CLUB TEAM FRIENDS GO TO RIVAL SCHOOLS.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer Every so often Ryan Coleman Ryan Coleman is a child actor from the Nickelodeon series All That. He was originally the runner-up in the "R U All That" competition only losing to Christina Kirkman; but soon joined the cast in the middle of ninth season. He is currently a junior in Lodi, California. plays the ``what if'' game. The Calabasas High senior wonders what might have been if his good friend Randy Gastwirt and his family had found a house closer to Calabasas when they moved from New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of four years ago. ``If they had moved just a few miles closer we'd be teammates instead of opponents,'' Coleman said. ``I think about that every so often.'' As it turned out, Gastwirt and his family settled in Agoura upon arriving from the East Coast and he ended up at Oak Park High. Despite the rivalry, Coleman and Gastwirt have become great friends while developing into two of the top basketball players in the area. They are teammates on the select 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. Team, which is made up of some of the best players in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and competes in tournaments throughout the summer months. And during the off-season they work on their game together, lifting weights and pushing each other to become better players. ``We definitely bring out the best in each other,'' said Gastwirt, a swingman swing·man n. Basketball A team member who can play effectively in two different positions, especially forward and guard. with the Eagles who projects as an off guard in college. Coleman, a point guard, agrees. ``If I'm lagging Lagging Strategy used by a firm to stall payments, normally in response to exchange rate projections. a little bit he's there to tell me to pick it up, and I do the same for him,'' he said. ``It's nice to have somebody there to remind you to work hard and do whatever it takes to be a better player.'' Coleman and Gastwirt met last summer as teammates on Team Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. in the Maccabi Jewish Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. . Their relationship grew from there. Since Calabasas and Oak Park compete in different leagues, Coleman and Gastwirt don't have to worry about battling each other for a league championship. But the schools do play two or three games a year, so there are occasions when they have to forget about being friends and get after each other on the court. ``It's weird because we're two different players,'' said Gastwirt, whose continuous movement without the ball and physical play at off guard is in direct contrast to Coleman's ability to play point guard and beat his opponent off the dribble. ``Sometimes I'll get the best of him and other times he'll get the best of me,'' Gastwirt said. ``On the court we're competitors.'' In years past Gastwirt has relied on his size and strength to power his way to the basket. Coleman, meanwhile, used his athletic ability to beat opponents off the dribble and go to the hoop. By enlisting the services of a shooting coach, both players say they have found new confidence in their outside shots. ``A lot of times I went straight to the basket when I could have just pulled up for a 15-footer,'' Coleman said. ``Without a doubt my shooting has improved,'' Gastwirt said. ``It'll be fun to run off picks and shoot the ball more.'' If their senior seasons go as well as expected, Gastwirt and Coleman should generate some interest from colleges. Gastwirt already has heard from some Ivy League Ivy League Group of eight universities in the northeastern U.S., high in academic and social prestige, that are members of an athletic conference for intercollegiate gridiron football dating to the 1870s. schools while Coleman has gotten letters from some schools on the West Coast. |
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