Xcellent 25

[SouthBayHoopFan]

Hey Clay,

Just wondering if Pinewood is getting any consideration for the Xcellent 25? They've put together a pretty nice season so far, and have played a tougher schedule than many of the teams in the list. Plus if they could knock off Mitty or SMS in the playoffs (not that big a stretch), they'd deserve to be up near the top. Seems a shame to leave them out.

 

[ClayK]

The problem is the loss to Salesian ... which isn't countered with a win over an elite team. There are a bunch of good wins (Spring Valley, to name just one), but nothing that can offset a loss to an unranked team.

And Salesian has lost to Folsom and Alemany, which are not national level teams. And since Salesian beat Pinewood and lost to Harvard-Westlake, probably Harvard-Westlake would have national priority over Pinewood.

It's too bad, really, because Pinewood just might be that good ... still, the scoreboard doesn't lie.

 

[Paytc]

The problem is the loss to Salesian ... which isn't countered with a win over an elite team. There are a bunch of good wins (Spring Valley, to name just one), but nothing that can offset a loss to an unranked team.

And Salesian has lost to Folsom and Alemany, which are not national level teams. And since Salesian beat Pinewood and lost to Harvard-Westlake, probably Harvard-Westlake would have national priority over Pinewood.

It's too bad, really, because Pinewood just might be that good ... still, the scoreboard doesn't lie.

Many good points except for one I don't personally agree with but far too often hear....."the scoreboard doesn't lie". The scoreboard also doesn't always tell the truth. Some games are closer some further than the final score indicates. And some teams have injuries and some games interesting officiating. Some nice coaches believe in making games closer. Some never take their foot off the gas until their certain the game is secure. And teams matchup differently from game to game. Some teams like the Philedelphia Eagles end up champions after being ranked to start the season very low. So I guess it would depend on what you consider to be a lie. Whether Pinewood is listed in the so call Excellent 25 or not, I'd bet money they are capable of beating anyone in the top 25 including the top 3. So obviously the scoreboard has been lying right along with the rankings of just about every poll to include the Xcellent 25. LOL............

Just not enough separating teams that have both the coaching and players it takes to be one of the elite teams in the nation. Which Pinewood consistently proves they belong in that group year after year. Even without a bunch of size or so call Division 1 players. Another top notch class act Bay Area program. Much success to them and the Bay moving forward.

 

[ClayK]

No question Pinewood could compete with any member of the Xcellent 25 ... but the rankings don't reflect who we think would win a game tonight, but rather the full season's body of work.

Doing a top 25 based on who would a game tonight is a reasonable way to put one together, but it's almost wholly subjective -- and our feeling is the more objectivity, the better. (There are still assumptions, of course, but the fewer, the better ...)

 

[Norcal_Fan]

No question Pinewood could compete with any member of the Xcellent 25 ... but the rankings don't reflect who we think would win a game tonight, but rather the full season's body of work.

Doing a top 25 based on who would a game tonight is a reasonable way to put one together, but it's almost wholly subjective -- and our feeling is the more objectivity, the better. (There are still assumptions, of course, but the fewer, the better ...)

I think what Clay’s saying is while it may not tell the entire story of the game, the bottom line is if you win you win, if you lose you lose...especially when it comes to rankings. They’ll have their chance in a few weeks...they sure are fun to watch!

 

[Paytc]

I think what Clay’s saying is while it may not tell the entire story of the game, the bottom line is if you win you win, if you lose you lose...especially when it comes to rankings. They’ll have their chance in a few weeks...they sure are fun to watch!

I agree with that ! But in terms of the scoreboard lying or not I'm positive it doesn't always tell the truth. Because based on the scoreboard Folsom beat both Carondelet and Salesian yet loss to Mitty by 50. While Carondelet was within striking distance to Mitty just about the entire game. Different teams matchup with different teams from a coaching and player consideration differently. So you can't say because team A beat team B and team B beat team C that team A can cash their check even before playing the game against team C. Last season Clovis West easily beat Centennial at the Nike TOC( which was a much harder tournament) and then loss to the same team. The scoreboard can't say Centennial or Clovis West was the better team. Or which team should be ranked higher without given it more thought than just looking at the score, each teams record, or even head to head play. You have to look at the entire body of work. And consider which actual circumstance was a more impressive accomplishment. Scoreboards and rankings can be misleading. So we can't say they are always telling the correct story.

I do get there has to be some form of reasoning behind rankings. But just basing things off of the final score is like saying eating fast food fried in lard is as good for you as eating baked or raw foods. They both make pretty good turds. Just seems like a short-cut away from the time it takes to consider the entire picture. That is why we often have undefeated teams that have never been tested ranked much higher than battle tested teams with 1 or 2 losses. Also why the last year or so I had to create my own SOS final ranking poll.

 

[Sjbasket]

A very nice situation to have Mitty, SMS and Pinewood in the National spotlight, although Mitty and SMS really being the dominate at this stage. I believe that Pinewood is one year away from being "THE" dominant team in the state. I really think that they will be in the position to win the open state title next year. They will definitely more prominently displayed in national spotlight next year.

 

[Paytc]

I agree with that. However having seen Pinewood and a few of the so call best up close such as Mitty, and SMS, I think Pinewood is capable of winning against any team this year as well. Obviously Mitty are still the favorites and Pinewood would be an under dog to both Mitty and SMS. But they can definitely present a good challenge. Not sure who graduates other than Bri Claros, So next year I would expect Hanna Jump and the cast that returns to be as you said "more prominently displayed in the national spotlight".