To start with, you have 3,417 students.
You have a diverse population in an area that has always been strong in basketball. Programs on all sides are successful -- O'Dowd, St. Joe's, Salesian -- and Berkeley was once the dominant team in the Bay Area.
Could it be again?
I tend to think so, given the sine qua non of administrative support (thought I'd use some of the Latin I learned in my wasted youth). Presumably you're going to be able find at least 12 good players already at the school, and with proper motivation, you have a competitive situation within the team. That means progress and development, because the players who will work hard will pass the less motivated ones by, which is a win-win all the way around.
I don't know much about district policies regarding accepting transfers, but when kids come in as ninth graders, there's no fuss. Is there room for out-of-district ninth graders? No idea, but with 1,700 girls to choose from to begin with, you don't need many.
I didn't see Berkeley play this year, and I know Michael Wooldridge wasn't as successful as he hoped to be, so there may be other issues, but to me, Berkeley is pretty much the definition of a sleeping giant. And I don't think it will take a magic wand to wake it up again.
You have a diverse population in an area that has always been strong in basketball. Programs on all sides are successful -- O'Dowd, St. Joe's, Salesian -- and Berkeley was once the dominant team in the Bay Area.
Could it be again?
I tend to think so, given the sine qua non of administrative support (thought I'd use some of the Latin I learned in my wasted youth). Presumably you're going to be able find at least 12 good players already at the school, and with proper motivation, you have a competitive situation within the team. That means progress and development, because the players who will work hard will pass the less motivated ones by, which is a win-win all the way around.
I don't know much about district policies regarding accepting transfers, but when kids come in as ninth graders, there's no fuss. Is there room for out-of-district ninth graders? No idea, but with 1,700 girls to choose from to begin with, you don't need many.
I didn't see Berkeley play this year, and I know Michael Wooldridge wasn't as successful as he hoped to be, so there may be other issues, but to me, Berkeley is pretty much the definition of a sleeping giant. And I don't think it will take a magic wand to wake it up again.
