Hollister High boys hoop coach David Kaplansky is thrilled with
a Central Coast Section home game. He’s not especially thrilled
with the quality of his opponent – St. Ignatius.
Hollister High boys hoop coach David Kaplansky is thrilled with a Central Coast Section home game. He’s not especially thrilled with the quality of his opponent – St. Ignatius.
The 10th-seeded Wildcats (15-11) travel the hour and 30 minute drive from the Sunset District of San Francisco for a CCS Division I first round contest Wednesday at Mattson Gym. Tipoff is 7 p.m. The Balers (20-7) are seeded 7th.
“I thought we played a tough enough schedule to be seeded higher,” said Kaplansky. “Fremont was seeded fifth just because they beat Live Oak in a tournament and we play in a much tougher league. I have to concern myself with getting a young team like ours to play a veteran team from the West Catholic Athletic League. It all depends how we handle pressure. If we can handle their full-court pressure and get the ball across the half-court line, we’ll be all right. We can settle in. I hope the long drive down wears them down. This is a great challenge for us.”
Should the Balers win on Wednesday, they would advance to the quarterfinals vs. another WCAL team, Serra (22-5), the No. 2 seed. Right now, that seems like a long distance away.
“This would be a great experience for this young team to get these two games,” said Kaplansky. “Just to show we can compete with them. Just so our kids what private school basketball is all about. These teams don’t take a possession off. I played college ball with guys who went to schools like these. They’re bigger, faster, stronger and quicker. That’s just the way it is. Just look at the CCS brackets throughout the years. It doesn’t matter where these private schools are seeded, they’re always there in the end.
“My kids have talent. They’re bright kids. They’re good kids. We’ll have to give maximum effort to win on Wednesday and play smart. If we do, then there will be no regrets.”
The Wildcats were fourth in the WCAL this year and feature a tall roster. Nine players are listed 6-feet or over. SI is led by 6-5 forward Joe Toboni, a first team All-WCAL performer and its leading scorer, and 6-7 center Jesse Lopez-Low. Point guard Max Mizono, who stands 5-8, is their best shooter. Head coach Don Lippi won a CCS DI title with the ‘Cats in 1998. SI crushed the Balers in the semifinals that year 69-44 with the help of a player named Luke Whitehead, now playing for nationally ranked Louisville.
Lippi likes mass substitutions, sometimes subbing five players at a time. Lopez will either play high or low, depending on what Kaplansky chooses to do defensively.
The Balers counter inside with 6-4 center Anthony Butler and 6-6 forward Kyle Sharp, which should make for an interesting battle in the paint. The play of 6-4 forwards Danny Brooks and Kevin Zanella could be the X-factor for the Balers, for this game could very well be played above the rim.
Zanella states the devastating loss to Palma last Friday has brought the team together.
“It hurt, but it made us tougher,” said Zanella. “We’re coming out Wednesday and fight.”
“I haven’t heard much about St. Ignatius,” added Butler. “We have to shake off the Palma loss. We don’t have time to dwell on it. We’ll be home and our home crowd will support us.”
The Balers will also be buoyed with the return of shooting guard Broc Sondgroth. Sondgroth, who is averaging about 10 points per game which happens to be what the Balers lost by, missed Friday’s game with Palma due to a 102-degree temperature.
“Not having Broc really threw us off,” said Zanella.
“Broc’s my main shooter,” said Kaplansky. “Palma knew it and slacked off. Broc felt bad. He’s my captain and he’s the one guy who gets the team fired up.”
The home court advantage should play in the Balers’ favor. It could be worth up to 10 points. The Balers are averaging 60.1 points per game and are giving up 50.
