Alex “Gonzo” Gonzalez
By Alex Gonzalez
Remember when Andy Enfield was hired to be the head coach at USC three years ago? Southern California was going to be the dunk city of the West Coast. Remember when USC was dead last in the Pac-12 the past two seasons, winning only a combined five games in the conference? Remember when USC went into Pauly Pavilion Wednesday night and beat cross-town rival UCLA 89-75?
With the win on Wednesday, USC took over the No.1 spot in the Pac-12 with a 4-1 conference record and a 15-3 overall. Granted, UCLA just came off of a big win over Arizona, the only ranked team in the conference. However, it does mean something when USC is doing something on the hardwood and not on the football field. It is still early in conference play and USC could fall down the line. On the other hand, it does mean something with Enfield taking the Trojans from worst to first.
USC travels to Eugene next week to play the Ducks in a one vs. two matchup in the Pac-12. If the Trojans could win next week, they could crack the top 25. Something that has not been done since the 2008-09 season when Tim Floyd was coaching.
We know UCLA is going to make the NCAA tournament in March, just like Arizona and maybe even Oregon. Adding a fourth or fifth school from the Pac-12 only makes the conference look better from a national standpoint.
The one with the with the most national spotlight is Kobe Bryant. Last night when the Lakers were up in Oakland to play the Warriors, Kobe’s last time playing there, the “Kobe” chants erupted midway through the fourth quarter. Bryant, just like Steph Curry was on the bench and the fans at Oracle Arena wanted to see the 20-year veteran play one more time. Bryant did eventually come off the bench in the fourth but the game itself was out of reach for a Kobe comeback.
It’s fair to say that the Lakers are not going to be title contenders for a while. The only thing that keeps them in the news is the Kobe farewell tour. Hopefully for Lakers fans, the 20-win seasons will end sooner than later.
The Lakers are not a bad team, they’re a young team. When the team’s oldest player is twice the age of most of the players on the roster, that says something.
High school basketball is starting league play across the area this week. What makes high school basketball interesting is that one year a team can win only two games and the next season they are playing for a league title. Some leagues are like that others like the Rio Hondo always have that one team that cannot be beat.
La Cańada basketball reminds me of UCLA basketball when John Wooden was coaching the Bruins. The Spartans have a coach in Tom Hoffman who is a basketball genius who knows how to use his talent and push them to their full potential. A couple years back, they were playing for a state title. This year the Spartans are the favorite to win the Rio Hondo and make a deep run in the CIF playoffs.
The Spartans opened league with a 76-52 win over Temple City on Wednesday and look to go 2-0 at San Marino tonight.
That’s where I’m going.
“Joe has captured the essence of the high school football experience. You don’t have to have played or coached to be instantly engaged in the story and identify with the characters. A great read!…Lots of laughs and memories from what high school football is like on the inside.”—Mike Mooney
“A very accurate account of high school football.”—Jon Dimalante
“F-bombing Papa Joe, has written something truly great here…He’s done a great job capturing the moments in the life of a high school football player both big and small from a unique angle.”—Josh Ouellette
“TANGENT DREAMS”
A high school football novel by Joe Torosian is NOW available through Amazon.com
(Cover by Pat Cherry www.blackheartart.com)
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