Rare Jason Kidd Footage | St. Joes vs Bishop O'Dowd 1992
- Thread starter SimplyBBall
- Start date
Wow.... Incredible find!!!
I remember this game very well... Jason played incredibly well (even for him!), dominating the Dragons throughout.
That incident at the end was... Jason suddenly stopped and hurled up last week's lunch! The Kidd version of "the flu game". He had to have been under-the-weather before that game even started, but no way was he missing a playoff game vs. O'Dowd,,,
I remember this game very well... Jason played incredibly well (even for him!), dominating the Dragons throughout.
That incident at the end was... Jason suddenly stopped and hurled up last week's lunch! The Kidd version of "the flu game". He had to have been under-the-weather before that game even started, but no way was he missing a playoff game vs. O'Dowd,,,
On thing I always remember is how hard he played. Never took any plays off. Hustled after every ball. Still to this day best Hs player I’ve ever seen.
Just a few weeks after he graduated from elementary school, he suited up for the Pilots as an incoming frosh at the Skyline College summer tourney. We were alerted that a special talent was going to be uniform. When St. Joe's came out to warm up, there he was. A man already. Amazing. He was the best and most dynamic player on the floor. We also speculated that he would be one tremendous football player as well. Wide receiver. Free safety. Kick returner. QB. You name it. What a talent.
Only four NorCal preps have been named California's Mr. Basketball in back-to-back years: Fred LaCour (St. Ignatius), Bill Cartwright (Elk Grove) Jason Kidd (St. Joseph's) and Aaron Gordon (Mitty). Only the gifted LaCour (a smooth 6-5 guard/forward) did not have a solid (or stellar) NBA career. A high draft selection by the old St. Louis Hawks, he bounced around in the pro game, even getting a cup of coffee with the Warriors early in the 1960s. He died young due to alcoholism and drug abuse. Tragic.
i remember hearing my uncles talk about Lacour as well.
The other thing about the buzz around jkidd was that it didn’t even do him justice. Sometimes you hear of a talent and you watch him and then say yeah he’s ok..... wirh Kidd you walked away with an appreciation that you didn’t even know existed. Crammed into Hayward state to catch a few of those games was a treat. One of the best PG to ever play in the nba.
Gordon was an incredible player who was must see with his dunks but he can’t sniff jkidd. Gordon will have a nice nba career and be a 3rd 4th option.
Never really developed into the shooter he needed to be. (So far)
...and Big Bill Cartwright was a powerhouse seven-foot pivot, an utterly dominant prep and a standout at USF...does anyone else remember that USF recruiting class (James Hardy, Winford Boynes and Cartwright) that became a serious item in Sports Illustrated early on and then did some big-time damage along the West Coast back in the 1970s?...the Dons were ranked No.1 in the U.S. for a couple of weeks until Notre Dame took it to them late in South Bend...
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JKidd was amazing!! Very skilled and VERY quick. When I played for Mission High School in San Francisco, we lost to that same BOD Team in a 1st Round CIF quarter-final thriller, 79-78, at Kezar Pavilion. If we could have pulled off the upset, we would have had a 2nd crack at JKidd in 92, as we played and lost to St Joe’s at the Coliseum the year before in 91. Great memories!!! Bishop O’Dowd was led by a lean and lanky, slasher and shooter, Kareem Jackson, point guard, Bryan Hynes and big man, Steve Benosso (misspell). My Dad video taped the game, but I lost the VHS Tape SMH ♂️
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I agree with you guys. J Kidd is the best high school athlete I’ve seen from Nor Cal.
I played against Brian Johnson (Skyline HS/ Stanford/GiantsTigers), and he was an incredible catcher and QB. BJ broke El Cerrito High’s great Brian Nichol’s California all time HS career RBI record his senior year in ‘86 (been broken since). BJ’s ‘84 Titan football team was probably the best team in Cali that season. They went undefeated and beat a good DLS team that year. BJ’s got to be up there too.
Antonio Vernon (DLS football RB and baseball), Pops Mitchell (El Cerrito football/baseball/USC baseball), Matty Felder (Kennedy HS baseball/football/Giants Tiny Felder’s little brother) and my Salesian teammate Andre Harris (basketball /football/Oregon State football)) were some other phenomenal two sport athletes as well.
What people don’t know about J Kidd is that he could have played D1 baseball (and maybe drafted). His senior year he lead St. Joe’s baseball team to a league title. In the 6th inning of the championship game vs. my little brother’s St. Mary’s squad at Burrell Field in San Leandro, J Kidd walked, stole second and third, and scored the winning run on a suicide squeeze to win 1-0.
The year before in a basketball game vs St. Mary’s squad he made a three...with his left hand.
A few years later at Cal J Kidd comes to one of my brother’s baseball practices at Evan’s Diamond. During BP J Kidd almost hits one on the gym’s roof in left field. Coach Milano tried his best to get him on the baseball squad for the two years he was at Cal.
If St. Joe’s had a football team, my boys and I always wondered if J Kidd played what could he have done at QB or WR.
The only person who might have J Kidd beat in terms of Nor Cal HS multi-sport athletes would be Oakland Tech’s Ricky Henderson. But i never seen him play in HS.
Others?
I played against Brian Johnson (Skyline HS/ Stanford/GiantsTigers), and he was an incredible catcher and QB. BJ broke El Cerrito High’s great Brian Nichol’s California all time HS career RBI record his senior year in ‘86 (been broken since). BJ’s ‘84 Titan football team was probably the best team in Cali that season. They went undefeated and beat a good DLS team that year. BJ’s got to be up there too.
Antonio Vernon (DLS football RB and baseball), Pops Mitchell (El Cerrito football/baseball/USC baseball), Matty Felder (Kennedy HS baseball/football/Giants Tiny Felder’s little brother) and my Salesian teammate Andre Harris (basketball /football/Oregon State football)) were some other phenomenal two sport athletes as well.
What people don’t know about J Kidd is that he could have played D1 baseball (and maybe drafted). His senior year he lead St. Joe’s baseball team to a league title. In the 6th inning of the championship game vs. my little brother’s St. Mary’s squad at Burrell Field in San Leandro, J Kidd walked, stole second and third, and scored the winning run on a suicide squeeze to win 1-0.
The year before in a basketball game vs St. Mary’s squad he made a three...with his left hand.
A few years later at Cal J Kidd comes to one of my brother’s baseball practices at Evan’s Diamond. During BP J Kidd almost hits one on the gym’s roof in left field. Coach Milano tried his best to get him on the baseball squad for the two years he was at Cal.
If St. Joe’s had a football team, my boys and I always wondered if J Kidd played what could he have done at QB or WR.
The only person who might have J Kidd beat in terms of Nor Cal HS multi-sport athletes would be Oakland Tech’s Ricky Henderson. But i never seen him play in HS.
Others?
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Just looked up Henderson's Wiki... For me, he falls in that "just before" category... I graduated from HS two years before he did (and one year before Cartwright), but I wasn't following other schools' sports then, and wouldn't really do so 'til 1981.
Another reason I don't know Henderson's background is that I'm pretty much a one-sport guy.
This does mean I heard about Cartwright, but I never saw him play until his days at USF (and only on TV).
Anyway, back to J Kidd... I did see him play baseball a couple times, both during section playoffs. (exception to my "one-sport guy" mantra, one of just a few). Watched him drive a 'tweener between left and center... The opposing CF managed to cut if off and came up looking to get the ball to the cutoff man or maybe try to make a play on Jason at second. He had to change his mind quick, cuz Jason was just about to slide into THIRD. Dude flew round the bases like a huge version of Speedy Gonzalez!
That's one aspect of Jason that doesn't get a lot of notice... His blinding SPEED! I remember him chasing down loose balls successfully when he started well behind a bunch of other guys, a LOT. Sometimes, J would already have the ball and be heading forward while all the other guys zipped by him going the wrong way.
I wonder if he ever got timed in the 40...
Another reason I don't know Henderson's background is that I'm pretty much a one-sport guy.
This does mean I heard about Cartwright, but I never saw him play until his days at USF (and only on TV).
Anyway, back to J Kidd... I did see him play baseball a couple times, both during section playoffs. (exception to my "one-sport guy" mantra, one of just a few). Watched him drive a 'tweener between left and center... The opposing CF managed to cut if off and came up looking to get the ball to the cutoff man or maybe try to make a play on Jason at second. He had to change his mind quick, cuz Jason was just about to slide into THIRD. Dude flew round the bases like a huge version of Speedy Gonzalez!
That's one aspect of Jason that doesn't get a lot of notice... His blinding SPEED! I remember him chasing down loose balls successfully when he started well behind a bunch of other guys, a LOT. Sometimes, J would already have the ball and be heading forward while all the other guys zipped by him going the wrong way.
I wonder if he ever got timed in the 40... What about
1983-1984 John Williams Crenshaw
2000-2001 Tyson Chandler Dominguez
2018-2019 Oneyka Okungwo Chino
Jack Del Rio was a phenomenal 3-sport athlete at Hayward High back in the early 80s. Most people know he played LB and coached many years in the NFL, and is still coaching today. He started 4 years at USC before going pro.
He also started at catcher at USC for a couple of years with the likes of Randy Johnson & Mark McGuire as teammates. He got drafted out of both HS and at USC, but chose football.
Basketball may have been his “3rd sport”, but at 6’5” he was a hell of a player and had several D1 offers to play hoops as well, if he hadn’t been so darn good at football and baseball.
His Hayward Farmer teams won 7 consecutive HAAL championships - starting with baseball his sophomore year, and then they ran the table in all 3 sports in both his junior and senior years. He wasn’t just a D1 athlete, he was a legendary 3-sport athlete that could virtually do anything he put his mind to. One of the best the Bay Area has ever seen. Along the lines of Jim Fregosi and Lynn Swann, they just don’t make them like that anymore.
He also started at catcher at USC for a couple of years with the likes of Randy Johnson & Mark McGuire as teammates. He got drafted out of both HS and at USC, but chose football.
Basketball may have been his “3rd sport”, but at 6’5” he was a hell of a player and had several D1 offers to play hoops as well, if he hadn’t been so darn good at football and baseball.
His Hayward Farmer teams won 7 consecutive HAAL championships - starting with baseball his sophomore year, and then they ran the table in all 3 sports in both his junior and senior years. He wasn’t just a D1 athlete, he was a legendary 3-sport athlete that could virtually do anything he put his mind to. One of the best the Bay Area has ever seen. Along the lines of Jim Fregosi and Lynn Swann, they just don’t make them like that anymore.
Jahvid Best was an All-American in two sports.
All good adds. Kiddman, I knew you would have a J Kidd story.
I heard about Jack Del Rio. A friend reminded me that he’s got to be in the Top 5. He was right before my time, but we did hear about him...a lot.
And how can I leave a fellow Salesian Alum off the list? Jahvid was unreal, I DID see him play, and I was on the HOF committee that voted him in. My bad. Can’t beat All-American in two sports.
No prob listing the LA ballers BTW. Plenty to choose from. I heard Darryl Strawberry was nice in baseball and hoop? Maybe I’m mixing up his son and him? My mother-in-law was the principal at Crenshaw during the 80s/90s and loved D Straw.
I heard about Jack Del Rio. A friend reminded me that he’s got to be in the Top 5. He was right before my time, but we did hear about him...a lot.
And how can I leave a fellow Salesian Alum off the list? Jahvid was unreal, I DID see him play, and I was on the HOF committee that voted him in. My bad. Can’t beat All-American in two sports.
No prob listing the LA ballers BTW. Plenty to choose from. I heard Darryl Strawberry was nice in baseball and hoop? Maybe I’m mixing up his son and him? My mother-in-law was the principal at Crenshaw during the 80s/90s and loved D Straw.
The seven straight league titles is an amazing feat! Took me a minute to fully grasp what that meant.
A quick note about the late Jim Fregosi: He was a four-sport standout at Serra in the late 1950s. He was a CAL football star as a halfback. He was stellar as a basketball guard and, of course, made his major mark in baseball. But he also performed for the Serra track and field team. He was a sprinter and long-jumper, often competing in his baseball uniform because he was playing in a nearby ballgame at the same time. He qualified for the CIF state meet in the latter event in 1959. An amazing athlete. And he made it all look easy, transitioning from sport to sport effortlessly. He was the very definition of "The Natural." He was also a year younger than his class. He graduated at the age of 17.
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He played with Moore-Mobley at St. Mary’s. I played them in a 91 Skyline Summer League Playoff Game and Mission SF lost in a tight contest.
Oh ok, I'm older,don't know him. But SM had some decent teams back then, in every sport
They were decent. Ivan had a good career there and at Cal. Mark Cruise pitched for Fresno State and Kamau Edwards played at UCLA. Their hoop team had Will Chavrin (CIF Director/Little Will—BOD and Cal Poly). Football team had my old Salesian coach Dan “Shag” Shaughnessy at the helm. They lost to Alhambra in the NCS 2A ‘ship in ‘92 I believe.
You know Shag was a ST Marys alum himself, Salesian had some good teams when he coached there. Same with SM when Shag coached there. Vastly underrated when talking about great high school football coaches in NorCal
Couldn’t agree with you more. Very underrated indeed. He was and still is a great coach and person. I have a ton of inspiring and hilarious Salesian football stories. I had Shag for English too—more stories there.
Yes, I know he started off as a Panther; however, we had a 12-year winning streak vs St. Mary’s while Shag was head coach at Salesian. He’s also 3-3 vs De La Salle all time. One loss being an upset that gave Coach Lad his first CAL Championship. There is a chapter in DLS’s book “When the Game Stands Tall” entitled, “A Nemesis Named Shag” that talks about Coach and our old rivalry vs the Spartans.
Those were some hard hitting games in the late 70s to mid 80s. Nothing but respect for Coach Lad, their players, and the DLS program. We battled on the baseball field for the CAL crown with the Spartans during my years too. Thanks for recognizing and mentioning Shag. He was our guest a couple years ago at a class reunion. He’s still in great shape and sharp.
Yes, I know he started off as a Panther; however, we had a 12-year winning streak vs St. Mary’s while Shag was head coach at Salesian. He’s also 3-3 vs De La Salle all time. One loss being an upset that gave Coach Lad his first CAL Championship. There is a chapter in DLS’s book “When the Game Stands Tall” entitled, “A Nemesis Named Shag” that talks about Coach and our old rivalry vs the Spartans.
Those were some hard hitting games in the late 70s to mid 80s. Nothing but respect for Coach Lad, their players, and the DLS program. We battled on the baseball field for the CAL crown with the Spartans during my years too. Thanks for recognizing and mentioning Shag. He was our guest a couple years ago at a class reunion. He’s still in great shape and sharp.
May bad. Didn’t know you were a Panther. Close games in ‘82 and ‘84 at St. Mary’s. We got the OT win in ‘82. Could have gone either way. That holding call (on the other side of the play) on you guys that negated a Bobby Pope TD in that rain storm in ‘84 was suspect. That was the difference. If you played in that game, I was the left tackle who recovered the Delano Doss fumble near your goal line to help keep the winning drive alive. You guys were quick and athletic. Willie Brown, Vernon Avery (USC), and Shon Page (Dartmouth) were all very good RBs during those years. Avery was a beast on the diamond too.
Yeah, that was my brothers team in '84, they were pretty good. Almost had DLS too, down 26-20, driving, but turned the ball over and DLS scored on it. Lost 33-20 in a game much much closer than the final score would indicate. SM had a nice track team too. They had plenty of athletes, just could put it together
Just looked up Henderson's Wiki... For me, he falls in that "just before" category... I graduated from HS two years before he did (and one year before Cartwright), but I wasn't following other schools' sports then, and wouldn't really do so 'til 1981.
Another reason I don't know Henderson's background is that I'm pretty much a one-sport guy.
This does mean I heard about Cartwright, but I never saw him play until his days at USF (and only on TV).
Anyway, back to J Kidd... I did see him play baseball a couple times, both during section playoffs. (exception to my "one-sport guy" mantra, one of just a few). Watched him drive a 'tweener between left and center... The opposing CF managed to cut if off and came up looking to get the ball to the cutoff man or maybe try to make a play on Jason at second. He had to change his mind quick, cuz Jason was just about to slide into THIRD. Dude flew round the bases like a huge version of Speedy Gonzalez!
That's one aspect of Jason that doesn't get a lot of notice... His blinding SPEED! I remember him chasing down loose balls successfully when he started well behind a bunch of other guys, a LOT. Sometimes, J would already have the ball and be heading forward while all the other guys zipped by him going the wrong way.
Actually, Henderson was a three sport star; played RB (and supposedly had a scholarship offer from Norte Dame) and as a PG on the Tech hoops’ squad feeding the ball into a legendary teammate, Northern “Doc” Shavers. I recall attending a game at Laney College in 1976 where the two time defending Tech Bulldogs lost to their successor OAL Champs, Castlemont HS led by Donnie Martin (Long Beach State), Geary McCoy (also LBSU?) and a 6’9 Junior Stud, Cliff “Treetop” Robinson who starred at USC and had a lengthy (12 years!) NBA career. The Knights were coach by Dave Shigamatsu (RIP) a 5’7 Japanese Black Belt, no nonsense taskmaster.
However, JKidd was, no question, the best ever from NorCal, what a treat to watch (and I was blessed to ref) him play!
Having Shag on your side is worth 14 points. I was at the game at Salesian in the 90's when the 12 game losing streak was snapped. Me and an ex asst coach and a teammate just looked at each other in stunned relief.
That was a good game too. SM beat us on a field goal in the last min. Shag leaves Salesian, goes back to SM, and ends his own streak. I have that game on VHS. Never watched it. LOL. I have enough SM homies to remind me of what happened that day. I agree that SM always had the talent but couldn’t figured it out. St. Pat’s (early 80s), BOD, and Moreau weren’t bad either in the old CAL back then. Shag returned that changed things for SM.
Switching to hoop, I would argue the CAL was by far the best league back then in Nor Cal with BOD, St. Joe’s, St. Elizabeth’s, DLS, Moreau, St. Mary’s, St. Pat’s, and Salesian.
You got that right, for sure. Terrific league! While BOD and St. Joe's were almost always the top two until the last few years of the league when DLS was right up there with them, the others were rarely far below the leaders and were capable of upsets on occasion.
I got myself into the high-school hoops scene in time for the last four seasons of this slugfest of a league.
Mr Bucks.
I checked my records, Castlemont won everything in Gridley that year. Cliff Robinson was high scorer and MVP.
Here's wishing you great hoops
P.S. I am hanging in there.
The East Bay-only version of the CAL lasted about 20 years. NCS honchos mandated that the CAL be broken up late in the 1980s. The CAL authorities tried to fight that move but failed. The WCAL, however, goes on. It observed its 50th anniversary a couple of years ago. Way back in the 1940s and very early 1950s, the collection of relatively small Bay Area Catholic schools (which included regional entities like St. Mary's of Stockton) was dubbed the "California Catholic Athletic League" in some quarters. But it was the CAL that stuck, at least for awhile.
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Easy argument to make, most of the league was ultra competitive. CAL never got the credit it deserved for its basketball
Just found this highlight clip from Kidd's junior year championship game with the Pilots vs. a loaded Fremont-LA team! It says it was put up on Youtube in 2011. Dunno how it got past me this long.
If you watch Kidd the thing I loved about him was every dribble was purposeful. He was always going north/south. Too many kids today over dribble and go nowhere but look cool. Or so they think.
mvp of that game was the guard kris stone. I remember him as the X factor. He had himself a night.
mvp of that game was the guard kris stone. I remember him as the X factor. He had himself a night.
