Gavilan hoops tip off tonight
He has never been a head coach at the college level. The team he
is coaching is young and relatively small in size.
In addition, he’s taking over a program that has won a mere two
games in as many seasons while struggling to fill its gymnasium
benches with fan support.
Gavilan hoops tip off tonight
He has never been a head coach at the college level. The team he is coaching is young and relatively small in size.
In addition, he’s taking over a program that has won a mere two games in as many seasons while struggling to fill its gymnasium benches with fan support.
To say that first-year Gavilan Basketball Coach Chris Shoemaker has an uphill battle is certainly an understatement.
But Shoemaker believes he is up for the challenge and is eager about the opportunity to coach in the Coast Conference and the start of the 2002-2003 season.
“I’m tremendously excited about this year,” said the 27-year-old, first-year head coach. “It’s a great opportunity. We want to compete to our maximum potential every time we step on the court. And when we leave the floor, we want to feel good about our performance, regardless of the score.”
Tonight at home, the Rams will go up against Chabot College in the season opener. Tip off is at 7:30 p.m.
But beating Chabot-or even competing with them-won’t be easy. Chabot was ranked in the top 10 in the state last season. And this year’s squad looks to have the same talent as last year’s team.
“They are extremely athletic and like to press the entire game,” said Shoemaker. “If we don’t take care of the ball, they could score 100 points on us, easily.”
For the last four years, Shoemaker has been an assistant basketball coach at Hartnell College in Salinas. During his stint at Hartnell, the school was always in the running for a Coast Conference South Division title.
So far, Shoemaker likes what he sees from his Rams.
“I’m really pleased with their effort,” he said. “They come to the gym prepared to work hard and they’ve improved tremendously.”
Since August, the Rams have been practicing and working out everyday in preparation for the start of the season. Although the starting lineup isn’t etched in stone, Shoemaker likes the effort he is getting from his top five players.
At 6-foot-1, Live Oak alumnus Jimmy Herrera, who graduated in 2000, won’t be the biggest guard in the league; but Shoemaker likes what he see and says Herrera can be effective at both shooting and playing the point.
The other starting guard who will be on the court tonight for the Rams is L.J. Nicholson. Shoemaker likes his quickness and transitional skills and thinks he will play a major role on the Gavilan defensive side of the floor.
Jimmy Cheatum will play center for the Rams and could see some time at forward. Cheatum is 6-foot-4.
“The thing about Jimmy is his energy,” said Shoemaker. “He never stops going and gives it 100 percent.”
In the forward positions, Shoemaker has penciled in Jody McAlpine and Erik Nelson.
At 6-foot-4, McAlpine will play both the small forward and power forward positions. According to Shoemaker, he is the best shooter on the team.
“He runs the floor well and can score inside and outside the paint.”
Nelson graduated from Gilroy High this year. At 6-foot he will most likely see time at small forward. Like McAlpine, Nelson is also a very sound shooter and will be a big factor in the team’s success.
Two other players on the Ram squad graduated this year from San Benito High School. They are Tommy Sondgroth and Drew Brandon
“Tommy shoots well. When he’s on the floor, he does a great job of controlling the team,” said Shoemaker. “He will definitely be battling for playing time and could see a lot.”
Brandon will also provide Gavilan with additional defensive skills coming off the bench for the Rams. At 6-foot-1, he will play guard as well.
Shoemaker believes that this year’s team has the work ethic necessary for success. He also feels that getting the kids to buy into his philosophy has been the biggest challenge so far.
“They really needed an attitude adjustment when I first got here,” said Shoemaker. “Some of them expected to lose just because they had a Gavilan jersey on. I told them that we don’t need to take a backseat to anybody.”
But riding shotgun against Chabot won’t be easy.
“Every team we face will be bigger and quicker at every position,” said Shoemaker. “We’re going to have to claw, battle and fight and scratch to compete. But I have good feelings about this team.”
A graduate of Harbor High School in Santa Cruz, Shoemaker earned his Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California Davis and obtained a Masters in Education from Chapman University in Southern California. He is currently working on a second Masters in physical education at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.
In addition to putting a winning team on the court, Shoemaker knows that much of his job at Gavilan will be to get the community behind the program.
“I want to get the message out to the community to come out and give us a chance,” said Shoemaker. “If you come out, you’ll like what you see. These kids are local and they’ll play hard.”
