The Balers own an 8-4 overall record, and appear to have all the
moving pieces situated and stationary prior to the start of the
Tri-County Athletic League season.
San Benito will open TCAL play on Thursday night against Everett
Alvarez at the Salinas Boys and Girls Club. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
HOLLISTER
Tracy Carpenter was new to the players. The players were new to Tracy Carpenter. Add in a pair of transfers who were new to everybody, and the San Benito Haybalers experienced plenty of controlled chaos during their 12-game, non-conference slate.
“It’s taken a while to see where everybody is at,” Carpenter said.
“We’ve tried to kind of find our identity and an effective way to play, and it’s taken a while.”
Wins weren’t necessarily jeopardized, though. The Balers own an 8-4 overall record, and appear to have all the moving pieces situated and stationary prior to the start of the Tri-County Athletic League season.
San Benito will open TCAL play on Thursday night against Everett Alvarez at the Salinas Boys and Girls Club. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
“Definitely, from the beginning of the season, we’ve improved,” said senior Kyle Vallejo, who’s third on the team in scoring with 7.5 points per game. “The Menlo-Atherton game, we really ran them down, and that was the turning point.”
Although it was a loss, San Benito’s narrow 46-45 defeat to M-A in the tournament championship of the Condor Christmas Classic on Dec. 30 has turned into the team’s benchmark.
The Balers lost the game in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.
“We controlled the tempo,” Vallejo said. “We did what we wanted to do, instead of playing their game.”
Controlling the tempo will be one facet San Benito will try to identify with this season. Not blessed with much height, the Balers will look to utilize their speed and pocket transition baskets, while Carpenter himself is a big believer in defense — San Benito has kept opponents to 50 points or less in each of its eight wins.
“We have to be,” Carpenter said of his defense-first approach. “We’re small and have to be tough defensively and grind it out, and be efficient as much as we can on offense.
“I have some really good kids. They want to win. But it’s about tightening everything up.”
The TCAL will be tough, though, perhaps more so than in previous years. Entering league play, each team boasts eight or nine wins already, the lone exception being North Salinas at 3-9.
Otherwise, Palma (9-3), Salinas (9-2), Alisal (8-4), Gilroy (9-3) and Alvarez (9-3) will all be gunning for a league championship, and each team has the weapons to make a run.
“I don’t think anyone will go 12-0 or 10-2,” Vallejo said. “The winner will probably be 9-3 or somewhere in there.
“Even the middle of the pack can beat the champs. It will be close.”
Trying to figure out who’s middle of the pack in the TCAL right now remains far too difficult, however.
Palma is the defending champ, and returns leading scorer Michael Cahalan (11.43 PPG). Alvarez has Jordan Gomez (20.33 PPG), Alisal has Jonathan Sosa (21.33 PPG), while senior-laden Gilroy is anchored by Greg Hamik (15.92 PPG).
Salinas may have the most options with three starters already depositing double-digits, including 6-foot-5 Kyle Vasher (19.71 PPG). The Cowboys, who many consider the favorite in the TCAL this year, advanced to the Division I championship last season before falling to Bellarmine in the title game.
“We can really outrun teams,” Vallejo said. “Salinas is big, but we can outrun them.”
Vallejo is a returning varsity starter for the Balers, and noted San Benito’s long-range shooting ability on offense as a key. While Vallejo will likely team up with Evan Olbring and Colorado transfer Devin Wingo in the paint, teammate Cooper Sepulveda (7.75 PPG) can play both inside and out, and guards Tyler Rickard (6.08 PPG) and Eric Elayda (11.50) can drain it from long distance.
Elayda, the team’s leading scorer, has made 22 3-pointers in 12 games this season, while sophomore guard Jordan Belton, a transfer from Valley Christian, can slash to the rim when needed.
Carpenter noted the team’s need to improve from the charity stripe — San Benito is approximately 50 percent from the line this season — while also being able to close out tight games.
Of the Balers’ four losses, three were decided by six points or less.
“We’re pretty young,” Vallejo said. “Three of our starters are juniors. But they’re playing at the varsity level and they know what it’s like.
“Hopefully, the experience in the preseason will help us out with future games.”
