The Gavilan College men’s basketball team has just two local
players this year, but both have been key parts of the starting
lineup already.
Guards Tommy Sondgroth (a San Benito grad) and Erik Nelson (a
Gilroy alum) are two of only three sophomores on the team. The
other returner is Los Banos product Jimmy Cheatum.
The Gavilan College men’s basketball team has just two local players this year, but both have been key parts of the starting lineup already.
Guards Tommy Sondgroth (a San Benito grad) and Erik Nelson (a Gilroy alum) are two of only three sophomores on the team. The other returner is Los Banos product Jimmy Cheatum.
“They both worked very hard in the offseason,” said second-year Gavilan coach Chris Shoemaker. “Tommy worked on his ball handling skills and is playing with a lot more confidence and leadership this year. He is shooting the ball better. Eric worked on developing an all-around better game. He has improved his passing, his ball handling and his defense.”
Last year’s team relied heavily on local talent to carry the team. But this year, no new players wanted to join the team.
“My focus was to recruit 100 percent locally,” Shoemaker said. “For whatever reason the local kids were not interested in coming to play. I had to resort to plan “B” and go out and get the best players I could find.”
“I had players calling me throughout the spring and summer, but I was trying to hold them off to get the local guys,” Shoemaker added. “I would have loved to have the local players, but I am happy with the team that I have.”
The Gavilan sophomores will be joined by freshmen Lionel Simmons and Tim Goode (forwards from Encina High in Sacramento), Jon Morrison (guard/forward from Santa Teresa in San Jose), Raoul and Jesus Estrada (forwards from Los Banos) and Mike Fugate (guard/forward from Hanford).
The current starting lineup for the Rams has Sondgroth at point guard. Nelson starts at the two position, and Cheatum plays in the third spot. Sacramento players Goode and Simmons are the starting forwards.
“We have a little more height this year, and we are better athletically too,” Shoemaker said. “We are stronger and quicker, so we can match up better than we did last year. I am confident having any one of the nine players on the floor at one time.”
Another key addition to this year’s team is assistant coach Mike Baumgartner, who led the Gilroy Mustangs to a league championship. Baumgartner, a 1983 Hollister alum, was the other finalist for the head coaching position before Shoemaker was selected.
“Mike has been a valuable addition to our team,” Shoemaker said. “His experience and passion for the game help us improve on a daily basis. He loves basketball, has a passion for kids and is willing to do anything to help them get better.”
The Rams lost their first game of the season at De Anza College. Despite staying competitive throughout the game, the Rams fell 82-80 at the buzzer in overtime.
Gavilan was up six points in the second half but turned the ball over a couple times against the press. In overtime, the Rams were down six points before Sondgroth and Nelson hit back-to-back three pointers to tie the game.
The Rams played the next day in the afternoon after an evening game and lost to Chabot College 93-68. Chabot was the No. 6 ranked team in the state.
Gavilan will head to Napa Valley College on Saturday. The Rams play their first home game Dec. 11 against Skyline College.
The basketball season for the Rams was cut from 28 games to 24 games this year because of the budget troubles. Most of the games that were cut were by teams that didn’t want to make the trip to Gilroy.
The Rams will face a tough preseason and then will have 16 games against other Coast Conference opponents. The Southern Division of the Coast Conference will not be easy again this year. Hartnell, San Jose City, West Valley and Cabrillo were among the top eight teams in Northern California last year.
“It’s going to be tough, but the guys will get to test themselves early in the season,” Shoemaker said. “We have a chance to be pretty competitive. We weren’t where we wanted to be last year as far as wins and losses, but we started to gain some respect.”
Shoemaker is optimistic about the upcoming season.
“There are no easy games on our schedule, but I believe that we can compete with anyone in the North,” Shoemaker said. “The keys will be effort on the defensive end, relentless rebounding, offensive execution and, most importantly, a belief in each other.”
Note: Live Oak grad Jimmy Herrera, Gavilan’s lone sophomore from last year’s team, is currently red shirting at UC Santa Cruz.
