Girls Basketball All-Area: Bishop Amat's Arielle Wideman player of the year; Diamond Ranch coach Mike James earns coach of the year award

Compare Alexandra Quincy stats to any on the 3 teams. I can't imagine why she was bypassed. You guys need to stop excluding talent and actually get out and see a few games. St Lucy's has best season in 15 years, goes second round and still no love. By the way Quincy puts up 23 vs Harvard Westlake state champs. I also agree about Madison for Bonita. Seriously!

any idea when your boy miguel will post the west all area team on his blog would be nice to know who got what. He could be doing such a better job.

Having seen both Amat and Diamond Ranch play numerous times, there is no questioning the fact that Coach James did a great job with his team. Dealing with injuries is an unfortunate part of our job, but their players and staff did a great job of dealing with whatever obstacles were put in front of them. He is as deserving of the COY award as any of the previous winners have been.
That being said, there is NO BETTER basketball coach in this area than Coach Wiard-period. The guy can just flat out coach the game better than anyone I've seen. Great talent, marginal talent, whatever Amat has-and make no mistake, this Amat team had good players but not the overall talent of the dominant teams of years past-he will find a way to be succesful. Just look at his presence with Amat's boys' teams the past 2 years-the combination of Coach Ertle and Coach Wiard is tough to beat. Bottom line is that Coach Wiard could easily be the COY EVERY year-I believe that he has been numerous times-so what's the big deal about this year?

Basic I actually have seen the Bonita girls since they were 6th graders playing together. Great local school program for sure. Surprised Madison didn't earn something but she'll get hers in due time.

As far as the MJ or two Scotties analogy , sorry doesn't apply. Wideman won not because she was the most talented, i.e. MJ, but that she made the most of her talent, leadership and competitive will to win. Huge difference from the "other" Amat POY legends wouldn't you say?

DR has to apologize to no one for their team or coach, thats not the point as I have tons of respect for their community top to bottom but Wiard, by everyone's admission, did his best coaching job ever...and in Wiard's case "EVER" is huuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggeeeeee !!!!

As far as Hagerty and now Wiard no offense to Coach Z but both coaches brought programs back from the brink yet Hags did it beating Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier and finally losing to George Foreman, so to speak while Coach Z beat Monrovia about as good as Wilfredo Benitez...good but not great, news worthy but not storied.

Hey it's a blog and I'll give my opinion, just seems this way to me. Like HOFers who have to wait 20 plus years to get in say..."Did I get more hits, pitch more inning or steal more bases in all the time it took to get in?"

Reminds me of Chrsi Mullin not being in the HOF or Dr. Buss finally getting in after Phil Jackson...wow! What more did they have to do to get in? And that's my point to Fred ...what more would they have had to do to earn COY or POY?

Is anyone saying a State Championship denies DR's coach and earns Wiard the award or does a Lakewood win take teh award out of Coach Z's mantle? See it just doesn't make sense to deny a CO Coach or Co Player as in Soccer where Carlos deserved no less than Co POY. See teh winner there was an Amat student...so there goes the Amat myopia charge. lol

Basic, you're always a good read BTW

It seems to me if a coach has 5 all valley players - it may not have been as much a great coaching job as it is great players? another coach only has 3, yet makes it to State Finals?

This goes back to the days Bishop Amat won Amat's 1st and only boys CIF Championship ever (and the only valley team to do so that year) beating Artesia along the way and Coach Lokar was passed over for Coach of the Year. Then Hagerty. Twice. Now Wiard. Wow.

Double...

First of, yes the coaching staff at BA did a great job but so did DR's staff, and if you're going to say they had 5 and we had 2, you should say, "we had the POY." Would you rather have MJ or two Scottie Pippens???

In my opinion, if you put DR in the lower DIV like BA, then they (DR) would have had a better shot at CIF and State, and if so, would you take away from what BA did???

Anyway, congrats to all, and specially to our Lady Bearcats...Great job ladies.

Diamond Ranch had five All Area players and Bishop Amat had two? Only one coach got their team to the State Finals against incredible odds with a team that lacked size, speed and depth. Wideman's work ethic and ability to play and lead says it all, she's extremely deserving but more than anything her selection speaks volumes to what teh team as a whole did all year long. Inglewood beats them and they regroup and beat them in the rematch, that's players buying into "coaching" and that's "coaching" your butt off.

The Tribune missed one with Hagerty, two years in a row actually, and this year Wiard does his greatest coaching job he's ever done and he's an also ran, go figure!

Maybe Hagerty needs "one more quality win or a Pac 5 Championship" and Wiard needed to "win State"! Either way it's so close but no cigar.

Congrats to all the girls who played the game all out and were entertaining as all get out. Best of luck to those seniors moving on to the next level.

No disrespect to DR's HC but five ALL Area players says it all.

Thank you Freddy for having three teams this year! Selecting teams is fun and challenging. If you included honorable mentions (each coach could nominate only two players from their team) then you could include maybe 30 more girls out of the hundreds that play in the SGV, create more interest, you would help the seniors on their resume, and you would help sell more newspapers!. One condition, the coach has to include stats or some very good reason why they should be included (not just "runs offense").

I know we got a first and second teamer...but where is Madison Zylstra on this, I mean seriously.