LJ b BB: Players' views

By Ed Piper

Preparing for their season opener Fri., Dec. 1, against Rancho Buena Vista in the Hilltop Invitational, La Jolla High scrimmaged four other teams the week before, on Black Friday, Nov. 24.

"We played two quarters each against four different teams, which were Monte Vista, Oceanside, Grossmont, and (another school)," said senior Quinn Rawdin, who figures to start in the backcourt in Friday's opener. He has kind of become a de facto team spokesman, responding to texts and giving a sense of the whole team, in addition to updates on his own play.

Injuries have played a role in preseason preparation. Evan Brown, a junior forward, suffered a broken wrist. Otto Lenz, another junior frontcourtman, was hobbling on crutches at the varsity's workout with the junior varsity in the Big Gym Mon., Nov. 27, the day classes resumed after the week-long Thanksgiving break.

The 6'2" Brown, a newcomer to the varsity, updating a reporter, said, "I broke it in a game earlier in the fall when I was jumping up to block a shot and fell awkwardly on it." (I'm going to have hire him as a reporter, after that kind of crisp but fact-based report.)

He looked spry and healthy in practice Monday, slamming one ball home with two hands during Coach Paul Baranowski's drills inbounding the ball after baskets and utilizing different offensive options.

Lenz, also about 6'2" and likewise moving up from last year's junior varsity, said, "I am injured right now with strained and torn ligaments in my left big toe, so I'm going to be out for another week or so."

Present at the five-way scrimmage, he observed, "Friday's scrimmage went pretty good."

Senior Charlie Gal, the resident big man on the Vikings at 6'6", who vanquished seven-footer Brandon McCoy of Cathedral Catholic in a one-on-one defensive matchup, offered, "Team's looking great. We going to do big things this year."

Asked in a text dialogue what he was working on in his individual game right now, the Division 3 commit said, "Shooting and play making."

Gabe Solis, a junior newcomer, did not respond to text questions about preseason preparations. Nor did Jacob Ohara or Jacob Duffy. Gabe and his brother, Diego, a freshman, are both fresh additions to Baranowski's team.

Langston Aron is a 6'2" junior newcomer to the 11-man roster. "He played on JV last year, I believe," said Rawdin.

In practice Monday, the varsity and junior varsity, the latter team coached by Hugh Demiral, followed the same time schedule. The varsity players, during a 40-minute block of time during the full workout, showed poise, speed, outside shooting, missed dunks by Gal, which he chuckled about, and the varsity players modeling patterns before the JV players undertook the same drills.

A potential starting five for the varsity against RBV Friday could consist of Gal, Rawdin, Ohara, and Behzad Hashemi, all senior returners, and Brown. Junior Nick Hulquist has to be in that mix somewhere. The opener will tell.

One would think the usual La Jolla High steady and talented guard supply would be part of the rotation, including Duffy and both Solises. 

La Jolla is known as a "well-coached" team, in coaching circles. The Vikings, up and down the program, play disciplined team defense and team offense. With four-year cog Reed Farley playing for Harvard in the Wooden Classic over the Thanksgiving weekend, an era has passed and the Vikings' floor leadership and participation are open to takers.