By Ed Piper
Differentiating between her two goalies, La Jolla coach Amy Jennings said sophomore Maricarmen "M.C." Rendon has pool vision to see who is where, to anticipate as a play by the opposing offense is developing. "She sees," is the way the coach put it. M.C. wasn't eligible last year due to grades.
The other goalie, Shauna Franke, also a sophomore, is quick. The two goalies have different skills, both effective in the cage. "They're going to split time for a while," said Jennings. "They're pretty equal right now."
Commenting on her starters and returners, the coach said about returning senior Leslie Rendon, M.C.'s older sister: "Oh, gosh, Maturity. Experience. Kind of even, a level-headedness. Grounded. Composed.
"You wouldn't expect it. She comes out of nowhere. Everybody is focused on (teammate) Jensine (Bugelli on offense). Then Leslie comes, silent. There's a word for it." A reporter suggests, "Stealth?" "Stealth," agrees Jennings.
"She's really good with the team at practice. She'll see something and correct it. She doesn't score all the goals, but she's the glue" (holding her hands together). "We're going to do a team vote on captains." The intimation was that the elder Rendon would be a likely candidate, with the coach holding a big vote on the final selection of captains.
Of Bugelli, a junior returner, Jennings said: "She's fierce. She's fast. She is a machine. She just never quits.
"She never seems to get tired. There's some players who have to take a breather. Not her.
"'Two-two.' We have a term in water polo. Jensine is going to be our two-meter. The majority of girls all fill in where we need them. We don't have set positions. Maybe the set position (for a particular player) doesn't present itself until junior or senior year. But with Jensine, she's (fixed) at two-meter."
In an aside, Jennings, still an active player in adult leagues, calls herself a "field player, perimeter, anywhere."
Regarding junior Katy Koenig, the coach offered: "Yes, I like her. She's awesome. She's an amazing two-meter defender. She brings a unity, as well--teamwork and selflessness.
"She's like our two-meter defender on defense, but when we transition, she's our point (on offense). She can see things. She can feed the pass and score the touchdown."
Said Jennings, "I like football, so I use a lot of analogies (from that sport). If we have nothing, sometimes she'll take the ball" (and score).
"Last year she was a sophomore starter, so a two-year starter."
The coach on senior Julie Shriver, who was in the rotation last year as a junior: "She's definitely come a long way. She's super strong. I think her whole game awareness has increased from last year. She played in the offseason. She drew an ejection down there (in the team's scrimmage against Rancho Bernardo). She's going to do great."
About Shauna Franke in the first half of the RBHS scrimmage: What did you see? What did you like? Jennings: "Communication. She was doing a good job communicating. I heard her. She was calling out defenses."
Thursday, November 30, 2017
LJ g water polo: Connections missed
By Ed Piper
"Connection. We made connections. I like connections.
"Someone taking a shot, when they could pass to someone else," said Amy Jennings, La Jolla High's water polo coach, on the Vikings' scrimmage against host Rancho Bernardo. "There were at least four times when I thought they could have passed."
Pondering why the lack of "connection" on those plays, Jennings said, "Now they're (her players are) on the team. (Team selections have been finalized.) They don't need to prove to me how good they are. They don't need to stand out.
"We need the cohesiveness" (that results in "connecting" with passes to open teammates).
This, after a 14-1 thrashing of the Broncos. With everyone playing, there was a chance to assess.
Commented the coach, "I like the fact I can sub in and there is no drop-off in ability."
A reporter commented on freshman Kyla Westfall scoring with 10:35 left in the second half. "She's gonna be a great addition," said Jennings.
"Connection. We made connections. I like connections.
"Someone taking a shot, when they could pass to someone else," said Amy Jennings, La Jolla High's water polo coach, on the Vikings' scrimmage against host Rancho Bernardo. "There were at least four times when I thought they could have passed."
Pondering why the lack of "connection" on those plays, Jennings said, "Now they're (her players are) on the team. (Team selections have been finalized.) They don't need to prove to me how good they are. They don't need to stand out.
"We need the cohesiveness" (that results in "connecting" with passes to open teammates).
This, after a 14-1 thrashing of the Broncos. With everyone playing, there was a chance to assess.
Commented the coach, "I like the fact I can sub in and there is no drop-off in ability."
A reporter commented on freshman Kyla Westfall scoring with 10:35 left in the second half. "She's gonna be a great addition," said Jennings.
LJ g water polo: 'Havana'
Havana, ooh na-na (ay)
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh-na-na (ay, ay)
He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na
All of my heart is in Havana (ay)
"Havana" by Camila Cabello
By Ed Piper
Visitor (eyeing a peanut butter sandwich): "Oh, you eat that? Now I know what water polo players eat."
Same visitor later during break between scrimmages (seeing a Viking buying a mango smoothie from the concession stand at the Rancho Bernardo High pool): "Now I know that water polo players like smoothies, too."
La Jolla players' reaction: "Huh?"
"We like mac and cheese in Panera bread bowls, with a baguette on the side," called out a varsity team member.
Music was playing out of a player's portable speaker. Coach Amy Jennings was a short distance away, standing alongside opposing coaches, using the back of the metal spectator stands as a convenient prop to lean against.
La Jolla had just vanquished the host team, the Broncos, 14-1, in a game that didn't count, with all hands on deck. Even freshman newcomer Kyla Westfall got into the scoring act.
The vibe between practice games was good. The vibe was confident. These are highly-skilled club veterans. The Vikings trifled with their opponents, dangling the ball in the air at point-blank range in front of the RB goal, then firing the ball in to the unguarded sides of the cage for easy scores toward the latter stages of the scrimmage.
A running clock, with 20-minute halves, was used. Several other teams and their family members were coming and going as the six hours of games continued.
It was hot.
Regarding how she handled slimming her varsity roster from 19 swimmers to 17, Jennings said, "They were a sophomore and a freshman. The sophomore is brand-new to the sport, so she knew it was coming. We talked. I encouraged her to keep growing." These two were moved down to the junior varsity, so they'll see a ton of playing time there.
Characterizing the select 17 who survived the cut and make up the 2017-18 roster, the veteran coach, in her second year at La Jolla High, said, "We're a little bigger than last year. We have some players from the Shores (club). A majority play for the La Jolla club" run by Tom Atwell, the long-time LJHS boys water polo coach.
The vibe back among the girls continued. Munching, chatting, relaxing to music. Recharging for the second scrimmage.
Senior Kiley McClure piped up. A reporter asked if she knew Evan Brown. "I'm going out with Evan Brown," McClure said. "He's a junior. You robbed the cradle," joked the visitor. She laughed.
"Tell he him he failed to respond to my text." "I'll text him," she said. Brown, on the Viking varsity basketball team, responded immediately: "Sorry I didn't respond over Thanksgiving. I just came back from a broken wrist."
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh-na-na (ay, ay)
He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na
All of my heart is in Havana (ay)
"Havana" by Camila Cabello
By Ed Piper
Visitor (eyeing a peanut butter sandwich): "Oh, you eat that? Now I know what water polo players eat."
Same visitor later during break between scrimmages (seeing a Viking buying a mango smoothie from the concession stand at the Rancho Bernardo High pool): "Now I know that water polo players like smoothies, too."
La Jolla players' reaction: "Huh?"
"We like mac and cheese in Panera bread bowls, with a baguette on the side," called out a varsity team member.
Music was playing out of a player's portable speaker. Coach Amy Jennings was a short distance away, standing alongside opposing coaches, using the back of the metal spectator stands as a convenient prop to lean against.
La Jolla had just vanquished the host team, the Broncos, 14-1, in a game that didn't count, with all hands on deck. Even freshman newcomer Kyla Westfall got into the scoring act.
The vibe between practice games was good. The vibe was confident. These are highly-skilled club veterans. The Vikings trifled with their opponents, dangling the ball in the air at point-blank range in front of the RB goal, then firing the ball in to the unguarded sides of the cage for easy scores toward the latter stages of the scrimmage.
A running clock, with 20-minute halves, was used. Several other teams and their family members were coming and going as the six hours of games continued.
It was hot.
Regarding how she handled slimming her varsity roster from 19 swimmers to 17, Jennings said, "They were a sophomore and a freshman. The sophomore is brand-new to the sport, so she knew it was coming. We talked. I encouraged her to keep growing." These two were moved down to the junior varsity, so they'll see a ton of playing time there.
Characterizing the select 17 who survived the cut and make up the 2017-18 roster, the veteran coach, in her second year at La Jolla High, said, "We're a little bigger than last year. We have some players from the Shores (club). A majority play for the La Jolla club" run by Tom Atwell, the long-time LJHS boys water polo coach.
The vibe back among the girls continued. Munching, chatting, relaxing to music. Recharging for the second scrimmage.
Senior Kiley McClure piped up. A reporter asked if she knew Evan Brown. "I'm going out with Evan Brown," McClure said. "He's a junior. You robbed the cradle," joked the visitor. She laughed.
"Tell he him he failed to respond to my text." "I'll text him," she said. Brown, on the Viking varsity basketball team, responded immediately: "Sorry I didn't respond over Thanksgiving. I just came back from a broken wrist."
LJ b soccer: Preview
By Ed Piper
La Jolla's boys soccer team, only one year removed from the Division 4 CIF title, opens its 2017-18 season at home Fri., Dec. 1.
Assistant coach Victor Zendejas, working with individual players in left field of the baseball field at Muirlands Middle School while head coach Marco Gonzales oversaw the varsity players scrimmaging on the field hockey rectangle, commented on the impending season at practice Wed., Nov. 29.
The Vikings, as usual, bring a lot of U.S. Academy and club talent to the pitch. Captains are Marco Furlanis and Luis Goehler, the one a center midfielder, the other a returning senior hailing from Halle, Germany. Goehler is a striker positioned out front of the forwards.
Also returning from last year's squad are Max Leonard, a hustling midfielder, and Jack MacDorman, a center midfielder. Another returner is junior Emiliano Godinez.
Lucas Stritzker, a junior newcomer to this year's varsity, was holding down one goal during the afternoon scrimmage. There is another goalkeeper for the Vikings he may have to contend with for playing time, according to Zendejas.
Noah Brown is a junior left or right back.
Zendejas said his son, Adrian, is now a goalkeeper for the MLS's Kansas City Sporting, which is in its team's offseason.
La Jolla's boys soccer team, only one year removed from the Division 4 CIF title, opens its 2017-18 season at home Fri., Dec. 1.
Assistant coach Victor Zendejas, working with individual players in left field of the baseball field at Muirlands Middle School while head coach Marco Gonzales oversaw the varsity players scrimmaging on the field hockey rectangle, commented on the impending season at practice Wed., Nov. 29.
The Vikings, as usual, bring a lot of U.S. Academy and club talent to the pitch. Captains are Marco Furlanis and Luis Goehler, the one a center midfielder, the other a returning senior hailing from Halle, Germany. Goehler is a striker positioned out front of the forwards.
Also returning from last year's squad are Max Leonard, a hustling midfielder, and Jack MacDorman, a center midfielder. Another returner is junior Emiliano Godinez.
Lucas Stritzker, a junior newcomer to this year's varsity, was holding down one goal during the afternoon scrimmage. There is another goalkeeper for the Vikings he may have to contend with for playing time, according to Zendejas.
Noah Brown is a junior left or right back.
Zendejas said his son, Adrian, is now a goalkeeper for the MLS's Kansas City Sporting, which is in its team's offseason.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
LJ g BB: 'Strow'
 |
| Brooke Strowbridge (13) warms up with teammates before her first home game at her new school. (Photo by Ed Piper) |
By Ed Piper
In their 2017-18 home opener, the La Jolla High girls showed something they didn't last year: a newcomer recently moved from the state of Washington, Brooke Strowbridge.
Strowbridge, who has only lived in La Jolla since June, wasn't perfect in the Vikings' first game on their home court. But she provided enough of a lift to make Coach Darice Carnaje's new edition look a bit different from the prior edition.
She dribbled the ball with smoothness, showed a court awareness of where her teammates were and made several nifty passes to them, and hit the three-pointer under duress.
It paid off for the red and black, who took home their first victory of the young season, 41-17, over a Steele Canyon team that looked like a match in the early going.
How has the junior handled the change in geography and schools? "I mean, it's been an adjustment," said the smiling, unassuming blond with a long ponytail. "I moved in June."
Asked how it was playing her first game on her new school's home court, she deflected the question. Then asked if she enjoyed the game, Strowbridge said, "Yes. It was a good game. We played well."
Told that she helped distribute the ball among her teammates, she said, "I like to pass."
A teammate, Kat Kurtchi, was passing nearby. "And don't forget the three at the buzzer," she called out.
The 5'8" wing was just what Carnaje's Vikings have needed, someone to help bring their play under more control. She made an immediate impact in the game, setting up Imani Trinadad-Gallagher for a basket to give La Jolla an early 5-2 lead.
Then, guarding Steele Canyon's Mahkaylah Cline near the basket, Strowbridge caused Cline to commit an offensive foul when she couldn't get around her defender. On the next trip down the floor, "Strow" forced the frustrated Cline to travel for another turnover. The Vikings still only led 5-2.
In the crucial third quarter, Strowbridge really left her mark. She started off the period by hitting a jumper. With the Vikings' lead starting to dwindle at 18-11, Brooke and a Cougar both went for a loose ball. The La Jolla player got there first, grabbing the ball and absorbing the collision when the two hit. She didn't seem fazed at all. The other girl fell to the floor and needed a moment to recover.
Strowbridge made an ill-advised inbounds pass from the baseline at the 5:30 mark in the quarter, throwing the ball far out near midcourt. But Rebecca Saul saved the ball, retrieving it in the backcourt after a Steele Canyon player tipped it.
The Washingtonian followed that with another poor pass across court to Saul misdirected and too hot to handle.
But, not shying away, Strowbridge blocked Cougar Reagan Jordan's shot underneath at the other end, visibly frustrating Jordan.
Unfortunately, and curiously, due to no fault of the hustling newcomer, the Vikings' lead almost evaporated, Carnaje's team confronted with a three-point lead, 18-15. There was 2:55 left in the period.
Brooke drained her three with .02 second on the clock, not touching any metal on the way down, to end the quarter. By then, La Jolla had gone on a spurt to lead 29-15, which would balloon to 38-15 midway through the final period to secure the game.
Strowbridge said her hometown in Washington, Stanwood, "is an hour north of Seattle."
Listed as a junior last year at Stanwood High on MaxPreps, Strowbridge was on the varsity basketball team but played a negligible role, appearing in only 17 of the Spartans' 26 games. The team was quite good, finishing 9-3 in its district, 20-6 overall.
According to Athletic.net, she ran track in the eighth grade at Stanwood Middle School in 2015, competing in the 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay, shot put, and discus.
Her older sister, Haley, played power forward in basketball two years ahead of Brooke, at 5'11". That year, the Spartans went an excellent 8-2 in their district, 15-7 overall. The elder Strowbridge also played volleyball at Stanwood, whereas the new Viking was only listed in the basketball program.
Haley now plays basketball for George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, after being named First Team in her high school's district as a senior. She ranks second in career three-pointers at Stanwood.
Stanwood played teams like Bellevue and Everett, Washington, during their schedule last year.
The population of Stanwood was 6,231 in the 2010 census.
Eugene Peterson, a well-known theologian, was born in East Stanwood, Washington. East Stanwood and Stanwood were consolidated into one city subsequently, in 1960.
LJ g BB 41, Steele Canyon 17
By Ed Piper
La Jolla scored 20 unanswered points through the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, breaking open a close game and putting away Steele Canyon, 41-17, to win the Vikings' home opener Tues., Nov. 28 and even their record for the young season at 1-1.
It was a total team effort as several girls contributed, propelling third-year coach Darice Carnaje's team from a narrow 18-15 lead with 2:55 left in the third period to blow the visitors out, frustrating them into multiple offensive fouls and poorly-chosen shots.
Four-year point guard Rebecca Saul drove her teammates down court, forward Skyla Loux showed some physicality and hustle, diving for a loose ball, Sina Anae provided her athleticism, and Imani Trinadad-Gallagher, another four-year veteran, hit some shots from outside.
Newcomer Brooke Strowbridge, a junior from Stanwood, Washington, added some ball distribution and court discipline, as she hit a three-pointer with .02 second left on the clock to end the third quarter and put an exclamation point on the Vikings' drive, at that point 11 straight points for a 29-15 advantage.
Loux led all scorers with 10 points, the only player in double figures. Trinadad-Gallagher, Anae, and Strowbridge all finished with seven points each.
The Vikings held Steele Canyon, playing its season opener on the road, to two points in the fourth quarter.
La Jolla, showing some promise of better things early in the season, losing by only 10 the night before at Carlsbad, held a 10-5 lead at the end of the first quarter and 16-9 at halftime. Carnaje used multiple lineup combinations, with a seasoned Saul playing a feature role.
In the early going, Trinadad-Gallagher scored on an assist from Strowbridge, then hit a three from the right side for 8-5. Loux hit a jumper with half a minute left in the initial stanza, putting the Vikes up by five.
In the second period, returner Kat Kurtchi, coming off the bench in Carnaje's new alignment, fed Strowbridge for a bucket, then took the ball the length of the floor, dribbling the ball behind her back in vintage Kurtchi style, to lay the ball high off the glass for another basket.
But after leading 18-9 early in the third quarter, the Vikings saw Steele Canyon close the gap to three before going on their big spurt.
The game was the first one for La Jolla in the Matador Classic, sponsored by Carnaje's alma mater where she starred in basketball and tennis as a prep, Mount Miguel.
Flow and performance, continued
By Ed Piper
In my previous posts about the flow of a game and an individual athlete's performance being affected by the system in which she or he plays in, I am thinking primarily of team sports like basketball and football in which opposing players interweave and actively try to take the ball away from the opponent.
These comments would also apply in similar team sports like soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey.
For example, when aging centerfielder Willie Mays' skills began to erode badly in the early 70's, and he had continued to play baseball way beyond his prime, the fact he would drop easy flyballs in centerfield that he formerly would have handled with ease wasn't due to the opponent's varying tactics. That was just bad baseball. He should have retired before playing for the Mets into his 40's, which is ancient for a pro athlete in many sports.
Do my ideas of a system fitting an individual performer work for, say, badminton? I interviewed a star player for the University City team, a boy. He could blast a serve at over 100 mph, he figured. If his performance had dropped off, could it have been due to opponents' changing strategies? Maybe. But also, he might have experienced a drop in self-confidence in his skills. Maybe he lessened the extent of his preparation. Maybe he had other things on his mind that were interfering with his mental outlook, which formerly freed him up and empowered him to play at a high level. All of these, if his performance had dropped off hypothetically.
In my previous posts about the flow of a game and an individual athlete's performance being affected by the system in which she or he plays in, I am thinking primarily of team sports like basketball and football in which opposing players interweave and actively try to take the ball away from the opponent.
These comments would also apply in similar team sports like soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey.
For example, when aging centerfielder Willie Mays' skills began to erode badly in the early 70's, and he had continued to play baseball way beyond his prime, the fact he would drop easy flyballs in centerfield that he formerly would have handled with ease wasn't due to the opponent's varying tactics. That was just bad baseball. He should have retired before playing for the Mets into his 40's, which is ancient for a pro athlete in many sports.
Do my ideas of a system fitting an individual performer work for, say, badminton? I interviewed a star player for the University City team, a boy. He could blast a serve at over 100 mph, he figured. If his performance had dropped off, could it have been due to opponents' changing strategies? Maybe. But also, he might have experienced a drop in self-confidence in his skills. Maybe he lessened the extent of his preparation. Maybe he had other things on his mind that were interfering with his mental outlook, which formerly freed him up and empowered him to play at a high level. All of these, if his performance had dropped off hypothetically.
Monday, November 27, 2017
System - Part II
By Ed Piper
There's more to be said on an athlete fitting into a team system. (See previous post.) Just because an athlete's individual skills are utilized or not doesn't mean the coach should or will change the system.
The coach and the management decides what system they think will succeed for that organization. So, if L.T. is utilized less as a running back, though he's a stellar talent, c'est la vie. That's the way it goes.
But where this consideration of how to maximize an individual team member's abilities comes in is if the system can be changed. The coach might very well wanted to employ one of his or her athletes more to make his team more powerful, more effective--more successful.
Then, by tweaking things--or by a complete overhaul, as happened when James Harden was given the ball in Houston last year and he ran to the riches--or Russell Westbrooks was given the keys to the Escalade in Oklahoma City when LeBron James left and took his game to triple-double heaven--the particular performer's skills can be unleashed.
There's more to be said on an athlete fitting into a team system. (See previous post.) Just because an athlete's individual skills are utilized or not doesn't mean the coach should or will change the system.
The coach and the management decides what system they think will succeed for that organization. So, if L.T. is utilized less as a running back, though he's a stellar talent, c'est la vie. That's the way it goes.
But where this consideration of how to maximize an individual team member's abilities comes in is if the system can be changed. The coach might very well wanted to employ one of his or her athletes more to make his team more powerful, more effective--more successful.
Then, by tweaking things--or by a complete overhaul, as happened when James Harden was given the ball in Houston last year and he ran to the riches--or Russell Westbrooks was given the keys to the Escalade in Oklahoma City when LeBron James left and took his game to triple-double heaven--the particular performer's skills can be unleashed.
System and athlete go hand-in-glove
By Ed Piper
This is more an observation about college or professional sports, rather than high school sports. And it's not my original idea. It has come from others.
My observation is that individual athletes playing in team sports must play within a system that is conducive to using their gifts or abilities to be effective.
An outstanding athlete--here I'm thinking of pro athletes--can play really well in a team system that uses his or her gifts, or play really terribly if that overall system doesn't allow him or her to use their individual skills.
What I mean is that, you take a LaDainian Tomlinson or Pau Gasol. L.T., the great former running back for the Chargers who has since been elected to the football Hall of Fame, went from scoring a record 31 touchdowns in one season, to being under-utilized a few years later when the team changed to a pass-friendly, Philip Rivers-led offense. L.T. complained mightily; he disappeared in clear sight, because the ball wasn't being given to him the way it had been previously. Granted, he had also, by then, taken a million hits as a running back, and he was getting older.
Or Pau Gasol. On the Lakers, he had to play alongside Kobe Bryant, though brilliant a ball hog much of the time, with an ego to match it. So Gasol was effective for a few years from his post position: 7 feet tall, agile, runs the basketball court well. He scored, rebounded, defended, and fit into the team scheme. The Lakers, partly because of his contributions, won championships.
But things shifted, and his role was changed. He no longer seemed to be as good a player. That actually wasn't totally true: He was having less of an impact, but his individual skills had not diminished. He just was being put into an offensive system that didn't highlight his particular abilities. He eventually left, and went to the Chicago Bulls, where he showed he was still a stellar player.
The reason this athlete-in-system issue comes up is that you frequently see athletes' performances vary from impressive to less-than. Why is that? I have pondered. Sure, older athletes, like possibly Eli Manning of the New York Giants right now who is going through a horrendous season with his football team, erode in skills eventually as they age. That's just a product of the aging process. Totally normal.
But others experience a dip in a season right after one in which they excelled. This is the quandary. Are they one-season wonders, who really aren't that good consistently but they had a career season, which they will never repeat again? Wil Myers of the Padres showed some production, gained a franchise-record contract over several years last winter, and he bombed this season, along with the rest of the farm-team-level team. He has never shown himself to be a star over a period of seasons. His career batting average never did peak.
The Padres, in their rush to find a "face of the franchise", made a bad business decision by giving Myers, unproven and not an established star, a huge contract which they're either going to have to eat or trade away when it becomes apparent he isn't up to the stardom that the contract would indicate.
No, I'm talking instead about proven athletes who are known quantities, yet who suffer through ups and downs apart from injuries or the normal inconsistency that comes in sports performance--because humans are not robots, they're flesh, blood, and human minds that have to butt up against pressure, the challenge of repeating a command performance night-after-night, and so forth.
Who is a great example of what I'm talking about?
Lou Brock, the great Cardinal base-stealer, was a garden-variety outfielder with the Chicago Cubs, then was traded to St. Louis and became the top base-stealer of all time (until Rickey Henderson) and a Hall of Fame all-around performer. But that was partly because Brock was ready to blossom at that point in his career.
Isaiah Thomas of the Celtics, a short 5'9" in the NBA, dominated games last year as he led Boston into the playoffs (before suffering a season-ending injury). The system Boston used allowed the tiny guard to handle the ball all the time, to dish it out or to score. That's what he did, and he did it well.
If he had played for a coach who said, "Here, Isaiah, you're short, you're not going to be our centerpiece. You help move the ball around to your teammates," he wouldn't have soared to the heights of performance the way he did during the regular season.
I wonder how many young athletes had the potential, yet they weren't able to get a footing or use their abilities in a way that helped them develop and become more proficient performers. I know that when I played basketball in high school, I was new to the sport. In the 10th grade, my coach said to me, the tallest guy on the practice court at nearly 6'5", "Shoot the ball." I was right under the basket, but I hadn't yet developed a shot or any moves to score. So, facing away from the basket and hearing Coach Cornelius, I leaned over backwards and threw the ball up over my head. Ridiculous, but I didn't know how to apply what he was encouraging me to do. That came later.
Fast-forward two years, and I had an additional year of basketball (though only during the school season, in reality) and growth physically. My varsity coach knew how to get inside individual players' heads and motivate them. He motivated me by fear. He yelled at me to get aggressive. This was a big struggle for me, but it forced me to get out of my lawdy-daw, rope-a-dope playing, that lacked aggression and effectiveness, and led to me fighting for the ball, wanting to win, and more importantly, having the confidence that I belonged out on the court and could now help my team overcome.
If you're not comfortable on the court, and you're kind of apologetic, allowing other athletes to have their way and to push you around, you won't be effective. I'm thinking of basketball now, but I think it applies to other sports. When you take that step of personal confidence in your playing skills, everyone in the gym can spot it from the top of the stands--you behave differently, you play differently. You have an impact on the contest at hand.
It's not ego. It's balance. Having an accurate view of yourself. You have skills, you've worked hard at developing them, and it's time for you to play showing that's true.
But, again, these individual skills have to be fit into a team system. And that's the rub.
This is more an observation about college or professional sports, rather than high school sports. And it's not my original idea. It has come from others.
My observation is that individual athletes playing in team sports must play within a system that is conducive to using their gifts or abilities to be effective.
An outstanding athlete--here I'm thinking of pro athletes--can play really well in a team system that uses his or her gifts, or play really terribly if that overall system doesn't allow him or her to use their individual skills.
What I mean is that, you take a LaDainian Tomlinson or Pau Gasol. L.T., the great former running back for the Chargers who has since been elected to the football Hall of Fame, went from scoring a record 31 touchdowns in one season, to being under-utilized a few years later when the team changed to a pass-friendly, Philip Rivers-led offense. L.T. complained mightily; he disappeared in clear sight, because the ball wasn't being given to him the way it had been previously. Granted, he had also, by then, taken a million hits as a running back, and he was getting older.
Or Pau Gasol. On the Lakers, he had to play alongside Kobe Bryant, though brilliant a ball hog much of the time, with an ego to match it. So Gasol was effective for a few years from his post position: 7 feet tall, agile, runs the basketball court well. He scored, rebounded, defended, and fit into the team scheme. The Lakers, partly because of his contributions, won championships.
But things shifted, and his role was changed. He no longer seemed to be as good a player. That actually wasn't totally true: He was having less of an impact, but his individual skills had not diminished. He just was being put into an offensive system that didn't highlight his particular abilities. He eventually left, and went to the Chicago Bulls, where he showed he was still a stellar player.
The reason this athlete-in-system issue comes up is that you frequently see athletes' performances vary from impressive to less-than. Why is that? I have pondered. Sure, older athletes, like possibly Eli Manning of the New York Giants right now who is going through a horrendous season with his football team, erode in skills eventually as they age. That's just a product of the aging process. Totally normal.
But others experience a dip in a season right after one in which they excelled. This is the quandary. Are they one-season wonders, who really aren't that good consistently but they had a career season, which they will never repeat again? Wil Myers of the Padres showed some production, gained a franchise-record contract over several years last winter, and he bombed this season, along with the rest of the farm-team-level team. He has never shown himself to be a star over a period of seasons. His career batting average never did peak.
The Padres, in their rush to find a "face of the franchise", made a bad business decision by giving Myers, unproven and not an established star, a huge contract which they're either going to have to eat or trade away when it becomes apparent he isn't up to the stardom that the contract would indicate.
No, I'm talking instead about proven athletes who are known quantities, yet who suffer through ups and downs apart from injuries or the normal inconsistency that comes in sports performance--because humans are not robots, they're flesh, blood, and human minds that have to butt up against pressure, the challenge of repeating a command performance night-after-night, and so forth.
Who is a great example of what I'm talking about?
Lou Brock, the great Cardinal base-stealer, was a garden-variety outfielder with the Chicago Cubs, then was traded to St. Louis and became the top base-stealer of all time (until Rickey Henderson) and a Hall of Fame all-around performer. But that was partly because Brock was ready to blossom at that point in his career.
Isaiah Thomas of the Celtics, a short 5'9" in the NBA, dominated games last year as he led Boston into the playoffs (before suffering a season-ending injury). The system Boston used allowed the tiny guard to handle the ball all the time, to dish it out or to score. That's what he did, and he did it well.
If he had played for a coach who said, "Here, Isaiah, you're short, you're not going to be our centerpiece. You help move the ball around to your teammates," he wouldn't have soared to the heights of performance the way he did during the regular season.
I wonder how many young athletes had the potential, yet they weren't able to get a footing or use their abilities in a way that helped them develop and become more proficient performers. I know that when I played basketball in high school, I was new to the sport. In the 10th grade, my coach said to me, the tallest guy on the practice court at nearly 6'5", "Shoot the ball." I was right under the basket, but I hadn't yet developed a shot or any moves to score. So, facing away from the basket and hearing Coach Cornelius, I leaned over backwards and threw the ball up over my head. Ridiculous, but I didn't know how to apply what he was encouraging me to do. That came later.
Fast-forward two years, and I had an additional year of basketball (though only during the school season, in reality) and growth physically. My varsity coach knew how to get inside individual players' heads and motivate them. He motivated me by fear. He yelled at me to get aggressive. This was a big struggle for me, but it forced me to get out of my lawdy-daw, rope-a-dope playing, that lacked aggression and effectiveness, and led to me fighting for the ball, wanting to win, and more importantly, having the confidence that I belonged out on the court and could now help my team overcome.
If you're not comfortable on the court, and you're kind of apologetic, allowing other athletes to have their way and to push you around, you won't be effective. I'm thinking of basketball now, but I think it applies to other sports. When you take that step of personal confidence in your playing skills, everyone in the gym can spot it from the top of the stands--you behave differently, you play differently. You have an impact on the contest at hand.
It's not ego. It's balance. Having an accurate view of yourself. You have skills, you've worked hard at developing them, and it's time for you to play showing that's true.
But, again, these individual skills have to be fit into a team system. And that's the rub.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
A game of feel
By Ed Piper
Basketball is a game of feel.
When you crisscross the ball between your legs, front-to-back, back-to-front, then around the sides, both hands, you get a feel.
Of course, as a younger player, you can't dribble the ball well enough to do all this. That's why you carry your ball with you everywhere, dribble everywhere. Especially your offhand. You can't end up a one-hand cripple who can only dribble with your strong hand.
Pete Maravich's dad, Press, the coach at LSU, drove the family car at low speeds while his son dribbled the ball on the street with his arm reaching out the passenger window.
The more natural the mechanics of handling the ball are, the better you're released to make magic moving the ball, passing it, shooting it, grabbing it off the backboard.
Some days your body isn't moving the way you would like. Early day games can be tough, because you feel lethargic from the lack of warmth and lack of movement, so you try to break through that torpid state by warming up, getting your knees high, stretching, running in place, anything that will help jack up the energy and limberness level.
Some games, you feel good in warm-ups but once the game starts, everything is off. Of course, as an athlete in a team game, you can't control everything. The other team may take it to you immediately, and you and your mates find yourselves running backwards defensively, just trying to catch up.
Other games, things come easily and the feel matches the effectiveness.
Younger, the goal is just to keep the lows from having the bottom fall out--like when you face an opponent, and you are nowhere to be seen, neither in the box score nor on the floor. As you work on consistency, you have fewer of these days, but they still happen.
The only way to counteract the dropouts is to work fundamentally on what your coach instructs you as a team, concentrating on the team system both offensively and defensively, playing your role, increasing your skills to the benefit, not just to you in your game personally, but to the benefit of the team.
Basketball is a game of flow.
Like I alluded to, sometimes the current is flowing the other team's way and you get swept off your feet.
Other times, you can feel a smoothness. Basketball is artistic; it is a ballet, as poetic writers say. Just look at any photo of guard dribbling and defender mirroring the same, exact posture. A tandem ballet. Now, that is beauty. Nothing like it. And it can feel just as beautiful out on the floor.
Basketball is kinesthetic.
It feels good. You wend the ball back-and-forth between your legs, you run layups, you slap the bottom of the backboard after releasing the ball on a layup. There is sound, rhythm, connection. The synapses of the brain must be hearing a symphony, because mind, body, soul fall into a unity that can't be achieved any other way.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
LJ b BB: Brownie
By Ed Piper
"We played well as a team. We were playing fast and smart, and we played great team defense," offered forward Evan Brown, a junior newcomer, on La Jolla High's scrimmage on Black Friday, Nov. 24.
"I just got back to playing Monday (Nov. 20) from my broken wrist," said Brown, a 6'2" frontcourtman. "I played in our scrimmage and I felt pretty good."
Added the physical inside player, "I have been working on my shot while recovering from my wrist injury, and I feel it has improved a lot."
"We played well as a team. We were playing fast and smart, and we played great team defense," offered forward Evan Brown, a junior newcomer, on La Jolla High's scrimmage on Black Friday, Nov. 24.
"I just got back to playing Monday (Nov. 20) from my broken wrist," said Brown, a 6'2" frontcourtman. "I played in our scrimmage and I felt pretty good."
Added the physical inside player, "I have been working on my shot while recovering from my wrist injury, and I feel it has improved a lot."
LJ b BB: Demiral's JV's
By Ed Piper
"I've brought up a lot of freshmen to the junior varsity. They're very talented. They know the game," said Hugh Demiral, who has moved up to being JV boys basketball coach at La Jolla High this year from his position the last two years as freshman team coach.
The 6'9" former Euro League star from Turkey, who has enjoyed immense popularity among the younger La Jolla High basketball players and their families since coming on the scene in 2015, didn't want to single out any names of players. But he said: "I think it's going to be a fun season."
The former guard/postman, who entered the national basketball academy in his native country as a young person and grew up in the national sports system, said there are numerous freshmen and, "I think it's better (to move them up)."
The JV's and freshmen went on a conditioning run together Wednesday morning, Nov. 22, up Nautilus St. "I had the freshmen, too, because Scotty Epstein (the new freshman coach) was out of town," Demiral said.
On Epstein, the JV coach opined, "He's a pretty good coach. He's pretty smart. I like his kind of basketball."
Epstein, like La Jolla head basketball coach Paul Baranowski, works at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center.
Regarding Wednesday morning's run, Demiral said, "Conditioning is very important so they (team members) won't get tired during the game. We've been doing a lot of conditioning."
Two years ago Demiral's first freshman team at LJHS had an all-star lineup of young players. Nathaniel Gates and Otto Lenz played in the front court. Nick Hulquist, Gabe Solis, Jacob Duffy, and others made up a talented backcourt. The team faced University City in the league championship game and lost narrowly in an excitement-packed game at UCHS.
"I've brought up a lot of freshmen to the junior varsity. They're very talented. They know the game," said Hugh Demiral, who has moved up to being JV boys basketball coach at La Jolla High this year from his position the last two years as freshman team coach.
The 6'9" former Euro League star from Turkey, who has enjoyed immense popularity among the younger La Jolla High basketball players and their families since coming on the scene in 2015, didn't want to single out any names of players. But he said: "I think it's going to be a fun season."
The former guard/postman, who entered the national basketball academy in his native country as a young person and grew up in the national sports system, said there are numerous freshmen and, "I think it's better (to move them up)."
The JV's and freshmen went on a conditioning run together Wednesday morning, Nov. 22, up Nautilus St. "I had the freshmen, too, because Scotty Epstein (the new freshman coach) was out of town," Demiral said.
On Epstein, the JV coach opined, "He's a pretty good coach. He's pretty smart. I like his kind of basketball."
Epstein, like La Jolla head basketball coach Paul Baranowski, works at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center.
Regarding Wednesday morning's run, Demiral said, "Conditioning is very important so they (team members) won't get tired during the game. We've been doing a lot of conditioning."
Two years ago Demiral's first freshman team at LJHS had an all-star lineup of young players. Nathaniel Gates and Otto Lenz played in the front court. Nick Hulquist, Gabe Solis, Jacob Duffy, and others made up a talented backcourt. The team faced University City in the league championship game and lost narrowly in an excitement-packed game at UCHS.
LJ g water polo: Scrimmage at RB
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| Vike girls have a fingernail check before the first scrimmage against Rancho Bernardo. (Photo by Ed Piper) |
By Ed Piper
La Jolla smoked host Rancho Bernardo in the Broncos' home pool, 14-1, Sat., Nov. 25, in a preseason tune-up for the Vikings' season opener at home Dec. 7.
Second-year coach Amy Jennings got everyone into the act, as all 17 of her newly-selected varsity team members played and even freshman newcomer Kyla Westfall scored a goal in front of her proud mother and grandfather.
The scrimmage, the first of two morning contests on the Saturday during Thanksgiving break, followed Friday's Alumni Game, which drew about 60 spectators and brought last year's senior standouts--Karli Canale, Ciara Franke, Bennett Bugelli, and Sydney Boland--back to the Vikings' Coggan Pool.
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