EBAL Prediction 1-20-15

[eastbaytruth2]

Not sure what happened to my original account but I still managed to make my morning post with a slight change to my name. Like I mentioned last week this evening is when league standings will really shape up. Here is how I see them going down:

GRANADA at AMADOR VALLEY - Granada comes off a disappointing loss at home against Foothill and a rough 1-3 league start. They need to bring it together and string three winds to end the first half of league or else it could really start to fall apart for them. Amador is kind of in the same boat as Foothill last week. Get the win and you now replace Granada as the fifth best team in league. Being that it is a home game for Amador, I will give them the edge. AV 58 GRANADA 53

LIVERMORE at CAL - These two teams have little chance of winning any games unless it is against each other. A team would have to really slip up and overlook them and I do not see that happening. If I am Cal, I have to think this is a great chance to give their new coach his first league win. Go Griz! CAL 56 LIVERMORE 38

SAN RAMON VALLEY at FOOTHILL - Foothill has provided some great challenges for most of the top teams and SRV will have to be careful not to think about their Friday game until this one is over. Cobb and Findley have a nice one-two combo but I just wonder if Foothill has the depth to stay in the game with the Wolves. Smith and Fuca have played extremely well together and Spackman has been steadily improving in the post. I see the Wolves making a strong statement and remain undefeated in league play. SRV 73 FOOTHILL 56

MONTE VISTA at DE LA SALLE - I am having flashbacks of the three games last year and how Jones and the Mustangs were able to sweep Frank and the Spartans. This year it would make sense to say DLS has the advantage, with all that MV lost due to graduation. My biggest concern is the health of Peters, who took on of the cheapest shots I have seen in a game in some time last night. He showed some guts and came back to play in the final minutes but how he feels today might be a bigger concern. MV is well coached and Nick will find a solid game plan to keep this competitive but I feel that the home court is enough to take the opening matchup between these two teams. DLS 59 MV 50

Enjoy the games!

 

[larry legend33]

I like DLS by double digits. I was very impressed with them last night. They should pick apart MV. Peters returned for that game so I see no reason why he would be impacted.

I talked to Chaminade coach briefly after the game and was very intrigued by the defensive adjustment they went too in 2nd half. Something I haven't seen thrown at DLS. It was a hybrid Triangle and 2. Basically put best defenders on Peters and Ratinho and let the other 3 kids beat you. DLS loves to create "noise" and distractions on offense. Most teams fall into this trap. Chaminades bigs stay put in key to rebound. It actually worked well but Chaminade couldn't hit a shot to save there life which killed them. They also lost there best post player to an ankle injury. 6"6 kid who was solid. Otherwise I think that game was much closer. Also I was right next to that flagrant foul and I have seen way worse. Your telling me you've never seen a kid get pushed in the back on a layup? That is a much more dangerous situation. The kid who hurt Peters happens to be 300 lbs and a 5 star FB recruit. Those kids foul you and it hurts. Plus it was getting chippy leading up to that. Like I said no love between these teams.

I'm going to try and make it out.

 

[NorCalScout]

DLS over Monte Vista- Game of the night and it should be a good one. I think the Mustangs can keep it close and have a shot to win if Mitu & LaShells have good games. Look for De La Salle to take away Mitu and force him to take fade away shots from 20 plus feet. Who ever wins the battle on the boards & doesn't give up 2nd chance points in the paint will win the game.
DLS 56 MV 49

San Ramon over Foothill- I think this will be another great match-up. Everyone, including me is waiting for Foothill to come back to reality but maybe the reality is, they are pretty darn good. I think Smith is the best point guard at both ends of the court and his ability to make others around him might be to much for the Falcons to overcome. Cobb is playing as well as anyone in this league and when Finley is on his game, they will be in every game.
San Ramon 68 Foothill 60

Amador Valley over Granada- I think this has the making of an upset but I always like to go with the home teams when I think it's a tough game to pick. Amador is play better and Granada is struggling and Johnson & Stafford need to get some help. I wouldn't be surprised to see Granada win this one but if Amador can get to the free throw line and play aggressively on offense and not shoot so many 3's, they will win.
Amador 60 Granada 54

Cal over Livermore- Battle of the two bottom feeders. Cal will finally get coach Khoo his first boys EBAL victory and they should be able to have their way with the Cowboys. If Cal's shooting is off, look for this to be a much closer game but either way, Cal will come away with the victory
Cal 60 Livermore 42

 

[observer22]

Originally posted by larry legend33:

I like DLS by double digits. I was very impressed with them last night. They should pick apart MV. Peters returned for that game so I see no reason why he would be impacted.

When they took Peters off the court, I was worried about a possible concussion as he took a hard hit and had a nasty gash on his face. I was surprised that Frank put him back in at the end when the game was all but over, but I guess he just wanted to make sure he would be ready to go against MV and getting his feet wet last night should make it easier to get back out there tonight. I agree DLS by double digits.

 

[larry legend33]

Observer- Excellent point. I sort of dismissed that but was thinking more on the line of the contusion. Yeah it didn't make a lot of sense to bring him back but sometimea that stuff become a little mental. Good call.

Does Peters have any offers yet? I love his frame and motor. He could play either 2 or 3 in college. I haven't seen him play enough to evaluate his range. It looks like that might be the only knock.

 

[kiddman32]

Regarding that flagrant foul, I have to agree, I've seen worse. That one looked and sounded bad, but pushing a guy from behind on a layup or slam is much more dangerous. However, from where I was, it looked like the big Chaminade kid *very very briefly* had his right fist half-cocked right after they hit the floor and may have been considering throwing a punch but fortunately thought better of it very quickly. Maybe he wasn't, looks can be deceiving, but he had perfect position above Peters to inflict some real damage... Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.

Regarding the idea Peters coming back into the game... Earlier this season, Jordan Ford took an accidental headbutt and left a game, but came back late during the blowout win all bandaged up and played briefly, just a few runs up and down the floor to see if things felt okay. What they did with Peters last night seemed pretty similar. In both cases, the hurt players stayed out of intense action in their brief returns. I have an idea that any decent coach would be very cautious about trying this; the repercussions for eveyone involved including the player could be quite disastrous if something went wrong while they were "feeling it out".

 

[RealisticParent]

Winners:

Monte Vista- I think De la Salle has started off slowly in league games. Down against Amador at the half, close game against Foothill and if that continues tonight, then I think Monte Vista will win.

San Ramon- Talented and to many weapons for Foothill but I think it will be close then most expect.

Granada- They have to be desperate for a win and if they just play relaxed and execute better, I think they will get in big and much needed victory.

Cal- They are playing Livermore.

 

[dr_mike]

MV 67, DLS 62.....that's a shock.

 

[bones40]

Maybe the Spartans are not the best thing since sliced bread.you knew Jones would have his boys ready to play let's see what excuses spartan nation comes in with for there 4th straight defeat to the mustangs.

This post was edited on 1/20 9:50 PM by bones40

 

[serdaprs]

Don't tell Larry Legend that! He had DLS winning by double digits.

 

[larry legend33]

I'm shocked. First, how many DLS teams give up that many points? Impressive win by MV. I thought DLS would win by 10-12. I was hoping to make it out but I didn't. Like I said in an earlier post. That guy can flat out coach. (jones)

 

[observer22]

Larry's not the only one. I had DLS by double digits too. Nick Jones does it again. You know he was watching attentively last night in order to prepare for tonight's contest. Was Peters at 100% tonight? DLS will come out fighting against SRV on Friday. This result really shakes things up in the EBAL.

 

[lovin basketball]

Hey Guys league play is a different animal than a pre-season game and here's why.......Intensity is higher, home court advantage, snd you play each other twice, and I'm going on record San Ramon Valley will beat DLS !!

 

[eastbaytruth2]

Lovin Basketball - I am not sure if you posted your last message as the bartender was yelling last call or not but you might want to ease up on the confidence. I believe that SRV has the deepest roster in the league and they showed some resolve after knocking off a tough Foothill squad (17-0 run to start final quarter after the three refs took the game into their hands and called SR for over a dozen fouls in the third). I think the Wolves are able to beat DLS as well but can anyone state when the Spartans have lost two straight in league? It will be a great contest and I have yet to predict who is going to get this win but I know DLS will be a little more than irritated about last nights game and will look to take it out on SRV. Looking forward to catching that game!

 

[RealisticParent]

I guess I was the only one that thought MV was going to win. I've DLS play so up and down and they live and die by the 3 pointer, they don't have a very good defensive team and the Mustangs were ready to play, better prepared then the Spartans and they made numerous adjustments throughout the game while DLS made none.

I've been a huge Allocco fan and still am but the times are changing in the EBAL and I think Jones has the fire to be the best just like Allocco has had for the past 20 plus years, while the fire inside Allocco is dimming a little bit. This game really showed that the Spartans miss Brian Sullivan in the worst way. He would have never let a double digit lead slip by or consistently let his squad shoot nothing but 3's down the stretch and in overtimes.

DLS is lacking a dominate post player, Wilson LaShells had his way with them inside and missed a layup to win it on the first overtime. They are also lacking any kind of toughness they use to have on defense. They do don't have a lock down defender on this team (in my eyes) and that is the difference with some of the previous Spartan teams.

Mitu didn't have his best game and took a ton of bad shots but with that being said, he was someone that when he drove into the lane, he couldn't be stopped. They switch defenders and still the same result. He's a high volume shooter that will get his points but Allocco's teams in the past would have made sure he doesn't touch the ball and that was not the case last night. Why not foul when you are up 3? Another lapse in coaching and judgment in my opinion.

I sat right behind the scorers table and just high enough to see into both benches during timeouts. MV was calm and confident while their was a little panic and uneasiness coming from the DLS sidelines. Can't wait for the rematch at MV.

 

[Streak One]

With De La Salle, Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley, I think any of those teams can beat the others without it being a surprise. Last night, all credit to Monte Vista. Continued fighting to the end and forced overtime. Mitu and LaShells are a good one-two combo an Nick Jones is in the conversation for best coach in NorCal. However, it has to be pointed out that De La Salle was playing second of a back-to-back and played a physical game against Chaminade.

Rest of these matchups are going to be fun.

 

[RealisticParent]

Streak,
Great points but Monte Vista had an overtime game against Foothill and had to travel up and play Folsom @ Jesuit the very next day. Good teams comer to play each and every night and without excuses and Monte Vista as been ready to play all year. Mitu & LaShells might be the best one-two combo in this league.

 

[Streak One]

Good point on Monte Vista winning their back-to-back.

Also last night, Amador Valley beat Granada 53-48 despite 26 points from Kameron Johnson. Granada has lost four straight since beating Monte Vista in the opener.

 

[1storm]

Cal won last night against Livermore to stay out of the cellar...There was a kid that was taken out on a gurney from Livermore last night ...anyone have an update ??

 

[NorCalScout]

Streak, I was at this game and Johnson had his best game I've seen him play but the difference is he has zero support cast. Stafford has been a huge disappointment this year and is all one dimensional with zero to little defense, rebounds and blocks for someone 6'7. It tough to watch, they have become a soft zone team as well as a team that shots way to many outside shots and other then Johnson, no one get to the free throw line on a consistent basis. Furlong has not done a very good job with this team either, so I lay equal amounts of blame to the players (excluding Johnson) and the coach. It's making out to be a disappointing season in Livermore and things were looking so promising when they beat a really good Monte Vista team.

 

[Bumpy Johnson]

NorCalScout - I agree with everything you said except Johnson has enough support to win a couple of those games. The team has a decent mixture of talent that IMO, I don't believe is being guided correctly. I watched them at DLS and for the first two possessions I thought they might be able to hang and that MV victory wasn't an aberration. They got out and moved the ball quickly for a couple of easy buckets. Then DLS hit a few seemingly uncontested 3's and Furlong never seemed to adjust. DLS clamped down on D and Johnson just put his head down and tried to barrel through doing more than he could. Stafford stayed out on the perimeter instead of taking advantage in the post. It seems to me this is about what the coach is not doing vs anything the players could do. Losing to AV is just an exclamation point. Hopefully they'll look at some film and get things turned around because they are better than their body of work so far.

 

[eastbaytruth2]

You have to wonder with Granada if the losses have taken its toll and if they will be able to turn it around. They get Livermore next week before the have to attack the Big Three again so it does not look that good.

 

[observer22]

After 5 league games, the EBAL standings and 2 remaining 1st round games look like this:



SRV 5-0, DLS & MV MV 4-1, AV & SRV DLS 4-1, SRV & Cal AV 3-2, MV & Foothill Foothill 2-3, Livermore & AV Granada 1-4, Cal & Livermore Cal 1-4, Granada & DLS Livermore 0-5, Foothill & Granada SRV is on top for now, but could easily drop their next 2 if they don't bring their A game, and maybe even if they do. If they can somehow win both, they will be sitting pretty with a 2 game lead heading into the 2nd half. Granada has the easiest finishing 2 games, and I would be shocked if they lost either of those with their talent. Foothill has 2 winnable games and could be 4-3 at the break if they play like they did against MV & DLS, but could also be 2-5 if they play like they did vs Cal.

 

[concrete17]

Originally posted by observer22:

After 5 league games, the EBAL standings and 2 remaining 1st round games look like this:



SRV 5-0, DLS & MV MV 4-1, AV & SRV DLS 4-1, SRV & Cal AV 3-2, MV & Foothill Foothill 2-3, Livermore & AV Granada 1-4, Cal & Livermore Cal 1-4, Granada & DLS Livermore 0-5, Foothill & Granada SRV is on top for now, but could easily drop their next 2 if they don't bring their A game, and maybe even if they do. If they can somehow win both, they will be sitting pretty with a 2 game lead heading into the 2nd half. Granada has the easiest finishing 2 games, and I would be shocked if they lost either of those with their talent. Foothill has 2 winnable games and could be 4-3 at the break if they play like they did against MV & DLS, but could also be 2-5 if they play like they did vs Cal.

Nice post....good read, thanks

 

[kiddman32]

Well... For the 3rd year in a row, I got shut out of the MV @ DLS game...

Tried to watch the MV game afterward on the Cube, and it glitched and jumped straight to the final score. Didn't really need that... First time I've had something like that happen to me on the Cube, tho...

Maybe I'll get lucky and get a seat Friday.