Western League b BB: 'They don't give up'

By Ed Piper

The Kearny Komets, of all teams in the Western League, would seem to have the most reason to run for cover.

The Clairemont-area school, the alma mater of Hall of Fame shortstop Alan Trammell, is presently (Jan. 8) 4-12 overall, after losses in its first two games in league play.

But Coach Foad Ahwazi, who goes by Todd, seeks to have his players "play hard no matter what the score is."

"We have a senior, DeAndre Andrews, averaging 25 points a game," said Ahwazi, sitting in the coaches' office at Kearny High during the last period of the day, period four, light raindrops falling outside in a precursor of a one-inch storm forecast for the night and morning of Tues., Jan. 9.

"They (his team) plays loose. The last couple of weeks we've been hanging in there the best we can. We went through our struggles. We had an eight-game losing streak."

But Ahwazi, whose last name in Farsi means a person from the town of Ahwaz, in Iran, he says, said he is continuing to train his players to play their best, whatever the circumstances.

"We also have Brenton Bell, a senior. He's our point guard and ball-handler. He was a running back for the football team, the second leading rusher in the county.

"Aside from them, we're a young team. DeAndre hasn't been able to be on the court the last three years, so he has finally made it.

"If we need DeAndre to bring the ball up court, he can. He's broad-shouldered."

Ahwazi had a team practice scheduled from 3:30 to 5:30 later in the afternoon. Fourth period lets out at 3:30 at Kearny, in one of the latest dismissals in the area. He'll have to take the Komets into battle at St. Augustine Tues., Jan. 9, at 5 p.m. The Saints might be ripe for an upset right now, as they continue to experience the trials of a young team without older floor leadership.

"Mike (Haupt) is a good coach," said Ahwazi. "His son (Luke, a sophomore guard) is a good player, too."

The Kearny coach remembered La Jolla's Reed Farley. "Didn't they go to the Division 2 finals two years ago?" he asked, remembering correctly. The Vikings faced Country Day in the title game, and lost.