BOYS' BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: RICH GETTING RICHER ON COURT.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer At the risk of sounding simplistic sim·plism n. The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications. [French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple , Adam Rich's dramatic increase in scoring average for the Hart High boys' basketball team this year is a basic case of arithmetic. Rich sat down one day and did the math, and the rest is history. The final tally went something like this: Get to the foul line foul line n. 1. Baseball Either of two straight lines extending from the rear of home plate to the outer edge of the playing field and indicating the area in which a fair ball can be hit. 2. more often, watch the scoring average grow and grow. Rich, one of the top players in the Foothill League, averaged 12 points last season while getting to the foul line about five times a game. This year he's averaging 25 points and getting to the line just more than 10 times each game. Crunch the number and it's obvious from where the extra points are coming. ``It's something that's been stressed to me for quite some time, and something I definitely decided to do something about,'' Rich said. ``For me, getting to the free-throw line free-throw line n. See foul line. is extremely important.'' Of course, it's not as simple as it sounds. Rich had to work hard to expand his game so opponents would respect him enough to challenge him defensively. During a busy summer playing with the RockFish rockfish, member of the large family Scorpaenidae (rockfishes and scorpionfishes), carnivorous fish inhabiting all seas and especially abundant in the temperate waters of the Pacific. Rockfishes are found among rocks and reefs. travel team, Rich spent countless hours working on his jump shot, hoping an improved outside stroke would force defenders to come up on him. The ramifications ramifications npl → Auswirkungen pl of that are two-fold. First, when a defender guards a jump shooter jump shooter n. Basketball A player who makes jump shots. close, it creates opportunities to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. When that happens, it increases the chances of being fouled. Rich's improved jump shot and increased quickness to to the basket have resulted in a more dangerous scorer, and someone opponents must respect defensively. ``He's added stuff to his game every year he's been here,'' Hart coach Tom Kelly People named Tom Kelly include:
By addressing the weaker points of his game, Rich's confidence has soared. He admits to playing a bit intimidated in the past but said those days are long gone. ``Now I just go out there and play, I'm not really nervous or anything,'' Rich said. ``It's a good feeling.'' Almost as good as Hart's 11-2 record. The Indians' two losses were to Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. of La Crescenta and Cleveland of Reseda. The Cleveland loss was in the final of the Hart tournament Tuesday. ``I still think we could have won both of those games, but the good thing is it showed us what we need to work on,'' Rich said. ``And if you're going to learn lessons like that, it's better to get them out of the way now rather than during league.'' --Saugus marching along: Most Foothill League coaches identify Saugus as the front-runner for the league crown, and the Centurions have done nothing to change that opinion. Their 10-4 record includes two close losses to regarded Oxnard, which pounded Harvard-Westlake of Studio City two weeks ago. ``I'm pleased with where we are,'' Saugus coach Jeff Hallman said. ``I like the effort we've been getting, and I like the way we're playing as a team.'' Saugus took fifth place in the Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. tournament, which ended Tuesday, losing to Oxnard by three points and winning big against Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. , Westlake and Archbishop Mitty of San Jose. Saugus center B.J. Willkomm was named to the all-tournament team. Willkomm, who is averaging 16 points and six rebounds, was challenged by Hallman to improve his rebounding and responded with better efforts the past two games. ``He's playing great,'' Hallman said. ``We talked about him picking his rebounding up and he definitely responded. I expect as the season progresses that he'll pick it up even more.'' Vincent Bonsignore, (818) 713-3612 vincent.bonsignore(at)dailynews.com |
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