Players from Hollister, Gilroy and the two Morgan Hill schools
named to team
He was solid in the paint, could hit clutch medium-range jump
shots with either hand and passed the ball well. And at 6-foot-5
inches tall, Gilroy High’s Ryan Chisolm was also a major presence
on the boards.
Players from Hollister, Gilroy and the two Morgan Hill schools named to team
He was solid in the paint, could hit clutch medium-range jump shots with either hand and passed the ball well. And at 6-foot-5 inches tall, Gilroy High’s Ryan Chisolm was also a major presence on the boards.
Recently Chisolm, who played both the small and power forward positions for the league champion Mustangs of Gilroy High, was named the MVP of the league.
Chisolm’s play, along with that of 6-foot-2-inch guard Kameron Handy were major factors behind the Mustangs success this season – a success that amounted to a 21-8 record overall and an 11-1 mark in league play.
Both players were named to the Tri County Athletic League’s All-League squad for the 2005-2006 season.
Chisolm averaged just under 10 points a game while Handy, who had the ability to drive the lane and draw fouls, averaged just under nine points.
“He’s a slasher and can get to the hoop,” said Gilroy Coach Bud Ogden of Handy. “He could tell you he’s going to the hole and the guy would still get there.”
Although the Mustangs wound up losing in the second round of the Central Coast Section playoffs this year, they wouldn’t have gone that far had it not been for the efforts of Handy and Chisolm.
While Gilroy High received most of the accolades and drew the most attention for its size, players from a number of other local schools were also recognized for their abilities on the court.
Live Oak’s Brandon Greene earned First Team honors for his abilities to drive the lane, pass and run the Acorns’ offense. “He was one of our go-to guys,” said Live Oak coach Brett Paolucci of the 6-foot-2-inch guard.
This year, the Acorns finished in third place in league at 7-5 and were 14-14 overall. Despite the mediocre record, Live Oak did make the CCS Division II playoffs, but lost to Aptos in the opening round of the tournament.
During the season the senior guard averaged just over 10 points a contest and racked up an impressive 44 three-point goals.
“He was very important and brought a lot of athleticism to the court,” said Live Oak coach Brett Paolucci. “He was such an outside threat that other teams really had to key in on him.”
Another outside threat for Live Oak who also made the prestigious First Team list was 6-foot-3-inch senior Micah Jones. Jones drew the attention of the opposing coaches in the league with his versatility on the court.
“He could play guard and forward,” said Paolucci. “He was an outside threat and could fill in at the post when we got into foul trouble.”
Jones finished the season with 42 three-point shots and led his team in scoring with a 10.61 points per game average.
He also led his team in rebounding, despite the fact that he sat out the previous year after suffering a bad ankle injury.
Next year, the Acorns will leave the Tri County Athletic League and will compete in the Blossom Valley Athletic League “We’re losing nine guys,” “It could be tough moving to the BVAL. I think we’ll be able to compete but we’ll be young,” Paolucci said of a group of teams he’s not as familiar with.
Another young team that will be heading to the BVAL as well is Live Oak’s cross-town rival Sobrato High School. This past year the Bulldogs finished sixth in the TCAL with a 3-9 record and were 7-17 overall.
But fortunately for the Bulldogs they will take to the court next year with their lone First Team player Marqus Crawford back in the lineup. This year the 5-foot-11-inch guard was one of the most effective shooters in the section, averaging just under 19 points a game.
He also led the TCAL in steals with 65, free throw attempts and free throws made – shooting 75 percent from the line.
“He did everything. When you look at his stats you can see that he led the team or the league in a bunch of categories,” said Sobrato coach Lawrence Crawford, who is also Marqus’ dad. “His best asset was really his tenacity on the court.”
Crawford also led the Bulldogs in three-point shots, connecting on 39 during the season.
He also scored 33 points in two different games this season, which shows his ability to have breakout games.
Although Sobrato finished near the bottom of the barrel, every one of its players will be returning next season.
This past year San Benito High tied with Live Oak for third place. The Balers also advanced to the section playoffs before losing 57-38 to Milpitas High School in the opening round of the playoffs.
Unlike Live Oak, the Balers had only one player that received First Team honors. That player was 6-foot senior Daryl Baladad, who saw time both at the guard and forward position, and was often singled out for his speed on the court.
“He did a tremendous job for us on defense,” said San Benito High coach John Becerra. “And, for his size, he was our best offensive player, too. We used him a lot to break the press.”
Baladad proved to be an offensive threat as well as he led his team in scoring, averaging 8.73 points a game.
Next year the Balers will lose four players to graduation, but Becerra thinks his squad will be in the hunt to win league.
“The JV team had a good year and our sophomores that were on this team this year improved a lot,” he said. “Overall, I think we’ll be okay. This year we lost five games by just a couple of points. If you turn those around, we’re 18-6. We should make a run for a league title next year.”
