SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: Weekend Read, June 23, 2023
A look at California Live 2023 along with a expansive notebook headlines this week's column.
California Live Boys Basketball Showcase at Irvine HS. (Escarcega)
IRVINE - Last week, history was made as California Live 2023 and Girls California Live 2023 took place in gyms throughout the state. It was the first basketball showcase that was sanctioned by the CIF State Office. From all reports, it was a big success in both Northern (girls) and Southern (Boys) California.
The event lasted for three days from Friday through Sunday and allowed players to play in a team tournament format in front of college coaches. Although seven school gyms were utilized in Orange County, a lot of attention was drawn to the Irvine HS venue.
On the first day of competition, more than 40 schools were in attendance at Irvine with head coaches that included Andy Enfield (USC), Jamie Dixon (TCU), Lorenzo Romar (Pepperdine), Randy Bennett (St Mary’s), Tim Cook (Life Pacific University), Russell White (Cal Lutheran) along with assistant coaches from UCLA, Cal State Northridge, and other schools.
While Irvine saw a tremendous number of coaches, that couldn’t be said for other venues. Reports indicated that there were plenty of college coaches in attendance at the Tustin and Mission Viejo venue, but we saw only 4-5 coaches in attendance at the Estancia HS venue on Saturday morning. This was a shame because schools such as Pasadena and Maranatha had players that could have caught the eye of college coaches.
Many insiders feel that while the first year was a success, a small tweak was needed from a geographical perspective. It was the consensus opinion that the SCIBCA (Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association) needs to consolidate the geographical mechanism.
For instance, instead of having to go to eight different venues throughout South Orange County, SCIBCA might want to consider using all the gyms that are part of the Huntington Beach Unified School District (Ocean View, Edison, Huntington Beach, Marina, Fountain Valley, and Westminster). All of those schools have either two or three full basketball courts that can be utilized at the same time and have a closer footprint from a geographical point of view.
There are also off-campus basketball venues that could be used for the event. For instance, the AIM Sports Group in Seal Beach has a sports complex and two buildings available that are more than enough to handle a showcase event such as the one that took place last weekend.
Other than that, there were no major concerns about the three-day event. The keyword that we think best describes the weekend was “committed.” The coaches in both Southern and Northern California want to make sure that this event gets bigger and better. It was great to see high school coaches interacting with college coaches, something that has been missing in the basketball world for a good long time.
The event allowed us to watch the three teams that we had a lot of questions about Maranatha, Pasadena, and St. Paul. After watching all three teams, we can safely report that they are very good. We were in attendance on Friday to watch St. Paul take on Crespi at the Irvine Venue and while the Swordsmen lost 58-51, the score was the least important part of the game.
For many of the college coaches that were in attendance in an auxiliary gym located near the main gym, Friday’s game became a showcase for the Swordsmen’s two big men Tong Mawein and Babacar Gadiaga.
Mawein caught the eye of many college coaches as he utilized terrific footwork in the low post to make some nifty baskets. He is listed as a 6-7 forward but look for him to play center for coach Patrick Roy this season. “My phone blew up as the game went along,” Roy said. “He’ll definitely be a player for us this year.” As for Gadiaga, the 6-8 senior has a long wingspan which makes him a rim protector on defense. He didn’t play in the final half of the season last year due to an injury, but he says he’s fully healed and ready to deliver a big season.
Any talk of the Swordsmen is not complete without mentioning junior guard Osami Maciel. Even though he is a bit undersized at the guard position, this kid is a playmaker. He has terrific ballhandling skills and can shoot prolifically from any spot on the court. Maicel hit the game-winning buzzer-beating basketball on Saturday to defeat Foothill, 61-58. St. Paul will be a team to be dealt with in the Del Rey League.
On Saturday, we had a chance to watch Pasadena and Maranatha compete at the Estancia HS venue. First, let’s address Pasadena. The Bulldogs look to be on the road back to being that dominant team in the Pasadena area. In a nutshell, this team is HUGE! They have the most athletic big man that we’ve seen in a long while in Brandon Carpenter. The 6-foot, 6-inch junior (who moved from San Francisco in the middle of his freshman year), who is being recruited in football as a defensive end, can play either as a 4 or 5 in the low post. He is very athletic for his size and will present a matchup issue for opposing teams this fall.
Another player that seems poised for a big season is Gavin Hollins. The nephew of the great Ryan Hollins (Muir grad), Gavin (a senior) is very athletic and can shoot it prolifically from behind the three-point arc. The player that coach Tony Brooks will be counting on heavily is Joey Jester, who plays for the BTI Club Basketball team. The senior was the Pacific League MVP last year and is on track for another huge year.
Other players that made a favorable impression include sophomores Derek Jordan and Troy Wilson and, junior Damill Brown.
A short time later, we caught a little bit of Maranatha’s 72-61 win over Pacifica Christian of Santa Monica. Coach Tim Tucker was not in attendance last weekend due to a family event that he had to attend, but those inside the program are pleased with the improvement they’ve seen in junior Trevor Cohen. A transfer from LA Marshall, he has been “a huge addition” according to one assistant coach.
It appears as if the Minuteman will be guard-heavy with players such as Nick and Dylan Khatchikian, Jahmir Hampton, and Owen Kirk ready to produce a big season. Maranatha will be playing at the Fairfax Tournament.
Arcadia was the only area team to win a tournament title as they captured the NHSBCA Divisional title. South Pasadena advanced to the final in the “Beach” Division before suffering a tough 64-57 loss to Mira Costa in the tournament final. The Tigers had to go to three different sites (Woodbridge HS, Crean Lutheran HS and Irvine HS) over the course of the weekend.
Among the stat leaders from the weekend, they included Damien’s Nate Garcia (12.25 rebounds per game) and Blair’s Andrew Marz (25.5 points per game).
The eyes of the high school basketball world now get shifted to Glendale, Arizona, and the Section 7 Showcase that will take place at State Farm Stadium. Damien and St. Francis are among the area teams that will be participating in the event.
WEST COVINA LINEMAN COMPETITION SLATED FOR THIS WEEKEND
What was once a small event on the summer area football calendar has become a landing spot for many area football teams this weekend. 47 teams have signed up for the West Covina Lineman Competition presented by Flipsled.
Among the top area teams that will be competing includes Glendora, Northview, Diamond Ranch, San Dimas, Northview, Walnut, West Covina, and many more. The list of events for the competition includes an 8x100 Track Relay, Sled Drive and truck push, obstacle course, tire throw, tire flip relay, and much more.
For the first time in the history of the competition, there will be a presenting sponsor. It is a new company called Flipsled.
It is a mechanism that allowed linemen to work out various drills with a high amount of weight on them. You can use it to simulate blocking and finishing. It can be used to develop power and it can also be utilized to “mimic sprint mechanics.”
West Covina used the FlipSled this spring and was very pleased with the results they received from using the device. The company reports that teams such as the Los Angeles Rams, the University of Nebraska, the University of Georgia, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Utah are currently using FlipSled.
For more information on FlipSled, you can log onto their website at www.theflipsled.com.
QUICK HITS
- Sources have confirmed that Keppel High School has hired Kenny Phan as its new girls basketball coach. Phan replaces Jose Herrera, who resigned several weeks ago. Phan was recently the boys JV basketball coach at the school but stepped down reportedly (though not confirmed) because he conducted Sunday practices. According to the CIF State Rules, unless you have direct permission from the state office, schools are prohibited from having any contact with high school student-athletes on Sundays.
- St. Francis senior offensive lineman Phillip Ocon has given a verbal commitment to Colorado State University. He made the announcement on his Twitter account.
- It was a big weekend last week for several alumni baseball players from the area. Former South Hills infielder Jacob Amaya was called up by the Miami Marlins last Saturday and made his major league appearance on Sunday against the Washington Nationals. In his first at-bat, he reached first base safely on a fielder’s choice and drove in his run. In his second at-bat, he singled to left field. When the game was over, Jacob presented the ball from his first hit to his father Robert. The family flew out to be in attendance on Sunday.
He is the second player from South Hills to be playing in the major leagues. Ty France is starting at first base for the Seattle Mariners.
Another player who got a promotion was La Mirada's former standout, Jared Jones. Jones, who is part of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, was promoted from Double-A Altoona to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 20th. He pitched that night against Columbus and suffered a 3-1 tough loss. He had a quality outing though as he allowed three runs on three hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings of work.
- The CIF State office announced the winners of the 2022-23 Academic Team Champions. According to a press release from the state office, the team champions program “was initiated in 2996 as a way to reward teams with the highest collective grade point averages, based on an unweighted 4.0 scale, in their respective sport.”
Two schools from the area were named team champions, they were Flintridge Prep (softball) and Pasadena Poly (Boys Soccer). Both schools are members of the Prep League.
- Brian Barnes announced last week that he is immediately stepping down as the Athletic Director at West Covina High School. The position is posted on EdJoin.org.
- Reports indicate that sophomore quarterback Roy Vasquez has transferred from La Habra to Cantwell-Sacred Heart. In other football transfer news, Calabasas athlete Arion Lang has transferred to Baldwin Park. In addition, junior Randle Tebo and sophomore Elvis Diaz Jr. have also transferred from Northview to Baldwin Park. Baldwin Park did lose an offensive lineman Isaac Dominguez (senior) to Glendora.
- California High School softball coach Jason Ramirez was named Cal-HI Sports Medium Schools Coach of the Year. The Condors made it to the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS playoffs in Division 2 before losing to Great Oak. Ramirez made news lately as he has contracted ALS and a GoFundMe account has been started for anyone who wants to donate to help defray medical costs.
Jason Ramirez Go Fund Me Account.
- In the department of “What Did You Do This Summer,” the Damien High School Water Polo Team is spending the week in Barcelona, Spain practicing with several club teams. The team is scheduled to return to the United States next week.
- San Dimas senior baseball player Rocco Regan has de-committed from Long Beach St. and has reopened his recruiting. Arcadia pitcher/infielder Fernando Palencia has committed to the University of San Diego. La Mirada boys basketball player Julien Gomez reports a second offer has arrived from UC Riverside.
- Former Los Altos standout defensive lineman Brigham Harwell is the new defensive coordinator at Chaminade High School.
Have a great week!