Rough Waters in the Past, GHS Hoops Hopeful of TCAL Titles
Gilroy – It’s been four years since the Gilroy High boys basketball team has won a league championship. It’s been 11 years since the girls team has earned one.
But the last time both teams were league champs in the same season? That hasn’t happened yet, or so tell the banners that hang high in the Bob Hagen Gymnasium and those heavily involved in the world of Gilroy basketball.
“Not since I’ve been here,” said Gilroy athletic director Jack Daley. “And that’s 15 years.”
But with both teams holding solid overall records and positions atop the Tri-County Athletic League standings at 2-0, one can’t help but wonder, could it be the year?
“I don’t want to jinx it, but…” laughed Gilroy girls head coach Kari Williams.
Said Gilroy boys head coach Bud Ogden when asked about the possibility, “That’s a little premature two games into 12.”
Premature or not, both teams have the pieces to make it a reality: Experience, a well-rounded front and backcourt, size and depth.
“I think both (the boys and girls) teams are a lot alike,” Williams said. “Both start four seniors and a sophomore and use a lot of the bench.”
Of course, the shape of the TCAL in both divisions also matters. Overall, the Gilroy boys are 11-6 and the girls are 13-3. Every team other than Gilroy and Palma on the boys’ side and Gilroy and North Salinas on the girls’ side is around .500 or below.
Former Gilroy coach Julian Mancias knows what it takes to win league titles. He led the Gilroy girls team, with star guard Rae Ann Yip, to a 38-game winning streak from 1990-1993 and to four Monterey Bay League (MBL) titles before he left the position in 1995. Mancias was also a varsity boys assistant when Derek Bruton led the ‘Stangs to the MBL title as a junior in 1983.
“They’re solid at all positions, are experienced and have height and a deep bench,” said Mancias about the boys squad. “So they look poised to make a run.”
Mancias is equally impressed with the girls.
“They’re solid at the point, solid in the post. They seem very well coached,” he said. “I’m very impressed with their half court trap and how they get the ball into the post.”
Mancias feels three-year starting point guard Kristen Campos is one of the best floor leaders Gilroy has had since Yip, who went on to play for Foothill College and Cal Poly.
Campos is joined by fellow three-year starters, forward Katherine Hussey and Marissa Nowakowski. The three took lumps as sophomore starters two years ago when several key senior players were out with injuries. But the experience, which included a trip to the Central Coast Section finals, only made them stronger and has now put the seniors in an ideal position to win.
“They want to be champions,” Williams said. “I hate to tell them this, but a lot of games we’ve been in (this year) I can say we would have lost last year.”
Gilroy’s fourth senior starter, leading scorer and rebounder Jessica Groppe, rounds out the group. The senior has come a long way, from seeing limited time as a freshman on the freshman team to being one of Gilroy’s top go-to players.
“She’s kind of the unsung hero,” Williams said.
Then there’s do-everything sophomore Vanessa Wilkins, whose quickness and vertical leap allows her to play every position on the floor.
The Gilroy girls have beaten Hollister and Live Oak thus far in league play. But the ‘Stangs will face likely their toughest competition, North Salinas, Friday. The aggressive 12-2 squad is led by Brianna Matthews, the TCAL’s leading scorer with 16.6 ppg and is one of the few area squads that can match up with Gilroy’s sizable post tandem of 5-foot-10 Groppe and 6-foot-0 sophomore forward Dana Schoeneman.
“I would definitely look for a very high-scoring game,” Williams said.
Even though the boys program has a more recent league title to its name than the girls program does, it’s equally important to Ogden to get another one. But like Williams, he’s hesitant to hope for too much.
Along with Gilroy, Palma, who sits at 12-3 but suffered a loss to Live Oak in its TCAL opener, is a front-runner. The Chieftains, who boast one of the best players in the league in 6-foot-4 forward Orlando Johnson (19.4 ppg) travel to Gilroy Tuesday to find out just how they stack up with the ‘Stangs.
Matching up with Johnson and forward Michael Wilrodt, a skilled shooter, will be key for Gilroy.
“Tuesday is a huge one and if we can take care of business, it looks like a time where anybody can beat anybody (in league),” Ogden said.
The coach is also wary of Live Oak, who Gilroy beat in overtime Tuesday, Hollister and Salinas. The Acorns can be a dangerous shooting team. The ‘Balers, on the other hand, are young and could improve greatly as the season wears on and be a more formidable opponent to the ‘Stangs the second time around.
As Williams pointed out, the Gilroy boys have solid senior leadership. The ‘Stangs have a solid senior floor general in Dominik Wilkins, a reliable scorer who can create in guard Jeremy Teschera, a tough rebounder in Ryan Chisolm and a calm, consistent shooter in Vinny DeLorenzo. All are seniors. Six-foot-eight sophomore Jason Conrad leads the area in blocks.
“I’ll be disappointed if we don’t do well in league,” Ogden said. “I want to leave it broad like that.”
