LC Basketball

"These are more than words, this is more than rap
This is the streets and I am the trap
Standing ovation, standing ovation"
--Standing Ovation, Young Jeezy

So I've had the good fortune of attending two La Canada High School basketball games in the last week or so, one of which was the amazing CIF championship game against heavily-favored Campbell Hall, and the most recent of which was a state quarterfinal triumph over San Diego section champion Mission Bay this last Saturday. Because I'm working today and don't have a ton of time to blog (something new, right?), I'm just going to copy the article I wrote after the CIF title game that ran in last weeks LCF Outlook (one of my three employers--I still edit articles for them a couple hours a week, and this was my first column in four years)...LC basketball alums will no doubt appreciate more than others, but hopefully it'll make sense nonetheless...

Spartan Family Watches With Pride
By SCOTT RIDDELL
LCF Outlook
15 years ago, Ryan Asplund played in this game. The senior guard was a huge part of LC's 62-53 victory over San Dimas in the 1992 CIF Division III-A final at the Sports Arena, good for the lone CIF basketball title in school history.
Saturday, he was in attendance at the Honda Center in Anaheim, watching this year's version of the Spartans battle mightily and come within four points of the No. 2-ranked team in the entire state.
12 years ago, Chris Evelyn was pouring in a career-high 30 points in a first-round playoff game.
Saturday, he was sitting behind the bench, admiring the relentless effort put forth by Coach Tom Hofman's squad through 32 grueling minutes of regulation and four more minutes of overtime.
11 years ago, Danny Bush was earning all-CIF honors, scoring in bunches, and leading LC to the second round of the playoffs.
Saturday, he too was in the building, watching in awe as Adam Malik connected on 10 of his 16 shots, four of his seven three-pointers, and played every minute of an intense, physical game.
Nine years ago, Tim Chung, Bryan Stevens and John May were playing their way to within a game of the CIF finals, falling just short against Barstow in an epic semifinal contest.
Saturday, they cheered themselves hoarse, watching an inspirational bunch of undersized, overmatched Spartans match a nationally-ranked Campbell Hall squad, shot for shot.
This group of seniors has its own connections to the Spartan basketball past. Most were coached at the freshman level by Brent Ballard, another member of the 1992 championship team, and on the junior varsity by Evelyn.
Numerous other former Spartans made the trip to Anaheim, including (but not limited to) Chris Jones, Ryan Candelora, Jeremy Drake, Mike Riddell, Steve Gilmour, Rob Seastrom, Dan Niemann, Nick Racklin, Joel Kim, Chris Wang, Alan Schaefer, R.T. Van Valer and Umar Khan. And they all walked away amazed by what they saw.
A Campbell Hall team that had defeated its previous playoff opponents by an average of more than 55 points per game needed overtime to defeat-barely-this resilient group.
“I’ve never been more proud of a team,” Hofman said after the game. “I think they earned a lot of respect out there, playing as hard as they played.”
Respect indeed. Every Spartan player left everything he had on the floor, and each one is deserving of praise from a grateful and admiring group of alumni.
Malik dominated on the offensive end, added a team-high eight rebounds, was a constant support with his help defense and did more than enough to prove he's worthy of a Division I scholarship.
Tucker Heaton and Jackson Ridd ran themselves ragged defending a future NBA player in Jrue Holiday, and Heaton somehow still found the energy to hit a big three-pointer in the second half.
Garrison Grimes shook off early jitters and knocked down a three-pointer at the end of the first half to give LC a six-point lead, its biggest of the game.
William Baldwin played totally unafraid, posting up, grabbing offensive rebounds, finishing strong inside, and even stepping out to nail a baseline jumper.
Darren Ho handled a college-level pressure defense with great determination, scoring seven points and fighting off constant harassment at every turn.
Christian Nitu was a physical presence on defense and on the boards, and hit a huge three-pointer in the fourth quarter (he definitely called glass).
With the pulses of every single Spartan in the building quickening, Ross Grandolph stepped to the line with 22.6 seconds left and hit two cold-blooded free throws to tie the game.
Awesome. And magical. And amazing, and any number of glowing words of tribute that can be thrown out there. They all apply.
And a legion of La Canada basketball alumni could not be more proud.

It's been way too long since I've written anything original in this space, so hopefully this was okay for now. My Top 50 Unforgettable Shots show (greatest shots in basketball history--Jordan, Bird, Magic, Laettner, etc.) airs tomorrow night, so that's been taking up most of my time, and then I'm supposed to be heading to Phoenix the rest of the week for some stuff with Jalen Rose and the Suns (possibly a dinner with Jalen and C-Webb, who'll be in town with the Pistons--wow)...