HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: SAUGUS' SMITH A RISING STAR ON COURT.Byline: SEAN n. 1. A seine. See Seine. CEGLINSKY Staff Writer D.J. Smith was one of the more improved boys basketball players in the Foothill League a season ago, and if his determination over the first two weeks of practice is any indication of what's to come, opponents had better make sure they know exactly where the Saugus junior is on the court at all times. ``D.J. understands the game,'' Saugus coach Jeff Hallman said. ``He has the skills to take the ball to the hole, has a good outside game and he can rebound and pass the ball well. He's just a real clever player.'' Over the summer, the 6-foot-2 wing guided the Centurions to a championship in the Hart Tournament with a 42-31 victory over Valencia and he also turned some heads after playing well in a weekend tournament at UC San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . ``We were hoping to do well in the Hart Tournament, but didn't expect to win,'' Hallman said. ``The result was nice, and we feel good about it. It's a confidence-builder. But it's not the final destination. We still have work to do.'' In order for Saugus to compete for a league title this season, the team will need steady contributions from someone other than the smooth left-handed shooter Smith, who averaged 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a sophomore. Mitchell Weber could be the answer, but the coaching staff will need players such as Jake Dietrich, Matt Hall and Mike Cassio to assume more responsibility if the Centurions are going to compete with perennial Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, front-runners Valencia and Canyon. ``D.J. is the key for Saugus. He's really good,'' Hart coach Tom Kelly People named Tom Kelly include:
Big man on campus: Cody Anderson developed into one of the more pleasant surprises this summer at Canyon during summer basketball league Noun 1. basketball league - a league of basketball teams basketball team, five - a team that plays basketball league, conference - an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members play and the Cowboys could be on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of repeating as Foothill League champions if the 6-8 junior-to-be continues his rapid improvement. ``He's really beginning to blossom as a player,'' Cowboys coach Chad Phillips said. It's not as if Anderson is a complete unknown to the coaching staff. Last season, he was dominant for the Cowboys' junior varsity team For the American rock band, see . In sports, usually at the high school and college levels, members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as a football or basketball game) are called junior varsity players. , averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds. Duplicating those numbers at the varsity level figures to be more difficult. ``His outside game from 15 feet is very good. He can stretch the defense,'' Phillips said. ``We're working on developing one really good post move and a countermove coun·ter·move n. A move made in opposition or retaliation to another. intr.v. coun·ter·moved, coun·ter·mov·ing, coun·ter·moves To make a move in retaliation or opposition. beyond that. This kid is going to be one of the key ingredients for us this season.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion