After two weeks off, Gavilan is set to play in the Chabot
Classic
Gilroy – The schedule has been cruel to Gavilan.
And yet at times, the Rams men’s basketball team has been up to the task of a brutal early-season slate.
If it isn’t enough that 16 of the first 17 games are on the road with several against ranked opponents, Gavilan is now coming off a two-week layoff.
“Momentum is everything in basketball,” said first-year Rams’ coach Tito Addison, preparing Gavilan for its participation in the 40th annual Chabot College Classic that begins today.
Of course, the Rams (3-6) didn’t exactly carry any momentum into the break, as Addison acknowledged. Gavilan was flat in the Monterey Peninsula College Tournament, losing to Chabot and Sierra College.
“The break was good,” Addison said. “It rejuvenated a lot of guys. We went back to basics, to finding ways to give ourselves a chance to win games.”
The first test is against a first-year program, Las Positas, that is so impressive that it is ranked No. 15 among Northern California junior colleges. The Hawks (9-3) are led by 6-8 Troy Lambert from New Orleans, averaging 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, and 5-7 guard Marc Traylor, the Hayward Area Athletic League Most Valuable Player last year at Tennyson. Game time is 4pm.
After breaking down film, Addison said the players decided they were their own worst enemies because of turnovers.
“The team effort has been excellent,” Addison said. “Their problem lies in what they do individually. If a guy gets two assists and nine turnovers, that needs to be flip-flopped.
“With the amount of turnovers we’ve had, it’s like we’re playing two opponents every night. Now, our whole motto is to play one opponent any night.”
Coming out of the break, Eric Van Vliet (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Jessie LoBue (11 points, nine rebounds) are the Rams’ statistical leaders. But nobody has a lot of assists or steals, and that’s where Addison would like to see improvement.
Once Gavilan gets more production from its backcourt, it will be a more balanced team more capable of handling an unbalanced schedule.
