Posted on Thu, Feb. 04, 2010
Boys Basketball: Greatest Challenge awaits boys hoop squad
Challenges are part of the deal when you’re out for sports. Big challenges, small challenges — no matter the degree of difficultly, players are tested every day, even in practice. So when the Bronco boys basketball team faces off with a powerhouse like Central Valley Christian (15-4) Friday, Feb. 5 — an enormous challenge—no doubt Coach TimMay expects his team to “do our best to be respectable.” “Central Valley Christian (CVC) will be the toughest team we will have played all year,” May stated. The game will be played as part of a tournament at Mission Prep, and while the Broncos tallest player, Andy Gordon, is 6 feet, CVC suits up seven players over 6 feet in height. CVC features players 6-8, 6-7, 6-5, 6-3 and 6-2. Think the tallest Monterey Pines in Cambria placed next to a stand of redwood trees in Big Sur. Still, May says there are two keys to avoid having the game “get ugly in a hurry”; one, the Broncos must “take care of the basketball” (limit turnovers); and two, the players must avoid getting “demoralized” even if they are losing by a big score. That second key is related to the game the Broncos play after the CVC contest Friday — against 13-7 Immanuel High School from Reedley. May worries that if his Broncos get totally disheartened and beaten to a pulp emotionally by CVC, their spirits and their energy level may suffer against Immanuel. He has good reason to be concerned about Immanuel; seven of their 11 varsity players are 6 feet or taller, including two who go 6-6. Of course, height alone does not make a team great. But a tall represents a formidable challenge, and May insists his 7 players say they’re ready, come what may. — John Fitzrandolph, special to The Cambrian