GHS boys basketball takes Hagen championship and settles in for
a run at the TCAL title
At last week’s Bob Hagen Memorial basketball tournament hosted
by Gilroy High, onlookers got a brief glimpse into what play in the
Tri County Athletic League will look like this year when the boys
basketball season tips off on Jan. 5.
And judging from the Mustangs winning performance in the
tournament, which also included local schools Live Oak and San
Benito, it appears that Gilroy High will be a force to reckon with
this season.
GHS boys basketball takes Hagen championship and settles in for a run at the TCAL title
At last week’s Bob Hagen Memorial basketball tournament hosted by Gilroy High, onlookers got a brief glimpse into what play in the Tri County Athletic League will look like this year when the boys basketball season tips off on Jan. 5.
And judging from the Mustangs winning performance in the tournament, which also included local schools Live Oak and San Benito, it appears that Gilroy High will be a force to reckon with this season.
En route to winning the title, the Mustangs beat St. Francis High School, Harbor and Monterey.
“It felt super to win it. We hadn’t since 2001,” said Gilroy Coach Bud Ogden. “It was nice to get this win under my belt. Our [junior-varsity] team also won the tournament and nobody can remember the last time that we both won in the same year.”
The Mustangs, which went 5-5 a year ago in league, are now 8-6 in preseason play. Last season they held the distinction of being the only team in league to beat every team once and lose to every TCAL team once.
But this year mediocrity is not expected to be part of the equation for the Mustangs, which have a core group of returning players and added height on the boards.
Most of that height comes in the form of Jason Conrad, who at 6-foot-8 is one of the most impressive sophomore players in the section.
“He plays with no fear,” said Ogden, who had a brief stint in the NBA. “I think he can be as good as he wants to be.”
What’s most impressive to Ogden is that Conrad’s learning curve seems to take a giant step forward every time he sets foot on the court.
In the title game of the Hagen tournament against Monterey, Conrad has a 15-point effort that included 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.
In addition to Conrad, senior Vinny DeLorenzo was named to the All-Tournament team last week for his strong play in the backcourt.
“He’s a very solid floor player,” Ogden said. “He has his head in the game. He plays steady offense and defense.”
Ogden also likes Jeremy Teschera’s ability to create shots.
At a glimpse, Gilroy’s record of 8-6 wouldn’t draw much attention in that it just hovers over the .500 mark. But a closer look reveals that the Mustangs have played one of the most difficult nonleague schedules of any team in the CCS, which has included games against Monterey, Valley Christian, Archbishop Mitty, Oakland Tech and Bellarmine.
“I set up a difficult schedule because I have a different mentality,” Ogden said. “It may come back to bite me because a 20-win season is now next to impossible, but I think the kids get a lot better from playing the better teams.”
Although Ogden is pleased with his teams progression and believes that they will be ready for San Benito High in the season opener at home on Jan. 5, he has been a bit disappointed so far in his squad’s inability to hold onto the ball when coming under intense defensive pressure.
Proof of that came in the contest against Oakland Tech earlier this month when the Mustangs fell 57-54 after being up by 14 points at the half. The unraveling started in the third quarter when Oakland Tech’s pressing defense resulted in 12 Gilroy turnovers that shifted momentum and ultimately resulted in a comeback win for Oakland.
Although the Balers and Acorns did not do was well as the Mustangs in the Bob Hagen tournament, Live Oak did pick up a solid 45-35 win over San Benito.
Before their loss to the Acorns, which eliminated them from the competition, San Benito fell 61-40 to Monterey in the opening round of the tournament.
While the Balers left the tournament scratching their heads, Live Oak had some solace in winning the tournament’s consolation championship 62-44 over Everett Alvarez.
The Acorns only loss of the tournament was in the opening round when they succumbed 52-47 to Aptos.
“I was happy with the way we played against Hollister,” said Live Oak Coach Brett Paolucci. “And we came back against Alvarez. The goal was to be in that tournament all three days and we were.”
While other teams are laying low over the Christmas vacation, Paolucci’s squad has a full plate. On Tuesday, the Acorns will be at Westmont High in Campbell competing in the Westmont Classic, and on Thursday night they be playing in the Milpitas Classic.
“I want to keep the momentum going into league play,” Paolucci said. “We’re going to need to play a complete game from start to finish in league to be successful. It’s going to be tough. From what I’ve seen, both Palma and Gilroy are going to be tough.”
Live Oak power forward Dustin Bynum shined for the Acorns during the tournament, scoring in double digits in all three games.
San Benito High’s Vince Bautista scored 9 points to lead the Balers in their loss to Monterey in the tournament opener, and the team’s leading scorer, Daryl Baladad, had a 17-point effort in the loss to Live Oak.
