August 2009 Archives

Wow, that was quite the impressive comeback!

And Destinee Hooker is quite the impressive player!

Down 2-zilch, Hooker led her second-ranked Texas team to a five-set victory over the Long Beach State 49ers.

The Longhorns played on the final weekend of last season (losing to Stanford in a championship semifinal) and, over the final three sets, demonstrated the kind of talent that leads many to believe they can win the national title in December.

As for Long Beach, the 49ers played much, much better than they did Friday night in a four-set loss to the University of San Diego.

Oh, well . . . at least the 49ers can lay claim to being the best 0-2 club in the country after the first weekend of the season.

The Longhorns won the third set (25-18) and have reeled off four consecutive points to take a 16-14 advantage in the fourth set. A upset opportunity is slipping away for the home club . . .

The Long Beach State women's volleyball team has just taken a 2-0 advantage of the second-ranked University of Texas Longhorns in the Walter Pyramid -- meaning the 49ers are just one more victorious set away from a stunning upset on the first weekend of the season.

Caitlin Ledoux has 11 kills for Long Beach while UT all-Americas Destinee Hooker and Ashley Engle have combined for only seven.

According to ESPN's Hoopgurlz.com, Coach Jody Wynn's Long Beach State women's basketball program received a commitment from Montclair Prep point guard Chantel Dooley.

Here is the link to the story:
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncw/recruiting/tracker/school?schoolId=299&season=2010&page=briefingroom

Cerritos College is picking up one of Southern California's best high school coaches to run its men's basketball program.

Of course, the other side of that news is that the Los Alamitos High program will be without Russ May, who has done so much to make the Griffins -- season-in and season-out -- among the Southland's best squads every season.

Check for more details in Wednesday's Press-Telegram.

Check out the picture of Long Beach State women's basketball coach Jody Wynn and 49ers' athletic director Vic Cegles that can be found on the NCAA's website. It's the art leading to a story on women's basketball recruiting . . .

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-baskbl/ncaa-w-baskbl-body.html

Scroll down to the left corner to find it . . . then click on the headline to go to the story. Wynn is quoted extensively in it.

Shelton Boykin, a 6-foot-5 senior-to-be basketball standout at at Poly High, just told me he has committed to the Long Beach State coaching staff and plans to sign a national letter of intent with the 49ers in November.

Boykin, who averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game last season, was outstanding on the spring and summer tournament and camp circuits with the Jackrabbits and the I Can traveling team program.

Check Thursday's Press-Telegram for more details.

Coach Dan Monson's Long Beach State men's basketball team will hook up against its University of West Virginia counterpart at 11 a.m on Thanksgiving day in the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center, it was announced this morning.

The game will be televised by ESPNU, withe the ESPN2 broadcasting the to three first-round games: Texas A&M-Clemson (1:30 p.m.), Minnesota-Butler (5:30) and UCLA-Portland (7:30).

Action continues on Nov. 27, the teams are off the following day and things wrap up on the 29th.

Friday's final day of the NCAA college basketball recruiting evaluation period was highlighted, regionally, with the Best of the Summer Tournament semifinals and finals at Loyola Marymount University and the Fullcourt Press Summer Showcase at Jordan High.

Among the coaches I saw at one or both locations: USC head coach Kevin O'Neill and assistants Gib Arnold and Bob Cantu; Long Beach State assistants Rod Palmer and Vic Couch; UCLA assistants Donny Daniels, Scott Duncan and Scott Garson; Portland head coach Eric Reveno and assistant Eric Jackson; Cal State Fullerton assistant Scott Waterman; Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar; Washington State assistant Jeff Hironaka;; George Washington assistant Brian Ellerbe; University of San Diego assistant Mike Burns; and New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies.

Among the high school players who did plenty to enhance their stock with recruiters Friday were guards Anthony Holliday (Norwalk) and Bobby Miles (Workman), who led a surprising Southeast L.A. Elite team to the championship game of the Best of the Summer 17-under final (where it lost by the California Supreme Black squad); and 6-8 Frankie Eteauti (L.A. Cathedral), during the Fullcourt Press Summer Showcase "Top 20 Rising Senior" game.

Check my Tuesday Press-Telegram column for a more in-depth analysis of the final week of the evaluation period in Southern California.