2019-20 WCAL Hoops Wrap Up/2020-21 Outlook
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Riordan 62 Mitty 51. First time since 2002 that Riordan has won at Mitty.
SHC 81
VC 55
It was close at the half before the Irish pulled away. Sophomore Elias McCarthy coming off the bench had at least 13 points in his second varsity game.
VC 55
It was close at the half before the Irish pulled away. Sophomore Elias McCarthy coming off the bench had at least 13 points in his second varsity game.
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Epic game this Friday Jan 24th - SI @ VC
SI is only 5-11 this season - might be a historically bad year for SI hoops if they don't pickup a few WCAL wins.
Excellent team defense, Riordan's length and Bryce and Je'Lani leading the scoring won the game and broke its losing string in San Jose. The game was chippy throughout, as I don't think these teams like each other. They do respect each other's play, but both teams wanted to make a statement and Riordan's physicality won out.
What's up with Mitty's seating policy? There must have been a dozen announcements directing Riordan fans to sit on the far side elevated bleachers because the floor side bleachers were for Mitty fans. I checked my ticket and I did not have a seating designation, smh. I get it for Riordan students and players from the JVs and Frosh teams need to sit there and/or if the gym was packed, but it was not full at all on the Mitty side. You are so far away from the court, I don't blame fans to wanting to sit on the floor side. I noticed some Riordan parents being asked to move, but they respectfully held their ground. That was great!
I think that set the tone for the entire night. Man, jr. Lee Hubbard did an awesome job defending Mke Mitchell. That young man has been coming into his own since the SI game and is great to see as he complements Je'Lani and Bryce very well. Riordan's bigs of Mor Seck, Dominic Wilson and Chan and Riiny off the bench once again held their own down low on D, blocking shots and simply changing Monarch shot attempts to misses because of their length and contributed with offensive rebounds. PF Rob Vaihola was still out recovering from his hand injury. The first half had Riordan playing excellent man D and Bryce’s penetration and perimeter game. Many of their shots, though good ones, could not find its way through the net at times. The second half saw the Crusader offense open up an shots started to fall. Bryce with his combination of slashing drives to the hoops and elbow jumpers and Je'Lani with his euro step drives with both of them also setting up their teammates. This team is finding itself, and the WCAL gauntlet continues with the upstart St. Francis Lancers this Friday @ the Crusader Forum. Great game Riordan!
What's up with Mitty's seating policy? There must have been a dozen announcements directing Riordan fans to sit on the far side elevated bleachers because the floor side bleachers were for Mitty fans. I checked my ticket and I did not have a seating designation, smh. I get it for Riordan students and players from the JVs and Frosh teams need to sit there and/or if the gym was packed, but it was not full at all on the Mitty side. You are so far away from the court, I don't blame fans to wanting to sit on the floor side. I noticed some Riordan parents being asked to move, but they respectfully held their ground. That was great!
I think that set the tone for the entire night. Man, jr. Lee Hubbard did an awesome job defending Mke Mitchell. That young man has been coming into his own since the SI game and is great to see as he complements Je'Lani and Bryce very well. Riordan's bigs of Mor Seck, Dominic Wilson and Chan and Riiny off the bench once again held their own down low on D, blocking shots and simply changing Monarch shot attempts to misses because of their length and contributed with offensive rebounds. PF Rob Vaihola was still out recovering from his hand injury. The first half had Riordan playing excellent man D and Bryce’s penetration and perimeter game. Many of their shots, though good ones, could not find its way through the net at times. The second half saw the Crusader offense open up an shots started to fall. Bryce with his combination of slashing drives to the hoops and elbow jumpers and Je'Lani with his euro step drives with both of them also setting up their teammates. This team is finding itself, and the WCAL gauntlet continues with the upstart St. Francis Lancers this Friday @ the Crusader Forum. Great game Riordan!
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For you know what and giggles I took a look at Maxpeps rankings. They have Mitty at 21, they had Bellarmine in there a week or so back. So looks like it it time to place Riordan up in the top 25
I didn't comment last night on this board but I jabbed a little bit on twitter. I woke up this morning still upset and disappointed with Mitty. Very happy for the coaching staff of Riordan and it's players for silencing the critics for atleast a few days.
It's a two hour drive from the city up to Mitty in the traffic and weather conditions at the minimum you can be hospitable. I was one of those parents that had a lengthy conversation with Mitty staff about seating and treatment. I attended the Freshman game, JV game and sat in the first seat in the gym and continued to sit in that seat for the Varsity game before being approached. Very disappointing interaction. I was then approached by the school police and then Riordan staff( no names) approached me saying " I am trying to help you, I don't want you to get kicked out" my question is , Kicked out for what? Wearing a Riordan hoodie and supporting the kids? I sat in the same seats for two previous games. So Bryce has trained with Mike Willians for a while with Will Power, they also have played Pop Warner against one another for years. So what your saying if Mike Senior and I want to talk and hang out we can't do it at your facility during a game?
Secondly very disappointed that Bryce came over during halftime of the JV game stating Mitty trainer wouldn't tape him up for the game, really?
Third , Mitty Varsity players shot around at halftime of the JV game while the teams were in the Locker room but you kicked our Varsity team off the floor?
Fourth, if you want to Segregate the bleachers then you better have handicap accessibility to your bleachers of Mt.Davis that you provide.
Great win for Riordan and they were missing Rob and didn't play their best. Mark of a good team is when you don't play well and find a way for you to pull it out. Got a few text messages about Lani dancing at the end of the game, he knows better but at times his impulsivenes kicks in. I will definitely talk with him, he has won big games before and should act accordingly. They really wanted to end that streak for many reasons no excuses but in my mind I was dancing as well.
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If I were treated that way by a visiting fan base, I would have joined Jelani on the court and danced with him. That was a big Win for Riordan. Since 2002! Let the kid friggin dance if he wants too!
Let us hope and pray that the typically calm and relaxed folks at Serra provide generous amounts of TLC for the Crusaders and their fans next week in San Mateo.
My oldest son is a graduate of Serra, 2016. Also 3 year varsity player, All WCAL but I know what your saying.
Sadly at WCAL games before any ball is bounced. We all pray! What are we praying for if we just going to treat each other disrespectfully. The kids chanting and etc...I get that. The other crap will have your other character appear!
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Coach Monroe, I didn't mind Je'Lani's celebrating at all...He had a breakaway with 5 seconds left and easily could have finished with a flush, but instead ran out the clock and was just demonstrably happy to finally get the win on Mitty's home floor.
Impressed how this team can overcome a deficit against good teams and grind it out for the win. In a way, Riordan's physical play and dribble penetration disrupted Mitty's style as they were forced to play defense and were called for numerous fouls that slowed the game down.
I didn't know all of the other disappointing things that went on...I did notice the Varsity was ready to shoot around, but sat on the bench during the JV halftime. Lots of great basketball left and looking forward to Fri @ The Forum vs St. Francis and next Tuesday night's rematch at the Jungle against first place Serra.
I can tell you in 2001 and 2002 and a few years after that they would not allow opposing fans to sit on their side. They always claimed it would be so crowded, which in those years as well as the Drew Gordon/Rob Jones years is what they did. As for the taking up that is not cool at all. If you son got hurt that same trainer would be on the floor immediately. I do remember we had Mike on the road so he taped up Riordan of course, and he was always very very gracious taking up opposing teams at the crusader forum.
There are some big games in between the rematch with Serra. I didn't have a problem with Lani dancing but he is there for basketball and he is big time player. Riordan was supposed to win and that's how I have taught him to approach it. No big deal, I also sat on Mitty side and heard the comments. Some good, some bad.
I believe Mitty made a big mistake by having Mikey guard Bryce because he had to guard a quicker person which wore him down and then Lee pestered him while he was on offense. I will say the game was knotted up when Nigel went down with an injury. Hopefully he recovers soon and is available for the next matchup.
I will say this I was worried after watching the first half of the Bellarmine game because I felt the team hadn't found their roles yet , for example our bigs shooting threes, bringing the ball up, looking guys off , but in the second half guys settled in and it was fun to watch. It carried over to the Mitty game , eventhough it wasn't pretty. Bryce shots were going in and out, etc...they kept with who will get them over the hump. We didn't do wholesale subbing, Coach did a lot more chess playing than yelling...it was great. So now I will say with a few more adjustments, teams better watch out because the staff and players are figuring it out all the while being 14-2 not bad, not bad at all!
What kind of seating policy at Mitty is that, especially if the gym isn't full? I know that at SI, SHC and Riordan, fans can sit anywhere they want. The team benches at Riordan are on the home side,. Visiting parents routinely sit behind them with no issues, and there have been large crowds lately at the Forum...
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Wow, well I do know games at times during the week are not as packed plus we have streaming these days, which I was shocked it was not streamed. On that note back on those days Mitty was packed. The taping thing is disturbing as well. Not sure if Mike is still the trainer at Riordan these days, but he taped up everyone. And if not a full gym then no reason why it should matter, sir where you want.
I don't think SI will get much sympathy. They will be even worse next season.
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LMAO !..... I hope young Mor Sek is listening to his teammates about what is coming. If SI got him to flip the bird and he can't or doesn't ignore the noise he won't last two minutes down there. Too say the boys from W20th can be "creative" is being gentle.
The environment at Serra, if the student body is truly engaged, is one of the most formidable in Norcal. More intense than what they experienced at SI, more vociferous than what they saw last nite. To add to that, its a band box and adds up to the most difficult place to play in the WCAL. Yes, EK has mentioned Bellarmine and Ive never been there when Bellarmine has been up and Riordan, so that could be interesting, but for my money, nothing beats playing and beating those Fathers at their casa.
And this happens right around MLK day and Black History Month?!?!? Brothas better boycott Mitty IMMEDIATELY!!! Even the beige ones.. pick a side!!! #rosaparkssaysnah
since when did boys basketball players start shooting at halftime? Isnt that a girls baskeball thing? arent the boys in dress shoes and ties?
1DNA, several SI administrators stated that was the most crowded and intense crowd ever @ SI. The SI student body is right along the west side baseline. And obviously in very close vicinity to the bigs. Serra's student body are on the sideline, closer to the guards/wings. With that being said, I believe the youngster learned his lesson after being suspended one game and how it can impact his team. His teammates, especially the seniors, will have his back. Will be interesting to see how this plays out @ the Jungle next Tuesday.
I don't think it was a race issue more of a purple and gold issue. Either way disappointing.
I know but its seems that everything I say is polarized nowadays. There is a reason I can't let some people attend my son games because they wouldn't have handled that situation with care.
Totally get the disappointment. I've been there many times for WCAL, CCS and NorCal games and still don't understood that policy. Public or Private it didn't matter. You can't fix stupid !
12 years for me...4 with my younger cousin Eric Wilson at Serra, 4 with my oldest son at Serra, now 4 with Bryce. I agree if stupid doesn't want to be fixed. That gym is not accessible at all. All the money they collect up there...smh
On the delicate flip side of the Serra home floor matter, if you play (or coach) basketball for the Padres you have to love it. In many ways, it's the polar opposite of places like SHC and VC where customers are few, subdued and barely engaged.
It was ridiculous. Reminded me of the SH/Riordan WCAL Final held there. I was sitting to the right of the Student Body and they just keep letting people in. That said, the SI Administrators may believe that it was crowded and intense, but nothing still compares to Serra. Yes they are close and yes they have Administrators are there on the baseline, but you can say the same about Serra's on their sideline. Reminding you of the vitriol spewed there, a Confederate Flag bandana being held up in the early 90s in their student section. Enough said...oh wait; but times have changed. I get it...
Definitely a different intensity and vibe @ the Jungle. I'm all for friendly and creative banter between two schools. Just don't want it to get ugly with inappropriate jeers/gestures and/or physical altercations. Serra's administrators need only look to last season's Jungle game for a reminder. St. Francis is this Friday, Tuesday @ the Jungle. Let's play some hoops!It was ridiculous. Reminded me of the SH/Riordan WCAL Final held there. I was sitting to the right of the Student Body and they just keep letting people in. That said, the SI Administrators may believe that it was crowded and intense, but nothing still compares to Serra. Yes they are close and yes they have Administrators are there on the baseline, but you can say the same about Serra's on their sideline. Reminding you of the vitriol spewed there, a Confederate Flag bandana being held up in the early 90s in their student section. Enough said...oh wait; but times have changed. I get it...
The biggest crowd I recall at Drucker Court was the Mission v. S.I. in NorCal semi final three years ago. But the crowd at recent riordan/SI game was legit.
As said earlier, Serra can be the most intimidating environment in league (on selected games). SHC is the least intimidating.
As said earlier, Serra can be the most intimidating environment in league (on selected games). SHC is the least intimidating.
The Serra administration is desperate to contain its loony student body during hoops rivalry affairs. It's an all-out, all-hands-on-deck exercise in crowd control that often features paid outside security guys, some of whom resemble hardened prison guards sans weapons. At the last SI contest, those intimidating mugs were augmented by regular city police and fire personnel along with yellow-vest volunteer parents. It was like something out of a Second Amendment rally.
