Anzar High basketball coach Claire Dietz hopes his boys play
like they did in a one-point loss at Valley Christian-Dublin, which
concluded the Hawks preseason at 3-7. The Hawks lost to the Vikings
75-74 on Dec. 19.
Anzar High basketball coach Claire Dietz hopes his boys play like they did in a one-point loss at Valley Christian-Dublin, which concluded the Hawks preseason at 3-7. The Hawks lost to the Vikings 75-74 on Dec. 19.
“It was a fantastic game,” said Dietz. “They had guys 6-foot-4 shooting NBA three’s. I’m not going to send my players out that far to guard them. We played with great intensity that night. I told my players if they play with that kind of intensity every game, we have a chance to win. If they don’t, we probably won’t win.”
The Vikings made 12 three-pointers that night, but the Hawks made eight. sending a message that their shooting range can be extended. The Hawks’ three victories this season came against Liberty Baptist, SF Christian and Cypress Grove.
Anzar, which is 3-45 the past four league seasons, has one of its best chances for a league win tonight when the Mission Trail Athletic League kicks off at home vs. Carmel. The Padres are 1-8, winning their last game of the preseason against Scotts Valley.
“I don’t know what kind of competition Carmel has played,” said Dietz. “This is a good chance for us.”
The surprise for the Hawks this season has been sophomore forward Jordan Monroe. Monroe, at 6-3, has been averaging over 20 points per game, according to Dietz.
“He has a better pure shot than Jose Yanez,” said Dietz, when asked to compare one of the top Hawk scorers of the recent past. “Other than that, there’s no comparison. Jose was more athletic, more quick than Jordan. Jordan is deceptively quick, though. He needs to work on defense and keep his head in the game. He’s still young.”
The rest of the frontline for the Hawks consists of 6-2 1/2 senior Chas Armour, the next leading scorer behind Monroe. Sophomore center Cheyenne Monde, at 6-3, has impressed Dietz in the early going.
“This is Cheyenne’s first season of organized ball,” said Dietz. “He has no bad habits.”
The backcourt has veterans Daniel Serrano and Jesus Perez, both seniors, handling the chores. Perez, however, is out of the lineup tonight to Serrano, a point guard two years ago, will run the point against the Padres.
Dietz has only seven players on the roster, so there is plenty of playing time for sophomore guard Sam Stewart and senior forward Greg D’Amore. D’Amore had the final look with a couple of seconds left against Valley Christian, but his 14-footer rimmed out.
Dietz likes King City and Pacific Grove as the league favorites.
“King City has played some big schools close,” said Dietz. “And P.G. always plays great defense. They do a good job of taking you out of your offense and making you start your offense out farther than you want. We hope to get wins over Greenfield, Soledad, Carmel and Gonzales. Those teams are generally smaller, but they shoot the three’s and are quick.”
MTAL Schedule
(All games except today’s start at 7 p.m.)
Today – Carmel, 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 – Gonzales
Jan. 11 – at Soledad
Jan. 15 – Greenfield
Jan. 17 – at R.L. Stevenson
Jan. 22 – King City
Jan. 29 – Pacific Grove
Jan. 31 – at Carmel
Feb. 7 – at Gonzales
Feb. 11 – Soledad
Feb. 13 – at Greenfield
Feb. 15 – R.L. Stevenson
Feb. 18 – at King City
Feb. 22 – at Pacific Grove
