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g n i t t i u q o pg18 n Berkeley’s Desire Finnie

arm. We’ve all heard about 27 Dead it, so how about we take a moment to understand it.

Mikey Eggleton 14 cinderella: and College Park were the team nobody saw coming at state. shot: De La Salle’s Justin 22 hot Pagila is better at golf than us. That’s not too hard. But he’s too good.

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pitch: Nothing is ever 6 first perfect and a lot of people were apprehensive about the new state hoops tournament. But you know what? It shows some promise for the future. And that’s something that’s good for everybody involved.

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room: Guess what? Our 8 locker fantasy baseball team is already doomed. Is it football season yet? of the Week: 10 SportStars Mariya Moore, Salesian We swear to goodness, 32 camps: you have no reason to complain there’s nothing to do this summer.

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make recruiting about you. on the cover: BA On the Cover: L to R, College Park’s Peter Schoemann, Eric Lara and Jeffery Mitchell. Photo by Jonathan Hawthorne

Fence: Tryouts, sign-ups, 34 The fundraisers and more!

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New era of state hoops isn’t perfect, but we’re encouraged

n our last issue that released on March 7, I used this space to express my frustration over how the California Interscholastic Federation bungled its first attempt at selecting teams for the Open Division tournament meant to feature only the state’s most elite teams.

Many of the things that frustrated me then, still do. The poor explanation to schools of its selection criteria and the lack of foresight to set up a post-selection teleconference to help explain their choices are chief among them.

However, after watching the entire state tournament play out it was hard not to also notice the positives involving the Open Division — most notably how it affected some of the lower divisions.

I can tell you with absolute certainty that the College Park-Pleasant Hill boys basketball team would not be on the Bay Area cover of this issue if not for the Open Division. There’s a similar likelihood that the same could be said for Pleasant GroveElk Grove boys basketball’s presence on our Sac-Joaquin cover.

With many of the typical powerhouses removed from their respective divisions to placed in the Open, it was hard not to acknowledge a little bit of new life infused into the state tournament as several programs reached regional and state finals for the first time in school history.

And no team was a greater microcosm of that than College Park. Erik Stordahl’s story on the Falcons, which you can find on Page 14 of the Bay Area edition (or online at SportStarsOnline.com if you happen to be holding the Sac-Joaquin equivalent), is a Cinderalla story on steroids. Without the Open Division, College Park would not have even MADE the Div. II state tournament. And they ended up playing for a state title.

To those of you who will argue that the accomplishment isn’t as great because the division was watered down without heavyweights Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (which made the Open Div. state final) and Newark MemorialNewark (which went to the Open Div. after winning the NCS Div. II tournament that College Park was eliminated from in the quarters), I say hogwash.

College Park won three straight road games and then won the Div. II regional title by beating the No. 1 seed (Dublin) in an overtime game. That’s no fluke.

Following the drama of first-time regional championship runs for programs like College Park, Dublin, Pleasant Grove, Deer Valley-Antioch boys or the St. Francis-Mountain View girls was both exciting and refreshing. And hopefully our cover stories this issue on two of those programs properly encapsulated those sentiments.

So what’s the bottom line on the Open Division, which still has two more years of pilot program status? It’s not pure evil.

If the CIF’s administration and section commissioners can get better at offering transparency to the selection process and clarity to its criteria, then much of the animosity from the state basketball community is likely to go away. During a press conference at the state finals on March 23, CIF Executive Director Roger Blake readily acknowledged that was something they’re looking in to.

“That (explanation of criteria) is something we want to be better at next year,” he said. “But this is just the first year, and I think the general feeling overall is to see what the second year is like before we decide what needs to be tweaked.”

Blake was a basketball coach during his career in education. We have the feeling that he gets it. The first few years of the CIF’s state championship football bowl games saw similar skepticism, and it’s turned into a widely-accepted event. The key to that was initial transparency from the CIF, and proper tweaks after a few years of evaluation.

If Blake remembers that, the basketball tournament should be in good hands. ✪

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join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline. com Staff Writers Erik Stordahl, Jim McCue Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Bryant West, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes, Hunter Hewitt, Joe Stiglich Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler Intern Ryan Arter Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@ SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/ Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Erik Stordahl • Erik@SportStarsOnline.com, Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com Sac Joaqin edition: Dave Rosales • DaveRosales64@gmail.com Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com community SportStars™ Magazine A division of Caliente! Communications, LLC 5356 Clayton Rd., Ste. 222 • Concord, CA 94521 •info@SportStarsOnline.com www.SportStarsOnline.com

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SportStars™© 2010 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: 24 issues, U.S. 3rd class $42 (allow 3 weeks for delivery). 1st class $55. To receive sample issues, please send $3 to cover postage. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

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rapidFIRE Plans for spring break Sleeping in, going to swim practice

Favorite book The Sound and the Fury,

Your instrument if Store at which you were a you’d want a rock star shopping spree

Nothing annoys me more at school than ______

Best April Fool’s prank you’ve played

Classmate in my physics class

Told my mom I was pregnant

Freshmen standing in the hallway

Using a rubber band to rig a faucet to spray backwards

William Faulkner

Katie Kronick, Northgate swimming

Working out for next season

The Jungle Book,

Rudyard Kipling

Ariell Bostick, Bishop O’Dowd basketball

say what

“You look at some of the scores of these games and they’re close. That’s what you want state championships to be like. ... We were trying to create fair competition, and I think (the Open Division) is helping that.”

- CIF Executive Director Roger Blake on his initial impression of how the state basketball tournament played out in the first year involving an Open Division.

Jonathan Hawthorne SOFTBALL: Livermore Stampede, April 4-6, Robertson Park, Livermore — Defending champion and national No. 1, Amador Valley, is not in the tournament this year, which could leave the title open to several NorCal powers such as Sheldon, Mitty, California or Alhambra.

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GIRLS LAX: Cleveland Heights (OH.) vs. Carondelet, April 3, Diablo View MS, 5 p.m. — The state’s No. 3-ranked team takes on Ohio’s No. 8-ranked team of a year ago.

BASEBALL: 44th Alhambra Easter Classic, March 30-April 4 — Well-run tourney always traditionally ends up with a dramatic, and cold, final under the lights.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL Tournam ine Prep H loaded field of NorCal a BOYS GOL April 15, R — Last cha tune-up bef

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count‘em Top 5 signs your fantasy baseball season has already gone wrong

Oderah Chidom

Number of basketball players who will be representing the Bay Area in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game on March 31 in Chicago. It’s by far the most Bay Area players selected in any season. Marcus Lee (Deer Valley-Antioch), Jabari Bird (Salesian-Richmond) and Aaron Gordon (Archbishop MittySan Jose) will compete in the boys game, and Oderah Chidom (Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland) will play in the girls game.

Marcus Lee

VOLLEYBALL: King of Cali ament, April 12-13, BelllarmHS, San Jose — An absolutely d might indeed determine the king at least.

OLF: TransBay Tournament, Rossmoor Country Club ance for some NCS hopefuls to fore postseason arrives.

Phillip Walton BASEBALL: Franklin-Elk Grove at Elk Grove, April 9, 4:15 p.m. — It just so happens that two of the top two teams in the Sacramento region are league foes from the same city. This matchup gains extra juice thanks to Franklin ousting Elk Grove from the 2012 SJS playoffs.

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Ahhh, Opening Day! So full of tradition. So rife with promise. The crack of the bat, the smell of freshly cut grass, the taste of peanuts and Cracker Jack, the moment when the Cubs are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Oh. And the overwhelming sense of impending doom as the first pick of your fantasy draft leaves Game No. 1 of 162 with previously undisclosed shoulder stiffness…Fantasy baseball can turn even this most glorious spring day into an utter nightmare. And, if you’re like us, well, you totally saw it coming. Here are our top five signs that you are in for a harrowing fantasy season.

1. Five words — “Maybe he can bounce back.” If you’re pinning your season on that guy, you are officially toast. And. Possibly. Last.

Thanks for playing.

2. Four words. — At the conclusion of another epic 5-hour draft marathon, the guy who won your league last year walks by your draft sheet and says, “Dude, THAT’S your team?”

3. Three words. — “Dr. James Andrews.” If you see his name in a sentence with your pitching ace, well. Sucks to be you.

4. Two words. — “Play ball.” Let’s face it.

That rag-tag bunch of has-beens, neverwas, and also-rans was dogmeat before you even trotted out your starting lineup. Better luck next year, chief.

5. One word. — “Hope.”

Sure, sure. It springs eternal.

But it is also what makes you ill-advisedly draft key players from your favorite team, thinking that they and your fantasy squad can have a big year together, and won’t it all just be sunshine and rainbows? It’s also what keeps you coming back, year after year, with new strategies, new rankings, new approaches. And dumping your hard-earned buy-in cash into a hole in the middle of the diamond.

— Bill “I’m not bitter” Kolb

SOFTBALL: Amador Valley at California, April 16— If there’s one team that may challenge Amador in league play, it’s Cal. TRACK AND FIELD: Bay Area Top 8 Meet, April 19-20, James Logan HS, Union City — Popular Bay Area meet celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2013.

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BOYS LAX: San Ramon Valley at De La Salle, April 19 — A rematch of the 2012 NCS Div. I final that SRV won 5-4.

TRACK AND FIELD: Sacramento Meet of Champions, April 27, Sacramento State University — The last elite meet in NorCal before postseason meets begin in mid-May.

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The star junior posted a whopping stat line of 35 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals. But she’d trade it in for a state championship in a heartbeat. The Pride’s bid for a title came up just short as they fell 62-60 to Serra-Gardena in the CIF Div. IV state championship on March 23. Still, Moore left little doubt who the best player on the court was.

SportStars Magazine: What does this performance mean to you despite the loss?

Mariya Moore: It means a lot.

Obviously I’d rather win. It means a lot that I was able to score that much. … I think it ultimately came down to rebounds and finishing.

If we would’ve just converted two more layups we missed. Or grabbed two more rebounds, we probably would’ve won.

SSM: Where would you rank this game amongst your best?

MM: I scored 37 against St. Mary’s (of Berkeley on Jan. 18). … I feel like the St. Mary’s game was better.

SSM: Where can we find you playing this summer?

MM: I’m playing for the Cal Stars this summer. We’re gonna be in most of the big Nike tournaments.

SSM: Have you decided on a college yet?

MM: Not yet. Probably this summer during these tournaments I’ll visit some schools.

April 1, 2013

honorable mention

Mariya Moore

breanna brown

Salesian . basketball . junior

The Bishop O’Dowd senior posted 10 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks against Windward-L.A. in the CIF Open Div. state final on March 23. O’Dowd won 60-45.

temidayo yussuf The St. Joseph big man scored 20 points and grabbed a Div. V-record 19 rebounds in a heartbreaking 47-46 loss to Horizon Christian in the state final on March 22.

joe demers

Jonathan Hawthorne MARIYA’S QUICK HITS: Favorite athlete: Candace Parker Favorite basketball team: Miami Heat Favorite class: Drama

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The College Park sophomore forward put up 13 points and 14 rebounds as the Falcons lost to Redondo Union 54-47 in the Div. II state final on March 23.

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Make the recruiting process about you, and what YOU want I’m getting recruiting letters from schools in the West Coast Conference, but my friends just laugh and say a Pac-12 scholarship is all that counts. What should I tell the West Coast Conference coaches when they call?

J.B., Oakland

ell them your friends are idiots.

OK, they don’t want to hear about your “friends”, and I put “friends” in quotes because a true friend wouldn’t laugh at any scholarship offer. How many of them are getting letters?

All right, enough of that. Here’s the thing: It’s not at all important whether you go to a Pac-12 school or a WCC school.

(Or an SEC school as opposed to a Missouri Valley Conference school, or whatever major you want to compare to a mid-major.) What matters is that, after you graduate, you can look back and say to yourself “I’m glad I chose that school.”

Notice the word “I” there — there’s no reference to “friends.”

The decision you make has to be best for you, not for your so-called friends, and it may be that going to Pepperdine and spending four years in Malibu is better than going to Washington State and spending four years in Pullman (see if you can find it on a map).

I was just talking to a basketball player about her recruiting process. She said “I remember getting my first recruiting letter before my sophomore year, and I was so excited — until I saw what school it was. I said to myself ‘I’m never going there’.”

Well, of course, that’s just where she wound up going, and she couldn’t be happier.

I asked her what she, as a senior, would tell herself, as a sophomore, about the recruiting process. After she thought about it, she said “I would tell myself not to assume I know anything about any school until I see for myself.”

And there are a lot of variables, from how close you want to be to home, how big a school you want to attend, and what your chances are of playing a lot of minutes. This player, for example, said “I don’t want to sit on the bench,” so she opted for a school that would give her the chance to play right away. Some people may not mind waiting their turn — but it’s important to remember that coaches recruit new players every year, and if they get some hotshot freshman who plays your position, your two years of riding the pine aren’t going to count for a thing.

But you know, at that point it might not matter, and you may be loving your college experience so much you don’t mind not playing. Or you could hate it so much that you transfer — as a lot of kids who get blinded by the bright lights of the big conferences often do.

Remember, Damian Lillard was the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft and might be Rookie of the Year — and his friends probably laughed when he got his first letter from Weber State.

In the end, it didn’t matter that it wasn’t the Pac-12; what mattered was that he got a chance to play, to improve and to show just how good he really was. ✪

T

Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email Coach Kallam at clayk@ fullcourt.com

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s far as Cinderella teams go, College Park fits the description to a tee.

Barely qualify for state playoffs? Check. Underdog status? Check. Make an unlikely run to the state title game that no one saw coming, winning three tough road games along the way? Triple check.

All the ingredients were there for making a run at history. And that’s just what the Falcons did over a two-week span that culminated in the school’s first state championship appearance on March 23. It’s a remarkable accomplishment — and one that almost didn’t happen. ◆◆◆ Craig Battle was admittedly nervous.

It was Selection Sunday, the day the CIF puts together brackets for its state playoffs. Battle, College Park’s head coach, had a right to be nervous. Usually this day is a ho-hum affair; teams generally already know if they’re going to make it and what seed they’re going to be. Battle was unsure. His team had lost to Montgomery-Santa Rosa in the North Coast Section Div. II quarterfinals, which put its season in serious jeopardy.

“Obviously we were really down because we had high expectations,” Battle said of the premature exit from the section playoffs. “Our goals were set a little higher than that.”

CIF selects four teams from each enrollment division for the state tournament — typically the four semifinalists. But because of the new Open Division, there was a chance College Park could squeeze in. Everything hinged on whether Newark Memorial, one of the best teams in the Bay Area and a Div. II NorCal finalist in 2012, would get the bump. If they did, College Park would make the field.

“To be honest, when we lost (to Montgomery), I thought that was the season,” junior forward Seb Flores said. “I knew a little about the Newark Memorial situation but I didn’t think we’d really have a chance to get into NorCals.”

Senior point guard and captain Mikey Eggleton agreed with Flores but still held out the slightest of hopes.

“I was pretty low, it was almost rock bottom,” Eggleton said of the Montgomery loss. “I thought my high school career was over. But then it was a little bit weird thinking that we could have a shot at still playing, but we didn’t know how big of a chance it was. We just had to wait and hope that Newark Memorial got pulled up.”

A delay in the brackets getting posted only added to the drama.

“I was home and my wife came in and said ‘Hey, I think (the bracket) is up,’” Battle said. “And before

LEFT: College Park senior Mikey Eggleton holds up the CIF Div. II Northern Regional championship plaque as the rest of his team celebrates on March 16.

RIGHT: Sophomore Joe DeMers drives to the hoop during the state final on March 23.

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I got in there, my phone was ringing off the hook.” ◆◆◆ Newark Memorial got the bump. College Park was placed in the Div. II bracket as the No. 11 seed. Now with new life and a second chance, College Park felt confident. Like it had nothing to lose.

“I think that really brought us together,” Battle said, “because you get that second opportunity. The guys understood the urgency and the focus of what it takes to play in playoff basketball.”

The Falcons found immediate motivation by heading to Chico, the same school that ended their season a year ago with a 74-64 win in the first round of the state tournament.

The Falcons appeared dead in the water trailing 34-20 at halftime – Chico closed the half on a 20-2 run.

Then College Park found another gear.

Sophomore forward Joe DeMers led the team with 18 points and Eggleton nailed two clutch free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining to seal a satisfying 55-52 victory.

“That felt really good,” Eggleton said. “That was one of the best feelings just because they’re a really good team and we had to prepare really well. And it helped a lot last year just having to make that long drive and playing against pretty much their exact same team. … Yeah, it was pretty gratifying to get some revenge.”

Battle believed this game was the turning point in College Park’s postseason.

“One of the teams we were really concerned about was Chico,” Battle said. “They’re a good shooting team, they can play uptempo, and they had the smarts to play half-court. …

So when we won it, especially after being down, that was a big thing for us. That really boosted our confidence.”

From there College Park entered full-blown upset mode,

knocking off No. 3-seed Mt. Eden 67-59 in the quarterfinals and No. 10-seed St. Francis-Mountain View 85-82 in the semifinals. The Falcons continued dancing and marched to the regional title game in Sacramento against Dublin – the wildest game of this crazy and unexpected postseason. ◆◆◆ One of the fascinating things about this College Park team is the youth movement on the roster.

“We got a lot of young guys over here,” Battle said, “and they’ve never been here (to a state final) before.”

Of the 14 Falcons on the roster, seven are sophomores, including DeMers, who’s also the star pitcher of College Park’s baseball team.

“I didn’t really expect it that much,” Eggleton said of making a run with such a young roster. “These guys, they play really well and they play with a lot of confidence, so it kind of makes sense.”

And maybe it makes sense that College Park’s opponent in the regional title game was Dublin, the No. 1 seed and a team featuring 11 seniors on its 14-man roster. The Gaels feature a nine-player rotation – all seniors.

Dublin also had something College Park doesn’t: size. Eric Nielsen (6-foot-9) and Spencer Hollie (6-5) formed one of the more potent front lines in the Bay Area. College Park’s tallest player? Sophomore Steven Daily standing 6-foot-3.

So with a heavy amount of experience and a significant height advantage, Dublin was the presumed favorite. Only it didn’t matter to College Park as they stormed out to a 14-point lead in the first half. They kept Dublin at arm’s length with solid shooting beyond the arc, hitting 10 3-pointers in the game. The Falcons also out-hustled Dublin for loose balls and fought for extra possessions just like they had done all year.

But if there’s one glaring weakness for College Park, it’s free

Final rankings Records are final. (source: MaxPreps.com) 1. (4)

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

28-6

2. (2)

Sheldon-Sacramento

27-6

3. (1)

Salesian-Richmond

30-4

4. (5)

Modesto Christian

29-4

5. (10)

Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove

28-6

6. (7)

Deer Valley-Antioch

26-6

7. (3)

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

26-4

8. (6)

De La Salle-Concord

27-5

9. (8)

Serra-San Mateo

25-6

10. (NR)

College Park-Pleasant Hill

27-6

11. (11)

San Leandro

25-6

12. (13)

Newark Memorial

23-8

13. (14)

Dublin

26-7

14. (9)

Sacramento

25-8

15. (NR)

Sacred Heart Cathedral-SF

21-12

16. (NR)

Campolindo-Moraga

22-9

17. (12)

Antelope

25-7

18. (NR)

Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa

32-4

19. (16)

El Cerrito

22-11

20. (NR)

St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda 25-12

DROPPED OUT No. 15 Palo Alto, No. 17 Capital Christian-Sacramento, No. 18 Freedom-Oakley, No. 19 Monte Vista-Danville and No. 20 Heritage-Brentwood.

BIGGEST MOVER Without question it was upstart College Park, who entered the rankings at No. 10 after it went from a quarterfinal loss in the NCS Div. II tournament to reaching the CIF Div. II state final. Their NorCal

championship run included three road victories and a gritty overtime victory over then-No. 14 Dublin.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 14 KNOCKING ON THE DOOR Capital Christian-Sacramento (26-5), Bellarmine

Prep-San Jose (22-10), Freedom-Oakley (20-10),

Enterprise-Redding (25-4), McClymonds-Oakland

(22-8), Piedmont Hills-San Jose (24-8), Weston RanchStockton (22-8), San Marin-Novato (21-12), RiordanSF (20-12).

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Mikey Eggleton glides to the basket for two of his 22 points in College Park’s 93-90 overtime win over Dublin in the Div. II Northern Regional final. He was one of four Falcons to finish in double figures for the game.

throw shooting, and with a minute left and College Park leading by eight, the game turned into a free throw contest.

Senior Peter Schoemann missed three of four from the stripe with 21 seconds left and Dublin miraculously tied the game with a clutch performance from JoJo McGlaston, who drove to the basket at will down the stretch and finished with a game-high 35 points.

The game went into overtime and the score was tied with eight seconds left when Schoemann buried the game-winning 3-pointer giving College Park a 93-90 win.

“My confidence was a little down,” said Schoemann, who missed his first nine 3’s of the game before making the gamewinner. “I put my head down in the huddle and Coach Battle started yelling at me. … He’s been saying all year just to keep shooting. If I miss 12 in a row that if I make the next one, that’s all that matters.” ◆◆◆ Need more College The CIF Division II state title game featured another firstPark? We understand. timer, Redondo Union-Redondo Beach. Out-sized once again, See a video of our visit College Park used its toughness and hustle to build a 12-5 lead early in the second quarter. But Redondo rallied and this time to College Park’s College Park didn’t have an answer for a comeback. practice a few days Redondo out-rebounded the Falcons 48-31 and College Park before the state final committed a ghastly 20 turnovers as Redondo Union won the state championship 54-47.

The Falcons held their heads high in the awards presentation and in the post-game press conference.

“It’s one of those things you dream about a little bit as a kid,” Eggleton said about playing in the state championship. “Throughout my high school career I didn’t know if I would ever have the opportunity for it to become a reality and then it actually did and we were very lucky to have this opportunity. It was a lot of fun playing in this arena with all these fans and everything and all this support. It was pretty amazing.”

But with a young team on his hands, Battle hopes to make another run at a state title next year.

“We got a taste of this,” Battle said, “and we like it, so we want to come back.” ✪ Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

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Final Rankings

Records are final. (source: MaxPreps.com)

Rank, Prev. Team

Record

1.(1)

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

30-3

2. (2)

St Mary’s-Stockton

32-3

3. (3)

Miramonte-Orinda

27-3

4. (6)

Carondelet-Concord

27-4

5. (4)

St. Mary’s-Berkeley

30-5

6. (5)

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

24-7

7. (7)

Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

25-7

8. (8)

Salesian-Richmond

29-8

9. (10)

Sacramento

27-5

10. (12)

Kennedy-Sacramento

24-8

11. (11)

Oak Ridge-El Dorardo Hills

28-5

12. (9)

Heritage-Brentwood

26-6

13. (NR)

Berkeley

22-12

14. (16)

Monte Vista-Danville

24-6

15. (13)

St. Ignatius-SF

21-11

16. (18)

McClymonds-Oakland

26-4

17. (NR)

Lynbrook-San Jose

25-6

18. (14)

Eastside Coll. Prep-E. Palo Alto 22-9

19. (NR)

St. Francis-Mountain View

24-9

20. (15)

Brookside Christian-Stockton

26-5

DROPPED OUT No. 17 Wilcox-Santa Clara, No. 19 Enterprise-Redding, No. 20 McNair-Stockton

BIGGEST MOVERS Berkeley jumped into the rankings in the 13th spot thanks to a great run through NorCal Division I – which still couldn’t quite push the Yellowjackets past some teams that didn’t win D-1 because 12 losses are, after all, 12 losses.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 16 KNOCKING ON THE DOOR Enterprise-Redding (29-2), Pinewood-Los Altos Hills (24-8), Oakland Tech (20-7), Amador Valley-Pleasanton (19-10), Campolindo-Moraga (25-6), Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento (28-3), Vanden-Fairfield (28-5), Wilcox-San Jose 23-5, Deer Valley-Antioch (17-10), Burlingame (28-3), Menlo School-Atherton (22-10), Gunn-San Jose (21-7), Moreau Catholic-Hayward (21-8), Alameda (21-9), Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton (22-10), Soquel (25-3), Lowell-S.F. (27-6).

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How storied Berkeley battled through youth, inconsistency to make a 12th state final appearance

I

By clay kallam | Contributor

t’s not just Berkeley.

Long Beach Poly’s average record over the past nine years is 30-4, and during that span, the Jackrabbits have won five California championships — including its 46-28 win over Berkeley on March 22.

Poly pretty much beats everybody, and has been doing so for years, but it’s been more painful for Berkeley, because four of the times the Jackrabbits have run over one of Northern California’s most storied programs, it’s been in the state championship game.

And yes, that makes four straight Yellowjacket losses to Poly in the California finals, with three of them coming in a row from 2006 to 2009.

“So far, I’m 0-4,” says Berkeley coach Cheryl Draper, who’s in her seventh year.

Berkeley was nothing if not young, and the ’Jackets were just 11-9 after blowing a third-quarter lead at the Campolindo Shootout and losing to Carondelet 66-58.

“We knew we had to teach a lot of fundamentals,” says Draper, “and teach a lot of the game. We just kept correcting mistakes one at a time.”

There were early flashes of the success to come — Berkeley was 11-3 down the stretch — but consistency was an issue. “Getting rid of sloppiness and focusing on little things, like catching the ball with two hands, was crucial,” says Draper. “We hadn’t learned to be consistent.”

But the ’Jackets were plenty good, beating North Carolina small school champion Bishop McGuinness in the West Coast Jamboree, and then New York Class A semifinalist Nazareth back-to-back.

“We had good showings against Chaminade and Sacramento even though we lost,” says Draper, “but we weren’t sure how far we could go.”

One reason is that Berkeley relied heavily on two players: senior Rachel Howard and junior

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Members of the Berkeley girls basketball team celebrate their 12th CIF NorCal title on March 16.

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Jonathan Hawthorne

Yellowjackets junior wing Desire Finnie drives to the basket during the NorCal final. She finished the game with 14 points and eight rebounds.

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April 1, 2013

Desire Finnie.

“We’re not as fast, or as athletic, nor do we have the depth we used to,” says Draper. “Desire is very quiet, and not real comfortable with a lot of attention. She can jump out of the gym, but she leads by example.”

“Desire is the total opposite of Rachel,” however, when it comes to displaying her emotions on the court. “Her intensity, her desire,” says Draper, set Rachel apart. “She has an extremely high basketball IQ.” That comes naturally to the fifth of eight children, as her father played Division III basketball at Albion, and her mother earned a spot as a walk-on at Cal before other aspects of life intervened.

“My parents put us all through basketball,” Howard says, but she’s the only one who stuck with it. Sister Caroline is a water polo player, now at Diablo Valley College and looking for a four-year school. Younger brother Hudson, a 6-3 freshman at Berkeley, is a football player.

“I have one of the most competitive families ever,” says Rachel.

“Caroline is the most competitive person I know, and my older brother Zack used to set times for cleaning each room to see who could clean the room the fastest.”

That competitiveness and aggressiveness sometimes works against Howard and the Yellowjackets, however.

“Every year, I’ve played in the post,” says Howard, who will be a 5-10 wing in college (she’s verbally committed to USF). “I always had to guard the big girl,” and as a result, she often found herself in foul trouble.

“I couldn’t guard Sabrina (Engelstad) from Heritage because I’m too aggressive,” says Howard, and Berkeley needed to keep her on the court. In that loss to Carondelet, for example, the ’Jackets were ahead until Howard fouled out — and then Carondelet took over.

Howard, though, is more than just a smart and talented player. “She has developed into a team leader,” says Draper. “Rachel’s very vocal and she’s not afraid to tell other players to step it up.”

Of course, this is Howard’s fourth year on varsity, though she didn’t think it would work out that way. “I remember tryouts as a freshman,” she says. “I admit I was pretty scared — I didn’t even think I’d make

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varsity.”

But make it she did, and she was the only player who wasn’t African-American — which was true for her first three years. “The first week was hard,” she says, “but I never had a problem. I wouldn’t have wanted to play anywhere but Berkeley.”

Of course, going 82-9 her first three years made it fun too, but that also made the early struggles this year a little harder to take.

“Our last practice before the West Coast Jamboree, Coach Draper told me to figure something out,” she says. “Me and Gariana (Youngblood) pulled the team aside, and we made a commitment to work hard no matter what. It was a commitment to ourselves. I saw something ignite.”

But the inconsistency returned, and reared its ugly head at the worst of times — in the North Coast Section playoffs. The Yellowjackets collapsed in the NCS semifinals against Heritage.

“We came into Heritage unfocused and flat,” says Draper of the 6540 loss. “They embarrassed us. They humbled us.”

“It was our game of the season when everyone was off,” says Howard. “Every team has one like that, and that was ours.”

“The next day in practice we made a commitment to do everything right,” says Draper. “We talked about what we need to do every quarter, not about winning or losing, We’re trying to teach the young ones to play at a game pace for eight minutes.”

“We finally gelled,” says Howard. The ’Jackets knocked off four very good teams in a row — Kennedy-Sacramento, McClymonds, GunnSan Jose and Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills — to qualify for the state finals for the 12th time, and did so with aggression, defense and steady play.

“At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of turnovers,” says Rachel.

“People were on the wrong page.”

They were on the right page down the stretch, and Draper is overjoyed with the late-season success of a team that even she thought was rebuilding. “I can’t be prouder than I am right now,” she says — another loss to Long Beach Poly notwithstanding. ✪

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There was a moment.

Those who were paying close attention to the Bishop O’Dowd High bench between the third and fourth periods of the CIF Girls Open Division State Championship on March 23 might have seen it.

It was merely a look. A look shared between the four star seniors. The look said it all.

“At the start of the fourth quarter, all four of us got together and gave each other a look,” the Duke-bound Oderah Chidom said. “We knew this was it. It was time.

And that’s when the big run happened and Windward wasn’t able to retaliate.”

Windward-Los Angeles, which entered the game on a 32-game winning streak and sporting the nation’s No. 3 ranking according to MaxPreps.com, had beaten Bishop O’Dowd just three months earlier.

But a highly-motivated O’Dowd had the Wildcats playing catch-up for much of the state final.

The Dragons led 40-33 going into the fourth quarter. And the look between seniors was a “let’s end this now” moment.

And they did. Outscoring the Wildcats 20-12 in the final quarter, Bishop O’Dowd (30-3) won the first Girls Open Division championship, for its second consecutive state title, and cemented its place among the most dominant girls basketball team of Northern California and Bay Area history.

Best Ever?

Bishop O’Dowd delivered on its endless hype by winning the Open Division title

It was the four seniors that made it all go — the versatile wing/forward Chidom, point guard Ariell Bostick, and the two imposing post threats, K.C. Waters and Breanna Brown. All four have been part of the varsity program since their freshman year.

“The seniors started with me when I took over as head coach,” Malik McCord said during the press conference following the state championship victory. “Every year is a special year with each team. What made this year really special is I started with these kids. I watched them grow, and they watched me grow as a coach. To end the right way, it can’t get any better than ending with a championship.”

The four seniors all played a significant role in their final victory together. Waters and Brown each posted double-doubles, and together combined for 34 rebounds — nearly as many as Windward had as an entire team (36). Chidom posted nine points and 12 rebounds and Bostick

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played the spark plug for everything. The San Diego State-bound point guard had a team-high 17 points but finished the game in the distributor role, leading fast breaks as a fatigued Windward team tried to keep pace. She finishing with five assists.

“Without her it’s a struggle,” Chidom said of Bostick. “Playing with Ariell has been amazing. She’s probably the best point guard I’ve ever played with. Her tempo, and her ability to calm us all down as well as her ability to get us all going. It’s huge.”

Brown, who is bound for Virginia Tech, is probably the least-celebrated of the big four. For no reason other than she’s probably the least outspoken. However, her impact in the state final was obvious. She scored 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds — seven of which came off the offensive glass. She had never met Waters before the summer leading into their freshman year, but their dads had known each other

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and bragged to one another about their daughters’ basketball success.

Waters was the first to bring up that summer before her freshman year,when the four of them all officially met for the first time and immediately began sharing their lofty goals.

“To end this year the way that we did is amazing,” said the Cal-bound Waters, who had 12 points and 20 rebounds against Windward.

“We came in eighth grade summer doing open gyms at Bishop O’Dowd and talking about what we’re going to do together.

We said then that we’re going to go out on top, and for us to complete that dream is amazing. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up back in the hotel before this game even started. I’m so happy.”

Whether the 2012-13 Bishop O’Dowd team goes down as Northern California’s greatest team will be talked about and debated in the coming months and years.

The gravity of that may not be completely felt by these seniors, though they know they did it their way.

And there’s pride. That look said it all.

“It’s a great feeling leaving that legacy on the floor,” Bostick said. “We had a lot of support. It’s crazy. I still can’t believe it.” ✪ — Chace Bryson

April 1, 2013

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Justin Pagila is atop Bay Area boys golf after a recent round of 62 — but his story only begins on the golf course Story by Joe Stiglich • Photos by Phillip Walton

J

ustin Pagila is one of the Bay Area’s most gifted prep golfers, so it’s amazing that the praise showered upon the De La Salle High School senior often has little to do with his game.

“He’s a dream kid, someone you’d want your daughter to go out with,” De La Salle assistant golf coach Terry Eidson said.

“An All-American type young man,” Foothill coach Bill Hayes added.

Referring to Pagila’s plans to enlist in the Army, De La Salle head coach Leo Lopoz couldn’t resist labeling Pagila “a true officer and a gentleman.”

It all sounds cliché and perhaps even corny. But it’s dead-on accurate in describing Pagila, who deservedly is commanding attention for his golf exploits too.

He made national headlines at the De La Salle Invitational on March 11 when he fired a 9-under 62, tying the course record at Diablo Country Club, which opened in 1914.

Pagila spent the summer competing in some of the country’s most elite junior tournaments, then went to China in November and finished seventh in the Aaron Baddeley International Junior Championship.

Having proven himself in so many high-profile events, Pagila could have chosen to play his college golf at some powerhouse program known for churning out PGA Tour regulars.

That’s what makes his decision to join the Army so fascinating.

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Pagila, 18, will play golf for the Cadets, but he realizes he’ll have to put his game on the back burner due to the time and service commitments at West Point.

He offers sound rationale for his decision.

“When you walk into a room, there are certain people that instinctively take charge and gather the troops, so to speak,” Pagila said. “I wanna be one of those people. And I felt like (the Army) is where I can become like that versus any other place.”

Right now, he’s trying to lead De La Salle down the path to another Northern California championship. The Spartans won the NorCal crown in 2011, when Pagila finished fourth individually as a sophomore.

The Palm Springs Champions Invitational on April 3 will provide a solid barometer for the team. But the Spartans already notched an impressive victory by winning their own De La Salle Invitational, which featured some of the state’s best players.

That’s where Pagila torched Diablo Country Club for seven birdies and a chip-in eagle on No. 18 to card his 62. The only golfers to match that number in the 99-year history of the course were Bud Shank in 1962 and Geoff Gonzalez in 2011.

To put some perspective on Pagila’s astonishing round: Beau Hossler, the prep phenom who briefly held the lead at the U.S. Open in June, played in the DLS Invitational three times at Diablo and reportedly never shot better than 70.

Acalanes junior Will Brueckner, who was in Paglia’s foursome that day, said he knew Pagila had a special round going after they played the par-3, 213-yard 13th hole, which requires Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

a tee shot over water.

Brueckner and the two others in the group flared their shots to the right.

“Justin took out a 4 iron and hit a bullet to about 10 feet,” Brueckner said.

Brueckner, who recently won the San Francisco City Championship, has known Pagila since elementary school. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see both contending for the North Coast Section and NorCal individual titles.

“When he’s going good, the putts just fall,” Brueckner said of Pagila.

“He stands over a putt, and he’s so focused and so confident that he has the right line, the ball is just gonna go in.

I saw that pretty much on every hole (at Diablo).”

Hayes has coached Foothill — an East Bay Athletic League rival of De La Salle’s — for more than two decades, and he said Pagila ranks among the area’s top high school talents.

“He’s playing the course rather than just hitting shots,” Hayes said.

“I’ve seen many kids, but I’ve seen nobody that is more mentally mature than he is.”

Pagila said he works to get the most out of his practice time. He tries to perfect certain shots that he knows he’ll need for specific courses on the schedule.

He’s also benefited from the Cross Fit training program he began doing with his father, Rodney, during the summer. Pagila has packed on 13

pounds since beginning the program and he’s added distance off the tee and improved his stamina.

His strength impresses Eidson, the De La Salle assistant who serves as the Spartans’ defensive coordinator during football season.

“Truth is, golfers have never been the greatest in the weight room,” Eidson said. “But he basically lifts like a football player.”

That conditioning will serve Pagila well in the Army. He’s required to spend four years at West Point, followed by five years of active duty and two years in the reserves. Pagila is confident that such a commitment won’t sabotage his hopes of playing professional golf.

“My commitment to Army will take precedence, but it’s not going to prevent me from becoming a PGA Tour golfer,” he said.

“I’m not really looking that far down the road right now. My goal when I get to the Army is to do well in school and make Army one of the best teams in the NCAA.” Lopoz, in his 10th season coaching De La Salle, talks highly of Pagila’s well-rounded game but marvels even more at his decision to attend West Point.

“His appointment to the Academy is a big deal to him,” Lopoz said.

“He bypassed many schools that probably would have helped him advance his golf career. But it kind of sums up Justin though. He’s just different — in a good way.” ✪

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Learn these names The spring, summer standouts you can’t miss The high school baseball season is underway.

With the warm weather and the sounds of bats hitting balls and balls pounding gloves, it is also time to look past the spring high school season.

Every year it seems the summer season is more and more important for players who have hopes of playing college baseball. Shortly after the section championships, players head off to play for summer travel and club teams. They also have their sights set on a number of showcase events where they put their skills and abilities on display in front of college coaches and, at times, pro scouts.

One of the main events they attend each summer is Bay Area World Series (BAWS). BAWS will take place June 21-23 at Santa Clara University and will be followed in July by the first ever BAWS Underclass Showcase.

Between now and summer, each event will be working to fill rosters with many top local players, from all over the Bay Area and extending into Sacramento and Central Valley. Let’s take a look at some of the players to keep tabs on this spring, in particular juniors who will be hoping to make their mark as college prospects this spring and at BAWS. The mound is a popular place for college programs to start looking. This spring they might want to keep an eye on lefthanders Theron Kay of Valley Christian-San Jose and Alex

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NorCal Top 20 baseball, softball rankings exclusively online at SportStarsOnline.com Barden of San Ramon Valley-Danville. Kay is not only a talented pitcher but also swings the bat really well. A couple of right-handers to know are Chris Clements of defending CCS champ Pacific Grove and Ben Hughes of Valley Christian. Neither is a particularly hard thrower right now but both have a complete repertoire and feel of the strike zone. Both are reminiscent of senior Tyler Vistalli of Deer Valley-Antioch, one of the most competitive and dominant pitchers in the region.

The middle infield looks to be very strong. One of the players coaches will be checking in on has a familiar last name: Piscotty. Austin Piscotty (Amador Valley-Pleasanton) is a SS/RHP and brings to mind his older brother Stephen with his swing. Kyle Franco (Foothill-Pleasanton) could also draw significant attention. In the South Bay, look for shortstops Scotty Jarvis (Bellarmine Prep-San Jose) and Matt McLaughlin (Leland-San Jose) to draw attention. Shortstop Michael Walker, Jr. (Santa Rosa) is one of the best athletes

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in the region, and further north is shortstop Kaelan Crisosto (Enterpise-Redding), another extremely athletic infielder. St. Francis-Mountain View never lacks good players and this spring third baseman Matthew “Duke” Myers could become another in a long line of heavily recruited Lancers.

De La Salle always has talent. Junior CF Ben Polshuk has a chance to be one of the better players from this area in the 2014 grad class. He is long, rangy and talented, and can be favorably compared to former stars like Bobby Crocker (Aptos High/Cal Poly) and Tim Wheeler (El Camino High/ Sacramento State). Matt Smithwick (San Ramon Valley) is a well-regarded player, as is speedy Corey Olivet (Los Gatos).

Catcher is always a spot that has to be recruited by colleges because there are never enough catchers. Austin Kron (Palo Alto) may make a name for himself as a left-handed hitter with some pop. A.J. Velasquez (California-San Ramon) is a hardworking player with good size.

Now, will all of the aforementioned players have great statistical spring seasons? No, they won’t. But when it comes to talent, which is where recruiters start, each of them can attract attention. After that, well, it is up to them to perform. ✪ Blaine Clemmens is the founder and director for the Bay Area World Series showcase event that celebrates its 10th year in 2013. For more information on the Bay Area World Series, visit www.bayareaworldseries.com

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The baseball season is in full swing and many players are facing the frustrating characteristics of “Dead Arm.” A month ago you were throwing in the mid-to high 80s and now you are struggling to touch 80 mph: What happened?

“Dead arm” is truly one of baseball’s biggest mysteries and can affect both pitchers and position players. The symptoms can be associated with and without pain, but the defining characteristic is a drop in throwing velocity of between 3-8 mph. Many players think their arm is injured and get an MRI only to find out that there is no structural damage. So what is going on?

Classic “dead arm” is usually caused from one or a combination of the following conditions: 1. Rotator cuff muscles are deconditioned or fatigued. The function of the rotator cuff muscles is to stabilize the humeral head (ball) in the glenoid (socket). When these vital muscles are deconditioned or fatigued, they are rendered ineffective in offering dynamic stability during high velocity throwing. This loss of stability is enough to allow the humeral head to migrate superiorly (move up in the socket), causing impingement of the rotator cuff tendons, and or superior labrum.

2. Scapular dyskinesis.

Scapular dyskinesis is an alteration in the normal position and motion of the scapula (shoulder blade). The scapula and the arm move in rhythm with each other. When the scapular stabilizing muscles are not functioning correctly, it not only affects the stability of the shoulder, but it also reduces the transfer of energy from the trunk to the arm, thus reducing throwing velocity. This is why we call the “scap” the weak link in the kinetic chain for throwing athletes.

3. Tight posterior shoulder. The posterior cuff muscles can tighten due to the repetitive micro-trauma that occurs during the decelerating phase of the throwing motion.

A tight posterior cuff is one of the main contributors to GIRD (glenohumeral internal rotation deficit) which increases the risk of injury unless proactively managed with a targeted stretching routine for the posterior shoulder.

The first two conditions listed can be addressed using the Crossover Symmetry Rotator Cuff and Scapular Strengthening System. The tight posterior shoulder can be addressed in less than two minutes by simply adding this stretching routine following practice or a game. Take these proactive steps and don’t let “Dead Arm” affect your performance this season.

1. Circles — Select the appropriate Crossover Cord. Grab the single cord with your throwing arm. Facing the eye level attachment, backup until there is resistance on the cord. While maintaining good posture, bend over at the waist. Relax your throwing arm and perform 15 circles clockwise and 15 circles counterclockwise. The diameter of the circles should be around 10 inches. Focus on relaxing your muscles.

2. Crossbody Over (PICTURED)— Select the appropriate Crossover Cord.

Grab the single Crossover Cord with your throwing arm. With your body facing sideways to the attachment and the throwing arm to the outside, walk away from the attachment until there is resistance on the cord. With your opposite hand, grab your elbow and pull it toward your neck. Relax your muscles and hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Do not be over aggressive with this stretch.

3. Crossbody Under — Repeat the initial steps of the stretch above, and then walk away from the attachment to create resistance. While maintaining good posture, bend over at the waist. With your opposite hand, grab your tricep and pull it toward your chest. Relax your muscles and hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Again, do not be over aggressive.

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Duggan Moran is the CEO & Founder of Crossover Symmetry. The Crossover Symmetry System has become the gold standard for performance arm care in professional and collegiate sports. It is currently being used by over half of the teams in the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and over 75 percent of major universities. Supported by science and designed by a leading physical therapist, the Crossover Symmetry System takes the guesswork out of shoulder health and performance. To find out more, visit www.gocrossover.com

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Five points of technique when using plank position training time: tim rudd While coaching exercises that involve the prone plank position, I utilize a five-point checklist to ensure spinal health and appropriate strengthening of posture.

The plank is a great beginner level exercise to teach spinal stability as an anti- extension and flexion exercise of the spine. This is required to perform many strength exercises safely and effectively as well as many athletic skills required in sport.

1

Your athletes should maintain a standing type posture in a horizontal position. This means that the axis of the ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, and the ears should stay in a line and the spine should maintain a natural curvature.

2

The shoulder girdle should maintain a neutral alignment and not collapse back or round forward. The scapula (shoulder blades) should stay bedded and not wing out or squeeze together.

3 4

The pelvis should remain in a neutral alignment. It is common for the lower back to be flattened in a tail tucking like posture.

Focus on maintaining a natural lumbar curve.

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The hips should stay parallel to the ground and centered side to side. It is a common error to collapse the feet inward.

Rather, the feet should remain perpendicular to the ground.

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5

During plank-oriented exercises where a limb is lifted from the ground, only the limb and not the body should move. It is a common error to drop the hip of the lifted limb and/or to pull the hips out of center. Maintain the starting posture and only move the limb.

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Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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powered by trucks: anthony trucks

Strength isn’t always physical When it comes to the weight room, many people don’t realize there is usually more strength being displayed by people training than just the weights they’re moving.

My girlfriend is about to partake in her second fitness competition and it’s amazing to see the strength it takes on the mental side to simply climb towards her goal of “physical strength.” There are individuals in the gym every day that are there tired, hungry, hurt, unhappy, and the list could go on and on. The only thing is that you’ll never know it until its you.

There will be a defining moment when you have a goal of getting stronger and you hit that wall where you want to give up, give in to the pain, or you’re just too tired to go that day. It is at that moment that you find out the kind of “strength” you truly have.

In my playing career in the NFL, I had MANY of those days, but I did what it took to succeed every day. I knew there was some opponent of mine out there taking that day off and THAT is what drove me — to keep in mind that all I had to do was NEVER take that day off and I would surpass him. Then on game day when he broke down from his lack of preparation I devoured him like a bodybuilder killing a donut after hoisting up that first place trophy.

Be in it to win it, or don’t be in it at all!!

Anthony Trucks is the owner of Trucks Training facility in Brentwood and covers weight training for SportStars.

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get mental: erika carlson

How much is too much

I am often asked by parents, “How hard should I push my kids to succeed in sports?” You want them to enjoy their experience, work hard and of course, play their best. But where is the line? How much is too much? As it turns out, it’s not just about how hard you push, but more about what you’re pushing. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology found specific factors that helped to influence decreasing anxiety as the sport season progresses.

The study measured four factors with 307 kids ranging in age from 9-14 years old: › Perceived Parental Pressure — Researchers asked the young athletes how much parents set expectations, gave evaluations after a game, and became upset with them if they didn’t play well. › Parent-Initiated Motivational Climate — This is a fancy term to describe the content of the expectations and evaluations. › Mastery — focused on learning and enjoyment (low to high) › Ego — focused on winning and outcomes (low to high) Performance Anxiety was assessed in 3 different ways › Somatic — “My body feels tense” › Worry — “I’m worried I will make a mistake” › Concentration — Disruption “I can’t focus.”

The results might surprise you! Here they are… › Strong parent pressure + low mastery or high ego = High Anxiety › Strong parent pressure + high mastery = Lowered Anxiety To help athletes perform, especially those who tend to get nervous and anxious, pushing a strong agenda focused on learning new skills, mastering technique and lots of hard work will not only help minimize anxiety but produce excellent development and more performance.

?

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Erika Carlson is a certified mental trainer and owner of Excellence In Sports Performance in Pleasanton.

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health watch: dr. nirav k. pandya

Micro-fracture surgery: What is it & why is it needed Not a week goes by in sports without the public hearing on ESPN about a professional athlete who undergoes micro-fracture surgery. But what exactly is micro-fracture surgery?

In order to understand the surgery, you first have to understand what dissipates shock and keeps joints moving smoothly in the body: hyaline cartilage. This material is the covering on the ends of bones; allowing joints to glide through their range of motion and absorb stress from the wear and tear of sports.

Not surprisingly, this cartilage can get damaged, leading to pain, swelling, and stiffness in joints (i.e. knee and ankle). If the injury is bad enough that small craters of exposed bone are formed, it can potentially mean the end of one’s athletic career.

Micro-fracture is a surgical technique done through a camera (arthroscope) in which small holes (“fractures”) are created at the ends of the bones which have these cartilage defects. These little holes cause the bone to bleed; bringing in new cells which can form new cartilage (not as good as the original but still better than nothing!) in the defects.

After the surgery, patients have to take several months off of sporting activity to allow the new cartilage to form. If successful, patients have a good chance of returning to sports with what would have otherwise been a career altering injury.

Dr. Nirav K. Pandya is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon specializing sports injuries at the Children’s Hospital in Oakland.

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BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

All Star Academy of Baseball All-Star Academy in Santa Clara features a 17,000-square foot indoor and outdoor training facility that is home to a variety of instructional programs designed to develop the total player. ASA offers All Skills Camps for ages 7-12, and Summer Boot Camps for 12 & under, middle school, high school competitive athletes. Info: 650-961-2255; www.asabaseball.com Cabernet Baseball Club The Livermore-based club not only hosts The Pitching Center’s Spring Break Baseball Skills Camp 2013, it also is home to training and recreational leagues in other sports — including football, soccer, futsal, softball and lacrosse. Lil’ Baseball offered for ages 3-7. Info: 925-416-1600, www.cabernetindoorsports.com EJ Sports EJ Sports provides positive, instructive baseball programs that includes camps, teams, conditioning clinics for ages 7-18. Exciting, bully-free environment to help players improve athletically and build confidence. Our instructors possess the capability to teach concepts and relate to youth based on their comprehension level and athletic ability. Our staff consists of qualified coaches dedicated to improving and continually learning newest techniques in baseball. Info: 925-866-7199, www.ejsports.com.

The Pitching Center In an effort to develop baseball players to their full potential, The Pitching Center has become the Total Player Center, a full-service baseball/softball training academy. We provide comprehensive, fully-integrated programs that evolve based on the best research and information in areas from health/safety, peak performance, education techniques and more. Ageand skill-specific programs available for ages 8-18.

Info: 925-416-1600, www.thepitchingcenter.com.

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BASKETBALL

All Out Sports League Our camps are geared toward teaching fundamentals. Every aspect is covered: dribbling, shooting, layups, passing, cross-overs, defense, help defense, boxing out and more. Camps open to boys, girls ages 6-16. We hold a multi-week Spring Academy in Clayton, four-day Summer Academy in Antioch. Info: 925-203-5636 or www.alloutsportsleague.com Bald Eagle Basketball Camp Get improved skills, passion for becoming their best.

We give campers a choice period each day to play more basketball, go swimming, play sports camp games, have fun in our activity arcade — whatever summer fun they choose! This year we’ve ramped up our staff with more coaches who have high level playing and/or coaching experience, not to mention their PCA Certification like every staff member at Bald Eagle Sports Camps. Info: 888-505-2253.

CalStars The Stars Basketball Academy offers youth and high school summer camps. The SBA is a fundamental based skills development camp for kids in third grade-high school. We offer three youth (3rd-8th) sessions and two high school sessions. Camps are conducted by Clay Kallam (Bentley HS), Kelly Sopak (Miramonte HS), Dan Middleton (Northgate HS), Raul Reyes (Miramonte HS) and Elgin Leslie (Campolindo HS). Camps also assisted by former high school, college players. Info: www.calstars.org.

FastBreak Basketball Margaret Gartner, highly-decorated girls basketball coach for Carondelet, leads this girls camp focused on fundamentals. Three week-long sessions: Session I, June 24-28, Grades 4-10; Session II, July 1519, Grades 1-6 and Session III, July 22-26, Grades 4-10. Learn, improve basketball fundamentals, skills while having fun. Info: www.FastBreakBball.com; or email Fastbreak_club@yahoo.com

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Hawk Basketball Academy We focus on skill development, challenging the individual to push themselves to become the very best. Focusing on: footwork, dribbling, proper shooting technique, reaching your highest level of performance, improving your mental game, preparing for CYO, high school and AAU. Info: 510-943-9252, facebook.com/ hawkbasketballacademy.

I’m Possible Training (Mike Allen) Whether you’re beginner or on varsity, this program will help you excel. Improve ballhandling, footwork, shooting, overall fitness.

I’m Possible is a world-renowned basketball program authored by NBA skills coach Micah Lancaster. Mike Allen, head trainer for the Bay Area located in Los Gatos, runs clinics for athletes of all levels from pros to AAU and high school. By registering, you can download the program, which lists a library of drills. Info: 408224-8503 or email mikeallen@possibletraining. com, www.possibletraining.com/mikeallen NorCal Courts Basketball Camps Norcal Courts in Martinez covers all major fundamentals: dribbling, passing, shooting, defense, rebounding. The Spring Break Camp is April 1-5: 5th graders (9-11 a.m.), 6th-8th graders (noon-2 p.m.), high schoolers (3-5 p.m.). Sessions have fun, exciting drills that will help them become better players. Camps run by qualified high school coaches from Cal Stars and Cagers Basketball. Info: 925-4575081; www.norcalcourts.com

CHEER

CheerGyms.com Customize our clinics to fit your needs. Cheergyms.com runs the best overnight residential camps. We offer practical, fun material and professional, knowledgeable staff. Camps do

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not exceed 375 cheerleaders with one staff member for every 15 cheerleaders. Two-day camps also available. Private camps allow you to pick the hours, decide what they will learn.

Camps also available for coaches. Intense Training Camps let you can pick one specific thing to work on for just $10 per student per hour. Info: morton@cheergyms.com, 925-6858176, www.cheergyms.com

ENRICHMENT

Bald Eagle Jr. High Leadership Camp Giving your child a road map to create success is extremely powerful. Our Jr. High Leadership Camp includes tangible experiences working cooperatively with peers, leading groups, public speaking, making friends, understanding community service, living an active lifestyle through fun camp activities. Info: 888-505-2253.

Dianne Adair Programs Come join any of our eight summer sites for our fun and exciting summer program. Each week campers choose from several camps including sports, fashion, drama, CSI, science and more. In addition to weekly camps, we have weekly field trips to places like an A’s or Giants game, museums, the Jelly Belly Factory, Six Flags, the pool, the movies, parks and the zoo. Field trips and camps vary by site.

Offers, rates may vary at any of our nine locations. Info: www.dianneadair.org.

FITNESS

Children’s Hospital “Learn What It’s Like To Be An Athletic Trainer.”

Workshop exclusively for HS students, March 1-2. Includes: Overview of careers in sports medicine; ankle injuries and taping techniques; wrist, hand, thumb injuries and taping; knee injuries and RICE therapy; stretching techniques; low back injuries and CORE Training; sports

concussions; shoulder injuries, rehabilitation.

Class credit, certificate of completion and reference materials. Run by Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine staff, held in Oakland. Also available: yoga, athletic development, speed camps, circuit training. Info: 510-428-3558 Fit 2 The Core As a Youth Conditioning, Speed/Agility and Nutrition Specialist with the International Youth Conditioning Association, Fit-2 The Core Training Systems offers innovative approach to getting athletes back on the field. We work on a solid athletic foundation while focusing on individual progress. Instruction in movement training, injury reduction, linear/lateral speed development, foot speed and agility, power development, proper weight training techniques and functional strength training. Athletes are closely supervised, with attention on proper technique, safety. We offer 2 days/week or 3 days/week program options. Free two-week free pass. Info: www.fasteryoungathletes.com, 925-639-0907.

Renaissance ClubSport We offer sports, speciality camps for kids 5-12 during school breaks. Participants receive instruction in a variety of sports, activities and projects. Working parents can take advantage of our extended hours for both morning and afternoon sessions. Families with multiple children receive 10 percent discount for each additional sibling registered for the same week.

Info: 925-942-6344.

Trucks Training Trucks Training was started by people who grew up in the area, experienced the world and came back to provide a service that we feel our community lacks. We have proven records and know what it takes to achieve the next level of sports & fitness safely and effectively. Home-

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town feel from true hometown people. We offer 1-on-1, group and small group training for both fitness and sport-specific needs. Info: truckstraining.com; 925-756-7321

FOOTBALL

All Out Sports League Camps in Antioch, Clayton. Four day noncontact camp teaches every position, geared toward the fundamentals. Every aspect is covered: blocking, tackling, running, defense, offense, special teams and more. Camps are open to boys, girls ages 6-16. Info: 925-2035636, www.alloutsportsleague.com LinemenInc Camps Utilizing top college coaches and former NFL linemen, LinemenInc has produced a nationally-recognized camp and coach’s clinic. LinemenInc blends a fast paced, technically skilloriented curriculum with a level of competition not found in other camps. Tuition is reasonably priced and includes camp, room, meals and jersey. In 2012, LinebackerInc was added. Info: www.linemeninc.com.

Next Level Training Combine This spring combine and football camp is April 6 at Emerald Park in Dublin for football players ages 7-18. The camp will feature 10-year NFL defensive back Donovin Darius. Youth camp are 9 a.m-noon, high school camp is 1-4 p.m.

Focuses of the combine will include speed, agility, strength, quickness and conditioning. Info: DariusNextLevelTraining.com; 904-290-3320 NorCal Football Camps Led by Ken Peralta, Norcal Football Camps are focused on serving youth ages 7-14. Norcal Flag Football Leagues serve kids entering grades 2-6. Info: Ken, 650-245-3608, norcalyouthfootballcamp@yahoo.com; www.norcalfootballcamps.com.

GOLF

The First Tee-Contra Costa The First Tee Summer Camp is a youth development program for boys, girls ages 7-18. Participants will learn about golf and life skills and values inherent to the game. We have offerings at courses in Antioch, Concord, Martinez and Walnut Creek. Fee assistance available. Info: Angela Paradise, 925-686-6262, Ext. 0, www. thefirstteecontracosta.org.

The First Tee-Oakland Participants receive a minimum of 12 hours of instruction over an eight-week period. Instruction is conducted at three City of Oakland affiliate courses. We introduce the game of golf in a way that allows participants to progress with the mechanics required. Offered at little or no cost. Info: 510-352-2002; www.thefirstteeoakland.org The First Tee-Silicon Valley Spring classes begin in early March and seasonal classes are offered at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course (San Jose) and Palo Alto Golf Course. We welcome participants ranging from 2nd to 12th grade. Scholarships available. Info: www.thefirstteesiliconvalley.org The First Tee-Tri-Valley We offer seasonal camps for youth ages 7-17, held at the Pleasanton Golf Center. Life Skills Experience Classes begin in early March. Oncea-week summer slasses also available. Info: 925-462-7201; www.TheFirstTeeTriValley.org.

LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Camp All-girls golf camp at Boundary Oak taught by LPGA and PGA member Teaching Professionals. Improve short game, irons, woods and trick shots. Practice on range, short game area where we play games while building on fundamentals. Etiquette and character built into the

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curriculum. Finish by playing nine holes. Info: LPGAKatie@gmail.com; 925-482-4547

GYMNASTICS

East Bay Sports Academy Summer day camps offer the best in gymnastics, cheerleading, and tumbling. Half-day and full-day camps for girls, boys ages 5 and up for both recreational and competitive athletes.

Our 13,000 square foot facility has the newest equipment, including the brand new superbouncy, safety-rated Weller Spring Floor, which is the largest in the world. Gymnastics & cheerleading camps: July 15-18, July 22-25, August 5-8, August 12-15. Competitive gymnastics camp (Levels 4 & up): July 8-12. East Bay AllStars Cheerleading also private minicamps and clinics for all kinds of cheerleading. Info: www. eastbaysportsacademy.com, 925-680-9999 .

HORSEBACK RIDING

Earthquake Arabians Our skilled staff and individual instruction gives each rider an opportunity to advance at his or her own pace while creating individual goals for success. If a competitive riding program is what you’re looking for, Earthquake Arabians has been continuously successful in the Arabian show ring. Spring and summer camps are around the corner. Info: www.earthquakearabians.com, 925-360-7454.

OUTDOOR/ADVENTURE

Bear Valley Mountain Outdoor adventures including kayaking, tennis, cycling, hiking, camp fires and more. Soccer (ages 9-16); archery (9-adult); teen climbing and Bear Valley’s Day Camps for ages 3-18 provide mountain fun. Eight-week, weeklong and day camps. Every camper will have the opportunity to enjoy a selection of mountain activities including: rock climbing, sailing,

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canoeing, hiking, swimming, disc golf, art and crafts, kayaking, biking, wilderness adventures and more. Info: www.bearvalley.com.

Diablo Rock Gym Offering kids summer camps every week JuneAugust. Ages 6-17; multiple kid and/or week discounts. Info: 925-602-1000.

Epic Indoor Skatepark Skateboard and scooter camps available in June, July and November. Only $250 for a week or $50 per day. Skateboard deck or scooter grips included with a full week of camp.

Lunch and snack provided. Info: www.epicindoorskate.com.

RUGBY

Diablo Rugby Youth rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S. Based in Clayton, our club is dedicated to providing a positive rugby experience for boys at high school, jr. high and youth levels. Info: 925-381-5143, http://diabloyouthrugby.clubspaces.com.

SOCCER

Gino’s Soccer Academy The official camp of the Walnut Creek Soccer Club, run by WCSC Director of Coaching, Tom Ginocchio, and staffed with WCSC club coaches & players. Five one-week programs for ages 4-17 in July and August. Along with regular full- and half-day soccer programs, GSA runs the following specialty programs: team camps (recreational, competitive), advanced player academies, high school player academy, goalkeeper academies, all boys/all girls academies. Info: www.ginossocceracademy.com, 925-937-4466 Heritage Soccer Club Two fun-filled sessions: June 24-28, July 22-25. Camp runs from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost

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for Heritage members is $150 for one session, $250 for both. Non Heritage players: $225/$325. Sibling discounts: $50 each. Heritage camp focuses on learning new skills and honing existing ones. Compete in small-sided games and camp tournaments. Camp also includes keeper and striker training, conditioning, nutrition and developing your mental game.

Registration is open to boys and girls ages 7-14. Info: www.HeritageSC.com West Coast Soccer Programs designed to bring professional experience and guidance to youth players across Northern California. The WCS coaching staff has created a curriculum to build the necessary foundation for your child to continue to grow. WCS camps, clinics and training programs create an environment that encourages experimentation and a passion for the game.

Info: www.westcoastsoccerclub.com West Contra Costa Youth Soccer League Our program caters to competitive youth players ages 8-9. The main focus is not winning, but on development of total player within framework of a team. We also offer specialized training for strikers and goalkeepers. Younger ages focus on foot skills. We desire to promote personal responsibility, fitness, sportsmanship and teamwork. Info: 510-758-5288, wccysl.com.

SWIMMING-DIVING

Sherman Swim School Our year-round schedule allows children and adults to learn, retain and improve their swim skills. We teach from age 9 months to adults, from non-swimmers to competitive. Our private or semi-private lessons allow you to progress at your pace. We also offer beginning and competitive diving classes. Info: 925-283-2100, www.ShermanSwim.com.

TENNIS

ClubSport Valley Vista Our camps are designed so that we touch on all aspects of the game: stroke production, conditioning, strategy, footwork and psychology.

Our low prices help make summer camp more affordable than ever. Eight sessions offered between June 17 and Aug. 16 geared toward players ages 7–16 from beginner to intermediate levels. ClubSport Valley Vista members receive discounted rates. Info: 925-934-4050.

VOLLEYBALL

Bay Area Blast Summer Clinics Offering summer skills clinics for players of all ages, skill levels at NorCal Courts in Martinez.

Morning clinics for 6th-8th grade girls and boys or players who are beginner/intermediate level. Evening clinics for 9th-12th grade girls and boys or players who are intermediate/ advanced level. Info: www.bayareablast.com/ summerclinics.html City Beach The City Beach volleyball club is based out of Santa Clara and has achieved a vast amount of national success while sending an array of athletes to the college level. The club offers summer camps and clinics. Info: CityBeach.

ClubSpaces.com Pacific Rim Volleyball Through private lessons and opportunity for year-round skills classes, athletes of any age or level can learn and improve the skills to gain a competitive edge. For athletes with limited experience, we help develop solid fundamentals. Our advanced training, for junior levels (12th grade & below) will provide athletes opportunity to excel at becoming elite players in preparation for high school and/or collegiate volleyball. Info: www.pacificrimvolleyball.com.

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Advertiser Index ❒❒ All Out Baseball & Softball In Season.........................24 ❒❒ Army National Guard Recruiter.....................................5 ❒❒ Back Forty B B Q.........................................................17 ❒❒ Bay Area Blast Volleyball Club....................................17 ❒❒ Bear Valley Mountain Camps......................................40 ❒❒ Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.......................2 ❒❒ Blaze Volleyball..........................................................35 ❒❒ Cabernet Indoor Sports..............................................20 ❒❒ Cal Athletic Camps.....................................................38 ❒❒ Championship Athletic Fundraising...........................21 ❒❒ Cheergyms.Com.........................................................19 ❒❒ Children’s Hospital And Research Center.....................31 ❒❒ Club Sport..................................................................11 ❒❒ Community Youth Center...........................................38 ❒❒ Core Volleyball Club....................................................34 ❒❒ De La Salle High School..............................................38 ❒❒ Diablo Futbol Club......................................................25 ❒❒ Diablo Rock Gym........................................................37 ❒❒ Diablo Trophies & Awards...........................................37 ❒❒ Dianne Adair Enrichment Programs.............................3 ❒❒ E J Sports Elite Baseball Services................................34 ❒❒ East Bay Sports Academy...........................................23 ❒❒ East Bay Youth Sports Camps.....................................33 ❒❒ Excellence In Sport Performance................................31 ❒❒ Fit 2 The Core..............................................................29 ❒❒ Golden Key Realty & Mortgage Bankers Inc...............38 ❒❒ Halo Headband..........................................................38 ❒❒ Hawk Basketball Academy.........................................34 ❒❒ Heritage Soccer Club..................................................13 ❒❒ Home Team Sports Photography................................36 ❒❒ Image Imprint............................................................36 ❒❒ Impact Soccer....................................................... 36, 38 ❒❒ Jump Highway...........................................................34 ❒❒ Mountain Mike’s Pizza..................................................7 ❒❒ Muir Orthopedic Specialists........................................29 ❒❒ National Scouting Report...........................................35 ❒❒ Passthaball.................................................................38 ❒❒ Pro Hammer Bat.........................................................32 ❒❒ Rocco’s Pizza...............................................................37 ❒❒ Rockin Jump......................................................... 35, 39 ❒❒ Sacramento River Cats................................................16 ❒❒ Saint Mary’s Athletic Summer Camps.........................35 ❒❒ Sherman Swim School...............................................34 ❒❒ Sport Clips..................................................................11 ❒❒ State Farm Jimmy Harrington Agent..........................12 ❒❒ Stevens Creek Toyota..................................................26 ❒❒ Sutter Delta................................................................28 ❒❒ The First Tee Of Contra Costa...................................6, 38 ❒❒ TPC.............................................................................37 ❒❒ U S Cryotherapy..........................................................30 ❒❒ United States Youth Volleyball League.......................38 ❒❒ Velocity Sports Performance................................ 35, 37 ❒❒ Walnut Creek Soccer Club...........................................32 ❒❒ West Coast Soccer Club...............................................36

U.S. Youth Volleyball League Camps are for beginner, intermediate, advanced players for boys, girls. We have a player-to-coach ratio of 8:1. Focus on spiking, serving, setting, passing, blocking, defense, offense and game strategy.

Six-, four- and two-person formats allow kids to play in every position. Registration fee includes a T-shirt, completion certificate, snacks and water. Info: 888988-7985, www.USYVL.org.

WRESTLING

Community Youth Center Offers young athletes opportunity to participate and excel in one of the world’s oldest sports. The program trains, challenges wrestlers at all age groups from kindergarten through high school, and all experience levels. The program is nationally recognized under the guidance of coach Mark Halvorson. Info: 925-6717070, Ext. 229, www.communityyouthcenter.com.

MULTI-SPORT

Bald Eagle Sports Camps A great blend of non-traditional “ultimate” games along with traditional summer activities, especially the soft-sword “Zaber Games” that no other camp in the Bay has. Every activity is inclusive of any level athlete, and our message creates encouragement from coaches and teammates. Even the non-sports child will feel motivated to play and love our camp and the highly competitive athlete will feel challenged. It’s the perfect mix of fun activity, message and culture. Ages K-8th grades. Info: 888-505-2253.

Cal Camps Camps are offered in variety of sports for girls, boys ages 5-19, with week-long, half-day, full-day and overnight options. Most camps on campus in Berkeley and are held from June through August.

The 2013 Cal Athletics Camps include the following sports: baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls rowing/crew, field hockey, football, boys and girls golf, girls gymnastics, rugby, boys and girls soccer, softball, boys and girls swimming, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls volleyball and girls water polo.

Info: CalBears.com/camps.

City Beach Kids Camp Camps in Fremont for ages 6-15 and are chockfull of activities, including rock climbing, interactive games, free play at the entertainment hub and courts (based upon availability). Camps are offered in 1-, 3- and 5-day session (w/ full- and half-day options) and run from June 20-Aug.30. Spring camps: March 29, April 1-5. Info: CityBeach.com; 510-6512500 x105.

De La Salle Camps Our athletic summer camps provide a fun, skillbuilding week for kids. Camps appeal to local youth with a variety of athletic interests. De La Salle will offer the following sessions: football, track & field, lacrosse, wrestling, quarterback & wide receiver, lineman, volleyball, baseball, soccer, water polo and strength & conditioning. Week-long sessions run June 8-June 27. Info: summercamps@dlshs.org; 925-288-8100, Ext. 7090.

East Bay Youth Sports Association We are a year-round, full-service youth sports organization dedicated to the growth and development of character, sportsmanship, confidence, teamwork, ability and fun. We offer family friendly schedules and a relaxed, enjoyment of sports in a less-thancompetitive atmosphere that offers both the player and their families the best that youth sports can offer.

Our camps schedule includes spring break camps for ages 5-12 and summer camps for ages 5-14.

Info: www.eastbaysummercamps.com Saint Mary’s College Camps We offer boys and girls overnight, day, team and specialty athletic camps for ages 4-18. Camps include: multi-sport (badminton, basketball, flag football, handball, paddleball, soccer, softball, street hockey, swimming, tennis, volleyball), individual sport camps (baseball, boys basketball, girls basketball, golf, rugby, lacrosse, boys soccer, girls soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball). Each clinic features the head coach of the respective Gaels’ program. Info: www.smcgaels.com, smccamps@stmarys-ca.edu, 925-631-4386. ✪

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