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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Doug Kagawa: Scoring Points for Character
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
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
Monday, March 8, 2010
ts Scott Fujita a champion for New Orleans, coastal restoration
Scott Fujita a champion for New Orleans, coastal restoration
By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune
March 07, 2010, 5:34AM
This column was going to be about why Scott Fujita, New Orleans Saints linebacker, is a great role model for local football fans. But upon further review, I had to change that call.
Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneLinebacker Scott Fujita, holding one of his daughters after the New Orleans Saints' Super Bowl victory, says he and his family felt compelled 'to protect the city we have come to love so much.'Now it's: Scott Fujita, New Orleans resident, is a great role model for all New Orleanians.
The reason I'm putting him on a pedestal is not because of his work on the football field, but because of what he has chosen to do as a citizen with the rewards of that labor.
Fujita has decided to donate half of his $82,000 in NFL playoff earnings to two causes, one of which is coastal restoration.
His reasons?
"The people of this city and region have been so good to me and my family that we just felt strongly about doing something to protect the city we have come to love so much, " Fujita said. "And helping on the coastal issue has been on the back of my mind since I first got here."
Fujita first got here in the spring of 2006 when a mention of New Orleans to those outside the city evoked mostly pity and criticism. Pity, for the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina. Criticism, from certain quarters that some of us will never forgive, because we were stupid for living here, we were dumb to have been flooded, and this city had no future and should be razed or moved.
Fujita heard it all when he was with the Dallas Cowboys - and he still moved his family here.
"People thought we were crazy when we first signed, " said Fujita, who always speaks of himself as a family collective that includes his wife, Jaclyn and two daughters. "We got a lot of the stuff about the destruction, the uncertain future, the safety issues. You know, the 'Who would want to live there.' stuff. "
But the opportunity to put his notoriety as professional athlete to work on a social struggle had a special appeal to a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. And as it turned out, the chance to be a do-gooder was just lagniappe. Fujita quickly fell in love with the unique flavor and character of the city and its eclectic collection of residents.
"You always hear about southern hospitality, but I experienced it from my first days here, " Fujita recalled. "I was living in a residence hotel for the first few weeks while we looked for a place in town, and spent that time just walking around the city and bar hopping, getting to know the place.
"Well, when people found out I was moving here from another city, I couldn't pay for a drink. They didn't know I was an NFL player. They just knew I was a guy who had come to join them, and that was it - I was a hero. I don't think I paid for a drink for the first three or four weeks."
As the months passed Fujita said his family fell in love with the idea of New Orleans.
"It's just such a unique place, with a unique character and way of life, " he said. "It has a blend of the Old World and the Caribbean.
"My wife and I have traveled extensively, and this is the perfect blend of cultures, great food and great music."
He put his love for the city to work, getting involved in many causes that were asking for help as the city continued rebuilding. Fujita's teammates voted him the Saints Man of The Year for 2008, which honors the player who has done the most for the community.
The love affair hasn't been one-way. The emotional lift the newly winning Saints gave the community has been well documented. And if any corner of the planet wasn't aware of the special bond between the team and the Who Dat Nation, they couldn't escape it after the Super Bowl.
Fujita, who has been among the most vocal Saints about the team's commitment to the city and its sense of mission, had already decided he wanted to do something more than bring back the Lombardi Trophy.
"Jaclyn and I were looking not just for a cause to donate to, but more importantly something we believe in, something we think we could actually make a difference in by using the visibility of the New Orleans Saints, " he said. "And the coastal issue had been in the back of my mind almost since I got here."
The Audubon Institute IMAX film "Hurricane on the Bayou" had awoken Fujita to the problem. Later readings informed him that the crisis was reaching the critical stage on the other sides of the levees, a crisis that imperils the city he has grown to love.
"I read somewhere that we're losing a football field every hour, and for a kid from California, that sounds like a whole lot, " he said. "Then I read somewhere else where a certain amount of vegetated wetlands could reduce storm surge by a foot, and to me that sounds like a lot, too."
So about $20,000 of that $82,000 will go to one or more groups working for that cause.
"This place have given us so much, we feel a responsibility to give something back, " Fujita said.
That last line convinced me Scott Fujita is the proper role model for his fellow New Orleanians. Because he gets it. He not only understands there's a serious problem that threatens the very future of the city and region. He and his family also understand its their responsibility as citizens to do something about it.
Sadly, that decision puts the Fujitas far ahead of most residents who were raised here.
The general level of awareness or concern about the problem just beyond our front doors was on display a few months ago when President Obama held a Town Hall meeting here; he wasn't asked a single question about coastal restoration. And it was evident again in the recent mayoral election; the threat wetlands loss poses to the city were never an issue, nor was it the topic at any of the many candidate forums.
But the Fujitas get it. They get the threat to this place they love, and the responsibility they have as citizens to be involved. So much so, in fact, that Fujita said he will honor his pledge, even if he is lost to the Saints during this free agent period.
"Of course we'll keep the commitment, " he said. "This place has given us too much."
And, in case you're wondering, the Fujitas also take seriously their responsibilities as citizens of the planet: The other half of that gift is going to Haitian relief.
(Coastal groups wishing to contact Scott Fujita can do so through his Web site.
Bob Marshall can be reached at 504.826.3539 or bmarshall@timespicayune.com.
By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune
March 07, 2010, 5:34AM
This column was going to be about why Scott Fujita, New Orleans Saints linebacker, is a great role model for local football fans. But upon further review, I had to change that call.
Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneLinebacker Scott Fujita, holding one of his daughters after the New Orleans Saints' Super Bowl victory, says he and his family felt compelled 'to protect the city we have come to love so much.'Now it's: Scott Fujita, New Orleans resident, is a great role model for all New Orleanians.
The reason I'm putting him on a pedestal is not because of his work on the football field, but because of what he has chosen to do as a citizen with the rewards of that labor.
Fujita has decided to donate half of his $82,000 in NFL playoff earnings to two causes, one of which is coastal restoration.
His reasons?
"The people of this city and region have been so good to me and my family that we just felt strongly about doing something to protect the city we have come to love so much, " Fujita said. "And helping on the coastal issue has been on the back of my mind since I first got here."
Fujita first got here in the spring of 2006 when a mention of New Orleans to those outside the city evoked mostly pity and criticism. Pity, for the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina. Criticism, from certain quarters that some of us will never forgive, because we were stupid for living here, we were dumb to have been flooded, and this city had no future and should be razed or moved.
Fujita heard it all when he was with the Dallas Cowboys - and he still moved his family here.
"People thought we were crazy when we first signed, " said Fujita, who always speaks of himself as a family collective that includes his wife, Jaclyn and two daughters. "We got a lot of the stuff about the destruction, the uncertain future, the safety issues. You know, the 'Who would want to live there.' stuff. "
But the opportunity to put his notoriety as professional athlete to work on a social struggle had a special appeal to a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. And as it turned out, the chance to be a do-gooder was just lagniappe. Fujita quickly fell in love with the unique flavor and character of the city and its eclectic collection of residents.
"You always hear about southern hospitality, but I experienced it from my first days here, " Fujita recalled. "I was living in a residence hotel for the first few weeks while we looked for a place in town, and spent that time just walking around the city and bar hopping, getting to know the place.
"Well, when people found out I was moving here from another city, I couldn't pay for a drink. They didn't know I was an NFL player. They just knew I was a guy who had come to join them, and that was it - I was a hero. I don't think I paid for a drink for the first three or four weeks."
As the months passed Fujita said his family fell in love with the idea of New Orleans.
"It's just such a unique place, with a unique character and way of life, " he said. "It has a blend of the Old World and the Caribbean.
"My wife and I have traveled extensively, and this is the perfect blend of cultures, great food and great music."
He put his love for the city to work, getting involved in many causes that were asking for help as the city continued rebuilding. Fujita's teammates voted him the Saints Man of The Year for 2008, which honors the player who has done the most for the community.
The love affair hasn't been one-way. The emotional lift the newly winning Saints gave the community has been well documented. And if any corner of the planet wasn't aware of the special bond between the team and the Who Dat Nation, they couldn't escape it after the Super Bowl.
Fujita, who has been among the most vocal Saints about the team's commitment to the city and its sense of mission, had already decided he wanted to do something more than bring back the Lombardi Trophy.
"Jaclyn and I were looking not just for a cause to donate to, but more importantly something we believe in, something we think we could actually make a difference in by using the visibility of the New Orleans Saints, " he said. "And the coastal issue had been in the back of my mind almost since I got here."
The Audubon Institute IMAX film "Hurricane on the Bayou" had awoken Fujita to the problem. Later readings informed him that the crisis was reaching the critical stage on the other sides of the levees, a crisis that imperils the city he has grown to love.
"I read somewhere that we're losing a football field every hour, and for a kid from California, that sounds like a whole lot, " he said. "Then I read somewhere else where a certain amount of vegetated wetlands could reduce storm surge by a foot, and to me that sounds like a lot, too."
So about $20,000 of that $82,000 will go to one or more groups working for that cause.
"This place have given us so much, we feel a responsibility to give something back, " Fujita said.
That last line convinced me Scott Fujita is the proper role model for his fellow New Orleanians. Because he gets it. He not only understands there's a serious problem that threatens the very future of the city and region. He and his family also understand its their responsibility as citizens to do something about it.
Sadly, that decision puts the Fujitas far ahead of most residents who were raised here.
The general level of awareness or concern about the problem just beyond our front doors was on display a few months ago when President Obama held a Town Hall meeting here; he wasn't asked a single question about coastal restoration. And it was evident again in the recent mayoral election; the threat wetlands loss poses to the city were never an issue, nor was it the topic at any of the many candidate forums.
But the Fujitas get it. They get the threat to this place they love, and the responsibility they have as citizens to be involved. So much so, in fact, that Fujita said he will honor his pledge, even if he is lost to the Saints during this free agent period.
"Of course we'll keep the commitment, " he said. "This place has given us too much."
And, in case you're wondering, the Fujitas also take seriously their responsibilities as citizens of the planet: The other half of that gift is going to Haitian relief.
(Coastal groups wishing to contact Scott Fujita can do so through his Web site.
Bob Marshall can be reached at 504.826.3539 or bmarshall@timespicayune.com.
Scott Fujita knows the
Scott Fujita knows the right way to leave a city
By MJD
It was heartwarming when the long-downtrodden Saints won the Super Bowl. It didn't get any less heartwarming when Drew Brees(notes) made the media rounds in the weeks after the game, establishing himself as the sweetest and most humble man in America.
Apparently, everyone on the entire team was an absolute ray of sunshine.
Scott Fujita(notes), a somewhat unheralded linebacker on that Super Bowl team, recently signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns. Before leaving town, though, Fujita did one more thing for the people of New Orleans: He gave half of his Super Bowl check to charity, half of that going to relief efforts in Haiti, and the other half going to coastal restoration in New Orleans. From nola.com:
"The people of this city and region have been so good to me and my family that we just felt strongly about doing something to protect the city we have come to love so much, " Fujita said. "And helping on the coastal issue has been on the back of my mind since I first got here."
Take note, other free agents. That's how you leave a city. So far, the bar has been set at "hold a tearful press conference" or "thank the fans in a full-page newspaper ad" for a classy exit. Scott Fujita just raised it.
Anyway, he's Cleveland's now, and if he'd like to continue his streak of doing charitable things for cities in which he plays, I'm sure he'll find an option or two in Cleveland.
By MJD
It was heartwarming when the long-downtrodden Saints won the Super Bowl. It didn't get any less heartwarming when Drew Brees(notes) made the media rounds in the weeks after the game, establishing himself as the sweetest and most humble man in America.
Apparently, everyone on the entire team was an absolute ray of sunshine.
Scott Fujita(notes), a somewhat unheralded linebacker on that Super Bowl team, recently signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns. Before leaving town, though, Fujita did one more thing for the people of New Orleans: He gave half of his Super Bowl check to charity, half of that going to relief efforts in Haiti, and the other half going to coastal restoration in New Orleans. From nola.com:
"The people of this city and region have been so good to me and my family that we just felt strongly about doing something to protect the city we have come to love so much, " Fujita said. "And helping on the coastal issue has been on the back of my mind since I first got here."
Take note, other free agents. That's how you leave a city. So far, the bar has been set at "hold a tearful press conference" or "thank the fans in a full-page newspaper ad" for a classy exit. Scott Fujita just raised it.
Anyway, he's Cleveland's now, and if he'd like to continue his streak of doing charitable things for cities in which he plays, I'm sure he'll find an option or two in Cleveland.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
McClatchy-Kennedy rivalry galvanizes Asian American community
McClatchy-Kennedy rivalry galvanizes Asian American community
avoisin@sacbee.com
Published Sunday, Mar. 07, 2010
The McClatchy Lions and Kennedy Cougars have tussled for decades, their prep rivalry among the most ferocious in the region. Yet sometimes – especially within Sacramento's Asian American community during tournament time – the dynamics become confusing, confounding, overwhelming.
Imagine cheering against your sister or your son? Shoving an elbow into the abdomen of a best friend? Marrying someone whose letter jacket is McClatchy red when yours is Kennedy green?
"I'm still a Cougar," insisted Julie Ota, a former All-City player at Kennedy. "My husband was All-City at McClatchy and now coaches at McClatchy. And our daughter plays for McClatchy. So as you can imagine, we have some pretty interesting conversations."
What makes this rivalry between schools five miles apart so uniquely fascinating is that its fan base encompasses much of the region's Asian community and, in some respects, traces back to the early 1940s, when an estimated 120,000 residents of Japanese descent were forced into internment camps.
Baseball was far more popular among Asians before World War II, but basketball leagues featuring males and females flourished in the camps. When the final camp closed in 1946 and the Japanese were relocated, they formed leagues throughout the country, with basketball a primary means of furthering traditions and securing cultural and social bonds among families.
"When we relocated, we had to form our own leagues because of segregation," recalled Tsuto Ota, 83, the family patriarch and a native Sacramentan who spent four years at Tule Lake. "We couldn't even join the American Bowling Congress, so we started our own bowling leagues, too.
"At some point, we became more assimilated, and while some still played baseball, basketball became more and more popular among younger generations."
Girls game on the rise
Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation officials estimate 850 to 1,000 area youngsters – many as young as 5 or 6 – compete in Asian church or instructional leagues, or play for club teams and Amateur Athletic Union squads. The number of participants is estimated at more than 10,000 in Southern California and several thousand in the Bay Area.
The advantages of competing extensively in organized basketball programs has benefited the area's boys prep teams for years, but lately, the girls are the ones moving up the rankings, storming the court and packing the stands.
When the Kennedy and McClatchy girls teams were ranked Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, their Jan. 23 meeting at McClatchy's main gym attracted a raucous, sold-out crowd. Another 50 or so partisans – relatives, friends, friends of friends – had to peer through the narrow windows from outside.
The scene inside was a vivid spectacle of sports and community, and except for the sellout part, was repeated Wednesday night, when the teams met in a California Interscholastic Federation Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal at the much larger Pacific facility in Stockton.
The Legion of Lions fan club members occupied sections of bleachers and stood throughout. They painted assorted body parts red, their voices raised to heckle the Cougars and applaud McClatchy. Across the court, members of Kennedy's Green Scream Machine maintained an equally vocal and colorful presence.
"The kids play on other teams at other times of the year, but the epicenter is Kennedy and McClatchy," said Rod Kunisaki, former president of the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation and father of former Lions star and current assistant Jessica Kunisaki.
"When Jessica lost to Kennedy, some of those other kids were my cousins. But I would tell them: 'You can't come over to the house for three days. (Laugh) Don't even knock on the door.' "
Take a closer look, though, and the audience reflects basketball's increasing significance within the Asian community, with almost everyone related or connected to someone favoring the opponent's color; after awhile, the colors begin to blur.
"Some of us have been playing together since we were in middle school," said Kennedy forward Leslie Leong, "and our parents and grandparents are good friends. And while we're competitive, one of the best things about playing are the socials and the dances afterward.
"I don't want to say basketball is our life, but it's a very big part of our life from the time we're little kids."
Friends become family
When teary Lions senior Tricia Ota limped off the court Wednesday night, her left leg protected by a balky brace, she was embraced by several of her opponents. Having overcome multiple knee surgeries since her freshman season, she rejoined the team only weeks ago to put a glossier finish on her basketball experience and give a close friend a fond farewell.
"When we won the section title three years ago," said Ota, "that was the best moment of my life. I don't know what I would have done if I wasn't a part of all this.
"It's not just a sport. Ariel and I have been together since freshman year, and she has been so supportive of me through everything. She has become one of my best friends. We're so appreciative that she stayed at McClatchy."
Ariel, of course, is the highly recruited Ariel Thomas, a Bee Player of the Year candidate and future member of Paul Westhead's squad at Oregon. Thomas, who is African American, is everything most of the current Lions are not: quick and athletic, tall enough to excel at the next level, and owner of a major college basketball scholarship.
One of the issues confronting the McClatchy girls team is increasingly common to the boys – Thomas routinely was approached and urged to transfer to a more dominant program such as Sacramento High School or Kennedy.
"We don't have a lot of post players," joked Lions coach Harvey Tahara, who enjoyed previous success coaching the boys. "If we've got a kid who is 5-5 or 5-6, they're automatically in the post. That's probably why the girls have become more dominant.
"Size is more of a factor for boys at the high school level. But we were able to build around Ariel, and the fact she stayed says a lot about her loyalty."
Thomas resisted pressure to transfer from her father, among others. Despite occasional frustrations, she has no regrets.
"Most of the teams we play against are taller," she said, "and other players look down on you, like, 'Wow, your team is so short.'
"But we maximize our strengths, which is a great coach, fundamentals and teamwork. We try to run them (foes) out of the gym. Plus, these are my close friends. McClatchy has become a family to me."
Blurring the lines
The thorniest issue facing the Asian leagues involves the very definition of family, or ethnicity. Through the years, leagues originally restricted to Japanese expanded to include other Asians. As intermarriage and assimilation persists, this has led to other questions regarding ethnicity and eligibility.
"If you look at most of the leagues," said Christina Chin, a UC Davis graduate and UCLA doctoral student who has written about basketball's influence on the Asian community, "the numbers vary a lot. It's very informal. What percentage of you has to be Asian to compete? Twenty-five percent? Fifty percent?
"These leagues were started because of segregation, so Japanese Americans had their own space and could preserve their culture. But in my research, what I have found is that the rules are changing. The older folks want to keep it the way it was, but the kids say, 'I think everybody should be able to play.' I believe the next generation will change and reflect those views."
In "Crossover," Justin Lin's 2000 documentary about the Japanese American leagues, 7-year-old Tricia Ota appears in one scene, dribbling a basketball. A decade later, after her Lions were routed by the more balanced Cougars, she was asked to look beyond the Northern California tournament that starts this week.
"I don't like the idea of having a league just for Asians," she said. "I like the idea of broadening (the rosters) on the church and club teams. One of the leagues in (the Bay Area) didn't let one of our teammates (St. Francis' Aurora Singh) play in a tournament last summer, so we all decided not to play. We didn't feel it was right.
"Basketball isn't supposed to be about that. It's not just a sport."
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Friday, March 5, 2010
Wallenberg 61, Washington 52
Riding a breakout performance from senior forward Garrett Moon, Wallenberg High School withstood a frantic Washington High School run to prevail over the Eagles 61-52 in the AAA semifinals on Wednesday at Kezar Pavilion.
Wallenberg senior forward Garrett Moon rises above Washington's Brenden Glapion in the Bulldogs' 61-52 win in the AAA semifinals on Wednesday at Kezar Pavilion. (Photo by Devin Chen)
From Sanfranpreps.com
by - Jeremy Balan
Moon had a game-high 31 points and took control of the game when Washington (23-9) erased a 13-point third-quarter deficit, taking its own 45-43 lead with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Moon responded, taking back the lead by scoring four consecutive points on driving attacks at the basket.
“He understood we needed him right then,” Wallenberg Head Coach Patrick Mulligan said of Moon’s surge. “We’ve ridden him all year.”
Washington never got the lead back as Wallenberg (21-6) pounded the ball inside, through 6-foot-7 senior center Christopher Fontaine.
Fontaine had eight of his 12 total points in the final quarter, including a thundering dunk to cap the victory with 10 seconds remaining.
Even with the loss, Washington Head Coach Jolinko Lassiter was impressed with the Eagles moxie down the stretch.
“We had eight minutes left in our season and we were able to give all we had,” Lassiter said. “Ultimately their size counteracted our speed in the end. If we play one more quarter, it may have been different.”
Three Washington players scored in double-figures, led by senior guard Byron Jones who had a team-high 15 points. Junior guard Jeremy Jetton added 12 points, despite battling foul trouble in the first half.
Wallenberg senior forward Garrett Moon rises above Washington's Brenden Glapion in the Bulldogs' 61-52 win in the AAA semifinals on Wednesday at Kezar Pavilion. (Photo by Devin Chen)
From Sanfranpreps.com
by - Jeremy Balan
Moon had a game-high 31 points and took control of the game when Washington (23-9) erased a 13-point third-quarter deficit, taking its own 45-43 lead with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Moon responded, taking back the lead by scoring four consecutive points on driving attacks at the basket.
“He understood we needed him right then,” Wallenberg Head Coach Patrick Mulligan said of Moon’s surge. “We’ve ridden him all year.”
Washington never got the lead back as Wallenberg (21-6) pounded the ball inside, through 6-foot-7 senior center Christopher Fontaine.
Fontaine had eight of his 12 total points in the final quarter, including a thundering dunk to cap the victory with 10 seconds remaining.
Even with the loss, Washington Head Coach Jolinko Lassiter was impressed with the Eagles moxie down the stretch.
“We had eight minutes left in our season and we were able to give all we had,” Lassiter said. “Ultimately their size counteracted our speed in the end. If we play one more quarter, it may have been different.”
Three Washington players scored in double-figures, led by senior guard Byron Jones who had a team-high 15 points. Junior guard Jeremy Jetton added 12 points, despite battling foul trouble in the first half.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Washington 72, O’Connell 66
Washington senior Byron Jones rised up for a pass between two O'Connell defenders in the Eagles' 72-66 win in the AAA quarterfinals on Friday at Washington High School. (Photo by Devin Chen)From Sanfranpreps.com
by - Jeremy Balan
Washington High School withstood a transcendent performance from O’Connell High School’s Anthony Moody in its 72-66 win in the quarterfinal round of the AAA playoffs on Friday.
Moody had a game-high 38 points, scoring seemingly every way possible, from acrobatic layups to contested fadeaway three-pointers.
“When you have a guy who can shoot like that, especially as deep as he was hitting shots, it makes everyone else on the floor better,” said Washington Head Coach Jolinko Lassiter.
Although Moody, in his final game as a senior, did everything he could to will the Boilermakers (12-16) to victory, Washington prevailed in a game that featured six lead changes and 11 ties.
Washington (23-8) was led by junior point guard Brenden Glapion who scored a team-high 20 points, most on driving layups and on fast-break opportunities.
“He was able to go out and take control of the game when it was on the line,” Lassiter said.
O’Connell led through most of the first three quarters but gave up the lead late in the third and Washington didn’t give it up.
Even with the loss, O’Connell Head Coach Armando Pazos, after his final game for the Boilermakers after eight years of coaching, was happy with his team’s performance.
“They played their asses off,” Pazos said. “Every one of them left all they had on the floor. We just came up a little short.”
- Jeremy Balan
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