La Jolla's Ladd Castellano pushes toward the middle in a
win over Marysville-Pilchuck, Washington, in the UCSD
Team Camp July 14. Castellano, a 6-2 junior guard, is
expected to make a major contribution this season
following a productive summer. (Photo by Ed Piper)
"I played on a club team. That helped me a lot," revealed Ladd Castellano, a junior at La Jolla, regarding the leaps and bounds of progress he showed in his basketball game during the past spring and summer through four team camps and tournaments. Castellano's work with his club team came in addition to La Jolla High tutelage and work.
Even between his play in the Madison spring league last April and May, and the skill level, confidence, and effectiveness he demonstrated in games in the San Diego State camp and Grossmont tournament in June, and the UCSD Team Camp in July, a difference was visible. Ladd blossomed and suddenly became a major leader on the La Jolla varsity squad.
The Vikings open 2013-14 play in a tournament game Monday, Dec. 3, at Kearny High, starting at 5 p.m. The tournament is the GameOnSports Challenge that Coach Paul Baranowski has entered his team in.
Baranowski announced his probable starters for the opener at Kearny: Castellano, Sam Schneider, Reed Farley, Madigan Sepulveda-Sanders, and Morgan Albers.
Zach Duffy and Myles Polger are likely to be the first ones in after the start.
Nic Skala, a "probable starter" in coach Paul Baranowski's projection as the season progresses, is just coming off a spectacular fall football season that ended Friday night with the Viking football team's loss to Monte Vista in the CIF Division IV semifinals.
Nic, as well as Mark Rawdin, probably won't play this first week of the season due to their changeover from football. Skala, returning to the varsity basketball squad from last year, won All-Western League First Team honors in football as a wide receiver. He used plenty of his leaping ability in a high-wire act snagging mid-air passes from quarterback Collin Rugg in the Vikings' high-powered offense.
Farley is a freshman, having just enrolled in high school this fall. He made an immediate impact when he joined the basketball team in summer league games. His older sisters, Ryan and Clare, have been major cogs in the La Jolla girls volleyball program for the past several years.
Morgan Albers, a sophomore, is a surprise since he didn't even play with the varsity during the summer portion of the schedule. He played with the junior varsity. He is listed as 6-2 on the Vikings' MaxPreps roster (maxpreps.com).
It's good to see Duffy back. He sustained a leg injury midway through the summer and had to sit out several games. But he attended each game and stayed in the team dynamics despite the injury.
Coach Baranowski is returning for his second season as Vikings head coach. He completed a seamless transition last year from his predecessor, Kamal Assaf, who stepped down as coach after a decade at the helm due to family needs, including being a papa. Baranowski had been his assistant for a couple of seasons, including while his son Jake played for the varsity. Jake Baranowski is now LJHS freshman boys basketball coach. Assaf continues as a full-time teacher at The Bishop's School in La Jolla.
Also "likely to contribute" this season, according to Baranowski, in addition to Rawdin, are guard Owen Porter and forward Elijah Kearns.
Rounding out the roster are Michael Teller, Gaynor Blackmon, Daniel Hemming, Max Scott, and Grant Miller.
Copyright 2013 Ed Piper
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