Ok, after two days of watching all 6 games, here are my takes on what I saw.
* Referees we the worst I've seen in all my years of watching the finals. The 3 ladies that called the 1st game, they were far the best of the entire weekend and the 3 munchkin crew that called the Las Lomas and O'Dowd were by far the worst and might have been the worst I have seen all year, it was that bad. Very clse 2nd were the guys that did the Salesian & Campo game, oh dear lord, there were terrible too.
* Guard play was at it's very best, if you like guard play then this was the weekend for you.
Prince in my opinion was the best point guard all weekend long and he certainly had some company with Pascoe & Manjon. Hardy came up big for the Dragons when they needed him the most.
* Coaching was at a high level, Mellis, Bambergerer, Richie and Cruickshank all all very good coaches and there is a reason why there teams were in the finals. I was impressed with Dietschy from Las Lomas, he managed a great game, had a nice game plan and they executed really well with the exception of the last 4-5 minutes of the game. Mellis, Bamberger, Richie and Cruickshank are all very calm, cool and under control, there players feed off this and play under control and execute very well. If you wanted to see good coaching, well you certainly got your moneys worth.
* Players came out to play and didn't disappoint for the most part. #13 Sawyer for Salesian was a beast and he was a tough guard for the Cougars. He is big, wide, athletic, well coached, gets great positioning and has a nice touch from the line. #23 Ned for Heritage might have been the best player all weekend. This kid is flat out talented and can anything you want, which is impressive for his 6'7 frame. Prince, Payne & Robinson for Las Lomas were all very good and impressive & Pascoe has some serious game and can play with anyone in the gym.
* 6th Man. hands down to Las Lomas, they came and invaded St. Mary's like it was a home game for them, Heritage was a close 2nd and a distant 3rd was Clayton Valley.
All in all I really enjoyed myself, met a ton of great parents, players, coaches & fans. Great venue for this kind of an event.
* Referees we the worst I've seen in all my years of watching the finals. The 3 ladies that called the 1st game, they were far the best of the entire weekend and the 3 munchkin crew that called the Las Lomas and O'Dowd were by far the worst and might have been the worst I have seen all year, it was that bad. Very clse 2nd were the guys that did the Salesian & Campo game, oh dear lord, there were terrible too.
* Guard play was at it's very best, if you like guard play then this was the weekend for you.
Prince in my opinion was the best point guard all weekend long and he certainly had some company with Pascoe & Manjon. Hardy came up big for the Dragons when they needed him the most.
* Coaching was at a high level, Mellis, Bambergerer, Richie and Cruickshank all all very good coaches and there is a reason why there teams were in the finals. I was impressed with Dietschy from Las Lomas, he managed a great game, had a nice game plan and they executed really well with the exception of the last 4-5 minutes of the game. Mellis, Bamberger, Richie and Cruickshank are all very calm, cool and under control, there players feed off this and play under control and execute very well. If you wanted to see good coaching, well you certainly got your moneys worth.
* Players came out to play and didn't disappoint for the most part. #13 Sawyer for Salesian was a beast and he was a tough guard for the Cougars. He is big, wide, athletic, well coached, gets great positioning and has a nice touch from the line. #23 Ned for Heritage might have been the best player all weekend. This kid is flat out talented and can anything you want, which is impressive for his 6'7 frame. Prince, Payne & Robinson for Las Lomas were all very good and impressive & Pascoe has some serious game and can play with anyone in the gym.
* 6th Man. hands down to Las Lomas, they came and invaded St. Mary's like it was a home game for them, Heritage was a close 2nd and a distant 3rd was Clayton Valley.
All in all I really enjoyed myself, met a ton of great parents, players, coaches & fans. Great venue for this kind of an event.
