Duncan takes over at Bassett …

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Aubrey Duncan, Bassett High School’s track coach, has been named Craig Cieslik’s successor (if you can call it that) as head varsity football coach.

Duncan, who coached the L.A. Amazons women’s football team, now has to piece together a program that has had startlingly low numbers this spring after returning players and Cieslik did not mesh.

Former Baldwin Park coach Tony Zane is mulling whether to become part of Duncan’s staff. Zane served under former coach Leon Ward, who was let go by the school this offseason.

Aram’s take: There you have it. Nice recovery, Bassett. Duncan’s connection with the kids ought to bring the number count back up to a semi-respectable level. Bassett needed someone fast and got it … and some around the school argue Duncan should’ve been the choice all along. Hopefully the Olympians can put this bad chapter behind them and start a new beginning.

  • New York

    Headcount??? Markham carried roughly 18 kids on the 1994 Bloomington team that went 14-0 and beat La Mirada.

  • What made his teams so tough?

    New York …is that true?

    That’s incredible if true. I thought Bloomington was big on Football. If true it must have been crushing as a team, from fans to player to coaches, to lose to 18 players.

    Don’t know much about Markham. What made him so successful. Anyone have an opinion about the man.

  • Lancers02

    Markham is a Wing T Guru. His motto is less is more, but his weakness is that he runs up the score which would get him into trouble.

  • Aaron

    Markham likes about 30 players.

  • Hero or Goat

    Lancer02 I read the Markham story about that point many times and in one game it cost him a Championship. Incredible indictment on the man’s ego or misplaced sense of Sportsmanship. To bad because he’s clearly a gifted coaching mind. What’s the line about genius and insanity….oh yeah..”"it’s a fine one!”

  • New York

    He is a Double Wing guru (different from the WingT). Anyway, he used to run the same concept out of a double tight I-formation, but he liked the angles better with the wing backs. Bloomington was 1-9 in 1993. Then Markham arrived and they went 14-0. I’m not sure if any of the prior year losses were forfeits or just sheer dysfunction. They had two great running backs (Greg Oliver and Cheyanne Cladwell) and a big line. Caldwell was a real horse and played at UCLA. That same year, they beat Artesia 82-62 in the second round. Rumor had it that Markham never really worked on defense or special teams…just weight lifting and offense…and more weight lifting. They always went for the two-point conversion, because it is part of the basic offense. They never punted. I’m not even sure they knew how to punt. La Mirada was the division 8 king back then until Bloomington arrived. Anyway, the offense reduces the need for a strong QB, and it chews up a lot of clock to prevent the opponent from having a lot of time. It can be a good way to make average talent into a competitor, BUT everyone really needs to buy into it.

  • who cares

    Hey Aram can you let Miguel or whomever is in charge at the Pasadena Star News know that there is a new head football coach at Pasadena High School by the name of Randy Horton because there has been no type of write up on that but there are write ups on other coaches. so just in case they didn’t know now they do. once again his name is Randy Horton. someone should get over there and talk to the man.

  • shhhhhh

    Who cares,

    Your name says it all.

  • WTF

    Mr. Duncan,

    My only advice to you is to scrapp the Varisty and JV program once you see no turn-out in the summer. You must focus all your efforts on the Freshman!!! Program. You must let the cancer in student body graduate out.

  • He also coached at Amat

    Hey New York,

    The of that 14 – 0 team (Bloomington) After each play would walk SLOW to the Offensive Huddle and even slower to the Line of Scrimmage…run the play… and repeat. They were HUGE, STRONG, and TALENTED.

    Joe Amat will have some stories.

  • TAKE YOUR PICK

    wtf,
    Take your pick on which one suits you best , DUMB , STUPID , OR JUST PLAIN IGNORANT. What is it you have against Bassett . Why not see what happens to the turn out now that they have a new coach who has ties to the school and maybe a chance of getting Zane back on staff. Think a little positive if you can. It seems as if you really want this program to fail. Your posts on Bassett have been in a negative manner. What’s the real story behind your posts. Maybe you applied for the coaching job and you were denied or were on the former coach’s staff. There is something you are hiding.

  • WTF

    MR DUMB , STUPID , OR JUST PLAIN IGNORANT,

    I have no motive. The coach is not on field tackling, blocking or Running ETC… The kids are, they need to own the team. The culture that exist today is the root of the problem. The AD tried to bring in someone new who was not exposed to the cancer that exist at Bassett. The only to cure for this cancer is rip it out. If these Juniors and Seniors think they can just walk on to the team in Septemtber and Play they do not deserve to be on any football program.

    Mr Duncan focus on the freshman program if you smell a hint of the cancer in the summer. The Seniors & Juniors are wasting your time and theirs.

  • saladdays

    WTF is talking about building a program. If they have 13 or 6 kids showing up to practice they should scrap the varsity for a year or two.

    When LA started out Despain and Merrill had a good group of incoming freshman they coached them on freshman then JV and kept them together They wound up winning CIF. They didn’t worry about the varsity because they needed to build a program.

    As far as Cieslik goes I still question his commitment but it could very easily be a bad AD wouldn’t be the first time.

  • New York

    That’s funny. Those Bloomington teams also walked very slowly as a hurd between quarters. It almost seemed obnoxious, but I think Markam explained it as their rest time because they had no depth. He also explained running up the scores because he had no second team to put in. I distinctly remember a story about Markham cutting two guys going into the playoffs. I thought it was cutting from 21 down to 19…I heard a story that Markham had his guys sit in the stands eating hot dogs and watching the marching band during half time of another blowout game.

    Curious why he lasted only one year as Amat’s Head Coach after going 11-1.

  • ex alum

    Lets get this straight Coach Duncan is a yes man that has never been a head varsity football coach he applied for the job but was passed up this the typical Bassett admin. at work again throwing this man basicily to the wolves with little or no support and if you think that Zane is going to be this savior think again the man had a hard time making it to practices last year as an assistant to Ward.Was mostly asleep at meeting or not there. The guy that should have been consider for the job was Coach Cook he has 2 cifchampionship rings and was the d. cor. for ward last year. I give Coach duncan maybe a year, maybe with the changing of the gaurd i.e.top 5 administrator are gone as of July 1. THEY WILL GET THERE ACT TOGETHER and stop the revolving door that is Bassett football.

  • LEONITUS

    Some of you speak of a cancer others say they needed a new direction, the fact is the school is loosing kids and athletes by the tens every year to Amat, Los Altos,(past Los Altos Staff) and several other Quality football programs.

    What a shame for our entire community, another lost opportunity and another group of players who have their senior season ruined.

    This talk blamming the kids, where is your proof the players are to blame for low turnout.

    Could it be the man just didnt connect, anyone who knows about coaching knows that the kids must really want to play for you, if the guy was liked by the players they would have come out. Case closed.

    My main point, was there no Hispanic coaches out there that could have made a go of it, no one to apply with any experience or with a title or that could have gotten the community involved. I guess the Hispanic coaches out there just werent up to par or were not interested, too bad.

  • Hot Off The Press

    Aram,

    X-head coach Felipe Aguilar of Los Altos is just a little pissed off with the way LA treated him. Felipe is in communication with Rowland High School to become the new quarterback coach. This has been validated by two different sources. The inside source stated he is the new quarterback coach at Rowland High School. Interesting how Felipe takes a job inside the Hacienda league, wonder why?

    One of those sources also stated that Frankie Avalos is very unhappy at LA but LA has made it very clear they will stop any transfer attampt, via CIF.

  • Kids come first

    We need a guy like the Rock to coach at Bassett. He has to understand the Community, the Culture, the demographics and that Kids come first and not Egos. But a great coach will never stay unless he has the support of the Administration and the Community. And Bassett has had good coaches come and go. The ones that were good won champions or co champions(Pettingill,Ward,Smolin), unfortunately, The Administration did not place any value on that. You bring in a good coach that the kids will buy into and the wins will come…………but Bassett has lost so much time, it will take 4-5 years to recover from this bone headed mistake to hire SeaSick.

  • Hot Off The Press

    Aram,

    X-head coach Felipe Aguilar of Los Altos is just a little pissed off with the way LA treated him. Felipe is in communication with Rowland High School to become the new quarterback coach. This has been validated by two different sources. The inside source stated he is the new quarterback coach at Rowland High School. Interesting how Felipe takes a job inside the Hacienda league, wonder why?

    One of those sources also stated that Frankie Avalos is very unhappy at LA but LA has made it very clear they will stop any transfer attampt, via CIF.

  • Born and Raised in Bassett

    I played at Bassett back in the late 80′s early 90′s with great players like Marshawn Thompson (SGV tribune POY) Richard Parham (a beast at 6’2 220lbs). After Marshawn you had Running backs like Greg Moore (Jalen’s Moore dad Current RB at AMAT), we eben had some gang members from Bassett who were talented and were comitted to the team. Bottom line is that the school (MRS Pruitt) should be ashamed. We are not talking PAC 5, you have kids who want to play and can compete in the Montview league! The coaches need to respect the kids before they try to teach them anything else.

    There is one coached who grew up on the area that can have a huge impact from day one. He was a huge part of why Marshawn was a great running back. That is Coach Sifuentes. I know it has been a while and you are busy with the Bombers but Bassett needs you and you have some of your players that are willing to help. Lets do it Coach!

  • Trojan Man

    I stopped coaching in 1998 because parents EXPECT you to do the job THEY should be doing.

    SOME kids RESPECT , MOST DO NOT . I coached @ 2 different schools & the same thing was happening.

    Todays HS atheletes THINK they are IT!

    Monkeys want to run the circus & are used to running the circus @ home,So when a coach comes in & tries to set up his program & the players either walk out or do not listen , they pack up & leave.

    FAULT THE PARENTS NOT THE COACHES !

    The days of ruling /coaching with an IRON FIST ARE OVER ! It’s ALL ABOUT RECRUITING & if anybody thinks differntly look @ the schools with sucessful programs & ask yourself …WAS HE RIGHT ? NO COACH CAN TURN A PROGRAM AROUND ! NOBODY COULD TURN AROUND BASSETT.
    Sorry …Facts are Facts.

    Fight On
    TM

  • LEONITUS

    WELL SAID BORN AND RAISED, THIS SEASON IS A BUST FOR THESE KIDS BUT I REALLY LIKE THE TALK AND THE PUPLICITY THIS ISSUE IS GETTING.

    IF YOU FOLKS THAT HAVE PLAYED AND BEEN IN THE AREA FOR MOST OF THE LAST 20 YEARS STAY ON TOP OF THIS, THEN SQUIRTS LIKE THESE NUCKLE HEADS WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE THEY MAKE BONE HEAD DECISIONS ON COACHES LIKE THE RECENT DEBACLE WE HAVE JUST WITNESSED.

    HOLD THESE CLOWNS BY THEIR TOES TO THE FIRE, LET THEM KNOW IF THEY WANT TO ACT WITH SUCH ARROGANCE THEY WILL HAVE TO ANSWER FOR IT.

    AS YOU SAID THE CURRENT AMAT RUNNING BACKS FATHER ATTENDED BASSETT, I BELIEVE THERE IS SO MUCH COMMUNITY POLITICAL PULL OUT THERE, MOST OF THE PLAYERS YOU MENTIONED HAD SONS WHO WERE GREAT ATHELETES BUT DIDNT EVEN THINK OF SENDING THIER SONS TO BASSETT.

    IF BASSETT HAD HIRED A HAGGERTY OR A BOGAN OR GANO, OR EVEN SOMEONE WITH SOME NOTORIETY WOULD THERE HAD BEEN A NUMBERS ISSUE.

  • Old School

    Bring Sifuentes back, I played against Sifuentes when he played at Rowland HS in the late 70′s and beat them when we had Arby Fields (his brother Arnold and Artie played for Amat), the Fletchers, the Browns,the Washingtons, Ernie Lewis and all the big Black kids (NY Giant great Lionel Manuel was just a freshman). Our OL averaged 250 lbs, which was big for the time, we had so much talent that we felt we could have beaten Amat that year, but size and talent does not replace discipline, which the team lacked. We didn’t do so well because the players were selfish and didn’t care for each other, so I blame the Coaches for that. But hell we sure didn’t run out of talent, that’s for sure.

    Sifuentes attended Torch and played against his friends and neighbors. Although he attended Rowland HS, he still understood and never forgot where he came from. He knows the neighborhood and understands the kids. He also briefly coached at Amat and spearheaded the double wing offense that beat good teams. Bring Sifuentes Back!

  • David

    Everyone that doesn’t know these coaches personally do not have any grounds in talking about them. It’s all he said she said crap, none of you have spoken directly to these coaches therefore you have no real source. I’m idiot for even your blogs! I bet everyone of you haven’t accomplishment nearly as much as these coaches. So please keep your ignorant comments to yourself!

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