinji Shibuya came in from Northern California and teamed with Masa Saito. How hot they were as a tag team," wrote Jeff Walton, the Los Angeles announcer and publicist in his book, Richmond 9-5171, A Wrestling Story. "Against Black Gordman and The Great Goliath, the four of them were absolutely incredible. By himself, Shibuya was just a master technician."

"Kinji was a night off to work with. Great guy," said Paul Diamond (Paul Lehman). In an interview in the Ring Around the Northwest newsletter, Ricky Hunter spoke highly about Shibuya. "Him and I would get in the ring and we would have fantastic matches. He was one of the great Japanese wrestlers. He was so impressive looking. He spoke very well too."

One of the late Gene Kiniski's favourite stories involved Shibuya and the Vancouver announcer Ron Morrier. Shibuya had just broken a rock with a judo chop on television. "So Ron Morrier says to me, 'You have to admit, that was quite a feat,'" Kiniski started. "I said, 'Yes, it was just unbelievable. But if you look at the rock very carefully, Ron, you'll see Made In Japan.' And Jesus Christ, he just broke up on TV and the people went crazy. Kinji Shibuya was just livid."

By 1975, Shibuya was pretty well done in the ring.

"I've enjoyed pro wrestling throughout the years." he said in a January 1976 interview in the local Hayward, Calif., paper. "Although people hated me throughout the years. I've given them their money's worth. No matter what people say. they hare to admit I'm one of the best in the showmanship world."

Based out of Hayward, California, he took some acting roles, including appearances on TV shows such as Kung Fu, and the films Days of a Bawdy Ballad and Hammett. Shibuya appeared in Mr. T and Tina, a short-run sitcom on ABC in 1976, where he played a sumo wrestler named Kazu challenging the star of the show, Pat Morita. He had to shout out his lines in anger and lost his voice by the end of the third day. "I had a ball," he said at the time. "It was five days of real fun, but it was real, real exhausting."

"You know it's a funny thing. Movie actors really liked wrestlers," Shibuya said, adding that it was thrill to get to know stars such as Yul Brenner, John and David Carradine. "These were all guys that I respected as a kid."

After wrestling, he started an engine flushing business in Vallejo, Calif., to take sludge out of the engines of corporate and government fleets: Kinji Shibuya’s Internal Engine Cleaning,

In retirement, Shibuya tended to his garden, and collected Japanese koi.

"Whenever I traveled people often gave me koi," Shibuya explained in a 1974 article about collectors of the Japanese fish. "I'd bring them home in a plastic bag with a little water and some oxygen and give them away to friends. I gave some to a building contractor. One day he came over and built me this pond. He told me to start my own koi collection. That's how I began."

"When I see my koi," he continued. "I think about the friends that gave them to me. That has special meaning."

Shibuya died of natural causes with his family present on May 3, 2010.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Janet, daughter Michele and her fiancé, Jerome Scherer of Danville, Calif., his son Robert Kinji and his wife Michele, and their sons Robert Kinji III and Richard Noboru of Manhattan Beach, Calif. A memorial service will be held in Union City, California on May 16.

RELATED LINKS
# May 20, 2010: Remembering Kinji Shibuya: Hated and beloved
# Previous SLAM! Wrestling obituaries
# The SLAM! Wrestling Movie Database

Greg Oliver has been writing about pro wrestling since 1985. His fifth book, SLAM! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle came out in the fall of 2009. The four previous books are Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport (with Steven Johnson, Heath McCoy and Irv Muchnick); The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels (with Steven Johnson); The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams (also with Johnson) and The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. Order them all from the SLAM! Wrestling Store. He can be emailed at goliver@canoemail.com.

Female pitcher has her moments

2010-05-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

Tom FitzGerald, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, May 30, 2010
Chico Outlaws knuckleballer Eri Yoshida pitches against t... Yoshida bumps fists with first-base coach Garry Templeton...

(05-30) 04:00 PDT Chico --

"The Knuckle Princess" made her American pro pitching debut Saturday night, and her part of the game wound up as a draw.

Eri Yoshida, a Japanese teenager who taught herself how to pitch a knuckleball, got the start for the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League and went three innings against the Tijuana Cimarrones, leaving with the score 4-4 in a game the Outlaws would win 8-6.

Yoshida, 18, gave up four earned runs on five hits and a walk before a highly supportive crowd of 4,400 at Nettleton Stadium on the Chico State campus. She received three ovations, including one after she slapped an opposite-field single to right to drive in a run in the first inning.

"It was unbelievable," she said through an interpreter about the hit. But she said she rated her pitching performance only a "20 out of 100."

"I'm not satisfied with my pitching, but I could see my future goals from this experience," she said.

She became the first woman to play in American pro baseball since Ila Borders pitched three seasons in the Northern League before finishing in the Western League in 2000.

Just a few weeks out of high school, Yoshida wasn't dazzling but showed remarkable poise against a lineup dotted with former big-league players. She made 47 pitches, committed a balk, threw a wild pitch, didn't strike out anybody and needed a couple of fine defensive plays to avert further damage.

She gave up a two-run homer to Juan Velasquez in the second inning.

"It was a knuckleball but it came in straight," she said.

Otherwise, her slow offerings left the Cimarrones off balance until the third inning, when she gave up two more runs.

The 5-foot-2, 115-pounder uses a sidearm delivery and pitches from the stretch even with no runners on base.

She gave up a bunt single to the first batter she faced, ex-Giants infielder Ivan Ochoa, a move that drew predictable hoots from the crowd. But Erold Andrus, the brother of Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, fouled out to the catcher. And Jackson Melian, whom the Yankees gave a $1.2 million signing bonus in 1996 but who hasn't reached the big leagues, grounded into a double play.

"I was more nervous a week ago (for a practice game)," Yoshida said, adding, "My teammates tried to make me relaxed."

Shortstop Alex Prieto ranged into short center field to make a fine catch and avoid further trouble in the second inning. Another run was cut down at the plate in the third on a fine throw by left fielder J.J. Sherrill.

Former Royals and Rockies infielder Kit Pellow, who flied out to left against Yoshida, said her knuckleball "wasn't on" or moving a lot. "It was doing a lot of tumbling, but it was just slow," he said.

Female knuckleballer, 18, to debut Saturday in Chico

2010-05-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

Tom FitzGerald, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, May 28, 2010

Jason Halley / AP

Japanese pitcher Eri Yoshida, who taught herself to throw a knuckler, has impressed her Chico Outlaws teammates with her work ethic.
The Chico Outlaws have dubbed their new pitcher "The Knuckle Princess." It's safe to say no other player in pro baseball history has worn that tag.

On Saturday night in Chico against the Tijuana Cimarrones, Eri Yoshida is scheduled to become the first female to play pro baseball in the United States since Ila Borders pitched in the Northern League in the late '90s.

Yoshida, 18, recently graduated from high school in Yokohama, Japan. She taught herself to throw a knuckleball after watching videos of Boston's Tim Wakefield. She posted a 4.03 ERA in 10 2/3 innings in a Japanese independent league last year.

Mike Marshall, a former Dodgers outfielder who is president and general manager of the Outlaws, was Yoshida's manager with the Yuma Scorpions in the Arizona Winter League. He was impressed by her performance there (1-1, with a 4.79 ERA in 10 games) and invited her to join the Outlaws.

The Outlaws have six former major-league players and play in the independent Golden Baseball League, a far-flung outfit that includes teams in Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. It was the last refuge of Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco.

Second baseman Bobby Hill, a San Jose native, said that Yoshida is "like a little sister to everybody on the team" and that he has been impressed with her work ethic. "I don't think it's a publicity stunt for the Outlaws to bring her in," he said.

The GBL doesn't have the designated-hitter rule, so the 5-foot-2, 115-pound Yoshida will also be hitting.

The 7 p.m. game will be streamed on justin.tv/chicooutlawsbaseball.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/27/SPOI1DLON6.DTL#ixzz0pSWJH4Fv

Akira Komai Memorial NAU AA Finals

2010-05-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Akira Komai Memorial NAU AA Finals
The Returning

Paul Nitake (37) and Jarrod Carrol (91) battle for a loose ball in the NAU AA Finals.

The Nisei Athletic Union North vs. South State Championships took place on Sunday at Carson High School and provided those in attendance with three exciting games of hoops. In last year’s tournament, the Southern teams went up to San Francisco and only managed to squeeze out one victory. Home court certainly has its advantages as all three southern teams won out this year. This year, the North did not field a Double-A team, so Sunday also featured the Southern Section Double-A Championships.

By JORDAN IKEDA

Rafu Sports Editor

Last season, up north for the State Double A Tournament, the Quicksilver nearly won despite missing three of their key players. Adrienn Carroll, one of the vocal leaders on the team, enlisted his two brothers, Jarrod and Sean on a little mission that caused all three to miss the tournament.

He got married.

The Quicksilver celebrated Adrienne’s first year anniversary with a resounding 110-89 victory over the Tigers Red to defend their Akira Komai Memorial NAU AA Finals title Sunday.

“All three Carrols,” said Paul Nitake. “That was huge.”

How huge? Well, for these finals, Sean registered 12 points, 3 boards and 3 steals, Adrienn added 3 boards and a pair of thefts, and Jarrod dropped 36 points and tacked on 7 boards and 8 assists. A pretty big chunk of production.

On the other side, this was the third time in the past four years that the Tigers Red have made it to the championship game, only to come away with a loss

“We got to the game,” said Eric Chung who had 16 points, 3 assists and 3 boards for the Tigers. “We just haven’t gotten to our goal of winning it. Every year we get a little better, a little more mature basketball-wise. We didn’t play as well as we could have. If we play as well as we know we can, we’re as good anybody.”

While there’s plenty of talented players on the Tigers Red, I’m not sure anybody could have hung with the Quicksilver Sunday afternoon. The team shot 57 percent from the field and spread the rock with 22 assists. Vi Ly and Nitake combined for 39 points on 16-22 shots and Jarrod scored his total on an uber efficient 15-24.

“I give Quicksilver all the credit,” Chung said. “They shot lights out. When that happens, there’s nothing you can do.”

“I shoot a lot,” said Jarrod. “I should make all those shots. That’s how I feel. I put in the work, so it shouldn’t be that hard out there.”

The Tigers Red shot 43 percent from the field led by Sean Odou’s 28 points, 9 boards, 5 assists and 3 blocked shots. Mike Hamner added 20 points and 11 boards and Michael Reding stuffed the boxscore with 15, 8, 4, 2 and 2.

“A little more communications as far as rotating on defense,” said Odou. “Nothing we can’t fix. We know how to get here, we just need to know how to finish it.”

Perhaps they’ll get their chance again next year, although, an anniversary victory is a hard precedent to break. Especially if the Carrolls have anything to say about it.

AU State Championship: A Plus
Underdogs Bite

Derek Wong of Westside Athletics Lions drives the hoop against Brad Tsutsui of the Foster City Flyers in the A Major NAU State Championship game. (JUN NAGATA/Rafu Shimpo)

The Nisei Athletic Union North vs. South State Championships took place on Sunday at Carson High School and provided those in attendance with three exciting games of hoops. In last year’s tournament, the Southern teams went up to San Francisco and only managed to squeeze out one victory. Home court certainly has its advantages as all three southern teams won out this year. This year, the North did not field a Double-A team, so Sunday also featured the Southern Section Double-A Championships.

By JORDAN IKEDA

Rafu Sports Editor

The Foster City Flyers won the A Major North South Tournament last year on their home turf. Moving up a division, they found themselves with another shot at a title and another shot to continue to push division boundaries.

Unfortunately, what nearly undid their victory last year, trouble from the free throw line and a penchant for mental lapses down the stretch, caught up with them this go round as they fell to the Westside Athletics Lions 77-70. The Flyers shot 8-18 from the line and had 16 turnovers to only 15 assists.

“To be honest, we came in here and thought we were prepared,” said Bryan Takahara who led the Flyers with a double-double 16 points and 12 boards. “But I guess we weren’t there yet. Honestly, I feel that all of my teammates gave their heart out. The other team, they wanted it more than we did. You have to give it up to the LA team.”

The Lions looked the part of underdogs from the onset. They gave up a distinct height advantage getting killed on the glass 35-52, gave up muscle at nearly every position and didn’t have the benefit of a coach in their corner, especially one as accomplished and active as Foster City’s Brian Quon.

“We’re not the biggest guys around,” said Derek Wong who finished with 10 points and 4 steals. “We work hard, we wanted to win so bad. We have a lot of heart and I think that’s what carried us through today.”

The Flyers jumped out to an early lead, which they held for the first 15-minutes of the first half. That’s when the Lions went on a 16-5 run to close out the half and take a 3-point lead into the break. They came out firing in the second period, running their lead up as high as 13. The Flyers fought an uphill battle the rest of the game, getting as close as two points midway through, but could never find consistency on both offense and defense to overcome the lead.

“We haven’t really seen a zone, pretty much all year,” said Kenya Iwamoto, who struggled to find a rhythm going 1-15 from the field. “We’re a running team that gets a lot of buckets in transition, so the zone may have been key.”

The zone that the Lions employed throughout the game worked well against the Flyers, who, like their name indicates, score the majority of their points in transition, on the fly. The Lions limited Foster City to 42 percent from the field and forced them into 16 turnovers. They then rode Robert Reynolds’ hot hand to victory. Reynolds led all scores with 36 points and chipped in 7 boards and a pair of thefts for good measure.

“We picked up our defense in the second half. Got stops,” said Daniel Wong who had 10 points and 8 rebounds. “This will hopefully be our last season in A Plus. We’re going to have to put on a few pounds, some muscle. Hopefully we can add some height as well. But, for right now, we’re going to just enjoy the win.”

= = = =
For box scores, click here.

NAU State Championship: A Major
Everything But Drama

Roger Tanaka (11) of Tigers White dribbles around David Miura (13) while Eric Yasuda (20) looks on in the A Major NAU Championship game. (JUN NAGATA/Rafu Shimpo)

The Nisei Athletic Union North vs. South State Championships took place on Sunday at Carson High School and provided those in attendance with three exciting games of hoops. In last year’s tournament, the Southern teams went up to San Francisco and only managed to squeeze out one victory. Home court certainly has its advantages as all three southern teams won out this year. This year, the North did not field a Double-A team, so Sunday also featured the Southern Section Double-A Championships.

By JORDAN IKEDA

Rafu Sports Editor

The NAU A Major state championship game had almost everything. A three-point fireworks display in the opening minutes. A midcourt buzzer beater to end the first half. A technical that led to a foul-out. It even had a 7-point play.

What it lacked, however, was any real drama.

The game started out well enough for the Sacramento Samurai who hit five threes (would have been six but for a big toe over the line on one of the shots) to take an early 19-13 lead against the Tigers White.

Of course, as the saying goes, teams that live by the three, die by them as well. From that point forward, the Tigers continued to score, while the makes from beyond the arc dried up for the Samurai who ended the game shooting 11-37 from downtown.

“We just weren’t hitting our shots today,” said Marc Kato who went 0-5 from the field and missed his one freethrow attempt, but who did contribute 7 boards and 4 assists. “Overall it was a good tournament.”

The Tigers went on a 25-8 run to close out the first half capped off by a running half-court bank shot from Roger Tanaka that effectively canceled out a triple by the Samurai’s David Miura only seconds before. The basket turned what would have been an 8-point Tigers lead into an 11-point advantage heading into the break.

The Sacramento Samurai never recovered.

“Just effort more than anything,” said Tanaka when asked about his team’s mentality coming into the contest. “The whole year has been like that. If we play hard, we have a chance. We’re not the youngest team out there. We have to play together, play hard and rely on playing good defense.”

The Tigers’ defense stifled the Samurai holding them to only 16 points in the second half and 28 percent shooting overall.

“It was a good team effort,” said Nick Ito who stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals and a block in 32 minutes. “Everyone tried their hardest and it worked out.”

The most dramatic point of the game came late in the second, when Conlon Kwong, who paced the Samurai with 16 points, 4 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks, was ejected after arguing his fourth foul and receiving a technical that due to NAU rules, counts as a personal.

That led to Paul Matsubara hitting four free throws (two for his shooting foul and two for the tech), the Tigers getting possession of the ball and then the rock promptly being swung back around to Matsubara for a three pointer—an extremely rare 7-point play.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” said Matsubara who scored 16 points and pulled down 5 boards. “It was just luck there.”

In all honesty, Kwong was hosed on a couple of other fouls early in the game, especially a blocking foul where he took the full force of the opponent square in the chest with his feet set. It noticeably affected his aggressiveness and the team started its slide shortly thereafter. To his credit, Kwong never hung his head.

Despite the insurmountable odds and his somewhat lame ejection late in the game, Kwong never left the sidelines cheering on his teammates.

“Just team ball,” he explained about his energy and will to keep encouraging his teammates. “Just trying to get
a good game in, even if it’s a loss. We’re definitely looking forward to next year…We’ll be back.”

Missed Freebies and Controlling the Glass

Justin Wong (31) of Big Dogs skies for the rebound, pulling it away from teammate Darby Okamoto (4) in the Big Dogs 53-49 victory over the Foster City Flyers in the A Minor NAU State Championship. (JUN NAGATA/Rafu Shimpo)

The Nisei Athletic Union North vs. South State Championships took place on Sunday at Carson High School and provided those in attendance with three exciting games of hoops. In last year’s tournament, the Southern teams went up to San Francisco and only managed to squeeze out one victory. Home court certainly has its advantages as all three southern teams won out this year. This year, the North did not field a Double-A team, so Sunday also featured the Southern Section Double-A Championships.

By JORDAN IKEDA

Rafu Sports Editor

The inability to hit freethrows down the stretch nearly cost the Big Dogs the NAU A Minor championship. Ironically, the inability to pull down a defensive rebound and capitalize on all of those Big Dog misses, cost the Foster City Flyers the game as the Big Dogs eked out a 53-49 victory.

The game was closely contested throughout and wasn’t decided until crunch time. Unfortunately, neither team stepped up to win it.

With 36 seconds to go and the score 49-48, the Bigs Dogs converted only 4-12 from the line. Ron Fukute had four shots at the stripe to put the game out of reach with less than 10 seconds. He clanked three of them and left his team with a slim 2-point lead. But he wasn’t the only one. As a team, the Big Dogs shot a groan-worthy 43 percent on 23 chances at the charity stripe.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Colin Yamashita who went 1-7 from the line in the closing 30 seconds. “My arms were just jelly.”

No doubt it was all the work he had to put in against Flyers lead guard Chris Seto who hounded Yamashita into shooting 3-12 from the field with 6 turnovers. This from a guy who dropped 16 and 22 points the previous consecutive weekends to help lead the Big Dogs into the championship round.

“I’m just happy that we won,” Yamashita said. “My performance wasn’t good, but that doesn’t matter.”

It wasn’t good because of Seto, who bodied him up, bumped and scrapped, contested everything and poked the ball free whenever Yamashita did get by him.

“I take every possession at a time,” said Seto when asked about his defensive performance. “If we score two points and shut our man down, we win. Today, it was a tough loss, but we played as a team, played hard, and came up short. That’s all we can do, we left it all out there.”

While he was only credited with four steals, Seto’s quick hands deflected countless balls and his defensive intensity was instrumental in sparking the Flyers running game. The Flyers forced 17 turnovers and held the Big Dogs to 37 percent from the field and took a 29-24 lead into the half. However, the Big Dogs switched to zone a few minutes into the second period and changed the makeup of the game.

“We weren’t hitting our shots as much as we were in the first half,” said Cliff Tanaka who led the Flyers with 20 points, but only scored 6 of them in the second half. “We’re a fast team and they slowed us down with the zone and obviously that got the worst of us.”

That, and the lack of rebounding. The Big Dogs, who held a noticeable size advantage, dominated the glass out-rebounding the smaller Foster City squad 44-29. Darby Okamoto had 10 caroms and Justin Wong added 14, none bigger than the 3 offensive boards he secured in the waning moments of the game.

“I just try to out-time the other guy and hope that he kind of mistimes it,” said Wong who was selected as the A Minor Tournament MVP. “It’s a big win. I don’t think I carried the team. I don’t think I had a very good game, but the other guys stepped up. We needed every single basket, so it was a team game.”

“We were very excited about the game,” Tanaka said about the Flyers trip to LA. “We came with high expectations. They’re a good team. We got what we expected.”

Giant Hurdles

2010-05-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

With a new role this year, Travis Ishikawa continues to stay ready and work on hitting southpaws.

Photos by JORDAN IKEDA/Rafu Shimpo Above, Giants back up first baseman, Travis Ishikawa takes ground balls before Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium. While he struggles against left-handed pitching, Ishikaw is a wizard in the field, finishing out the 2009 season as one of the top-rated defensive first basemen in all of MLB. (Photos by JORDAN IKEDA/Rafu Shimpo)

By JORDAN IKEDA

Rafu Sports Editor

Travis Ishikawa is in the midst of his second full season with the San Francisco Giants. Born in Seattle to a Japanese father and Caucasian mother, Ishikawa made his Major League debut four years ago, April 18, 2006 against the Arizona D-Backs.

The 6-foot, 3-inch first baseman showed promise even then with a .292 average and .820 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). However, he wouldn’t get another shot at the Bigs for two more years after a disappointing 2007 minor league season.

In ‘08, he blistered Double-A and Triple-A pitching with a .299 average, .955 OPS and 24 homeruns which earned him a call up where he hit .274 with three jacks in 33 games for the Giants. Despite his inability to hit lefties, things looked to be on the rise when he earned the ‘09 starting gig in spring training last year.

Of course, those who have followed the 26-year-old know that by August, the team had traded for Ryan Garko, and Ishikawa found himself platooning at first. That situation has mostly stuck this year, Giants brass going with the veteran Aubrey Huff who was signed in the offseason to man the right corner pocket. Ishikawa didn’t help his cause either when he tore a couple ligaments in his toe in the offseason, setting him back several months.

“Kind of taking on a new role this year,” Ishikawa told the Rafu Shimpo when the Giants visited the Dodgers this past weekend. “Just learning the odds and ends of this new role coming off the bench, playing defense, getting pinch hits here and there. Just really trying to keep myself mentally prepared all game. Watching a lot of film, taking a lot of swings, making sure I’m loose and staying warm. Just taking that approach.”

In his first at-bat of the season, a pinch-hit opportunity, that approach worked quite nicely as he hit a homerun, on the road (no less) against the Houston Astros. The road and left-handed pitching have been like his Lois Lane and kryptonite. One has nagged him is entire career (.615 OPS against lefties for his career), the other saps him of any and all power (.221 slugging percentage away in 58 games last year).

Ironically, minus those two factors, Ishikawa had a decent .730 OPS against righties last season and put up Superman-like numbers at home, .349 average, .935 OPS and 7 big flies in 62 games. In addition, based on a variety of advanced statistical metrics, including Rtot (total fielding runs above average) and zone rating, Ishikawa ranked among the top five first basemen in the Majors in defensive prowess.

“A lot of work, a lot of prep time,” Ishikawa said concerning his defensive abilities. “Taking a lot of ground balls. Having a routine. I think a lot of it has to do with confidence. I believe I’m going to make every play that comes to me. Mentally, I already know I’m going to make the play before it happens. I think that gives me the ability to make that play. A lot of it is hard work. As a kid, I always took pride in my defense. It was something I always wanted to be the best at, something I always worked at. And it’s just carried over throughout the years.”

Unfortunately, hitting southpaws and playing well on the road is half the game.

Ishikawa hit a homerun in his first at-bat, a pinch hit situation, this year.

While he hasn’t gotten much opportunity, it must be noted he’s got one hit and a walk in three plate appearances on the road—that one hit being a homer. As for the lefty-issues, those continue. He’s gotten two ABs against southpaws this year and struck out both times.

“For me, I’m not worrying about mechanics as much,” he said. “As far as I am, I’m just trying to see the ball. I’m only getting the one or two at-bats a day, so I don’t really want to be spending too much time thinking about how to better my swing. I’m just trying to see the ball and hit it as hard as I can somewhere and hope that it falls in for a hit.”

Despite losing two in a row, the Giants (8-5) are currently leading the National League west, and were the only team to go 4-0 to begin the season—a development that surprised everyone but the Giants themselves.

“I think the team has a lot of good camaraderie,” Ishikawa said. “We seem to play really well together. We have fun. We’re always loose and relaxed. I think that plays a huge impact. Having that relaxed state, plus winning some come-from-behind games early on in the year kind of gives us that confidence too. Now, we can feel like every game we have a chance to win no matter how far down we are.”

Ishikawa’s chances of getting more at-bats diminish the more hits Juan Uribe and Aubrey Huff rack up, especially considering that all-star Freddy Sanchez will be suiting up at second base within a few days thus pushing Uribe’s at-bats into first base.

Despite that, Ishikawa will continue to get opportunities to show his stuff thanks to his tight glove work.

All he needs to do now is dump his metaphorical Lois Lane (left-handed pitching) and his career will take flight.

Udon Shop Hopes Godzilla Bowl will be a Monster Hit

2010-05-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

By JUN NAGATA
Rafu Staff Writer

To celebrate Hideki Matsui’s debut with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 5, the Matsui udon restaurant in Torrance gave a 55 percent discount on selected items, to correspond with the slugger’s uniform number. Hideki Mastui is the first Japanese outfielder to play for the Angels, after being traded traded from the New York Yankees last December.

Masayoshi Yokota displays the “Godzilla Bowl” at his Torrance udon restaurant. (JUN NAGATA/Rafu Shimpo)

The owner of Matsui, as well as the Sushi Boy chain, is Tochigi native Masayoshi Yokota, a huge long-time fan of Japanese baseball, especially the Yomiuri Giants. When Yokota took over the restaurant four years ago, he decided to change the name of the shop to “Matsui” even though Hideki Matsui, who was nicknamed “Godzilla” when he played for the Giants, was playing for the New York Yankees at that time.

When Yokota heard the news that the slugger was coming to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last year, Yokota reduced the prices on alcoholic beverages 55 percent for one month to show his support to Matsui.
Not only that, Yokota was ready to “pitch” other new ideas in cheering for Matsui.

For example, Yokota created a huge shrimp bowl called the “Godzilla Bowl” which has seven large tempura shrimp standing up in an “A” shape like the team logo. The Godzilla Bowl is priced at $12.25 but will be discounted to $5.50 the day following any game in which Hideki Matsui hits a home run.

Yokota is also offering 30 percent off selected menu items through April.
On days the Angels outfielder/designated hitter plays in a home game, the servers and staff wear red caps and baseball uniforms, with Matsui’s number 55. The inside of the restaurant is decorated with autographs and team flags and is considering displaying a collection of Matsui-related items in the corner of the restaurant.

In addition, a group of fans is organizing a “Matsui Fan Bus Tour” for the Saturday, May 29 game versus the Seattle Mariners. The bus is scheduled to depart from the restaurant, and the participants will be able to purchase a special bento box that contains yakiniku, sushi and other favorite items of Hideki Matsui. The rice used will be from his home prefecture of Ishikawa. Anyone interested in joining the tour should call the restaurant for information.

Yokota said that cheering for Matsui and showing his respect for him is not part of his marketing strategy. Simply, Yokota loves Matsui and wishes to create a community who support Matsui.

“By cheering for Matsui, everybody will feel good about themselves,” he said. “We are uplifted. For the future, I want Matsui to be careful not to injure his knee and hope that he leads the team to the World Series.”

Matsui udon restaurant is located at 21605 S. Western Ave. in Torrance. Call (310) 320-2089 for hours.

Translated by Ryoko Ohnishi. To read this story in Japanese, click here.

Nike Shoe Music

2010-04-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Washington rides the bats of Kawano and James in win over Terra Nova

2010-04-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Baseball: Washington rides the bats of Kawano and James in win over Terra Nova
Saturday, April 17, 2010

Washington's Thomas Tomioka slides past Terra Nova catcher Justin Gubser on a sacrifice fly from Alex Kawano in the sixth inning at Terra Nova Hiigh School on Saturday. (Photo by AJ Canaria)

By Jeremy Balan

It’s been said that winning can cure all ills, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a baseball team in The City that needed a win more than Washington High School.

On a six-game losing streak, with the last four being one-run losses, the visiting Eagles (16-9, 8-4) got back into the win column with a 6-2 win over Terra Nova High School of Pacifica in a non-league game on Saturday.

“It’s nice to get back and win this weekend,” said Washington Head Coach Rob Fung. “We were on a pretty bad slide and we didn’t know when we were going to stop. Today we were able to execute.”

Washington rode the bat of senior left fielder Alex Kawano, who had three RBIs on an RBI double and two sacrifice flies out of the seventh spot in the order.

“He’s been struggling and we moved him down in the order,” Fung said of Kawano. “But you can’t hide anyone in the lineup; it’s going to find you. He was able to step up today and hopefully we’ll be able to carry this a little bit.”

Washington senior center fielder Walter James sprints around the bases after his two-run home run in the fifth inning at Terra Nova High School on Saturday. (Photo by AJ Canaria)

Washington senior center fielder Walter James put an exclamation point on the win, with a lined, two-run home run to left field in the fifth inning that landed on the infield dirt of the adjacent field on the fly, increasing the Eagles’ lead to 5-1.

“That thing got out there really quick,” Fung said. “[James] swung the bat well. He’s been one of our best guys all year. Walter is a great athlete.”

James also had a towering double to left field in the third and pitched a scoreless seventh inning to seal the victory.

“I was just waiting for fastballs and I just turned on a couple,” James said. “I’ve been talking to [some of the other seniors] about last year, and how guys would have big hits every game. We need more people to get big hits.”

Washington senior first baseman Gabe Morse also contributed at the plate, but did so without swinging the bat, scoring three runs on three walks.

Washington senior starting pitcher Wesley House allowed one run on four hits over four innings to collect the win.

“[Wesley] did a good job. Initially we were just going to have him go two or three innings, but he was able to get guys out right away and he gave us more than we expected,” Fung said.

The Tigers (10-4-1, 5-0), who came in undefeated in Peninsula League play, scored a run of three hits in the first off House, but only had three hits after that.

“The game, as a whole, was bad,” said Terra Nova Head Coach Joey Gentile. “We’re not getting the big hit and that’s hurting us. The guys are just unprepared on Saturday games and it’s driving me crazy. It’s driving me nuts; I’m pretty upset right now. I’m trying to get them motivated, but it’s just not happening. Hopefully these guys can rebound and come back from this.”

Washington heads into their off week in the AAA, but will play two non-league games against Harker of San Jose and Stuart Hall, before a two game series with Galileo in the final week of league play.

“It would be nice to keep it going into next week,” Fung said. “We were in a rough patch, so hopefully this is a good sign for us.”

All-Metro Boys Honorable Mention

2010-04-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

To see the first three All-Metro teams and Regional Players of the Year, CLICK HERE.

For honorables, see below. Selections based on input from Metro Area coaches, reporters, All-League lists, MaxPreps.com leader boards and, of course, first-hand analysis of players in game competition.

HONORABLE MENTION

San Francisco

F Aaron Anderson, Riordan, Jr.; G Jamarea Biggins, Waldorf, Jr.; G Ivan Dorsey, Riordan, Sr.; F Tyrone Dickerson, Marshall, Sr.; F Frank Duncan, Stuart Hall, Sr.; C Christopher Fontaine, Wallenberg, Sr.; G Zio Enriquez, University, Jr.; G Jamal Ford, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sr.; G Brenden Glapion, Washington, Jr.; F Eli Gross, Lick-Wilmerding, Sr.; G Angelo Gulley, Mission, Sr.; F Taylor Johns, Sacred Heart Cathedral, So.; G Byron Jones, Washington, Sr.; Anthony Moody, O'Connell, Sr.; F Garrett Moon, Wallenberg, Sr.; F Johnny Mrlik, St. Ignatius, Jr.; G Ikenna Nwadibia, Stuart Hall, Sr.; G Kurtis Ong, St. Ignatius, Sr.; F Robbie Pollard, Lowell, Sr.; G Javaughn Shannon, Mission, Sr.

Peninsula

G Spencer Britschgi, Sr.; G Amir Carlisle, King's Academy, Jr.; G Madu Cole, Bellarmine, Sr.; F Patrick Crowley, St. Francis, Sr.; F Freddie Eberhardt, Bellarmine, Sr.; G Momir Gataric, Homestead, Jr.; Arild Geugjes, Oceana, Jr.; F Stephen Meade, Bellarmine, Sr.; F Reed McConnell, Sacred Heart Prep, Jr.; F Suhail Mohammadi, Carlmont, Sr.; G Ben Neves, Westmont, Sr.; G Kristoffer Olugbode, Bellarmine, Jr.; G Ajani Norman, Hillsdale, Sr.; F Alex Reis, Half Moon Bay, Sr.; F Jordan Reudy, Serra, Sr.; C Rodrigo Puliceno, Burlingame, Jr.; F Jeff Spagnola, Los Gatos, Sr.; F Ryan Tana, Serra, Sr.; F Darryl Wong, Mills, Sr.; F Kyle Wong, Mills, Sr.

North Bay

G Kevin Aronis, Analy, Sr.; F Adam Boone, Branson, Sr.; C Brian Crow, Novato, Sr.; G J.T. Delanges, San Marin, Sr.; F Patrick Ebke, Marin Academy, Sr.; G Jay Flaherty, Redwood, Sr.; C Ben Freeland, Montgomery, Jr.; G Max Fujii, Analy, Jr.; G Ryan Healy, Redwood, Sr.; G Eric Johanson, Marin Academy, Jr.; G Alec Kobre, Montgomery, Jr.; Chris Lopez, Justin-Siena, Sr.; F Christian Manoli, Terra Linda, Sr.; F Xavier McCall, Cardinal Newman, Jr.; G Joey Rodriguez, Casa Grande, Jr.; G Bobby Sharp, Cardinal Newman, Jr.; C Stuart Wesonga, San Marin, Jr.; F DeMarqus Wiggins, Redwood, Sr.; G Brock Winter, Marin Catholic, Sr.; G Kenny Woodard, Terra Linda, Sr.

East Bay

F Juan Anderson, Castro Valley, Jr.; G Nick Armas, San Leandro, So.; G Dominic Artis, Salesian, So.; G Roderick Bobbitt, Castro Valley, Jr.; F Kendall Andrews, Newark Memorial, Sr.; G DiAndre Campbell, Oakland Tech, Jr.; F Connor Freeberg, Albany, Sr.; G George Henderson, Emery, Sr.; F Jabri Jenkins, El Cerrito, Jr.; G Damon Jones, St. Elizabeth, Sr.; F Demetrius Lee, St. Mary's, Sr.; F D'Vaughn Mann, Kennedy-Fremont, Jr.; G Khufu Najee, Berkeley, Sr.; G Justin Pollard, St. Mary's, Sr.; F Chris Read, Castro Valley, Jr.; F Tobias Royal, Fremont, Sr.; G Markee Rhymes, Pinole Valley, G Bobby Syvanthong, El Cerrito, Jr.; G Khiari Swift, Arroyo, Jr.; C Freddie Tagaloa, Salesian, So.; G Taylor Takahshi, Alameda; G Dominque Taplin, Oakland, Jr.; F Jack Veronin, Washington, Sr.

Contra Costa/Tri-Valley

F Nate Appel, De La Salle, Sr.; G Blake Bergesen, Northgate, Sr.; G Nick Blount, Freedom, Sr.; F Keith Bruder, College Park, Sr.; G Zach Corby, Concord, Jr.; G Corey Collins, Acalanes, Sr.; G Erick Dargan, Pittsburg, Sr.; G Treaven Duffy, Las Lomas, Jr.; G Tad Fisher, San Ramon Valley, Sr.; G Jordan Giusti, San Ramon Valley, Jr.; F Chris Hatfield, Miramonte, Sr.; F Kellen Ito, Campolindo, Sr.; F Adam Mancebo, Campolindo, Sr.; F Spenser McDonald, Miramonte, Sr.; C Andre McPhail, Deer Valley, Jr.; G MacKenzie Moore, College Park, Jr.; F James Pugh, Dublin, Sr.; F Tom Sprague, Clayton Valley, Sr.; F Lance Willoughby, Foothill, Sr.; G Mark Winthrop, Heritage, Sr.

For corrections on spellings, positions or years, please e-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com. If you feel there's an omission, please leave your own choice or choices by clicking on the comments below.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/prepsports/index?#ixzz0l0E4t2yA

Ichiro's 'unbelievable' grab recalls Mays Mariners right fielder turns back to infield to rob Mathis

2010-04-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

Ichiro's 'unbelievable' grab recalls Mays
Mariners right fielder turns back to infield to rob Mathis

By Jim Street / MLB.com
PEORIA, Ariz. -- At the crack of the bat, Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki turned around and sprinted toward the wire fence separating the playing field from the visiting bullpen.

The number "51" was visible for several seconds as Ichiro hustled after the towering fly ball hit by Angels catcher Jeff Mathis in the second inning of Tuesday's Cactus League game at Peoria Stadium.

Finally, just as the ball was about to sail over his head, Ichiro, with his back still to the infield, jumped, snagged the ball, lost his footing and skidded on the warning track and into the wall.

He emerged from a cloud of dust, took the ball out of his glove and threw it back into the infield.

It was only a Spring Training game, but a player known for seldom leaving his feet to catch a ball turned in one of the greatest plays of his nine-time Gold Glove career with Seattle.

"I've never caught a ball like that before, so it will stay in my memory," Ichiro said after the Mariners' 6-4 win. "If you look at the angle, usually it's from the right or the left. But that was straight from the top. That was a tough play and was one of my impressive catches.

"You [must] have the imagery to go straight to the ball and not go around it. Once you go around from the left or the right you don't get to that ball. When you first see it, you imagine where the ball will land. So you go straight to that point where the ball will drop and then you will see it from up top."

It was an a-Mays-ing catch all right, reminiscent of the great grab Willie Mays made in the 1954 World Series to rob the Indians' Vic Wertz of an extra-base hit.

"How many Gold Gloves has [Ichiro] won? That's why," said Angels reliever Scot Shields, who was in the bullpen and had a bird's-eye view of the play. "It reminded me of Mays' great catch, and Jim Edmonds' catch. [Ichiro] had both arms extended and was going down when he was catching it. When it's straight over your head like that, it's tough. You think it might hit you in the head. That is tough to do.

"I think he was on the track when he caught it. I gave a little clap. You have to appreciate catches like that in Spring Training. During the season, it's different. You're saying, `Drop it.'"

2010 Spring Training - Seattle Mariners
News & Features

* Lee placed on 15-day disabled list
* Mariners end spring with offensive surge
* Mariners can't contain Rockies
* Bradley leaves game vs. Rockies
* Mariners' McOwen dislocates shoulder

Sights & Sounds

* Lopez' RBI single
* Tuiasosopo goes deep
* A. Moore's two-run double

Spring Training Info

* Schedule
* Ballpark
* Tickets

Just about everybody was saying, "How did he do that?" on Tuesday.

"There is the over-[the-shoulder] catch, and now there's the jump-dive-over [the head] catch," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "It was unbelievable. I have never seen him make a catch like that on a ball over his head."

The view was even better from the visiting first-base dugout.

"That was incredible," Angels skipper Mike Scioscia said. "Naturally, he's an incredible athlete and outfielder. That catch, that's as good as it gets."

Ichiro said he saw the ball leave Mathis' bat and simply turned and ran to a spot where the ball might come down. He didn't see the ball again until "it actually passed my head."

So he jumped, snagged the ball and instinctively slid feet-first to avoid a head-on collision with the wall.

"You can't think because it's happening in a second," he said. "You let your body guide you to the result."

The catch didn't really surprise Mariners second baseman Chone Figgins.

"The thing about it is he works on that during batting practice," the former Angels star said. "To see it in a game is neat to see, but a play like that is like second nature to him."

Ichiro will often catch a line drive with his glove behind his back.

"He has GPS," Wakamatsu said.

Asked what the hardest part in making a catch like that, Wak said, "I wouldn't know."

There has never been a player like Ichiro, and there likely never will

2010-04-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

There has never been a player like Ichiro, and there likely never will

Story Highlights
Ichiro has a high BA, good stolen base numbers and ridiculously high hit totals
He is also a dynamic defender in right field with the best arm of his generation
Counting Japan, Ichiro has more hits than anyone entering their age-36 season

Ichiro may be tough to compare to any other player, but the catch he made recently against the Angels compared favorably to Willie Mays' famous play in the 1954 World Series.
AP

We often talk about players who are unique. Derek Jeter is unique. Albert Pujols is unique. Chase Utley is unique. And so on.

Of course, every player in baseball is unique in the truest sense of the word -- being the only one of its kind. You know, with DNA and all. But in the baseball sense of "unique"... it is hard to find players who are so different that you cannot find anyone who even reminds you of them. Babe Ruth may have been the greatest offensive force in the history of the game, but there are seasons by Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, the Steroid Era Barry Bonds and others who would fit neatly into his career.

Ted Williams may have been the greatest hitter ever, but Stan Musial was awfully good. Willie Mays was a wonderful combination of power, speed and defense, but so were Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente and the young Barry Bonds.

Tony Gwynn and Rod Carew and Wade Boggs.

Roger Clemens and Tom Seaver and Walter Johnson.

Randy Johnson and Sandy Koufax and Steve Carlton.

Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby and Tris Speaker.

This is not to say that these players were ALIKE, exactly, because they very clearly were not alike. They all had their own styles, their own skills, their own levels. But they were not SO different either. Pete Rose was sort of a thick-bodied version of his hero Enos Slaughter. Pedro Martinez was sort of a shorter and livelier version of his hero, Juan Marichal. Even Nolan Ryan -- who was in many ways one-of-a-kind -- shares at least some similarities in form and style and audaciousness with a young Bob Feller.

All which leads to this: I don't think there has ever been a player in baseball history quite like Ichiro Suzuki.

Or, anyway, there certainly has not been a player quite Ichiro since the Deadball Era, when players like George Sisler and Ty Cobb whacked lots of hits and didn't walk much and stole bases. Sisler, in many ways, seems like a decent offensive comp to Ichiro -- great batting averages (Sisler .340, Ichiro .333), surprisingly low corresponding on-base percentages (Sisler .379, Ichiro .378), good stolen base numbers, some ridiculously high hit seasons (Ichiro, of course, broke Sisler's hit record when he picked up 262 in 2004. They are the only two players to have two seasons with 240 hits).

But that's just offense. And while Sisler was a first baseman -- and there has been some disagreement about how good -- Ichiro is one of the most dynamic defenders of his time. You have already seen, I hope, the catch he made during a spring training game on Tuesday -- it's spectacular. I have watched it about 23 times already today, and I'll probably watch it at least a few more before dinner. One catch does not define a player, I suppose... but just WATCH THAT CATCH. It tells you an awful lot about the kind of defensive player Ichiro has been for almost a decade now.

And, of course, Ichiro has a fabulous arm, the best of his generation. There will always be those who say no one can compare to Clemente defensively, and I would not argue the point. But Clemente is just a touch before my time... and I think Ichiro is the best defensive right fielder I have ever ever seen.

And then there's the style of Ichiro... the unique warm-up golf swing, the way he breaks out of the box while he swings the bat, the way he purposely jams himself sometimes to get a hit (has anyone ever gotten more hits on pop-ups that drop behind the third baseman, to the left of the shortstop and in front of the left fielder?), the way he sometimes muscles up and drives the ball out -- there are many around the game who think that Ichiro could hit 25-30 home runs if he was willing to sacrifice hits and batting average, which he is not.

Put it all together, well, here are a few fun Ichiro tidbits to chew on:

• He has played nine seasons... and he has led the American league in singles ALL NINE YEARS. Nobody else has ever led a league in singles nine times.

• He missed the entire 2000 season (he was still playing in Japan)... and still had more hits than any player in the decade -- he had 90 more hits than second-place Derek Jeter.

• As Bill James points out... only Pete Rose, Sam Rice and Rogers Hornsby managed 2,000 hits in a decade. Ichiro, though, was the only one of the four to miss an entire season in that decade.

And here's a fun little list you can carry around in your wallet.

• Most times with 260 hits: Ichiro (1)

• Most times with 240 hits: Ichiro and Sisler (2)

• Most times with 230 hits: Ichiro (3)

• Most times with 220 hits: Ichiro (5)

• Most times with 210 hits: Ichiro, Cobb, Paul Waner (9)

• Most times with 200 hits: Rose (10); Ichiro and Cobb (9)

Pete Rose once told me that nobody -- NOBODY -- was going to break his hit record and, to punctuate the point, added: "And you can tell Ichiro he can count his hits in Japan."

Well, of course, they played shorter seasons in Japan. But, by my count, Ichiro had 1,278 hits in Japan. That would give him 3,308 hits for his career. Ichiro is about to enter his 36-year-old season.

Pete Rose entering his 36-year-old season? He had 2,762 hits. That would be 546 fewer hits.

In fact, counting Japan, Ichiro has more hits than anyone had entering their age-36 season:

1. Ichiro Suzuki, 3,308
2. Ty Cobb, 3,264
3. Robin Yount, 2,878
4. Rogers Hornsby, 2,855
5. Tris Speaker, 2,794
6. Stan Musial, 2,781
7. Pete Rose, 2,762
8. Derek Jeter, 2,747
9. Mel Ott, 2,732
10. Sam Crawford, 2,711

Of course, when it comes down to it, I suspect that Pete Rose doesn't really want to count Ichiro's hits in Japan.

Ichiro is the only player to have nine consecutive 200-hit seasons. Rose never had more than three in a row. Cobb never had more than three in a row. Wade Boggs had seven 200-hit seasons in a row, which was the most.

People will always argue about the value of Ichiro. That's because his skill set is so different. How do you place value on a hitter who hits .330 without a lot of power, bangs 225 hits but doesn't walk much, plays a brilliant right field and almost never misses a game? In 2009 Ichiro ranked 12th in the American League in Wins Above Replacement, was in a three-way tie for third with 28 Win Shares and 11th in the league in Baseball Prospectus' Value Over Replacement Player. I'd say that's the general range -- some think he's one of the two or three best players in the league, others think he's plenty good but not quite that good. My analytical side tends to rank him as a Top 10 player, without a doubt, but beyond that I'm not sure.

I know I'd take him.

And I know that Ichiro Suzuki is one of those player who more or less qualifies for our baseball definition of unique. I've never seen a player like him, and never expect to see a player like him. And when it comes to watching and loving baseball, that means a lot. Whatever his pure value, I would hope to someday tell my grandchildren about Ichiro.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/joe_posnanski/03/25/unique.ichiro/index.html#ixzz0kTuGxZB5
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2010 SASF Legend Matsuyama Akastsuki vs Sac Barons 9th Grade Open

2010-04-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

When Two Worlds Collide

2010-04-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

The Yakumo Falcons and California All-Stars greet and exchange gifts at center court at Schurr High School in Montebello on March 21. (JORDAN IKEDA/Rafu Shimpo)

link to more pictures

The Yakumo Falcons match up with the California All-Stars in a wildly entertaining goodwill game.

By JORDAN IKEDA

Rafu Sports Editor

One of things I love most about watching basketball is when polar opposite styles clash. Like how would the Tennessee Volunteers or the Phoenix Suns, two teams that play at frenetic paces, match up against teams that trend towards half-court, set offenses, like UNI or the Boston Celtics?

What I like is the game within the game. Watching how the coaches and players choose to counter the opposition by adjusting how they play or by willfully enforcing their style upon the other squad.

So, I was pleasantly surprised at last Sunday’s goodwill game between the Yakumo Academy Girls High School Basketball Team from Tokyo and the Southern California All-Stars that took place at Schurr High School in Montebello.

Despite the fact the Yakumo team had just touched down in LA the day before and was jet-lagged and that the Cali All-Stars had only gotten the chance to get together for a single practice, the game was an absolute blast to watch.

Beyond the fact that it featured a number of lead changes, a clutch three to go up by one, followed by a clutch free throw to send the game into overtime, and a nail-biter finish that saw the Japanese team eek out a victory, what made the whole experience a truly satisfying ordeal was the fusion of two very different styles.

Nationally ranked, the Yakumo Academy Falcons are a perennial power in girl’s basketball in Japan and competed in the high school national championships this year. The Falcon’s head coach, Yuko Takagi, who has been at the helm of the girls bball program for the past 23 years, considers this year’s team to be one of her best despite no player standing taller than 5-9. Beyond their lack of height, what was immediately noticeable when they entered the gym was that every single player had her hair cropped short.

On the other side of the court was a collection of some of Southern Cali’s finest players. Gathered together by the event’s coordinator Bryan Takeda, the team’s head coach and former USC star guard Jamie Hagiya, and assistant coach Rob Robinson, the team was handpicked from John Miur, South Torrance, West Torrance, Notre Dame, St. Mary’s and Flintridge Prep. The So Cal All-Stars featured South’s Kelsie Sampson, who is 6-1, as well as Muir’s Daysha Thomas and Flintridge’s Deanna Watson, both who are 5-10. In fact, there was no one under 5-6 for the American squad. Also, in contrast to the Japanese team, every single player had her hair long, tied in a ponytail.

Because of the height discrepancy, the game plan for the Cali All-Stars was pretty straightforward from the get go. Dominate the boards, pound the ball inside and feed their bigs for easy baskets underneath.

“They are so big,” said Shiori Endo, one of the Falcons three team captains. “I didn’t know how to guard them.”

Coach Takagi obviously did, as the Falcons countered with intense ball pressure on the guards, making getting the ball inside a time-consuming affair. If and when it got to the California All-Stars post players, the defense would then swarm the ball—a flurry of hands that caused a myriad turnovers.

On offense, the Falcons were running at every opportunity, pushing the ball for easy buckets in transition. If the shot wasn’t there, they’d keep their offense in motion, mainly around the perimeter, and move until they had open shots.

The California All-Stars countered this strategy by slowing the tempo of the game at every opportunity, walking the ball up and working hard to control the glass. They also worked in isolation on many of their sets.

Despite having played together only once, the Cali All-Stars had a balanced attack. Sampson finished with 15 points. John Muir standout Taylor Gomez had 13, nine in the second half and OT. Christine Pascua of Notre Dame had 11. Thomas had 10 and Kelsey Ishigo of West Torrance had six. Every player scored at least three points.

For Yakumo, five players carried the scoring load (as well as the majority of the playing time): team captains Misato Nakamura, Manami Nakahara and Endo as well as Mai Shiozawa and Aoi Kashima. Nakahara, who netted 18 points, did so in a variety of ways, taking players off the dribble to the hole, pulling up for midrange jumpers, as well as shooting the three. Her shot was also more of a typical American style release, with one hand behind the ball.

Endo had a crazy game, her 24 points coming on eight triples, some of which were five feet from the half court line, one of which put the team up by one with a few seconds left in regulation and another which solidified Yakumo’s victory in the extra period. Shiozawa netted all 12 of her points in the second half and OT. Nakamura had 11 and Kashima added six.

“They’re shooting,” Hagiya said after the game when asked what was the biggest difference in the teams. “They’re incredible shooters. You have to guard almost NBA three-point range and further out, because they’ll let it go from way further out then the normal three. Their shooting is really precise and on top of that, their intensity. They trap, they press full court.”

Other differences, the more subtle kind, were evident as well. The Falcons would bow when subbing in and out and while some of the girls had more- American-styled shots, most of the Falcons pushed the ball from their chests. They also didn’t talk a lot, the majority of the noise coming from their coach on the sidelines.

In America, talking to the refs and talking in general are vital parts of the game. Watch the Celtics play and every player on the court can be seen talking on defense. Watch the Lakers play and from the opening tip, Kobe Bryant can be seen jawing at the refs. The crafty, savvy point guards, from high school to the pros to intramurals, will chat up referees to try and get calls in their favor or to just get a feel for how the official is blowing the whistle. It’s become part of the American basketball experience. For example, Gomez was pleading for calls after continually being pestered by the Falcons’ D. The whistles starting coming in the second half.

Not to paint broad strokes from a small sample size, but the Yakumo team nary once even raised a questioning eyebrow to called fouls and non-calls. The only instance where they questioned the officials was after a missed freethrow. See, in Japan, there are slightly different rules. For one, they don’t have one-and-one free throws, hence the mix up. Another obvious difference, is that in Japan, players are allowed a slight hop before the dribble, which would be a travel here in the States.

“It was pretty different, but it was really fun because they shot differently. They also had an extra step every time, so it threw us off a little bit,” said senior Michelle Sui who was the star point guard for South Torrance High School this season.

“I was able to experience many things that I’d never had before,” Shiozawa said about the game. In addition, the Falcons toured around the city and also got to watch a Lakers game.

But perhaps Nakahara summed it up best.

“It was a culture shock.”

And in basketball, when two very talented, very different teams meet up, as Sunday can attest, electric gameplay will undoubtedly ensue.

SF High School AAA Basketball All City Team

2010-03-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

AAA Co-Players of the Year - Angelo Gulley, senior, Mission and Garrett Moon, senior, Wallenberg.

First Team

Robert Pollard, senior, Lowell
Tyrone Dickerson, senior, Marshall
Javaughn Shannon, senior, Mission
Brenden Glapion, junior, Washington
Byron Jones, senior, Washington

Utah The First Cinderella

2010-03-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

Led by Arnie Ferrin Jr. and Wat Misaka, the 1943--44 Utes peaked at just the right time and became the unlikeliest of champions
ALEXANDER WOLFF, MICHAEL ATCHISON

As the dying days of the Depression gave way to World War II, LaVell Smuin presented his teenage son, Dick, with an unusual challenge. LaVell worked as a smelter in Utah's Bingham Canyon copper mines and in his spare time busied himself coaching the Kennecott Mining company's AAU basketball team and raising fighting chickens, which wasn't uncommon at the time. The father knew that college could spring his son from a miner's life if Dick could land an athletic scholarship. So LaVell sent him into the chicken pens with orders to catch a fully spurred bird.

Few assignments carry a greater incentive to adopt a perfect defensive stance. "The only way you can catch a fighting chicken without getting hurt is to have your knees bent, your back straight and your palms up," Dick's son, Jim, says today. "You've got to catch the bird coming up, because if you don't, it'll hook you with its spurs or peck you."

Dick Smuin did indeed earn a scholarship, to Utah, where he was a freshman forward on the 1943--44 team. He was the only recruit on the squad. The other players had responded to a notice of tryouts that coach Vadal Peterson had tacked to a bulletin board that fall. World War II had forced the schools in the Utes' Skyline Conference and most other colleges in the region to cancel the season, but Peterson decided that if he could find the players, he'd field a team.

Perhaps if he had known all the obstacles that would confront him, Peterson wouldn't have tried. The Army Specialized Training Program had commandeered the campus gym for use as a barracks, so the Utes practiced 90 minutes a day in the women's gym. For home games they moved to the Deseret Gym in downtown Salt Lake City, where a track overhead ruled out shots from the corners. The Utes, all but one of whom came from within 35 miles of campus, averaged only 181/2 years of age, and as the season wore on, military call-ups depleted their ranks. Graduate manager Keith Brown made up the schedule from week to week, hustling up games with a handful of college teams and military and industrial squads.

The Utes included two Japanese-Americans, one on release from an internment camp outside Delta, 120 miles away. The other, a 5'7" reserve, was thrust into the lineup when the Utes' center—their captain, best athlete and leading scorer—went down with a sprained ankle on the eve of the postseason. And war with Japan be damned, that Nisei, or second-generation Japanese-American, would enchant crowds during tournament play.

Today the NCAA tournament can be counted on to produce a Cinderella team. But there are Cinderellas, and then there is the Original Charwoman of March. The '43--44 Utes, variously known as the Whiz Kids, Blitz Kids, Squeeze Kids, Zoot Utes, Blitz Babies, Kids of Destiny and the Live Five with the Jive Drive, would go on to win the NCAA title in what still stands as one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. That the Utes came together at the right moment in time was the result of a chain of improbabilities, including the starkly contrasting stories of two players, both Utah-born, who lived parallel childhoods in the city of Ogden.

Around noon on Dec. 7, 1941, 17-year-old Wataru (Wat) Misaka was going through his Sunday routine, listening to the radio as he swept and mopped the floor and cleaned the mirrors of the Western Barber Shop, which his family had run for decades.

Wat's father, Fusaichi (who was known as Ben), orphaned in his native Japan, had come to the U.S. in 1902, at age 19, to escape a life of farming. He worked on the railroad, then opened a barbershop on 25th Street, on Ogden's west side. He returned briefly to Japan in 1922 to marry Wat's mother, Tatsuyo, and bring her back to Utah.

A legacy of the railroad culture that built Ogden, 25th Street comprised a notorious gantlet of gambling joints, brothels, opium dens and bars. Nine out of every 10 robberies, knifings and murders in the city took place on Two-Bit Street. As Wat Misaka reached high school age, the street featured 11 whorehouses, including one, the Colorado Rooms, literally overhead. After Ben Misaka died in 1939, Wat's mother suggested that they go back to Hiroshima to live with her brother. "I said no, feeling like I'm a big shot," recalls Wat, the oldest of three children. "I told her, 'You can take [my brothers] and go. I'm staying.'"

The Misakas stayed. Two-Bit Street may have been the devil's own thoroughfare, but angels lurked on its corners. A white barber helped Tatsuyo get her license to cut hair. Other Japanese immigrant families, who ran noodle shops and dry-goods stores, kept an eye on her kids. Despite living in the rear quarters of the barbershop, Wat grew up largely oblivious to the vice around him.

He noticed subtle ethnic slights, to be sure. Moviegoers seemed to sit at a remove from him, and when the Misakas entered a store, they were usually the last to be waited on. But a whirlwind of sports and homework kept Wat too busy to dwell on his apartness.

Then Wat heard the news bulletin from Pearl Harbor that December afternoon. How, Wat wondered aloud to his mother, could the country of her birth do something so terrible to the country of his?

Across town, Chariton Arnold (Arnie) Ferrin Jr. was visiting his girlfriend on that day. The name Chariton came from a river in Missouri that an ancestor forded on his way west with the Mormon pioneer Brigham Young. Arnie's mother, Ellen, had died when he was four, and his father traveled the Rockies as a salesman, so Arnie's paternal grandparents, Chariton and Ida, raised him in a world bounded by church and basketball. In Utah in those days, Arnie recalls, "if you saw a barn without a basketball hoop on it, you'd think the family didn't have any male children."

Ferrin knew of 25th Street—"the toughest street in Utah," he calls it today—even though he grew up on Ogden's leafy east side. But the 14 blocks that separated his home from Wat Misaka's marked off two worlds. Arnie entered Ogden's two-year senior high school just when Wat left it after a fine basketball career to attend two-year Weber College. Arnie knew of Wat only from reading the sports pages, and Wat didn't know Arnie at all.

Upon hearing of the Japanese attack, friends pounded on the door of Ferrin's girlfriend's house to tell him the news. The next day young men all over Utah would visit their recruiting offices. But, only 16, Ferrin was too young to serve, and because of a trick knee, he would eventually be turned down twice for combat service. As for Misaka, he was determined to go to college—and besides, the U.S. military wouldn't accept soldiers of Japanese descent until later in the war.

In time, the lives of Ferrin and Misaka would be permanently intertwined. When the Utah team rode the rails during the 1943--44 season, soldiers and other priority passengers sometimes bumped them from their seats, and the two teammates from Ogden found themselves sleeping side by side in an upper berth. After college, though he had earned a mechanical engineering degree, Misaka would struggle to find a job until Ferrin put in a word for his old teammate at a Salt Lake City firm. (Misaka may have returned the favor three decades later, when he served on the search committee that hired Ferrin as Utah's athletic director.) Sometimes Ferrin would get the assist, sometimes Misaka—but only after the two had left Ogden and, each taking his own path, met that first day of tryouts at the U.

To give colleges a better chance to field teams during the war, the NCAA had suspended its ban on freshman eligibility. Meanwhile Uncle Sam offered deferments to young men who chose to study engineering or medicine or who, like Ferrin, were classified 4-F, unfit for duty. Despite their youth, the Utes were unusually tall for their time. Ferrin, a rangy 6'4", moved easily in and out of the lane to squeeze off his silken one-handed shot. Sophomore center Fred Sheffield, though only 6'1", had won an NCAA high jump title the previous spring and could long-jump 23 feet. Forward Herb Wilkinson, who grew up with a high jump pit in his backyard and would place fourth in that event at the 1945 NCAA championships, stood only 5'2" as a high school sophomore but had sprouted to 6'3" by the time he enrolled at Utah. Bob Lewis, a 6'4" guard, was a fine defender and a good enough tennis player to reach the NCAA doubles semifinals and later in life defeat Pancho Gonzales. Misaka, the sixth man, played with a lunch-bucket spirit, as did Smuin, who had grown up with immigrants' kids in copper-mining country. The two quickly became close.

Utah won 15 of its first 16 games, losing by only two points to Fort Warren, the Army team starring future Harlem Globetrotter Ermer Robinson. The crowds in the Deseret Gym, which numbered in the dozens at the beginning of the season, gradually approached a couple thousand. In February the Utes lost again, to Dow Chemical, an industrial team that featured 6'7" Milo Komenich, an All-America who had led Wyoming to the previous year's NCAA title. "We didn't realize that the teams we were playing were the equivalent now of pro teams," recalls Fred Lewis, Bob's identical twin, who was a reserve guard for the Utes. "We didn't know how good we were."

They did know they were improving. Their only other regular-season loss was by 15 points to Salt Lake Air Base, which featured a diaspora of Big Ten players, including Ed Ehlers, a star at Purdue. Ehlers scored 28 and guarded the Utes' fastest player "by holding me back with a hand in the stomach that the officials couldn't see," Misaka says. Ehlers apologized to Misaka afterward, confessing that he couldn't stay with him otherwise. Three weeks later Utah avenged that loss with a 62--38 home victory to end the regular season.

The Western pedigree of the Utes freed them from the hidebound, earthbound orthodoxies of East Coast basketball. Peterson let his players fend for themselves on offense. "We didn't have plays," recalls Fred Lewis. "We just took advantage of what the opponent gave us. Then, when somebody shot, we went after the ball." At a time when most players still kept both feet on the floor and both hands on the ball, the Utes played the game of the future: slashing, wrist-flicking basketball, with a preference for the pass over the dribble. Peterson would exaggerate only slightly when he wrote for a basketball guide, "If a boy can drop them in blindfolded from the center of the floor, using nothing but his right elbow, we'll gladly accept him."

At the same time, Peterson never tried to bulk up the supple physiques he had to work with. "We were in better condition than most of us would have liked," says Ferrin, who carried only 155 pounds. On defense each Ute would simply pick up the opponent nearest him. "It made us more of a team," Ferrin says. "We weren't sophisticated. We played as hard as we could, and Vadal let us play."

Having finished the regular season with an 18--3 record, the Utes received invitations to both the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAAs. They chose the NIT because the elder event promised to cover expenses, and it would take place entirely in New York City, which only Ferrin and Sheffield had visited before.

No one in the Utes' traveling party knew much about Kentucky, their first-round opponent. College basketball in the '40s consisted of a dozen or so clusters of interest, each in its own information vacuum, so Peterson bought a "scouting report" on the Wildcats from a sidewalk hustler for $25. The Utes were going to have to play with a gimpy Sheffield, who had sprained an ankle during a scrimmage with another NIT entrant, Oklahoma A&M, soon after arriving in New York.

Sheffield jumped center and promptly took a seat. But his injury gave an opening to Misaka, who made a huge impression on the crowd. "[His] spectacular play brought roars of approval," wrote Wilbur Wood in the New York Sun. "One wonders what would be the reaction of a Tokyo crowd at a sports event right now, if one of the players were named Kelly or Doolittle." But Kentucky's Jack Parkinson got loose for 20 points in the Wildcats 46--38 victory. The cigar smoke in the Garden seared the lungs of the innocents from Mormon country, and Fred Lewis remembers a gambler sprinting onto the floor to offer $20 to Misaka, whose late basket, the man said, had beaten the point spread.

The players put the loss on the shelf, for they had a city to see. They'd already taken in the Copacabana and the Empire State Building. When they passed an ocean liner retrofitted into a troop ship, Misaka turned to Ferrin and mused, "If I yelled 'Banzai!' and started running, what do you think would happen?"

The night of the apparent end of Utah's season, Keith Brown, the graduate manager, while strolling along Broadway with assistant coach Pete Couch, kicked a small blue object half hidden in the snow. He reached down to find a pocket Bible, one of thousands given to the troops, with an introductory message from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Finding a Bible, Couch declared, was a sign of their good fortune.

A day earlier, unbeknownst to anyone in the Utah party, the Arkansas team had traveled from Fayetteville to Fort Smith for a scrimmage with a military squad to prepare for the NCAA West Regional. Returning to campus that night on a rain-slicked highway, a station wagon carrying several Razorbacks players had a flat tire. A narrow shoulder forced faculty adviser Eugene Norris to leave part of the vehicle exposed to traffic, and as starters Ben Jones and Deno Nichols changed the flat, another car rammed theirs from behind. Norris was killed, and Jones and Nichols critically injured. Only four days before the start of the NCAAs, Arkansas withdrew.

With a hole in the bracket and no time to spare, someone from the NCAA phoned Peterson in his room at the Hotel Belvedere. Would Utah like a second chance to play for a national title? At 2:30 a.m. the Utes' coach woke his players and gave them a choice: spend a few more days sightseeing or hop a train for Kansas City, Mo., first thing in the morning and try to win their way back to New York for the NCAA championship game, set for the Garden the following week. (There was no Final Four in 1944—only two four-team regionals and a title game.)

Ferrin voiced the sentiment of all the players in that meeting: "Let's go to Kansas City and win the [West Regional] title," he said. "Then we can return to New York and prove that our loss [in the NIT] was a fluke."

Because train schedules were held hostage by troop movements, it took nearly three days for the Utes to reach Kansas City. But in their NCAA opener against Missouri, another team of freshmen and 4-F's, Sheffield again jumped center before yielding to Misaka, who whipped the Utes to a faster tempo and a 45--35 victory.

In the regional final the next day Utah faced more formidable Iowa State. The Utes trailed 28--26 midway through the second half as Misaka played through foul trouble with two whistles, he says today, constituting the only time he ever felt discrimination on the court. Utah nonetheless pulled away for a 40--31 victory. The first team ever to play in the NCAAs and the NIT in the same season—a group ushered into the draw "through an undertaker's parlor," as Joe Cummiskey of the New York daily PM put it—then boarded the train back East for the NCAA final.

Awaiting the Utes was a Frankenstein monster of a team, pieces of several collegiate squads stitched together into a terrifying whole. The Navy had converted the Dartmouth campus into a training base, making it home to such basketball stars as Cornell's Bob Gale, Fordham's Walter Mercer and NYU's Harry Leggat, as well as future NBA guard Dick McGuire, who after playing in 16 games as a St. John's freshman received his orders from the Navy and immediately suited up for the Indians. Dartmouth's only loss all season had come to the country's best military team, before McGuire arrived in Hanover. In addition Dartmouth supplied a star of its own, big man Aud Brindley, whose 13 field goals had helped defeat Ohio State in the East Regional final.

The bookies installed Dartmouth as seven-point favorites, and the Indians players boasted that they ought to stage an intrasquad scrimmage to give fans their money's worth, according to Couch, who overheard them in a Manhattan coffee shop. A Dartmouth victory appeared so certain that a funk settled over the organizers of the Red Cross benefit game between the winners of the NCAAs and the NIT, which would be held at the Garden two days after the NCAA final. Word came down that the Navy had ordered Dartmouth's trainees to return to campus as soon as possible, ensuring that Utah, win or lose, would play St. John's, the NIT winner, in the Red Cross game. If the Indians beat the Utes, the benefit would be a meaningless anticlimax.

In the NCAA final, Utah threw double teams at Brindley and Gale, and neither team could build a lead of more than four points. With less than a minute left Utah held the ball and a 36--34 edge, needing only to play keepaway to secure the title. But in the final 10 seconds the Indians knocked the ball loose and found McGuire up the floor. Misaka remembers the shot, which forced the first overtime in an NCAA title game, as "a running lefthanded thing from quite a ways out."

McGuire's conjuring might have broken Utah's spirit. Dartmouth was the more mature and rugged team. But all those practices in the thin Wasatch Range air had given Peterson's regulars stamina to draw on. With the game tied at 40 and less than a minute left in overtime, the Utes found themselves with one last possession.

They worked the ball around the forecourt, from timeline to baseline and back again. "We spaced the floor well," remembers Bob Lewis, who from the right corner found Wilkinson open beyond the top of the key in the final 10 seconds. Wilkinson's set shot traced a high arc, true but short, and struck the front of the rim, bouncing off the backboard and seeming poised to fall away. But on the old newsreel footage it looks as if the front lip of the rim rises up ever so slightly to coax the ball into the basket. "I had a hard time seeing through the smoke," recalls Fred Lewis, who for a moment thought, What the heck happened?

What happened, Misaka says, sent him "about 10 feet in the air," which would be nearly twice his height. The final score was 42--40, Utah, and "the foundlings of postseason play," in the words of Irving Marsh of the New York Herald Tribune, were NCAA champions.

Two nights later the Utes returned to the Garden with a chance to prove themselves college basketball's undisputed best. A year earlier, after winning the NCAA crown, Wyoming had raised the profile of that younger event by winning the first Red Cross game. Now, before a crowd that would donate more than $41,000, the Utes tried to match the Cowboys' feat.

The New York fans might have been expected to favor the local team, St. John's, but the Garden then served as the home floor of several other colleges too, and followers of those teams didn't care to see the Redmen win. More than that, the Utes had won over New Yorkers during the previous two weeks with their fluid, hustling play. Misaka, in particular, "was so well received in New York," Ferrin recalls. "The port was closed, and there were troop ships there, but people responded to how hard he played."

Ferrin, the most valuable player of the NCAA tournament, dropped in several one-handers down the stretch to secure a 43--36 victory. As Peterson took the trophy around the locker room, rubbing it sacramentally on the heads of his players, he yelled at each in turn, "This is it, kid. It's yours—you won it!"

The team had been gone from Utah for 12 days and spent more than half of them on trains. After the Utes pulled out of Denver for the final leg of the trip home, the president of the Rio Grande Railroad, a Utahn, arranged for the players to be feted in his private car with steak and strawberries, rare delicacies in wartime. Meanwhile a welcoming party mustered at the station in Salt Lake City for a rally and parade. Smuin's mother, Helen, got her son's draft board to give him two more days so he could take part in the celebrations. In the flotilla of horn-honking convertibles driven by students was Pat Warshaw, who hoped to meet a basketball player. Alas, Coach Peterson climbed into her car first. But in 2005, after each had lost a longtime spouse, Pat would marry Arnie Ferrin.

Another woman met the team that day. Tatsuyo Misaka came bearing a letter for her son. "My greetings from Uncle Sam," Wat says. He had been drafted into the Army.

In mid-1942 some 120,000 residents of Japanese descent, most of them U.S. citizens, were rounded up and confined in internment camps. Only those living in the three states along the Pacific Coast were affected, so by the grace of the Sierra Nevada the Misakas could continue to go about their lives. But FDR's order instantly altered the way many Americans regarded their neighbors of Japanese extraction and, inevitably, the way Japanese-Americans saw themselves.

Those at the University of Utah flaunted their patriotism, purchasing more war bonds and stamps per capita than the student body as a whole. Reviewing Guadalcanal Diary, a memoir by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis, for an English class, one Japanese-American student wrote, "This book shows how hard we will have to work to kill those Japs."

Some press reports erroneously described Misaka as a Hawaiian of Japanese descent. Misaka thinks Peterson was behind the errors but doesn't fault him. "The coach was very concerned about how I'd be accepted," he says. "Putting out that I was Hawaiian-born was a way to soften the blow." And Misaka believes Peterson never started him during his two seasons at Utah to protect him from fans' hostility: "That's what I choose to think, because he never treated me personally with any animosity."

The experience of the team's other Nisei, Masateru (Tut) Tatsuno, also suggests that Peterson, who died in 1976, was aware of the risk of suiting up Japanese-Americans during wartime. Tatsuno's family, which owned a dry-goods store in San Francisco's Japantown, was assigned to the Topaz camp near Delta, a collection of several hundred wood-frame buildings that opened in September '42. Tut would have been confined there with some 8,100 others if not for the university's pledge to accept up to 150 qualified internees of college age from camps around the West.

Tatsuno occasionally traveled with the Utes during the regular season as their 10th player. But even though he practiced with the team until the day it left for the NIT, the Utah postseason traveling party of 14 included only nine players. He was odd man out.

Peterson phoned Tatsuno during the Utes' journey home to tell him to show up at the station and be sure to wear a suit. Over the following days he took part in the whirl of celebrations and received an inscribed championship watch. After school let out, Misaka visited Tatsuno at the camp in Topaz to present him with a personalized Utah-red commemorative blanket in front of his family.

Tatsuno's older brother, Dave, captured Misaka's visit with an 8-mm movie camera he had smuggled into the camp. In the footage, which appears in the 2009 documentary Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story, the teammates mug for the camera. "It was the first and only time I'd been in camp, and it was a real shock to me," Misaka said last May, speaking to a multigenerational audience after a screening of Transcending in San Jose. "I'd heard stories and seen pictures, but to see the bleak desert environment was very depressing. I smiled a lot in that film, but I felt the injustice of it all."

Tut Tatsuno died in 1997, and today his daughter, Marice Shiozaki, summarizes the jumble of emotions her father felt during that long-ago basketball season and its aftermath: bitterness at being left behind, embarrassed surprise at being showered with trinkets and recognition for accomplishments from which he had been thousands of miles removed, and, over time, a gradual pride at having contributed nonetheless.

Misaka, for his part, spent two years in the Army, including nine months with U.S. occupation forces in Japan, where he interviewed survivors of the atomic-bomb blast in Hiroshima. One day he showed up at the home of his uncle, whose house—the one in which Wat's mother had grown up—had been shielded from the blast by a hill. "A personal no-man's land," Misaka has called the emotional territory he covered during that period. "No matter where I looked, I was a traitor in someone's eyes."

Tatsuno's daughter recalls the red of that commemorative blanket, spread across her parents' bed until it became so threadbare that they finally framed it for the wall. "As time went on, he was able to reconcile all these things," Shiozaki says. "He understood that they had to take Wat, and to take two [Japanese-Americans] probably wasn't a good idea when you had to travel across the country." But over the years those old feelings of unworthiness would rear up. "I tried and tried to get him to come," says Misaka, who helped organize team reunions. But Tatsuno never did attend. There's an old Japanese expression: Shikata ga nai. Accept your lot and go on. Tut Tatsuno's daughter uses it to describe her father's attitude. As he looks back, Misaka invokes it too.

His teammates lived in a different world. "We didn't think it was difficult for Wat," Fred Lewis says today. "[It was like] we didn't know he was Japanese."

Early that season, however, Smuin had made clear to Misaka that he would look out for him. If other teammates were comparatively oblivious to what Misaka was going through, says Bruce Alan Johnson, codirector of Transcending, that was a kind of gift from Misaka himself: "Wat was so able to overlook racial inequality that he made others able to overlook it too."

In the fall of 1946, Misaka, Ferrin and Smuin reunited on the Utah varsity. Rival colleges fielded teams again and packed their gyms when the Utes came to campus. At Utah State, Misaka heard, "Dirty Jap, why don't you go back home?" (I am home, he said to himself.) At Wyoming, where the court was known as Hell's Half-Acre, Ferrin remembers making several trips up and down the floor with only three other Utes. He swears that a couple of roughneck spectators had detained Misaka behind the baseline, an incident Misaka doesn't recall.

That March, with the help of a splendid forward named Vern Gardner, Utah returned to New York to win the NIT. Though he still rarely started, Misaka played virtually the entire final, holding Kentucky's Ralph Beard, the player of the year, to a single point. "You know how Beard scored his one point? I fouled him," Ferrin confesses. The crowd booed when Misaka wasn't named MVP. A few months later New York Knicks general manager Ned Irish, who had now watched Misaka charm the Garden fans in three competitions, made him the team's No. 1 draft pick.

The pro National Basketball League had fielded black players in the 1942--43 season, but Misaka became the first non-Caucasian to play in the Basketball Association of America, the other league that would soon merge with the NBL to form the NBA. Misaka scored seven points in three games, but shortly after the Knicks' first road trip he was let go. He never received an explanation. During a stopover in Chicago on his way home he briefly considered accepting a standing offer from Abe Saperstein to play for the Harlem Globetrotters, but instead he returned to Utah to finish his studies.

Every regular on the 1944 Utah team except Bob Lewis would either play pro basketball or be drafted to do so, and Ferrin would win two NBA titles with the Minneapolis Lakers. But the Zoot Utes' greater successes may have come away from the game. Sheffield and reserve Jim Nance went on to become doctors. Wilkinson became a dentist. Fred Lewis and another backup, T. Ray Kingston, joined Bob Lewis and Misaka as engineers. Smuin left the mines behind, becoming a teacher and coach, while Tatsuno took business classes at Cal and helped reopen the family's store in the Bay Area.

Wilkinson sees all this as a logical outcome of the championship. "Anything like that gives you more confidence to do other things in life," he says. "You think, Gee, if we won the NCAAs and weren't expected to, we could probably do a lot of other things we didn't think we could do."

Today Ferrin agrees, having watched Misaka bowl a 299 at age 80 and having won an all-church golf title in middle age himself. He muses on what once was—and nearly wasn't—as well as what might have been. "Maybe we were just a flash in the pan," he says, "but it would have been nice to have stayed together to find out. We'll never know. So we can say anything we want to."

Dick Smuin, that crouching catcher of fighting chickens, died in 2001, two weeks after Sept. 11. When Jim Smuin visited his father at the hospice on the day of the attacks, Dick was watching the coverage on television. "This is going to be exactly like what Misaka had to go through," Dick said, alluding to what he feared was in store for Arab-Americans.

Two years ago Jim paid a visit to the home in Bountiful, Utah, that Wat Misaka shares with Katie, his wife of 58 years. Wat pulled him aside and said, "Your dad promised me that he'd have my back. That he'd make sure nothing ever happened to me. He did."

Misaka then gestured at a table covered with pictures of his and Smuin's Utah teams. They're evidence that Dick Smuin knew when to get out of his crouch and stand up. "I want you to look at these," Misaka said. "Look who's next to me in every picture."

For historical coverage of other NCAA championships, go to SI.com/vault

Find this article at:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1167417/index/index.htm

Washington vs Marshall Varsity baseball

2010-03-18T22:28:00.001-07:00

Giants notebook: Ishikawa sprints toward making the roster

2010-03-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

By Andrew Baggarly

abaggarly@mercurynews.com

Posted: 03/18/2010 06:53:18 AM PDT
Updated: 03/18/2010 06:53:19 AM PDT

PHOENIX — Travis Ishikawa's chances of making the Giants roster were enhanced by a factor of two Wednesday.

At the Giants' minor league camp in Scottsdale, Ariz., Ishikawa played on both sides of the ball for the first time this spring. He logged four innings at first base and got four at-bats in a camp game.

Down the road at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the results favored Ishikawa, too. That's because first baseman Aubrey Huff made a bad decision that turned a force play into an infield single for the A's Ryan Sweeney. Huff roamed too far off the bag in pursuit of Sweeney's grounder, which second baseman Juan Uribe easily fielded.

Every time Huff makes a defensive mistake, and there have been several this spring, it makes Ishikawa's presence on the roster seem all the more vital. Manager Bruce Bochy has said he plans to use a lot of late-inning defensive substitutes this season.

But can Ishikawa be healthy in time?

"Oh yeah, absolutely," said the smooth fielding first baseman, who arrived in camp with a badly sprained left foot. "I'm not far behind these guys. The last couple days, I've caught up."

Ishikawa began playing against minor leaguers Monday, leading off every inning. He was 5 for 11 over his first two games and said his foot responded when he stretched a single into a double.

"I still feel it, but that was a good test," he said.

The Giants are off today, but Ishikawa will play on both sides

in another camp game. He plans to make his Cactus League debut sometime this weekend.

Ishikawa is out of minor league options and could be lost on a waiver claim if he isn't on the opening day roster.

Doug Kagawa: Scoring Points for Character

2010-03-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

This article was originally on Discover Nikkei just click on the title to go to the original post

By Masao Ito Taylor
11 Mar 2010

Since 1977, Doug Kagawa has worked as head coach of varsity basketball at Albany High School in Albany, CA. In speaking with him, I learned a high school coach is motivated by the sport, the students, and the constant quest to create the chemistry that makes a winning team.

Kagawa began playing in the “C” level basketball league in sixth grade, although officially he wasn’t supposed to start until seventh grade. He played basketball all the way through school and played baseball with the [Japanese American] Berkeley Bears. As a kid, he also helped his father coach his younger brother in Little League baseball and basketball.

“My dad is a photographer, but he probably would have been a really good high school football coach until he went into the internment camps, which kind of messed up his career,” Kagawa recalls. “He was an athlete.”

Second to his father, his high school basketball coach helped launch him on his path towards sports. “I never played school ball, but he refereed the Japanese [league] games and so he would see me play, and finally he told me to try out for the high school team. So I tried out my junior year at Berkeley High School and I made the team and it kind of started my career. When I graduated I came back and coached with him.

In the huddle with Coach Kagawa. Photo by Masao Ito Taylor.

“What I tell students is coaching is like being a chef and players are all the different ingredients. The chef has to kind of blend the players together as best you can and come up with a finished product. Sometimes the product rises to the top, and sometimes it just… percolates. I think my style of coaching is very flexible. I don’t have one set style and everybody has to accommodate my style. What I try to do is take an evaluation of what kind of players I have for each season and to try to develop ways to take advantage of each different team’s strengths and weaknesses. So I run all different kinds of set offenses and defenses.”

One of the most important qualities he practices as a coach is restraint.

“The kind of style I would prefer to play would be the really up-tempo running game and full court press. My role models of coaching would be people like John Wooden, where you play real fundamental basketball and you don’t do all the talking and showboating. If you notice the coach on the court more than the players, then something’s wrong. The game is for the players, the coach is just to facilitate and be a coach and not be a pain. So I try to be low-key on the court because if I expect my players to make critical decisions in stressful situations I can’t be going bonkers on the bench.”

A product of the long tradition of JA sports, Kagawa can’t help but make a connection between his Japanese American heritage and his coaching style. “I think it really goes back to the Japanese community.

“To my dad in terms of his work ethic and my mom in terms of supporting the family. In terms of work ethic, you learn it from your parents: Whatever you do you want to do it 100 percent. You never quit, you never give up, and you could be down by 30 or up by 30 but you always give it 100 percent until the final buzzer. The Japanese leagues have exploded. I remember when I used to play and we used to get really excited for one tournament down in Los Angeles, but now there’s like one every weekend.”

That old-fashioned demand for respect in sports makes Kagawa a stickler for detail: the players’ appearance, the way they treat each other on the court. “Even before the rule was brought in that you had to keep your shirttail in, guys would try to play with their jersey tail out and I would say ‘No, you tuck your shirttail in.’ They came sagging and I would say ‘No, I don’t care what the style is, and you don’t sag’. A lot of sports unfortunately are becoming who can outdo each other individually rather than the team emphasis. My basic rule is that you never talk on the court other then talking on defense or complimenting your own teammates. I have a rule that if you get an assist from a player, you had better acknowledge the passer so I can see that you respect the pass, otherwise you are coming out of the game.

“I’ve kept some players that other coaches would have cut because of behavior, but I think I am a teacher first and a coach second, and I believe that sports could show kids a different way to behave. By having a good group of people around, that person could learn a lot.”

For Kagawa, a champion isn’t defined by points scored on the court but by how an athlete accomplishes the game of life. “I think being a successful person has the same attributes and characteristics as being a champion or a winner. A champion in my picture is not judged on your win-loss record. For me, a champion person is a quality person. We had a team one year ago; we were 0-14 in our league. We got blitzed by 30 points regularly each game. But that team, no one ever quit and all nine seniors went on to a four-year college. In my eyes, we did everything we could, and that was a championship season.”

His personal formula for winning is simple. “My philosophy with all of my players and students is: family comes first, school is second, and sports activities come after that. Find something that you really enjoy doing, and maybe you can pursue that thing as a career. I never wanted to have to go to work and everyday wake up and not be excited to go to work. I hear too many stories of people who go to work because they have to pay the bills. I love being paid for this job but I would probably do it without being paid. When I wake up in the morning I’m excited to go to work.”

He does have one confession, however. “Right now with coaching and being a head counselor, I don’t have much head time. But if I did have spare time, I would probably try and play golf."

* This article was originally published in Nikkei Heritage Vol. XVIII, Number 2 (Winter 2006), a journal of the National Japanese American Historical Society .

© 2006 National Japanese American Historical Society