Here is the nice green field at the Samoa Peninsula Field. Miller Farms has re-done the outfield grass and it has stayed green this time! Inside Sports players have been using the field for Fustal practice all winter. Hopefully the Senior Softball League will approach Dr. Wolford about using this field again for the over 60 League.I have had a chance to watch quite a bit of Basketball this year because of my employment status. I can safely make a few observations starting with Seventh grade players. Hands down, the best player is Nate Ambrosini from Fortuna Town School. This group of players has only lost one game the last three years. And that was to Toddy Thomas. And Toddy Thomas has only lost to one team the last three years. You guessed it, Fortuna! Three years from now, watch out High School teams.
Pacific Union has, by far, the best team in the north state in Eighth grade. Parker Farris could be the next Greg Allen locally.
Mckinleyville High seems to have the best Freshman and JV teams. Although I have only caught three Freshmen games. One message I have for Frosh and JV coaches: Play all your bench fellas! I watched one game where a team was down by over 30 points in the 4th quarter and 3 kids had not left the bench! Shame on you! It is for the kids, not your egos!
Arcata High has the best team this year, but the competition is really good. It will definitely be physical. I am making this prediction though; Some lame brain Ref is going to determine the outcome of this years league title. I sure hope I am wrong, but I have seen some really shoddy reffing this year. And yes, I have reffed, so I can be critical.
Here are my top players so far in the HDL:
1. Greg Allen (Eureka High)-Great court vision, good 3-Pt shooter and best inside moves in the league.
2. Tim Couch (Arcata High)-Best all around player. Blocked Shots, Steals, Passing, Rebound, Penetrate, Shoot and most of all, hustle. Best player to go into battle with.
3. Skylar Rice (Fortuna High)-We all know he is going to shoot the ball. Why can't anyone stop him?
4. Andrew Ayres (St. Bernards)-Does the best with what he has. And he led a huge upset of Eureka that seems to have awakened the Loggers.
5. Chris Pender (Mckinleyville)-But he better watch out, I may replace him with Jon Stull.
Moving on up: The Hutt Brothers, Jordan Semple, Hoffman, Levi Jones and Sousa.
Richard,
ReplyDeleteThat PU team is awesome.
Tim Couch and John Stull play the game hard. You have to love their work ethic.
Mike Harvey
On a spring break trip to Italy, my friends and I were
ReplyDeletestanding just inside St. Peter's Basilica, the second
largest church in the world. The tour guide explained,
"This church is so large that no man on earth could hit a
baseball from one end to the other, not Lou Gehrig, Babe
Ruth, or even Mark McGuire."
My group stared in silence at the beautiful marble
sculptures, intricate paintings, and glorious mosaics
all around the enormous building. Then one girl inter-
rupted the silence with an astonished question: "You
mean, they actually let them hit baseballs in here?"
The field looks great Rich. I'm ready for some wood bat softball.
ReplyDeleteMike: Your JC team is pretty good also. But no tall dudes this year. Bummer!
ReplyDeleteStu: The Samoa field is just right for wood bat. I will try holding a tourney there maybe in April.
I enjoyed reading your views of the area basketball kids. The middle school basketball scene is something that really makes growing up on the North Coast special for kids...they're almost rec sports down here and the AAU teams are where people define "prospects." I dig the school spirit and all that, too.
ReplyDeleteTed
Ted: Many of the kids up here are finally taking advantage of the AAU programs. But they are a few years behind. I know Nate Ambrosini has been playing in the bay area year around, and it sure shows in his play.
ReplyDeleteTed and Richard,
ReplyDeleteAmbrosini is part of a 7th grade group called North Coast Ballers with mostly Fortuna and a Jacoby Creek boy. In Medford at an aau tourney this past month, there were two 8th grade AAU teams, 2 7th grade AAU teams, a 6th grade, and my 4th grade team(see first place photo in the TS yesterday) from Humboldt. Not to bad for just boys' teams.
We have several good players but the superstar player on my team is Scott Betts's son, Sam. Scott played point guard at Humboldt and teaches at Toddy Thomas.
Brad Warze had an awesome AAU program for girls. I believe Macky and Dustin will continue it on.
Mike Harvey
Mack High frosh Team ROCK!!!!
ReplyDeleteMike, let me mention that Ambrosini also plays for a Sacramento team called "Norcal Pharaoh's" he plays for two AAU teams and his play does show for itself! Ambrosini is dedicated to playing the game!
ReplyDelete