Alameda vs. Northgate NCS

On Tuesday, February twenty third, our varsity basketball team had a North Coast Section(NCS) playoff game against the Northgate broncos. This is the second year in a row that we have made it into the NCS playoffs. From our scouting reports, northgate had good shooters, and were very physical. also, we heard that their fans were very loud and obnoxious. I got moved up from the JV team to the varsity team about a week before the game. Even though i knew i was not going to play that much, i was still nervous. The Hornets' 75-60 first-round win over No. 6 seed Northgate was their first NCS Division II playoff victory since 1996. Senior guard Taylor Takahashi scored a game-high 22 points against Northgate. Taylor fractured his ankle a week ago and he still pulled off an amazing performance. Damien Stowers had a terrific game with 11 rebounds and 16 points. He had a monster dunk over anther player which set the tone for the rest of the game. Jared Tatman also had a good game with many blocked shots and showed a lot of hustle on the court. Anthony Waters had a good defensive game keeping Northgate's leading scorer to only 10 points. Shawn Johnson had a fair game with 10 points and 6 assists. He handled Northgate's defense calmly and by doing so, we were able to come out with the win. Playing with a chip on their shoulder after being snubbed a first round NCS home game, the Alameda Hornets blew past the Northgate Broncos 75-60 on Tuesday in Walnut Creek. The win is Alameda's first in division II NCS play since 1996. The Hornets took a big lead in the second quarter and refused to let up, using their superior size and athleticism to upset their Diablo Valley Athletic League opponents.

The Broncos held close for the first eight minutes, but Alameda began to pull away early in the second quarter. Damien Stowers threw down an emphatic jam in traffic to commence a 16-4 run. Taylor Takahashi, who led all scorers with 22 points, had eight in this stretch, including two threes, silencing the rowdy Bronco crowd. Northgate struggled to break the Hornets tight man-to-man defense. The Broncos fired away from the outside, but found little success, converting just 14% (3-22) from three-point range. Alameda held sharpshooting guards Blake Bergesen and Mike Degarmo to just one trey apiece. Northgate also struggled from the free throw line (15-32). Beginning the second half with an eleven point lead, Alameda kept up the pace. Quickly, the Broncos fell into foul trouble. Just three minutes into the second half, Alameda had already drawn seven fouls. They shot free throws from then out, and this effectively put Northgate away. Big man Jared Tatman came off the bench and displayed a soft outside touch, knocking down a three from the top of the key. The Senior center also easily defended the Bronco big men, swatting a career-high six shots. Juan Neri played well from the wing, amassing 12 points.

Ahead by 22 with four minutes to play, Alameda was able to substitute in their Junior Varsity call-ups. The Hornets played almost all underclassman; Jesse Lewis, Sam Kunz, Elvedin Tudzinovic, and I for the final minutes. Alameda moves on to the second round of the tournament on Friday against the third-seeded Ukiah Wildcats, who are coming off a first-round bye. The winner will take on the winner of Redwood/Mt. Eden, in the semi-final. I have to give credit to our Coach, Ed Hawkins for preparing us for the game. He told us that Northgate was going to be rough and very physical. He warned us that we had to be focused the whole game and ignore the loud, noisy crowd cheering against us. All the things he said came true and we completed our task of staying composed and winning the game.

John Wall #11

The names come tumbling out of his mouth steady and true, as if John Wall wants you to know exactly how much thought he has put into what he's about to say. First come the all-timers: Magic, Isiah, Pistol Pete, Jason Kidd. Then Wall lists today's gold standard: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose. "There are so many great point guards," says Wall, the Kentucky freshman who bestrides college basketball, circa 2010. "I know it's not going to be easy, and it's going to take so much work in the gym and studying the game, but my goal is to be the greatest point guard ever." It's the sort of statement that, voiced by any other 19-year-old on the planet, would draw eye-rolls and maybe even laughter. But halfway into what will almost surely be his only college season, Johnathan Hildred Wall of Raleigh, N.C., is persuading people who know the game that those aspirations shouldn't be dismissed as mere youthful bravado. "I've been around him, and I watch how he works," says Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland, who played point guard in the NBA for 17 years. "He wants to be great. When he tells you that, I believe that's seriously on his mind."

Also not laughing is North Carolina coach Roy Williams, whose Tar Heels fell to Wall's Wildcats 68--66 on Dec. 5. "A lot of guys say things, but I believe he has the hunger to do that," says Williams, who calls the 6'4", 197-pound Wall the finest point guard he has seen emerge from high school since Kidd, nearly 20 years ago. "He has great size and speed for a point guard, tremendous lateral quickness and an ability to defend, make big plays at crunch time and make other players better. I think the sky's the limit for him." In the fourth season since the NBA's age-minimum rule forced most players with pro aspirations to spend at least a year in college basketball, Wall is the clearest example of a must-see freshman talent (for both college and NBA fans) since Texas's Kevin Durant, who in 2006--07 became the first freshman to be named national player of the year. Wall is on track to be the second, not least because his 17.2 points and 7.3 assists a game had led No. 3 Kentucky to a 15--0 record at week's end. But unlike Durant, who was famously taken behind Greg Oden in the '07 NBA draft, Wall isn't the subject of any debate.

Basketball

Currently, i am playing on the JV team for Alameda High School and we just finished two of our first games. Unfortunately, we lost both but we were always in the game. I play basketball to stay in shape for baseball and to keep my legs strong. Also basketball helps me play because it helps my reactions. In the last two years, the basketball program has been a bit shaky because every year, there has been different coaches so the players have to change to the new coach rather than just sticking with the same things every year. But i just try my best and hopefully our team will do good.

I also play basketball because i am actually pretty good at it. This year, i could have played on varsity but i decided to play on JV because i get more playing time and experience. Next year, i plan on being the starting point guard for the varsity team as a junior. Although I like practicing with the varsity because it puts me to my limits and it makes me better guarding players like Taylor Takahashi.

Basketball is also a good stress reliever from school because you get to run around and have fun playing with your friends.