CCS public school rankings
- Thread starter colhenrylives
- Start date
Dec. 30
Here's another try with non-league schedules mainly completed.
1. Aptos, 8-4
2. Los Altos, 8-3
3. Palo Alto, 7-2
4. Seaside, 11-2
5. Sequoia 9-3
6. Mills, 8-4
7. Wilcox, 10-2
8. Salinas, 7-3
9. Carlmont, 9-2
10. Leland, 8-6
Also considered: Capuchino, Sobrato, Soquel.
Here's another try with non-league schedules mainly completed.
1. Aptos, 8-4
2. Los Altos, 8-3
3. Palo Alto, 7-2
4. Seaside, 11-2
5. Sequoia 9-3
6. Mills, 8-4
7. Wilcox, 10-2
8. Salinas, 7-3
9. Carlmont, 9-2
10. Leland, 8-6
Also considered: Capuchino, Sobrato, Soquel.
Looking at the CCS public schools as the New Year comes into view, you can make a strong argument that the section's 2019 Open Division tournament should not include any public schools at all. Even Aptos, which has played the toughest non-league schedule of any CCS public, has struggled mightily against CCS private/parochial powers.
A public school either needs to be very good defensively or prolific on offense vs aggressive defense. If there is a public school out there in CCS that fits that bill then consideration for Open division is warranted.
Every team should be allowed a bad loss, but through the preseason there has been no bad losses for any of the top WBAL or any of the WCAL teams.
Every team should be allowed a bad loss, but through the preseason there has been no bad losses for any of the top WBAL or any of the WCAL teams.
Aptos probably comes closest to being competitive with the mid-range or lower WBAL/WCAL teams.
Agree re Aptos. They competed with St. Francis despite losing two key players to foul trouble for much of the game.
Palo Alto went 3-0 in the St. Francis tourney behind a dynamic back court. Sophomore Annika Shah scored 88 points over the three games, including 37 against Soquel. Sophomore Carly Martin is whip quick. Paly is now 7-2 overall, and probably just behind Aptos in the rankings.
Los Altos, which beat Paly earlier in the season, is slipping a bit. They were routed by San Ramon and beaten by San Leandro before topping Santa Clara in the Newark Memorial tourney. They're now 8-3 overall.
Palo Alto went 3-0 in the St. Francis tourney behind a dynamic back court. Sophomore Annika Shah scored 88 points over the three games, including 37 against Soquel. Sophomore Carly Martin is whip quick. Paly is now 7-2 overall, and probably just behind Aptos in the rankings.
Los Altos, which beat Paly earlier in the season, is slipping a bit. They were routed by San Ramon and beaten by San Leandro before topping Santa Clara in the Newark Memorial tourney. They're now 8-3 overall.
Sorry. Cannot simply disregard Paly's early loss to Los Altos. That's head-to-head and on the record.
Not sure I agree with you on Aptos competing with Saint Francis despite foul trouble. You forgot to mention Sfhs two leading scorers were in foul trouble as well and had to sit out about 1 quarter each in the first half. When both teams came out in the second half at full strength sfhs shut them out in the third qtr and won with ease by 20+ points. Aptos getting in foul trouble just goes to show you the bench depth between private and public schools makes a big difference as well.
Totally right about bench depth. Aptos has 3 strong players, and the difference between those stars and their reserves is huge. But with all three on the court, they played St. Francis tough. To be clear, SF is the better team and won the battle when both teams were at full strength. But it was a game, and Aptos should remain atop the heap in public-school CCS.
Separately,Los Altos beat Paly in the first game of the year. Paly's sophomore Shah took 30+ shots, and the young team was totally disjointed. They are considerably better now. Los Altos will probably finish with a better record because they're in the lower division, but Paly will likely go further in playoffs.
Separately,Los Altos beat Paly in the first game of the year. Paly's sophomore Shah took 30+ shots, and the young team was totally disjointed. They are considerably better now. Los Altos will probably finish with a better record because they're in the lower division, but Paly will likely go further in playoffs.
...or maybe not...it's all speculation at this point...which is fine...but that Paly vs. L.A. game can't be discounted...
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Question for the new year ?
Should I stop playing private’s school knowing that CCS D4 has 3 sitting in the path for a CCS championship
I’m very competitive I like to challenge my kids to play hard and compete against the private’s
I believe I don’t have any bad loses this season but I’m playing without my 6’5 center whos Been out and hasn’t played this season due to injury
Is it better to finish 12-0 or 11-1 in preseason playing public and not playing any private’s to build confidence up towards league and CCS
What’s your thought
Keep in mind I’ve been at TN for 11 years
I have a strong group of kids for the next two season
Coach Summerville
Should I stop playing private’s school knowing that CCS D4 has 3 sitting in the path for a CCS championship
I’m very competitive I like to challenge my kids to play hard and compete against the private’s
I believe I don’t have any bad loses this season but I’m playing without my 6’5 center whos Been out and hasn’t played this season due to injury
Is it better to finish 12-0 or 11-1 in preseason playing public and not playing any private’s to build confidence up towards league and CCS
What’s your thought
Keep in mind I’ve been at TN for 11 years
I have a strong group of kids for the next two season
Coach Summerville
Which strong private/parochials will be placed in the CCS Division IV playoffs (not in the CCS Open tourney) in your view?
Menlo School
Sacred Heart Prep
Notre Dame Belmont
Those three school are based in D4 and maybe 1 will go to Open this year or None just depends on how they finished in the WBAL.
if I’m in there shoes I wouldn’t want to go to the open if I can capture a CCS title
Sacred Heart Prep
Notre Dame Belmont
Those three school are based in D4 and maybe 1 will go to Open this year or None just depends on how they finished in the WBAL.
if I’m in there shoes I wouldn’t want to go to the open if I can capture a CCS title
That's always a tough question ... first, it seems to me, it depends on your goals. If you're just happy to get to postseason and don't have any expectations of moving on to NorCals, I'd say get the wins and let everyone enjoy the experience.
But if you want to get the two wins in the CCS playoffs -- now that CCS has agreed to send more than two per division -- that will likely get you to NorCals, a mix of public and private opponents makes more sense. You can't just play all good teams because then your CCS seeding will be bad; you can't play fish every time out or your kids won't understand what it takes to win.
And of course not only will you have unexpected injuries/whatever, so will your opponents, so that team you think will be an easy win when you schedule them gets a transfer and now is tough, and that good team loses their best player and now isn't as strong.
But if you want to get the two wins in the CCS playoffs -- now that CCS has agreed to send more than two per division -- that will likely get you to NorCals, a mix of public and private opponents makes more sense. You can't just play all good teams because then your CCS seeding will be bad; you can't play fish every time out or your kids won't understand what it takes to win.
And of course not only will you have unexpected injuries/whatever, so will your opponents, so that team you think will be an easy win when you schedule them gets a transfer and now is tough, and that good team loses their best player and now isn't as strong.
In the big picture of HS atheltics it really doesn't matter at the end of the day what seed someone gets or what championships they win. Give the kids a positive experience and teach them life lessons that will help them and stay with them beyond the basketball court. You want to see kids that will become mentors some day, kids who will come back to visit, kids who will play in the alumni game, kids who will invite you to their college graduations, and weddings. It's 2019 let's just pray for good coaching and good fun competitive basketball. Truthfully I wouldn't mind seeing the AAU viewing tournaments go away. It would be great to see more college coaches in HS gyms and the game to go back to how it used to be 30 - 40 years ago. What would the HS landscape look like if there was no Cal Stars, JBS, Soldiers, Peninsula Elite, CA Ballaz, Stockton Mustangs, etc. You might see a lot more commitment and loyalty out there from kids and parents and maybe a lot more good hs coaches and positive relationships.
That's an interesting slant on the club teams -- would it better if it was like the 1980s again?
Let's take coaching ... I'm not sure high school coaching would be any better because high school coaches have to be available during the day, so anyone with a "regular" job can't coach in high school. Club teams practice at night and play on weekends, for the most part, so someone with a Monday-Friday day job can coach. And there are plenty of quality AAU coaches.
The other aspect of coaching is that if high school essentially goes year-round -- or, to put it another way, the basketball experience is 90% high school -- then a player who doesn't get along with or isn't properly evaluated by her high school coach is pretty much stuck. For example, if the 5-11 girl with guard skills is the tallest on her high school team and the coach insists she plays post all the time, that's not good for the girl.
Also, getting exposed to different coaches generally helps a player develop. Some coaches emphasize defense, for example, which others are focused on running plays. I worked with one coach who would go nuts if a girl dribbled once and picked the ball up -- which is a good thing to learn, really, but not always taught explicitly.
And finally, with the cost of college having increased so dramatically, any chance of getting a scholarship (worth about a quarter of a million dollars) is definitely worth taking, and it would be hard for some kids at small schools with mediocre coaching and no talent around them to get noticed.
There's always a sense that things were better in the good old days, but as I get older, I tend to think that's more because we were younger then rather than things have deteriorated so badly.
Let's take coaching ... I'm not sure high school coaching would be any better because high school coaches have to be available during the day, so anyone with a "regular" job can't coach in high school. Club teams practice at night and play on weekends, for the most part, so someone with a Monday-Friday day job can coach. And there are plenty of quality AAU coaches.
The other aspect of coaching is that if high school essentially goes year-round -- or, to put it another way, the basketball experience is 90% high school -- then a player who doesn't get along with or isn't properly evaluated by her high school coach is pretty much stuck. For example, if the 5-11 girl with guard skills is the tallest on her high school team and the coach insists she plays post all the time, that's not good for the girl.
Also, getting exposed to different coaches generally helps a player develop. Some coaches emphasize defense, for example, which others are focused on running plays. I worked with one coach who would go nuts if a girl dribbled once and picked the ball up -- which is a good thing to learn, really, but not always taught explicitly.
And finally, with the cost of college having increased so dramatically, any chance of getting a scholarship (worth about a quarter of a million dollars) is definitely worth taking, and it would be hard for some kids at small schools with mediocre coaching and no talent around them to get noticed.
There's always a sense that things were better in the good old days, but as I get older, I tend to think that's more because we were younger then rather than things have deteriorated so badly.
All Good points and no way around some of them. I don't necessarily agree with "a lot" of quality aau coaches out there. I guess it depends on ones definition of quality. For the sheer number of aau teams now I think the number of quality aau coaches is all relative. In terms of being stuck in a bad program or a coach that doesn't fit, with a 30 day sit out finding a better fit is not as hard as the 1 year sitout that used to be. Good ol fashioned hard work still works. The hard part is hs coaches not putting in the time and work for the kids. Hard to find a perfect system. Bottom line is there are a lot of quality programs, coaches, kids out there beyond the typical same schools or aau programs everyone talks about.. Hopefully those that go unnoticed will find alot of success and happiness in 2019. Happy New Year!
Nice to read thoughtful, intelligent, dispassionate, well-reasoned views. Great way to start a new year.
One further note: Watching women's college hoops, it occurred that most teams appear to stress a half court approach which includes set plays, shot selection, proper spacing, limiting turnovers, etc. Unfortunately, that's not so true at the prep level, whether AAU or high school, where a scattered, full-court, up-and-down mind-set tends to prevail much of the time.
There is one other change in high school coaching from back in the day ... there was a time when P.E. teachers were expected to coach as part of the job, but union contracts in public schools, among other things, have changed that. (And come to think of it, that might be another advantage for private schools -- they can stipulate that a P.E. teacher also coach in the contract.)
There is some definite correlation between being a good teacher and a good coach. There aren't many aau teachers as there are aau coaches. And agree with Clay PE teachers coaching or even better yet becoming administrators is long long gone.
Doesn't the state of California prohibit PE majors from becoming public school administrators?
And on the flip side, they can recruit a coach and offer them a job teaching PE (or any subject for that matter) on top of coaching, pay them whatever they want, give them however many classes they want, etc.
Jan. 5:
There is no change in the clearly speculative CCS public school rankings with league action for most teams set to start next week. We can quibble about a placement or two or three, but, on the whole, these are probably the ten best publics out there between Daly City and King City. Records attached.
1. Aptos, 10-4
2. Los Altos, 9-3
3. Palo Alto, 9-2
4. Seaside, 11-2
5. Sequoia, 10-3
6. Mills, 8-4
7. Wilcox, 11-2
8. Salinas, 7-3
9. Carlmont, 9-3
10. Leland, 8-6
Also, considered: Capuchino, Terra Nova, Sobrato, Soquel.
Note: At this juncture, it would be difficult to name any CCS public school as being qualified to be placed in the 2019 CCS Open Division bracket.
There is no change in the clearly speculative CCS public school rankings with league action for most teams set to start next week. We can quibble about a placement or two or three, but, on the whole, these are probably the ten best publics out there between Daly City and King City. Records attached.
1. Aptos, 10-4
2. Los Altos, 9-3
3. Palo Alto, 9-2
4. Seaside, 11-2
5. Sequoia, 10-3
6. Mills, 8-4
7. Wilcox, 11-2
8. Salinas, 7-3
9. Carlmont, 9-3
10. Leland, 8-6
Also, considered: Capuchino, Terra Nova, Sobrato, Soquel.
Note: At this juncture, it would be difficult to name any CCS public school as being qualified to be placed in the 2019 CCS Open Division bracket.
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For CCS open, it is not remotely significant. And it is not especially significant in the ranking of public school teams. But for comparison purposes, Los Altos (ranked #2 ahead of Paly at #3 above) played a competitive game with Mtn View. Paly blew them out.
Yes. In the first game of the season, Los Altos beat a very young Palo Alto team. And the Eagles should be lauded appropriately. But they are 3-3 in their last six games, and lost last night to a 4-7 Homestead team. Los Altos will still finish with a nice record because they're playing in the lower (El Camino) division. But Paly, which has won 9 straight, is better.
TheHillz, you are right that loss is a distant memory. Right now the top 4 in CCS D1 seem to be 1 Paly 2 Sequoia 3 Silver Creek 4 Carlmont. Los Altos is in trouble in this Division.
Do any wise CCS observers foresee a CCS public being dragged kicking and screaming into the WCAL/WBAL playoffs, er, the CCS Open Division tourney at playoff time?
The Privates don't play by the same rules as the publics. Let them have at it amongst themselves.
The rankings are going on hiatus. Non-league games are pretty much over. It's just league play now. So ratings can be tweaked only minimally from here on out. The CCS seeding meeting will be the ultimate arbitrator, at least when it comes to the various divisions. For now, Aptos does have to be No.1. The rest is going to be somewhat flexible. It still seems doubtful that any CCS public, even Aptos, will be forced into the section's Open Division playoffs.
