CCS ultimate goal this season
With a guard that’s averaging 21 points a contest and the
shortest guy in their front three standing 6-foot-8, it’s no wonder
the Gilroy High School boys varsity basketball team is the favorite
to repeat at Tri County Athletic League champions. But that doesn’t
mean the other teams won’t be trying to win each night.
CCS ultimate goal this season
With a guard that’s averaging 21 points a contest and the shortest guy in their front three standing 6-foot-8, it’s no wonder the Gilroy High School boys varsity basketball team is the favorite to repeat at Tri County Athletic League champions. But that doesn’t mean the other teams won’t be trying to win each night.
The Haybalers of San Benito High School is one of those teams that is not expected to win a league title but they do have enough skill to go over the .500 mark this season – the magic number for qualification into the Central Coast Section playoffs.
“We have a lot of tough teams in our league this year,” said Baler coach John Becerra. “Our team is about the same as it was last year. Right now we need to get better at executing on offense and defense.”
Becerra’s team will have nearly a month to prepare for league play, which gets under way Jan. 3 when the Balers play host to Salinas High School at 7 p.m.
For now, Becerra is working out kinks in the starting lineup and figuring out which five payers work together best on the court. One of the players who is doing well in the preseason is 5-foot-6 shooting guard Marty Bueno, who is averaging 14 points a game so far.
“He’s an outstanding ball player,” Becerra said of his shooting guard. “He plays good defense and offense too. He pays well on both ends of the floor. He shoots well, drives well and makes very good passes.”
Bueno has also proven that he can hit from long range as he currently leads the team in three-point plays.
While Bueno is expected to be a mainstay at the shooting guard position, Becerra has rotated several players in and out of the point guard slot early this season. One player who appears to have a slight edge at winning a starting spot is junior David DeMateo.
“David hustles and does a lot of good things for us,” Becerra said. “He shoots well, too. Right now, we don’t really have a set five players yet. Right now, I’m trying to get all of them in there to see how well they perform under pressure.”
One of those players that Becerra is looking at for guard is senior David Bryant. Although he’s only 5-foot-10, Bryant has shown a knack for picking up rebounds. In the Balers’ loss last weekend to Aptos High, Bryant grabbed seven rebounds.
“He’s extremely quick on the court, too,” Becerra said.
At center, the Balers will have their biggest physical presence on the court this year in 6-foot-7 senior Sterling Wilson. Becerra is impressed with Wilson’s ability to play defense and come up with the big rebounds.
“He’s done a good job rebounding for us,” he said. “I hope to see him score more in the future. He doesn’t block a lot of shots because I don’t stress blocked shots. We try to focus on playing solid defense and he helps us out with his size.”
In the power forward slot the Balers will rely on Todd Janisch to get the job done. And so far, the 6-foot-1 senior is leading the team in scoring and averaging 14.25 points a game. He also leads the team in field goals.
“He’s not that tall for a forward but he does a tremendous job inside for us and around the basket,” Becerra said. “He’s very patient too, and takes his time. He does a lot of good things.”
Another player who is expected to see the bulk of his playing time at forward is junior Gus Silva. Although he stands 5-foot-10 his coach quickly points out that “he plays a lot bigger than that.”
“He has good precision defense and a nice outside shot,” Becerra said.
Two players to watch this year coming off the bench and playing the role of the sixth man are Kevin Burley and Kevin Medeiros, who just finished up their football season with the Baler varsity team.
Burley is a 6-foot-2 junior and Medeiros is 6-foot. Both are expected to see a great deal of playing time in the Baler backcourt.
“Kevin (Burley) does extremely well getting into position for rebounding and Medeiros is a hustler, who is in control of his game,” Becerra said.
Although the Balers have struggled in the early going this season, Becerra points out that all of the games have been close – and the overall goal is always the same.
“We want to win league and win every time we go out on the court. We might not win league, but we take that attitude with us every time we step out there,” said Becerra, who is in his second season as the school’s head varsity coach. “We definitely know we have the talent to go to CCS and expect to get there.”
John Bagley can be reached at [email protected].
