SPORTS

Coach Carter speaks to SJSU crowd about keys to success and time as Richmond basketball coach

Movie based on coach’s decision to lock out high school team

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Ken Carter interacts with a member of the audience, giving one gentleman a $20 bill for correctly identifying the person on the bill. Carter, who now serves frequently as a motivational speaker, told the SJSU crowd he “was concerned for my family’s health and mine” after he locked his players out of the Richmond High School gym in 1999 for poor grades. His actions at the time drew criticism from the Richmond High booster club. Photo by Dan Miranda.

Known as “the coach who cares,” Ken Carter has made quite a name for himself as a basketball coach.

Although his Richmond High School basketball teams continued to win games throughout his tenure as coach from 1997 through 2002, Carter’s name hit the national spotlight for something other than wins and losses—academics.

In early January of 1999, Carter made the controversial decision to lock his players out of their high school gym, as 15 of his 45 players failed to meet the coach’s 2.3 grade-point average standard set in written contracts signed by the players. In doing so, Richmond High was forced to forfeit two games at a time when the team was off to a 13-0 start in the season.

In an April 12 visit to San Jose State University, where he gave a one-hour motivational speech, Carter discussed a variety of topics, including his time as Richmond’s head basketball coach and the circumstances surrounding the community at the time.

“When you’re poor, it defeats you mentally,” said Carter, who now spends his time as a motivational speaker, an author and head coach for the SlamBall league’s Los Angeles Rumble, a sport with a twist on basketball, focusing on highlight-reel slam dunks. “…Our mental state, how we see ourselves, determines our strength.”

The decision to lock his players out of the gym, including his son Damian, drew national headlines and some scorn from the Richmond High athletic booster club. Nevertheless, Carter stuck to his decision, even at times when he feared for the safety of his family, and still looks back on it with great pride. Carter told the SJSU crowd that one of his proudest achievements as coach of Richmond High was the fact that all of his players went on to graduate high school and attend college in a school where approximately 50 percent of the student body never finished their senior year.

“If a child gets passed along early because of their gifts or their (athleticism), they develop this mentality that they will always be able to do this. Get by and just lie,” Carter said. “… People understand that and student athletes understand that. I have to go to class and be a student-athlete because student comes first in that equation.”

Carter said part of the problem at the time was the culture surrounding his team. He said people involved with the school, including parents, often looked the “other way” when it came to the academic performances of the school’s basketball players because the team was winning. Just a few short years removed from that incident, Carter, who still resides in Richmond, now feels many athletic programs and schools are beginning to place a higher value on the education of their athletes.

“I think it’s slowly changing because now we’re looking at all these athletes who didn’t get a proper education in their early childhood or in college and they just got by on their (physical) abilities,” Carter said. “Some tragic things have happened to them in their lives as far as them being 10 years removed from the sport and now they’re broke. When we look at our professional athletes, we’ve held them up almost like gods. Now to see this person broke and defeated, it raises some serious questions.”

During his hour-long speech at SJSU’s Morris Dailey Auditorium, Carter spoke about the tools to success in life. He told the crowd success begins with validation from family members, something he received growing up in a large household, which included seven sisters who continue to serve as positive role models to the 45-year-old coach.

“Education is the key,” Carter said. “The reason you’re here is because you’re searching for something.”

Carter also spoke about his story turning into a movie. “Coach Carter,” which was released in theatres in January of this year, recalls the lockout in 1999 and the trials and tribulations of several of Carter’s players as well as the coach himself. Carter, played by Samuel L. Jackson in the movie, boldly told Paramount Pictures executives that his seven sisters, mother and older brother, along with his former assistant coach and several players, needed to play a part in the film or it wouldn’t be made. Carter reasoned that his family was his “team,” supporting and validating him from the start and that the movie needed to reflect this. The executives eventually relented.

Carter then spent six months with Jackson to help the actor nail down mannerisms and other characteristics to make the part as real as possible. According to Carter, Jackson pulled off Coach Carter about as well as anyone and said the events depicted in the movie were 98.5 percent correct.

“Samuel L. Jackson became Coach Carter,” Carter told the SJSU audience. “When someone said, ‘hey, Coach Carter,’ both of us turned around.”

But as far as athletics and its surrounding ideologies go these days, Carter offered up hope for the future, sighting sports like Major League Baseball’s drug testing program as an example for keeping athletes accountable for their responsibilities, on and off the field or court.

“There’s definitely been a huge change in just the way we think,” said Carter. “…It’s like a domino effect.

Everything that happens in the pros percolates down to college. What happens in college percolates down to the high schools. Now that you see these things addressed at the pro level, you see the other people start to address it also.”

Slaton delivers in Chargers’ 6-3 win over Bruins

Charger starting pitcher John Foley goes five innings to pick up fourth win

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leland baseball team won its fourth straight game, getting five solid innings out of starter John Foley in a 6-3 road win over Branham on April 15.

Foley picked up his fourth win of the year for the Chargers (9-8, 7-5 Mt. Hamilton) by hurling five innings in which the right-hander allowed five hits and two runs.

“I just tried to go out and have a really fun time,” Foley said. “That’s what it comes down to this year. Just go out there and try to work the zones, getting them off-balance is the biggest thing.”

In addition to Foley’s effort, the Chargers got help from Matt Slaton at the dish and on the hill.

Slaton hit his second home run in a week off Branham right-hander Louie Sakoda, a two-run shot to center field in the third inning to give the Chargers a 3-0 lead. Slaton then came on in relief for Foley and nailed down the win for Leland, throwing two innings in which he struck out two while allowing one run on two hits in his last inning of work.

“I think the key for us is that we’re starting to play consistent baseball, which is something we really lacked at the beginning of the year,” said Leland Head Coach Scot Gillis. “…What really has happened is guys are starting to understand their roles and they’re getting comfortable in their roles.”

The Charger offense got on track in the top of the second off Sakoda, opening up the scoring with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Steve Akerson for a 1-0 lead. The inning started when shortstop Lance Gemette beat out a ground ball for an infield single. The speedy infielder then stole second base and later advanced to third base on a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Akerson then stepped up and lofted a fly ball to medium-deep right field, scoring Gemette easily from third.

The Chargers added two more runs in the third for a 3-0 lead. Catcher Andrew Kim led off the inning by drawing a walk before Slaton, playing designated hitter at the time, drove a Sakoda pitch to the deepest part of the yard, a two-run home run over the center field fence. Slaton, who went 2-for-4 in the game, ended the contest with a .409 batting average and a robust .705 slugging percentage, coupled with three home runs and 14 RBIs on the season.

“The scary thing about Matt is, I don’t think he’s as comfortable yet as he’s going to be,” Gillis said of Slaton. “His timing isn’t perfect yet, his pitching isn’t quite there yet, and I just say that because I think he has a very bright future in front of him when he gets that down. He’s getting better all the time.”

After a double by Akerson opened up the top of the fourth, centerfielder Damon Ronnsvalle added to the Charger lead, chopping a one-out single past a drawn-in Branham infield to center field, scoring Akerson for a 4-0 Leland advantage.

Meanwhile, Foley cruised through his first four innings of work, allowing only two singles before getting into some trouble in the bottom of the fifth.

The Bruins got a lead-off single in the fifth from first baseman Dan Shehan to get things going before a two-out single from catcher Mike Swenson brought in the first run for Branham. Swenson’s single to left field was misplayed by Akerson, who let the ball go past him, allowing the Bruins catcher to move into scoring position at second base. That play proved pivotal as centerfielder Preston Ward stepped up next and delivered another two-out single to center field, scoring Swenson for a 4-2 score.

“They just hit the ball a little bit,” Foley said of the fifth inning. “It was good placement on the hitting, so you have to give them credit for that.”

The Chargers, holding a two-run edge, added some insurance in the top of the seventh off left-handed reliever Willie Gemo, scoring twice with two outs for a 6-2 lead. With runners on the corners and two outs, second baseman Danny Dyer stroked a single to left field, scoring Slaton from third base for a 5-2 score. Pinch hitter Gabe Castaneda then stepped up and delivered a chopper that sailed over the head of Bruins shortstop Duce Ferrante, scoring pinch runner Jimi Kogura from second base for a four-run cushion.

“Leland hit the ball and made plays,” said Bruins Head Coach Kirk Selfridge. “We made too many mental mistakes and errors out there and they capitalized on it. They (Leland) made errors as well, the difference is, we didn’t capitalize on their errors and they capitalized on ours.”

The Bruins got one run back in the bottom of the seventh before Slaton shut it down to end the game 6-3. Second baseman Brandon Bittle led off with a single to right field before a two-out single from Ward sent him home.

Slaton then settled down, getting Ferrante to ground out to shortstop to end the game.

High School Sports Schedule April 22 - 28

Leland High School
Friday – Baseball at Mt. Pleasant, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Softball at Branham, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Girls’ lacrosse at Menlo, 4 p.m.
Friday – Swimming vs. Branham, 3 p.m.
Friday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Westmont, 6 p.m.

Monday – Boys’ lacrosse vs. Bellarmine, 4 p.m.
Monday – Boys’ tennis CCS Division playoffs, time TBA

Tuesday – Badminton at Mitty, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ lacrosse vs. Gunn, 4 p.m.
Tuesday – Golf vs. Pioneer at Almaden, 3 p.m.

Wednesday – Boys’ tennis league team finals, time TBA
Wednesday – Softball vs. Santa Teresa, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Boys’ lacrosse vs. Woodside, 4 p.m.
Wednesday – Baseball vs. Oak Grove, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Golf vs. Pioneer at the Villages, 3 p.m.

Thursday – Badminton vs. Prospect, 3 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Willow glen, 7 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ tennis league team finals, time TBA
Thursday – Track at Overfelt, 3:30 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday – Softball at Mt. Pleasant, 3:30 p.m.
Friday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Willow Glen, 6 p.m.

Monday – Boys’ tennis CCS Division playoffs, time TBA
Monday – Baseball vs. Silver Creek, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday – Boys’ volleyball at Leigh, 6 p.m.
Tuesday – Boys’ golf vs. Leland at Almaden, 3 p.m.
Tuesday – Badminton vs. Branham, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Girls’ lacrosse vs. Castilleja, 4 p.m.

Wednesday – Golf vs. Leland at the Villages, 3 p.m.
Wednesday – Softball vs. Leigh, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Baseball at Independence, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Girls’ lacrosse at Stevenson, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Boys’ tennis league team finals, time TBA

Thursday – Track vs. Evergreen, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Badminton at Gilroy, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ volleyball vs. Prospect, 6 p.m.
Thursday – Boys’ tennis league team finals, time TBA

Pioneer Athletics: http://www.phsathletics.com/
Leland Athletics: http://www.lelandathletics.com/
Blossom Valley Athletic League: http://www.bval.org/

High School Scoreboard

April 12
Pioneer baseball 13-2 win at Piedmont Hills
Pioneer boys’ volleyball 25-21, 25-13, 30-28 loss vs. Oak Grove
Pioneer girls’ lacrosse 16-4 loss vs. Menlo-Atherton
Pioneer badminton 9-6 win at San Jose High Academy

Leland boys’ volleyball 25-8, 25-6, 25-11 win at Gunderson
Leland golf 205-256 win vs. Santa Teresa
Leland boys’ tennis 7-0 win vs. Piedmont Hills
Leland boys’ track 107-20 loss vs. Oak Grove
Leland girls’ track 69-57 win vs. Oak Grove
Leland boys’ swimming 101-79 win vs. Pioneer
Leland girls’ swimming 121-65 win vs. Pioneer

April 13
Pioneer softball 7-2 loss at Santa Teresa
Pioneer golf 208-238 win vs. Lincoln

Leland boys’ tennis 7-0 win at Oak Grove
Leland boys’ lacrosse 10-9 loss vs. Menlo-Atherton
Leland baseball 9-5 win vs. Branham
Leland softball 2-1 at Mt. Pleasant

April 14
Pioneer baseball 8-4 win vs. Evergreen
Pioneer boys’ tennis 7-0 loss at Mt. Pleasant
Pioneer girls’ track 77-50 loss at Santa Teresa
Pioneer boys’ track 71-56 loss at Santa Teresa
Pioneer boys’ swimming 100-79 win vs. Santa Teresa
Pioneer girls’ swimming 93-93 tie vs. Santa Teresa
Pioneer girls’ lacrosse 14-1 loss at Gunn

Leland badminton 13-2 win vs. Mt. Pleasant
Leland golf 205-265 win vs. Santa Teresa
Leland boys’ tennis 6-1 win at Independence
Leland girls’ track 73-52 loss at Silver Creek
Leland boys’ track 101-34 loss at Silver Creek

April 15
Leland softball 3-0 win vs. Pioneer
Leland boys’ swimming 107-51 win at Independence
Leland girls’ swimming 130-47 win at Independence

Sports Briefs

Almaden Ladybugs soccer tryouts
Almaden Ladybugs Premier/Class 1, U17 girls, offers tryouts for State Cup and spring/fall season to girls born after 7/31/88 every Tuesday and Thursday.  Contact Roger Haupt (408) 779-7697, Linda Urzi (408) 723-0928 for more information.

Bay Area TPX Top 96 High School Invitational Baseball Showcase June 3 and 4
Applications are now being accepted for the Bay Area TPX Top 96 High School Invitational Baseball Showcase. The top 96 position players and top 48 pitchers will be selected from those who apply.  The application deadline is April 30.  The showcase is June 3-4 at PAL Stadium in San Jose.  Apply online at www.top96.com or call Doug Henson at 508-481-5939.

San José to host Citywide Youth Track Meet
The City of San José, Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services and the San Jose Police Amateur Athletic Association are sponsoring a free track and field meet for boys and girls, 9-14 years of age. The meet will take place on Sunday, May 22, from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Evergreen Valley High School track, located on 3300 Quimby Road in San José.

Track events include the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 meter, and 4 x 100 meter relay. Field events include the standing long jump and softball throw. Group one is for athletes born between 1995-1996; group two is for athletes born between 1993-1994; and group three is for athletes born between 1991-1992.

The event is a qualifier meet for the Nor Cal Hershey State Track and Field Meet held on Saturday, June 18, at San José City College, and is a stop on the road to the National Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. To obtain more information and registration forms, call the Citywide Sports Office at (408) 369-3900.

Registration will also be accepted on the day of the event between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

Almaden Quicksilver holds soccer tryouts
Almaden Quicksilver Class 3, U12 girls, is holding tryouts for spring/fall season every Tuesday and Thursday for girls born after 7/31/93. Call John at (408) 323-8768 or by email at john@politoski.com for more information.

Correction
In the April 15 issue of the Almaden Times, it was incorrectly stated that Pioneer softball player Katie Town (“Mustangs drop 6-3 decision to Oak Grove in softball”) was recently called up to the varsity team from the JV ranks as a pitcher. In fact, Town has been a utility player, not a pitcher, for the Mustangs’ varsity softball team since her freshman year. The Times regrets the error.

THE ACE

Leland pitcher Vanessa Truan (pictured) helped the Chargers to a 3-0 win over neighborhood rival Pioneer on April 15 with seven solid innings of work. The right-hander allowed only two hits and a walk while striking out three, picking up her 13th win of the season.

For the year, Truan has been nearly unstoppable, pitching 99 innings and allowing only six earned runs all season for a miniscule 0.42 earned run average.

In the 3-0 win over the Mustangs, Truan got the support from the Charger offense that she needed, as Christina Saenz and Lauren Jones collected two hits each, with Jones contributing an RBI in the win. A.J. Huffman went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI in the victory as well, which improved the Chargers’ record to 13-2 overall.

Photo courtesy www.mikejanes.com

The team that plays together stays together

Leland girls’ lacrosse team stresses teamwork this season

By Carl Ponzio
Times Intern

When time expired on the first half of play on Apr. 15, the Chargers had a 4-1 advantage over the Woodside Wildcats.

However, the lady Chargers’ lead was quickly opened further in the second half with a unique display of teamwork, resulting in a convincing 13-4 win over Woodside.

The season is half over for the Leland girls’ lacrosse team. Defeating the Wildcats on Apr. 15 after a 9-8 overtime loss to their rivals at Pioneer, the Chargers are currently standing with a 5-4 overall and a 5-3 league record. With a finely tuned group running toward their goals, the girls are striving to keep their ego dials tuned to “team.”

“They are really good at working as a team,” said Leland Head Coach Becky Crozier about her team. “We do a really good job at supporting each other and assisting each other. It’s not every man out for themselves running down and trying to score on their own.”

Returning from third in league and a first-round playoff loss, the Chargers were ready to play lacrosse the moment they hit the field at this season’s tryouts. The loss of seniors to graduation did not affect the Chargers bench this season. More than 60 girls tried out for the team this season, resulting in the birth of Leland’s JV lacrosse team.

With the varsity team assembled, the girls made a pact that their team would not be like the ones they saw on the other side of the field. Crozier explained that Leland didn’t want to have any “bickering or fighting,” on their team. The Chargers believe that there are too many teams with players who play for themselves instead of the teams.

“We’re a strong team because we’re really close outside of practice. We have team-bonding events and we all get along,” said senior captain Elaine Li.

Currently in the top four in league, the Chargers have their eyes set on the playoffs. Their goal is to return to the first round and take it all the way to the championships. Playing in the Peninsula Athletic League that stretches all the way to Menlo, the Chargers and Pioneer Mustangs are the only two teams in San Jose that share the dream of capturing the championship, as they are the only two girls’ lacrosse teams in the area.

There is no one person who stands out on the Chargers; rather, they are strongest as a group. The Charger seniors are leading the way for the girls this season with Captains Li and Lauren Yee encouraging the teamwork that makes the Chargers so strong this season.

“I think we are a really strong team because our coaches have pushed us really hard to be the best and never to be cocky,” added Yee.

Dashing up and down the field, the Chargers began to show their dominance to the Wildcats in the second half of play. The Chargers selfless style of play allowed them to score nine goals in the half, icing the Wildcats 13-4.

Pioneer boys lose first meet in two years

Track title shot remains

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Pioneer boys tracksters lost for the first time in two seasons while the girls dropped their second meet this year, at the feat of Santa Teresa on April 14.

The results dried hope of league titles. Both Mustangs’ squads arrived unblemished with four dual meet wins in league; however the losses moved the boys’ overall record to 5-1 and the girls’ to 4-2, leaving a crack for powerhouse Evergreen Valley Cougars or the Saints.

“You have your good days and then your bad,” said Pioneer Coach Mark Krail, following the boys’ 71-56 fall and the girls’ 77-50. “Some of the boys are taking it pretty hard. I don’t know that we’ll win the championship as a team, but that’s what’s good about track. Even though we lost in the dual meet, our kids will face Santa Teresa again individually, in league finals.”

Pioneer still controls their destiny. Two meets remain and one includes the Cougars. Barring a Mustang defeat, versus Leigh April 21, Pioneer will vie for a portion of the championship when Evergreen visits April 28.
“If we can hold it together here versus Leigh, and keep working hard, we have a shot,” said Krail.

At Santa Teresa, Pioneer battled to no avail.

Senior Rolando Gomez continued his assault on virtually any challenger in CCS, dominating discuss and shot-put events. His 46-feet-6-inch heave in the shot pit, and 168-feet-4.5-inch discuss flight, tightened his grip on the CCS field.

Gomez shattered Pioneer’s discuss record earlier this season, sailing it 171-feet-7 ½-inches on March 10 versus Yerba Buena, and has owned top CCS marks for the duration of the year.

“Rolando is certainly a college level thrower,” said Krail who also referenced Gomez as the ‘dominant kid in the section.’

Sophomore Drew McRey-nolds also tasted success, winning both the 110 meter high and 300 meter low hurdles events with times of 16.39 and 42.34 seconds respectively. McReynolds is known for a keen sense of humor at practice, but morphs into a competitive killer once the starting gun sounds.

“Drew expects to win,” commented Krail.

Jeff Higashi, who has struggled with foot problems until recently, also placed, finishing first in the 800 meter event. His time of 2:07 minutes announced his return and intentions with league championships around the corner.

“Unfortunately Jeff is just rounding into competitive shape, but he’s a great kid and a really hard worker,” said Krail. “We’re hoping to stretch him out and get ready to go for league’s.”

In girls’ action, Captain Camille Brown paced the race. Brown took two firsts individually, in the 400 and 200 meters with times of 1:02.15 minutes and 26.65 seconds.

According to Krail, the senior will run track at the collegiate level next year when she attends Southwest Missouri State.

“Camille’s the captain for both the boys’ and girls’ teams,” said Krail. “Every kid looks to her on how to be successful and accomplish things. There’s not a kid at Pioneer that worked harder to have a great senior year.”

Other winners included sophomore sensations Eliz-abeth Bolender, Marissa Silver and Carrie Herbert.

Bolender took the mile race posting a time of 6:10 minutes, while Silver stole the low hurdle show, covering 110 meters in 16.91 seconds. Herbert won the 300 meter low hurdle event in just 53.60 seconds.

“Bolender gives it everything she’s got every time she runs,” said Krail.

As for the two hurdlers: “We haven’t seen a hurdler all year that can compete with Marissa and Carrie,” said Krail.

The Mustangs face Leigh at home on April 21, with the league title on the line. The first gun will sound at 3:30p.m.

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