NorCal Juco Player's of the Month honors via Signal The Light

John Bynum of Signal The Light Basketball has posted a very detailed list of honorees for the month of November for Northern California Men's Juco Basketball.

Heading the list is Player of the Month, Elijah White, of Skyline College.  For full details click here

Coach Popovich preaches some more

Great article and quotes from San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich on why he doesn't watch film on opposing teams.   
Excerpt
“I don’t see any reason to watch film. When my team has a game and [they] have zero turnovers and shoot 60 percent, and the other team scores 40, then I’ll start worrying about the other teams. But until that happens, I’ve got enough to correct and teach on my team, and that’s how I spend my time.”

American Kids Flunking Basketball 101

In 2009 the Wall Street Journal published a very interesting piece on the decline of American basketball, and the influence of AAU.   This article is a bit old, but five years later it may apply more today than ever.   I still think that America has the best athletes in the world, as far as natural athletic ability (running, jumping, etc).   But unlike other sports such as football, basketball requires more than this raw athleticism.   With AAU taking over the summer basketball circuit the American game of basketball is changing, and not necessarily for the better.   This article was written 5 years prior to the San Antonio Spurs completely dismantling the star-studded Miami Heat with their fundamental team play (and predominate foreign roster).  Some very good points from coaches and NBA players alike who have experienced the effects of AAU basketball.

Excerpts from the Article:

“It’s a bad system for developing players,” says Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. “They aren’t learning to handle the ball, they aren’t learning to make plays against pressure. The emphasis with our high-school players is to get exposure and play as many games as you can and show everybody how great you are. If I can win the 11-and-12 year old league and tell all my friends about it, that is a whole lot more important than if my kids actually get any better or learn anything about the game.”In Europe, Mr. Van Gundy says, “those guys are doing five or six practices for every game. They are spending a lot of time in the gym working on individual skills. It’s reversed here.”

By the middle of the last NBA season, as concerns build about his dwindling playing time and rough transition to the NBA, last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat, finally conceded a fundamental flaw: No one, at any level in his basketball career, had asked him to play defense. And especially not in AAU. “If you’re playing defense in AAU, you don’t need to be playing,” he says. “I’ve honestly never seen anyone play defense in AAU.”

 Personally, I hope that another trend will soon take flight in American basketball, as players realize their is more to the game than high flying acrobatic dunks and mix-tapes.

Coach K's NorCal JC Rankings (Week 4)

*Thanks to the coaches poll last week I was able to take the week off (Nice excuse).  After another eventful week my rankings have been shaken up.   Some teams have played over twice as many games as other teams, so it's still a skewed sample size for the moment and many teams can make huge jumps over the coming weeks.    Please remember, this is a blog and these are only my opinions based on limited information and hearsay.  My rankings have no affiliation or involvement whatsoever in the California Community College Athletic Association.

*My previous ranking will be posted next to season record

1 - Skyline (8-0)  (#11)
Jumps up 10 spots in my rankings after running off 8 straight victories to start the season undefeated and taking down the previous #1 ranked team, Lassen College.   So my rationale here is that Skyline beat Lassen, who beat Merritt, who beat San Jose City.  So I figure it isn't right to have either of those three teams ranked higher than Skyline, especially since they remain unbeaten.  Their strength of schedule remains a concern at this point and could come back to haunt them as more teams play in tougher tournaments in the coming weeks.
Skyline is led by sophomore standout Elijah White, but also has a solid cast of other weapons at their disposal.   The Coast-North Conference will be an all out battle this year as top to bottom it is looking to be the toughest conference in the State!

2 - Merritt (8-1)  (#3)
Moves up a spot as Chabot falls in the rannkings.   Merritt has won two tournaments in a row to pull out a 6 game winning streak since their loss to Lassen in the opening weekend of the season.  Denzell Bellott is leading a team that is a mix of well known prospects and emerging talents.  Sophomore shooting guard Leo Smith and center Travon King provide depth to a team that is showcasing the emerging freshman standouts Rodney Pope, Jovantae Carlton and DJ Kennedy.  Merritt is looking to end Yuba's reign in the Bay Valley Conference this year.

3 - San Jose City (7-1)  (#4)
Moves up a spot in the rankings as they capitalize on Chabot moving out of the Top 2 spot.   Only loss of the year is to Merritt, and also is on a 6 game winning streak after taking home the DVC Tournament Championship with a 2 OT victory over the host team.    Could have another shot at Merritt in the San Jose City College Classic Tournament held Dec 11-13 if both teams can make the Championship game.     Speed City is living up to the name this year with a very deep roster with numerous talents that can make it very difficult to match up for 40 minutes.  Is the favorite in the Coast-South Conference this year.

4 - Marin (3-1) (#5)
I cannot punish Marin for only having played 4 games.  They come from a conference that has so many teams it limits their pre-season contests.  They still have the 20 point victory over CCSF, and a win over San Diego City to make the Championship of the CCSF Tournament. Their only loss is to the State's #1 team, Mt San Antonio.  Looking forward to this Thursdays game vs. Santa Rosa as this can be a statement for either team.

5 - San Francisco (7-2)  (#6)
Looks to be improving from the opening weekend where they had to go to the consolation bracket of their own tournament.  In their last 3 games they had to play 3 teams from the Coast-South Conference to fulfill their duties as a Coast Conference member.  Unfortunately, this season they drew Gavilan, Hartnell and De Anza, who have a combined record of 3-14 on the year.  So this isn't doing much to help CCSF in the power rankings, but they will have a chance to boost their competition as they head to the Mt San Antonio Tournament in Southern California this weekend.

6 - Fresno (7-2)  (#7)
The Rams are on a 5 game winning streak after being forced into the consolation bracket of their own tournament.  Most recently they traveled to Southern California and took home the Championship in the El Camino Tournament.  The Rams have a tough road ahead as they head to the Mt San Antonio tournament in Southern California and then open up the 16 team Modesto Tournament that is loaded with some of the State's Top teams....and they aren't in Modesto's bracket so you know they are in the stacked bracket this year.   Coach Madec is wise to play as much talent as possible in pre-conference, since the Central Valley Conference is looking dismal, once again.

7 - Lassen (10-2)   (#1)
Falls from my top spot after suffering 2 losses in 3 games.  In their last 3 games they lost to Skyline, escaped Columbia by 2 points, and lost at Cabrillo.    If the Cougars needed to be humbled, they certainly have.  With a very talented group they are sure to bounce back up in the Top rankings this year.   They have over a week to prepare for their home game against Chabot to see if they can turn the tide.

8 - Chabot (3-2)  (#2)
The Gladiators lost at the buzzer to a tough Monterey Peninsula team which has caused them to fall 6 spots in my rankings.  The only bright spot is that I noticed Chris Patterson is active for the Gladiators which should make an impact for Chabot who has an impressive roster, particularly at the forward spots.  Chabot has only played 5 games this year, so they have plenty of time to turn things around as they head to the Cosumnes River Tournament this weekend before heading up to Susanville for another father-son match.

9 - Canada (6-1)  (#9)
Has won 2 in a row after suffering their first loss of the season to SJCC.    Canada looks loaded with offensive talent will contribute to the Coast-North Conference being an all out war this year.   Their next action is at the Monterey Tournament this weekend.

10 - Santa Rosa (3-3)  (#8)
Falls 2 spots in my rankings due to inactivity and success of other programs.  Has had the unfortunate luck of landing Mt San Antonio twice on their schedule so far, but playing the #1 team in the State multiple times seemed to work out pretty well for the Bear Cubs last year.   Do not count Santa Rosa out by any means, as they have the typical well balanced and well coached squad.  They are a definite favorite in the Big 8, which is looking down so far this year.    SRJC is scheduled to take on another tough opponent this week on Thursday, as they travel to face Marin.


11 - Ohlone (5-2)  (#13)

The Renegades are off to a solid start, considering they are playing for a first year coach with only a few returning sophomores.  Plenty of time to grow and develop chemistry.   The Renegades host San Jose City College this Friday to see if they can make a statement and work themselves up in the rankings.

12 - Feather River (7-2)  (#10)
Took home the consolation at the DVC Tournament over the holiday weekend.  Is headed to the Cosumnes River Tournament as they have a chance for a possible rematch against Chabot in the 2nd round.   Feather River has mastered 'small ball' as they run and shoot and scrap for 40 minutes.  They also have a potential star in Jarrell Tate who is a match-up nightmare for the opposition.

13 - American River (4-1)  (#14)
Has some solid wins against both Yuba and DVC.  Not bad for only 5 games into the season.  Up next they face another tough opponent, as they travel to play a hot Monterey Peninsula squad.

14 - Butte (5-2)  (#15)
Moves up one spot as they evened the score against Columbia with a victory in the Cabrillo Tournament.  Has the week off before heading to the Foothill Tournament.

15 - TIE

15 - Monterey (4-4)   (#15)
Has played a solid schedule so far, and with the win at Chabot they deserve to stay in the Top 15.  Devin Koeplin still has yet to play, so watch out for MPC.

15 - Delta (4-1)   (NR)
Decent record, but their wins are over teams that are a combined 5-16.  Lost to the only team on their schedule with a winning record.   Has lots to prove still.


Others to consider:
Columbia (4-3)
Foothill (4-4)
Las Positas (5-4)