Los Al Basketball Online1999 News Archives
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Welcome to the Los Alamitos High School basketball website! This site contains the 1999 write-ups. 1999 NEWS ARCHIVES 
REDS 6-0 LEAGUE CHAMPSThe Reds defeat Marina 53-38 to go 6-0 in league play and a Sunset League championship, The Reds overall record is 15-5, excluding the scrimmages against the Blues and against Servite on 2-11-00. More...
BLUES LOSE HEARTBROKEN TITLE GAME 39-38No one could have wanted more than these kids, who play their guts out. A 1-point loss on the board, but these guys are still champions to us. More...
KAATZ IN THE DOGHOUSEKnowing that Los Al's goal of winning the Sunset League title is being roadblocked by Dustin Kaatz, coach Smith changes to a new game plan, and it pays off. Grifs win on Ryan Keller's insurance free throw with 0:07, a 47-43 victory in a packed House of Excitement. Complete coverage... 
3RD TIME A CHARM FOR KING LOUIEIn his third year of being the JV skipper, King Louie wins the Sunset League with another short-handed team. Mark Lotman's usual 20-point game is helpful, but it's the unheroeic performance of Rashond "Scooby-Doo" Scoby that clinches the championship game for the Grifs. The entire team shows up wearing headbands a la Jason Kapono (see picture below). More... 
CHAMPIONSHIP TID BITSFormer Los Al player Tim Wilson gets a warm welcome from his friends when arriving in the gym... Steve Shinen's ankle looks bad, he is questionable for the playoffs... Speaking of playoffs, the pairings will be announced Sunday, us coaches will be in the CIF office to find out our opponent, check the website on Sunday afternoon... Steve Paranal, Mark Lotman and David Whalley are being called up to the varsity for the playoffs... Both Freshmen teams look to win the Sunset League titles tonite at Marina... The Blues play at 3:30 while the Reds play in the nightcap at 7:30 for the League bragging right... The Sophomores look to end the season on a positive note... 02-11-00
TONITE'S SHOWDOWN EXPECTS A PACKED HOUSEThis is it. All the hard work comes down to this one game. Los Al (20-5, 8-1) definitely needs to win this one to become co-champs to earn a high seeding in the CIF playoffs. Marina (23-2, 9-0) wants to win the league by itself by sweeping the Grifs. Look for two hungry wolves going after each other. This is the most exciting matchup in the House of Excitement this season, and look for Ron Lung to go off in the PA system. The Jayvees too, are playing for the trophy, both teams are 7-2, and King Louie is looking for a payback. For the first time in the history of Los Al Basketball, both freshmen teams can be league champions. What message does that give to the league foes? Los Al will be a terror, as usual, so be prepared to face the Grifs for some unmerciful nights.
BLUES BEAT HB, CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IS NEXTThe home team is fired up, remembering what the Oilers did last month. More...
OLDER BROTHER WINS AGAINHuntington Beach Assistant Coach Mike Lindemann sends little brother, Eric, Los Al Sophomore player another message: "Who won all of those 1-on-1 games in our back yard?" More... 02-10-00
SMITH GETS 20TH WIN AS LOS AL COACHRichard Smith collects his 20th victories at Los Al, his 96th career wins as a head coach. The Grifs struggle for three quarters, but dominate the last one to defeat a pesky Huntington Beach team, 66-52. Steve Shinen twists his left ankle early in the second period and sits on the bench the remainder of the game, his condition is day by day... Statgirl Kaitlyn Mobley is hospitalized at Long Beach Memorial Hospital since Monday... The Grifs will look for a revenge game in the season finale on Thursday against Marina (9-0) for the league title... More on story...
LOTMAN'S 23-POINT PERFORMANCE SAVES JVThe scoring machine of Mark Lotman is on as the Jayvees squeak by Huntington Beach 42-39. This will set up a Sunset League championship showdown between the Grifs (7-2) against Marina (7-2) on Thursday. More...
TID BITS: LINDY VS. LINDY IITonite is the second round matchup of Lindemann vs. Lindemann, that's sophomore Eric Lindemann's Sophomore team (2-6) against his older brother Mike, who coaches the Huntington Beach Sophomore Team (7-1). Tip-off time is 6PM following the Blues' game. On the other hand, the Blues (6-2) are ready to avenge their loss to HB last month. The Blues are still in the hunt for a league title. Huntington Beach and Marina are also 6-2, and it's all coming down to the stretch tonite. The Reds have the nite off, and will play Marina Friday. The Reds have already clinches at least a tie for the league trophy, with a record of 5-0, Marina is in second place at 4-1. 02-08-00
GAMEDAY TID BITSThe biggest concern for the Grifs this week is Huntington... Just like the first time around, when Los Al just lost to Mater Dei, and had to face HB before Marina... This time it was in the hands of LB Poly, and again HB is sandwiched between two big games... Which Los Al team will show up tonite? Last time the Oilers were almost Spoilers when they lead by 4 in the House of Excitement... The Grifs slipped to #8 in O.C. Poll, Marina is to #4... The Jayvees are 6-2, they were 6-2 the same time a year agao, and won the 2 last games to finish 2nd in the Sunset... This year if the JV Grifs win both games this week, they could be the reigning Sunset League Champs... Do your math: Marina 7-1 and Los Al 6-2, the 2 teams meet Thursday in the season finale... The Blues are 6-2 and are in the same situation as the JVs, Marina is 7-1 and HB is 6-2... The Baby Blues can knock off HB Wednesday and beat Marina to win the league outrite since they had beaten Marina in the first meeting... Blues, never say a tie is like kissing your sister... This is for the trophy, win one for Colonel Rozz... The Sophs going 2-1 in the second half of league play, show signs of life... Could've been 3-0 if the MIS decided to blow the whistle instead of lollipop it... Finally, the untried "Big Red Machine" that shows little mercy to the league foes... No more being picked on, laughed at, and disrespected... Coach Hauser pledged to the team that he will shave off his head if the team goes undefeated, be sure that you hold him to that... 02-08-00
DISASTER STRIKES GRIFSThose games happen once in a while to any team. Griffins are victims to an athletic and quick Long Beach Poly team. More...
#2 DOMINGUEZ OUTDUNKS #1 OAK HILLThe fans leave the tournament satisfied, seeing the two best teams in the country squaring off. More... Nike Extravaganza Roundup 02-07-00
LB POLY AT 6PMTonite at 6PM, the Grifs face Long Beach Poly at the Pyramid for the 5th annual Nike Extravaganza. The evening event that Los Al is in, has been sold out for days, if you have not purchased a ticket earlier, you can change your plan to go see Long Beach State plays at Cal State Fullerton or Pacific at UC Irvine. Those games will have plenty of empty seats. The anticipated evening event that features Durango-Las Vegas vs. Fairfax prior to the Grifs' game, Mater Dei vs. De La Salle and #1-ranked Oak Hill-Virginia vs. Dominguez.
PRETTYMAN SPOILS FV'S SENIOR NITEOn a night, when Fountain Valley honors its senior players, Los Al senior Ron Prettyman also takes part in the festivities, scoring 22 points which includes 5 3-balls, gets in an altercation with the Barons' Matt Ball and receives a technical foul. Los Al defeats FV 59-47, despite the Barons' late rally. More on story...
DEFENSE PROPELS JV'S WINWhoever says third time is a charm? Charm indeed, the JVs destroy the JV Barons with hard-nose defense and conveniently Mark Lotman scores 26 points. More...
BLUES AND SOPHS DROP IN EARLY SESSIONThe Blues lose 46-35, while the Sophomores lose on a controversial ending. Clik on the appropriate links for details on games. 02-05-00
GAMEDAY TID BITSEveryone travels to Fountain Valley tonite, except for the Reds' game which is Saturday at 2:30PM... When FV came to Los Al on Queen of Court night, the Barons lost 4 out of 5 games... Expect the Varsity Barons to come out like hungry wolves, they loose tonite (they will) and their season could be over, if Esperanza beats Edison... The JV had beaten FV twice already, 47-45 in the FV Tourney and 59-52 in the 1st meeting... King Louie and Baron JV Coach Roger Rybecki are good friends who have a tremendous amount of respect for each other... Last year, the Sunset League was not awarded a wild-card team for whatever reason, and FV was snubbed from the CIF Playoffs... This year a new rul applies in the CIF, any team with 10+ wins will be in... Saturday's Nike Extravaganza will be at 6PM at the Mid, following by Mater Dei-De La Salle and Oak Hill-Dominguez... 02-04-00
THE COUNT IS 2-2-2 The Smith Administration picks up its second sweep in the second week of second half league play, making Edison, its victim. For full report on the Varsity, Jayvees, Frosh Blue, and Sophomores, please click on the appropriate link for complete coverage.
JONES FINDS NEW HOMEFormer Los Al JV player is now at Loara, according to King Louie. Ed Sprange, Loara's coach inquires on Lavelle through King Louie on Wednesday. Apparently Lavelle lives in the Loara school district and enrolls there this week. The good thing is that he is back in school and plays ball, the other thing is that he has to start all over again. "At least basketball will put him in a circle of friends immediately", King Louie expresses. Apparently, an earlier plan of having Lavelle back at Los Al for the new semester does not go as expected. Sprange inquires on Lavelle's basketball skills, he is given a chance to play on the Saxxons' Varsity. Lavelle's progress will be kept informed.
IT'S A DOUBLE TAKE AT WHALLEY WORLDTwins Allison and David Whalley share the same floor... in different seasons. More on story... 02-03-00
GRIFS REMAIN #6 IN COUNTYLos Al remains #6 in the Orange County Poll, while Sunset League rival Marina moves up from #5 to #4 due to Troy loosing to Sonora on Friday... This is a busy week as the Grifs will host Edison (8-12, 1-5) on Wednesday, travel to Fountain Valley (13-9, 2-4) on Friday, and will take part of the annual Nike Extravaganza on Saturday against #1 ranked in the CIF D-1AA, Long Beach Poly... Ian Martini who sprained his right ankle on the last play of practice last Tuesday, is not expected to back anytime soon... The Griffins are in second place behind Marina, but they can still go into the playoffs as the top seeded team... How you ask? Very simple: win the rest of league games to finsh 9-1 and co-champs assuming that Marina only looses to Los Al, the two teams are in different divisions... Speaking of winning league, the Blues are in good position to win it as the standing in the Frosh level where 3 teams are tied at 5-1 (Los Al, Marina, and HB)...
NEXT UP: EDISONIf anyone thinks that this game is a cake walk, think again. Sure there was the 40-point blast on January 12th, but the Chargers have improved since. The Chargers beat Huntington and lead Marina for one half, and after 3 periods, it was a 4-point game, before loosing to them by 15. Edison (8-12, 1-5) knows that its season is over after four more games, and its attitude will be playing the spoiler role to its opponents. Prevent Los Al or Marina from taking the league title would be an accomplishment to a mediocre season. Just ask Cypress. The Grifs must play with heart tomorrow, in the House of Excitement, else they could be heart-broken.
ALUMNI UPDATEDrake's Andrew Pleick played in 11 games for the Bulldogs, averaging 1.8 ppg... UCLA volleyball player Matt Komer had 6 kills as the top-ranked Bruins beat #4 Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne 3-1... 02-01-00 
HARRINGTON SHOWS UP LATEBefore Sean Harrington graduates from Los Al in June, will someone please give him a friendly reminder that in the NBA, players are fined $10,000-20,000 for being late and some teams even suspend players without pay. Instead of paying those fines, that money can be donated to Los Al for a second gymnasium/arena, thank you Sean for your generosity... However, Sean is welcomed by the team, the fans and Coach Fisher greets him with a giant bear hug... Welcome back to the family Sean!
SMITH ADMINISTRATION GETS 1ST SWEEPThe Smith Administration gets its first 5-team sweep of the season, but more amazingly the Jayvees jump to a 16-0 lead after the 1st quarter to a 24-7 halftime lead, to a final score of 54-21 walk-over the Aztecs, and the Reds lead 34-0 at the half, en route to a 54-18 win. The Sophomores collect their 1st league game by destroying Esperanza 53-21 and the Blues win by a dozen. The 5-game mop is the first in the basketball program, since the 1997 season finale sweep of Huntington Beach, while yours truly's Red team defeated Ocean View. Brian Rakusin displays some showtime as the Griffins rally from behind to beat the Aztecs 60-57. More on story... 01-29-00
SECOND HALF ON THE WAYWhen the second half of league play begins on Friday against Esperanza, the Grifs (4-1) must take one game at a time. League plays are tight games, most teams don't gamble and there's a clear home court advantage. Esperanza is clearly much better than its record has indicated, at 11-10 overall and 3-2 in league, it only lost to Marina by 2 in OT, and if some of you remember, it took a second half come from behind for the Grifs to pull out a victory. In other word, the Aztecs will invade the House of Excitement with a revenge factor, knowing that it can come out victorious. The Aztecs' tree 6-9 Lloyd Walls scored 24 points in the OT loss to Marina, and swingman Doug Brown showed that he had not slow down with his downtown bombs. Beating an opponent twice in a season is a very challenging and difficult task, the Grifs must come out with high intensity to be victorious. Though Los Al is clearly a 15-point better than Esperanza, it must play with mistake-free and pound the ball in down low.
TID BITS... The team received a note from Sean Harrington on Wednesday, stating that he's fine and apologizes to the team for making it worry about him... Sean keeps his sense of humor... A very good sign... The Jayvee team is made up of predominantly Frosh Blue players from last year, has alread tripled its numberof league wins at 3-2... the Reds (3-0) are in 1st place and the Blues (4-1) are tied in 1st with Marina, the Sophs are 0-5 in league play, but have played close games so far, look for Coach Durzo's squad to pull a few surprises in the 2nd half...
01-27-00
TID BITSMike Sanford will accept a free college education from Boise State... Mike will join the elite Los Al QB club to move on to the D-1A level... Some kinda sick bug is flying around, as of Monday, Ronnie, Worm and Coach Smith are all sick... JV player Mark Lotman continues to let shots falling, averaging 22 points in league and 18 points overall... In the O.C. Poll this week, the Grifs are ranked #6 after a loss to Marina on Friday... O.C. Poll 1. Mater Dei, Serra, 22-1, 50 pts 2. Ocean View, Golden West, 19-2, 45 pts 3. Troy, Freeway, 20-1, 40 pts 4. Villa Park, Century, 18-2, 35 pts 5. Marina, Sunset, 19-2, 29 pts 6. Los Al, Sunset, 16-4, 26 pts 7. El Toro, South Coast, 14-5, 19 pts 8. Santa Margarita, Serra, 17-4, 19 pts 9. Newport Harbor, Sea View, 15-6, 8 pts 10. Brea Olinda, Orange, 15-5, 14 pts 01-25-00
UP NEXT...This upcoming week is finals week, therefore no game on Wednesday. On Friday all five teams will resume the second half of the Sunset League play against Esperanza. The Varsity and JV will host, while the Sophomores and Freshmen will travel to Anaheim Hills. The Nike Extravaganza is on Saturday February 5th, the Grifs take on LB Poly at 6PM at the Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State. The 16-team tourney features some of the top teams in the country. The night cap at 9PM is the long awaited match-up between Oak Hill of Virginia, which ranks #1 in the country most of the last 20 years, and #2 Dominguez of Compton. The Morning Session: 10:00 AM Servite vs Ocean View 11:30 AM St. John Bosco vs Villa Park 01:00 PM Santa Margarita vs Glendora 02:30 PM Mayfair vs Fontana The Evening Session: 04:30 PM Durango (Las Vegas) vs Fairfax 06:00 PM Long Beach Poly vs Los Alamitos 07:30 PM Mater Dei vs De La Salle (Concord) 09:00 PM Oak Hill Academy (VA) vs Dominguez 01-23-00
SEAN'S UPDATE Senior guard Sean Harrington's condition is very good. Though he will remain in the hospital for a few days for observation. He is expected to go thru a light therapy. His mother, Martha Zehnder was spotted at the game and looked happy.
LAVELLE'S UPDATE Lavelle Jones receives permission from his social worker to attend the game on Friday nite. He sits on the JV bench and warms up with the team and half of the Varsity game. According to King Louie, he may be back to his foster home as soon as the end of next week and may be able to enroll at Los Al the following week. We hope that everything will work out for Lavelle to reunite with his friends, school and basketball.
MARINA'S ELEVEN 3-BALLS SEND GRIFS HOME QUESTIONING On a night when Los Al's production is good enough to win 90% of the games: the Grifs outrebound the Vikes 34-24, collect 9 steals, take 3 charges, shoot 21-48 (.438) from the floor, 22-33 (.688) from the charity stripe and score 66 points. This most hyped game of the season, draws virtually every media members in Southern California, and local college coaches flood the Marina gymnasium, it becomes the Beau and Dustin Show. Junior guard Beau Brown, who made the buzzer-shot on Wednesday to beat Esperanza in overtime, along with fellow teammate Dustin Kaatz, combined for 48 points, beat the Grifs in an emotional run high contest. The Vikes hit the 3-ball like most clubs shoot lay-ups, hitting the bottom of the net from NBA range 11 times in 15 attempts. Even Marina's coach Roger Holmes admitted that his team does not do this very often, and "shot poorly against Esperanza." More...
FRESHMEN CLASS WIN, SOPH AND JV LOSEBoth the Blues and the Reds knock both Marina's Frosh teams from the undefeated rank, while the Sophomores and Jayvees lose. 01-22-00
GAMEDAY TID BITS - MARINAGreetings everyone, glad to back to a warmer civilization... Thursday's temperature in St. Louis was negative 20 degrees, lterally it defines the popular expression "when hell freezes over"... it sure did right in front of yours truly... As for business as usual today, Steve Fryer of the Register quotes that the Los Al-Marina game is a "must see" and "the best league game in Orange County"... Marina is 18-2 overall and 4-0 in league, but more importantly, it possesses some deadly weapon... Beau Brown scored the buzzer-beating bucket against Esperanza, on Wednesday, is not a secret to Los Al, he will be stopped somehow... As for Dustin Kaatz, his scoring habit will be halted tonite as well... This matchup tonite will determine the league championship... Roger Holmes' team defeated the Grifs in the season's finale last year and spoiled Los Al's perfect league record... The Blues lost to HB on Wednesday and Jeff Kline was hit with two Tees, that means that he must sit tonite's game under CIF rule... But the Blues brought over Peter Park and Jak Jannakhon to subsidize Kline's absense tonite... One of the Lindy's brother won the game Wednesday, but ours did not... Though according to Coach Durzo, little Lindy played great... Jayvees are 3-1 in league after winning against HB... Reds play Marina tonite, then travels to LB Jordan on Saturday for a 1PM tip-off... 01-21-00
KELLER BITTEN BY FLU BUG, GRIFS WINLos Al beats Huntington 56-42, but down by 4 at the half, and struggles again. Starting guard Ryan Keller was being eaten by the flu, sits most of the ame. More... 01-20-00
GAME DAY TID BITS - HUNTINGTONOn Wednesday, the Blues and the Sophs travel to Huntington, the Reds go to Villa Park, and the JV and Varsity stay home to host the Oilers... Interesting matchup between the Sophomores, when Eric Lindemann will play against his older brother Mike, who is an assistant to the Oilers' coach Rudy Baker... This past summer, the 2 Lindies were on the court together as older brother Mike was a referee and younger Lindy started on the Sophs... Senior guard Mike Allen is the Oilers' best player, will likely be contested by Ron Prettyman... The Grifs are at least a 15-point better than Roy Miller's team, but in this strange Sunset League, nothing is a sure thing... Coach Alvarez, who played at Huntington and coached there for 14 years, is facing his former coach and team, ever wonder how bad he wants this one?... Just ask Steve Alford who visits Bobby Knight and Indiana on Tuesday nite... King Louie had not lost to HB since taking over the Jayvees 3 years ago... Even when he was sick two of the three games against 'em Oil-Holes last season, Los Al won decisively... Yours truly is in St. Louis, where the temperature is below freezing and will unhappily miss Wednesday's game... 01-18-00
GRIFS DEFLATED AGAINST MATER DEIThe Griffins play with less enthusiasm than expected, fall to Mater Dei 62-42 at Long Beach City College, in the Adidas Double Pump Hoop Challenge. More...
NOT FOUND IN
QUOTESMITH.COM"This game could have meant nothing or it could have meant everything", coach Smith said to an OC newsmedia member. From a perspective of playing a nationally ranked team, this game would have been a big deal for the Los Al program, had the Grifs pulled out a victory. On Wednesday it will be business as usual, as the team will host the Oilers. The Grifs must be sure that they are facing the Oilers and not the Spoilers. As for coach Smith's quote, don't expect to find it in www.quotesmith.com . Click here to see some of the Hall of Fame quotes in the world of basketball. 01-16-00
MATER DEI BEATS SANTA MARGARITA WITHOUT SAMPSON AND STRAWOn Friday nite, the Monarchs (19-1, 2-0) defeat Santa Margarita 60-55, without their two starters, 6-11 junior center Jamal Sampson, and 6-6 swingman Mike Strawberry. Both players get biten by the flu bug. It is believed that, however, that both will play today against the Grifs at 4:30PM at LBCC. Mater Dei is ranked #1 in the O.C. Poll, #1 in CIF Division 1-A.
GRIFS GO 4-1 ON QUEEN OF COURT NIGHTOn an evening when a big event takes the spotlight, it's business as usual for the Grifs. Four of five Los Al teams beat Fountain Valley. On an emotional evening for the Jayvees, playing their first game without Lavelle Jones, who was being transferred to an orphanage, from his current foster home and separated from his sibblings, defeat the JV Barons 59-52, this time it's Steve Paranal who comes up big, and a bunch of defensive gadgets are implemented. More... Despite a slow performance by the Reds, Jakkrit Jannakhon converts a pair of crucial free throws to clinch a narrow victory, 42-38. More... The Blue Crew overcome a 2-point 2nd quarter performance to beat a very good Baron Frosh squad, 48-41. More... The Sophomores lead by 8 points at halftime, but turnovers cost them a victory. More... Many distractions almost cost Los Al's Varsity the game. Full story...
JOHNNY B. GOODEJohn Buezis, the Los Al Equipment Manager is known by virtually every students on campus. Story... 01-15-00
JV JONES MOVED FROM LOS AL HOMEOn a more important note than just basketball, JV player Lavelle Jones, a Sophomore at Los Al, was being moved from his current foster home in Los Alamitos to Tustin. He is being moved along with two younger sibblings. Though according to Kelly Godfried, Los Al may allow an inter-district transfer, there would be a transportation problem to get here from the Tutstin area. Coaches and teachers at los Al are attempting every way possible to help Lavelle to stay within the area, so that he can continue his education, play basketball and being with his friends. Parents, fans of Los Al, if you have any idea to help solve this situation, please contact us.
BACK TO BASICS: GRIFS USE BROOM TO SWEEP AT EDISON...The JV, behind a 26-point night for Mark Lotman, defeat the Edison JV 54-44. Click here for story ... The Varsity Grifs shut out Edison in the 4th period to cruise to a 73-43 win. More...
... WHILE AT HOME BLUES WIN ON GOOD DEFENSEThe Blue Crew beats Edison 45-34, behind great defense and coach's adjustment. Click here for more ... The Sophomores beaten 55-44, Matt Owens continues to score big. More on story... 01-13-00
GRIFS #5 IN OC, #10 IN 1-AA, SMITH: "EVERYTHING WENT WRONG." The rankings come out in the OC newspapers today, the Grifs remain #5 in OC, in spite of going .500 last week, and #10 in the strong D1-AA field. In an interview with Steve Fryer (Register HS writer), Coach Smith describes the loss at Cypress last week as "everything went wrong." Indeed, going in the Grifs averages 75.6ppg, only scored 36 points against Cypress, shooting .325 comparing to the usual .473. The lowest point was making only 8 trips to the charity line, comparing to the average of 27 attempts per game.
MEET "DIAPER DANDY" YARGER-MEISTERSophomore Eric Yarger may be out for the season from a freaky accident, but that never stops him from contributing to the team. More on Eric... 01-11-00
UP NEXT... EDISONThe Reds have Wednesday off, because of only a 5-team league in the Freshmen "District League". Edison and Huntington don't field a second Frosh team. The Blues and Sophs host Edison, while the Varsity and Jayvees travel to Fountain Valley to face the Chargers. The JV Chargers were disqualified last from the Los Al JV Tourney last month, as they played a game of basketbrawl against another Charger team from El Toro. Corey Kelly, Edison's coach is known for his physical basketball system, is picked to finish 5th in the league, but his team is currently 8-9. The Chargers lost to Marina 61-51 in the league opener last Friday. Edison will be, no doubt, fired up to play the Grifs, if anything. This will be the tuffest league road game of the season for this sole reason: Edison is smaller and will play ruff (look for plenty of scratching and bumping) and likely will get away with it. Home court M.I.S. (Men In Stripes) may be even worse on the Grifs than last Friday at Esperanza. Edison's leading scorer KS Min shoots the ball about 15 times per game, and he is smart enuff to draw plenty of fouls. On Friday, all five teams play Fountain Valley, the Varsity and JV host the league opener, while the Sophs, Blues and Reds travel to Baron Country. Fountain Valley were upset by Huntington in their home league opener on Friday, plays Esperanza on Wednesday. On Saturday, the Grifs play in the Double Pump Hoop Challenge 2000 at 4:30PM against Mater Dei. This annual tournament features some of the best Southern California teams in a full-day of games at Long Beach City College:
10:30AM - Simi Valley vs. Serra
12:00PM - Fairfax vs. Westchester
01:30PM - Artesia vs. Bellflower
03:00PM - Jurupa Valley vs. Centennial (Corona)
04:30PM - Mater Dei vs. Los Alamitos
06:00PM - Bishop Montgomery vs. Washington Union (Fresno)
07:30PM - Long Beach Poly vs. Long Beach Jordan
09:00PM - Inglewood vs. Redondo Union
MATER DEI SCOUTING REPORTMater Dei is no stranger to the Grifs. The Monarchs are the best team in Orange County and one of the top teams in the state. This team is so loaded with talent, that their 15th player, sophomore point guard Pat Haddan can easily start for any high school. Junior 6-5 point guard Cedric Bozeman has already committed to play at UCLA, off-guard senior 6-0 Steve Scoggin was being recruited by virtually every big-time schools that you could imagine... and that was last year, when he was a junior. At the wing spot, it's between 6-5 sophomore Mike Strawberry (Darryl's nephew) and 6-3 junior Ricky Porter. Down low at the 4-spot, a 6-8 freshman Harrison Schaen, who has already been contacted by many D-1 schools, and at center, Jamal Sampson (Raph's son) a 6-11 junior, who already has three final choices of college lined-up for the early signing period next November: Duke, Kentucky and Kansas, though it has been speculated that UCLA is also in the running. On paper, Mater Dei had just beat the Grifs. However we all know that this game is played on the wood, and the ball bounces funny on any givem nite. Just ask Cypress. 01-10-00
VARSITY BACK FROM THE DEAD IN LEAGUE OPENERThe Maui syndrome finally disappears in the 2nd half, as the Grifs take the home league opener from Esperanza 60-46. Details of game... JV LOSES IN 2OT, SOPH'S
COMEBACK NOT ENOUGH, BOTH FROSH TRIUMPHThe Blues and the Reds win big at home. Jayvees fall in 2OT and Sophomores' comeback falls short. THIS TOUR DE FRENCH IS NOT JUST A RIDEFor 16 years, Horace French is not just the captain of a ship taking the Los Al athletes to road games, he turns into a #1 Griffin fan and a great friend. More on story... 01-08-00 GRIFS ANXIOUS TO GET BACK
TO THE W COLUMNThe rude awakening hits the Grifs on Thursday afternoon as practice was serious as ever. In the wake of an upset loss to Cypress, Los Al players are determined to start league play at Esperanza with a new attitude. The first thing is to follow Skipper Smith's leadership and instruction. The major failure in the loss to Cypress was lack of defensive effort. Cypress was able to execute, because the Griffins failed to put any kind of pressure on the ball. The road to the CIF championship is in the front, the season starts at 0-0 today at Esperanza. SODERBERG BROTHERS LEAVE MATER DEIThe OC Register reports today that the Soderberg brothers transfer from Mater Dei to Corona Centennial. Senior 6-9 Eric and Junior 6-8 Lance departure from the top-ranked Monarchs does not mean that the team loses any depth. 6-11 Jamal Sampson (son of former Virginia and the NBA star Ralph Sampson), 6-6 Mike Strawberry (nephew of Yankee slugger Darryl), and Steve Scoggin will have more floor time. The date with Mater Dei on Janurary 15th at LBCC is still on. Click here for the OC Register article. GAMEDAY TID BITSThe Worm was absent from practice on Thursday due to his grand mother suffering a heart attack, we are all praying for the Carters... A mini scrimmage against the Jayvees, shows sign of hunger from the Varsity to get back on track... If you attended the Cypress game, you probably heard Sophomore Eric Yarger cheering very loud for the team... Yarger's return to the floor is questionable, but not improbable, his broken arm is healing... Though Esperanza lost its best player, Jon Stevens, to a disciplinary reason, 6-9 postman Lloyd Walls is stepping up for the Aztecs... Los Al is 5-1 against the Aztecs in the last 3 seasons... 01-07-00 CYPRESS UPSETS #3 GRIFSA 12-day layoff proves it on the floor for the Griffins on Wednesday at cross-town rival Cypress (10-4). More... JV, SOPH, BLUES WIN, REDS
FALL BY 1The Jayvees beat Cypress 68-44. More on story. Both Sophomore and Blue Team sweep Cypress at home. Reds fall to Santa Margarita by 1. Detail here. 01-05-00 GAMEDAY TID BITSJV's Trevor Franchi is back on the practice floor after missing most of the tournament last week due to a flu bug... Varsity's Ron Prettyman had strap throat and did not participate in Monday Nite workout, but did practice Tuesday morning... He is listed as probable for Wednesday's game against Cypress... Kenny Carter has been bothered by a back pain and has been in treatment, he is also listed as probable for Wednesday... Monday Nite Varsity vs. Jayvees scrimmage was the first competition for the V since coming back from Maui... Jayvees jumped ahead 8-0 but in the end Varsity prevailed 38-28... Los Al climbs to #3 in the OC Poll... Prettyman is among the County's scoring leaders at 15.0ppg, while Jeff Grgas, one of the Windex leaders at 9.2rpg... Los Al is looking for a 4-game sweep against Cypress tomorrow, and the Reds are looking at sweeping Santa Margarita this season... 01-03-00 NEXT OPPONENT: CYPRESSLos Al's next opponent is Cypress on Wednesday January 5th. This game is at Cypress, tip-off time is 7PM. Cypress is 9-4, and finished 4th in the Century Holiday Classic, loosing to Calvary Chapel in the 3rd place game. This is one of the Centurions fastest start since Tom Gorell took them to the CIF quarterfinal in 1996. Jeff Russell took over the helm, two seasons ago, after many controversies in the Cypress program, had been struggling. Though, his team is relatively young, Russell did a good job building a winning attitude among the players. Familiar faces in the Centurions line-up are Sophomores Matt Reid, Justin Yun and Steven Choi, all of whom played JV ball as freshmen. Reid played on the same All-Net team with Eric Yarger, and current JV players Steve Paranal and Mark Lotman. He is a versatile player who can beat his opponent inside or out. For Los Al to come out ahead in this ball game, it must sustain a smaller and quicker team from the transition game. Another key factor is that the Grifs must use their height advantage to keep Cypress off the glass. DOUBLE PUMP SITE CHANGEDThe date with Mater Dei on Saturday January 15th as part of the Double Pump Hoop Challenge remains at 4:30PM, but has been moved from the original site of CSU Dominguez Hills to Long Beach City College. Refer to http://www.socalhoops.com/prepnotes/1299/pump1213.htm for other game schedules, admission fees and other details. 01-01-00 IN CASE YOU WONDER...A few tid bits around the Los Al basketball program: Mike Sanford is being recruited by Nevada, UNLV, and Louisville to play QB... Mike's father, Mike Sr. is the WR coach for the San Diego Chargers... Don Fisher, JV Assistant, was a football teammate of John Barnes (Los Al head football coach) at Nevada... Love Triangle: Fisher's son, Ian, a frequent Los Al fan, played basketball at Magnolia and his team played Richard Smith's Newport Harbor team in the 3rd round of the playoff in 1994, with yours truly in the bleachers scouting the game for Servite... Sophomore player Matt Owens' father, Jim, was a star player for Arizona State and played for the NBA's Phoenix Suns for many years... The Los Al basketball coaching staff combine for more than a century of high school coaching experience (Smith-11, Alvarez-15, Tran-10, Loftus-30, Fisher-29, Stern-9)... Scary thought... Sophomore Bubba Jones' father, Dwight, was a former long time basketball coach at Long Beach State... Ronnie Prettyman played for the Mariners' scout team last summer... Yes, the Seattle Mariners... Think Ronnie will have a future in baseball?... Quote of the year: "There are enough bricks in this building, we don't need anymore from you!" King Louie, upsetting at his team for missing shots in a pre-season practice... PHOTOS NEEDEDWe are in need of game pictures for the JV, Sophomore and Blue teams to help making this site a little less dull. If you have some pics, please loan them to yours truly... Thank you. GRIFS CLOSE OUT YEAR WITH POSITIVE NOTES
All levels finish out the 1999 year on the upbeat, in preparation for league play, which starts on Friday January 7th for all five teams. First off, the Reds play in the championship game of the El-Mo Tourney and come in 2nd place. The Blues won 3rd place of the Fountain Valley Tourney. The Sophomores won in the consolation round of the Sunny Hills Tourney. The Jayvees also play in the championship game of their own Los Al Tourney and come in 2nd place. The Varsity comes back from Maui with a championship trophy in the Lahainaluna Invite. On Wednesday January 5th, the first day back of school, the Reds host Santa Margarita, and the other four teams play Cypress in the final non-league games. Until then, Happy New Year from your fellow Griffin Basketball players and staff! 12-31-99 LOWER LEVEL REPORT
The Jayvees (7-6) defeat Millikan and survive a pesky LB Wilson team to reach the semi-final of the Los Al tourney. An unusual activity broke out at the Tourney. More on story... The Reds (9-3) reach the El-Mo XMas Tourney championship game today while their counterparts, the Blues are playing for third place after loosing a heartbroken 1-point game to Woodbridge in the semis of the very tuff Fountain Valley Tourney. Click here for Reds' Report, and here for the Blues' Report. The Sophomores also won a game in the Sunny Hills Tourney today, more detail to come. SCOUTING REPORT
This week, the Varsity coaches are out scouting the Sunset League opponents. More on report... 12-30-99 VARSITY STATS ARE IN!
The game statistics for the Varsity have been calculated. You can view it by going to the Varsity page or just click here. JV STRUGGLES BUT FUTURE LOOKS GOOD
The JV is 5-6 but plays good defense, may be a threat to the Sunset League opponents. More... SOPHOMORES HAVING FUN
The Sophomores are working hard and having some fun under Coach Durzo. More... THIS
RED HOT TEAM IS FOR REAL!
The Frosh Red team continues to leave opponents with question marks. They are holding a 5-game winning streak. More... GRIFS DROP IN OC RANKINGIn spite of sweeping the Maui trip to go 5-0 during the week on the island, the Griffins drop to #5 from #3, just two weeks ago, on the OC Poll. At 12-1, Los Al has the best record behind Troy (11-0) which also drops from #2 to #3. Mater Dei, at 10-1, remains #1, although it lost to NW Christian of Miami. Ocean View at 10-1 climbs to #2, the Seahawks only loss came in the hand of the Monarchs, in its own Tournament of Champions Semi-Final game. Villa Park, which finished third in the Los Al Main Event, gets promoted to #4 at 9-1. The other Sunset League team in the top 10 is Marina at 10-2, dropping from #6, two weeks ago when the Vikings were 6-0. O.C. Poll 1. Mater Dei, Serra, 10-1, 50 pts 2. Ocean View, Golden West, 10-1, 37 pts 3. Troy, Freeway, 11-0, 34 pts 4. Villa Park, Century, 9-1, 32 pts 5. Los Al, Sunset, 12-1, 30 pts 6. Santa Margarita, Serra, 9-2, 29 pts 7. El Toro, South Coast, 10-4, 18 pts 8. Marina, Sunset, 10-2, 17 pts 9. Newport Harbor, Sea View, 8-4, 7 pts 10. San Clemente, South Coast, 8-2, 7 pts 12-28-99 MAUI REPORT -
Click here for photos and reports
The good guys beat a CIF quality Arlington team of Riverside, CA 66-52, to
clinch the Lahainaluna Invite championship. Los Al is 12-1, going 5-0 in Maui.
Click here for a complete
coverage of the game.
12-25-99 The Grifs are too tall and too tough for Newport High of Bellevue, WA. Los Al improved to 11-1. Click here for full report. 12-23-99 University High of Oahu became the 3rd Hawaiian team to fall to the Grifs. Los Al improved to 10-1 and plays Newport of Bellevue, WA on Wednesday Nite for the tournament semis. Click here for full report. 12-22-99 The Griffins defeat Seabury Hall and King Kekaulike in Maui to improve the record to 9-1. Click here for more report on the island.
LOWER LEVEL REPORT The Frosh Red team went 2-2 in the St. John Bosco Tourney... It was double-trouble when the Red swept 2 games on Saturday. First the Red Grifs destroyed LB Wilson #1 Frosh team in the Bosco Tourney, then took a long ride to Santa Margarita to beat the Eagles on their own court. Information was being provided by Charlene Cooley and Rhonda Ibanez. The Sophomore team won its first game this season by beating Foothill 78-56. A few days earlier, the team got a rude awakening by playing the Mayfair JV team. Chris Williams got injured, with a bruised elbow, while Eric Lindemann got banged up all over. 12-20-99
LOSS TO MAYFAIR DROPS GRIFS TO #3After a narrow loss in the championship game to Mayfair, the Griffins drop to #3 in Orange County Poll. Last week Los Al was ranked #2 in OC, after clinching the Bolsa/Pacifica Tournament title. Villa Park which finished 3rd in the Los Al Main Event, remains at #8. Marina from the Sunset League also was ranked at #5. Here's this week's OC Poll Top 10: 1. Mater Dei / Serra (6-0), 50 pts 2. Troy / Freeway (6-0), 37 pts 3. Los Al / Sunset (7-1), 35 pts 4. Ocean View / Golden West (5-1), 32 pts 5. Marina / Sunset (6-0), 24 pts 6. Santa Margarita / Serra (3-2), 16pts 7. El Toro / South Coast (4-2), 15 pts 8. Villa Park / Century (5-1), 14 pts 9. Brea Olinda / Orange (3-2), 13 pts 10. San Clemente / South Coast (4-1), 10 pts LOS AL FORUM/BULLETIN BOARD AVAILABLENow you can post your messages by clicking here and get your questions, answers, opinions to other Griffin fans. VICTOR GRGAS OFFICIAL WEB
PHOTOGRAPHERVictor Grgas had been taken all the photographs on this website. So to make it a little more formal, let's give him the title of Official Web Photographer! Many thanks to Victor for his work. There will be a gallery of photos real soon... Yes, you will see a few from Maui too... 12-14-99 
WEEKEND WRAP-UP:The Red team, behind Peter Park's 14 points, trounced Fullerton in a non-league match-up on Friday Nite. More... The Blue Crew won 3rd place in the Santa Ana Tournament. More... The JV team came up short against Mater Dei and lost 52-51, in spite of Mark Lotman's 25-point effort and many questionable calls. More... The Varsity team played tough in the championship game against Mayfair and Josh Childress, but came up short. More... 12-13-99 UP NEXT...This week, the Reds play at the St. John Bosco's tournament, the Blues and Sophs host Foothill and Mater Dei, The Jayvees find themselves in familiar territory at the Ocean View JV Tourney, facing Mater Dei (again!) in the 1st game, and the Varsity is off to Maui on Thursday for an 7-day of basketball games, Luau's, snorkeling and fun Aloha style. 12-13-99 JV WON ROAD GAMEThe JV Griffins defeated Foothill 61-50 at Foothill. More on story... 12-10-99 GRIFFINS RANK #2On Tuesday 12-7-99, the OC Register releases the OC Poll, and Los Al ranks #2. OC Pool 1. Mater Dei 1-0, 50 2. Los Al 4-0, 37 3. Troy 4-0, 35 4. Santa Margarita 3-1, 28 5. Servite 3-1, 23, 6. El Toro 2-0, 22 7. Brea Olinda 0-1, 17 8. Villa Park 1-0, 13 9. Ocean View 1-0, 12 10. Woodbridge 3-1, 8 12-07-99 2ND WEEKThe 2nd week of play is busier and stiffer competition. The Varsity hosts the 2nd annual Los Al Main Event, while the lower levels having their own buzy schedules. 12-07-99 HILLMAN RETIRESBob Hillman calls it a final retirement after 35 years of teaching young men to become good people to society. Coach Hillman who coached the Blue Team over the summer, was advised by his doctors to retire from coaching. More on story... 12-07-99 GOOD 1ST WEEK OF ACTIONAfter 1 full week of play, the Varsity posted a 4-0 record, winning the Bolsa/Pacifica Tournament... The JV team came in 2nd at the Fountain Valley Tournament... The Sophomore team lost all 3 games in the Ocean View Tournament, but improved in each of the games... The Freshmen Blue and Red teams hosted the annual Freshmen Tournament and did well. 12-06-99 TIP-OFF BANQUET '99The 1999-2000 Tip-Off Banquet started out with a smashing success. More... 11-22-99 |
