Cupertino Tournament

Last year's Cupertino Tournament does not bring back wonderful memories.  On the Friday night before the tournament  (the day after Thanksgiving last year 2010), I had been medically cleared early from a broken bone to back up Travis McHugh in the CCS Open Division Championship game.  The Bells went down early 21-0 (1st quarter) and Travis suffered a concussion and I was behind center in a televised sold out game in which we were not playing well against the ultimate state champions.

Though in this photo all looks ok....all the photos in the papers the next morning had pictures of me either flat on the SJCC turf or with Palo Alto defenders hanging off me.  We got killed with me at the helm and I think I got hit the hardest I ever had on an option play by my long time Palo Alto NJB All Net teammate Tori Prati.  My football season was over.

Well after icing my bruises and ego from Friday night I showed up Saturday as a basketball player for the Cupertino tournament.  We played Homestead and it went to 3 overtimes and we allowed them to score 91 points...not great defense.  My claim to fame (infamy) in that game was in OT I was assigned during a time out to throw a long pass from our baseline to a streaking Nick McCue.  Coach just told me whatever I do DON'T hit the roof of the gym because it is real low in the Cupertino gym.  He can trust the varsity QB to throw a pass...right?  I hit the roof and Homestead got the ball on our baseline.  We also lost a game to Mills and I think that is the most angry I have seen Coach Schneider and I have have seen him mad once or twice before.

This year I took off football so I wouldn't come out so late to basketball and to be in basketball shape.  It seems to be working out for everybody.  The Bells this year 2011 easily handled Palo Alto High School in the football CCS Open Division Championship and I believe are on their way to the state game and we had a much better start in the Cupertino tournament.

Our first game was vs Los Altos High School.  Their roster includes a couple of kids I played a lot of baseball or some basketball with so it was fun to see them.  We had a nice win though I took a Nolan O'Such shoulder to the head after splitting open my eye just days earlier.

Shot the ball well and the team continues to look good.  Senior Jack Fordyce had a fantastic game really showing a lot of intensity on defense and on the boards.  He also racked up the points with a great soft touch around the hoop.  So glad to have Jack on the team this year.  He makes us so much better.

The LAHS win got us a re-match vs Homestead.  We held them to over 70 LESS points then we did last year and we continue to play well offensively.  It was nice to have KMVT in the house covering the game.  Since Cupertino, Los Altos and Mountain View are all covered by that cable access station I will get the game on my home cable in MV.

Then we played in the championship game vs Mountain View High School.  As a Mountain View kid, I have a lot of friends on that team that I have played baseball and basketball with growing up.  It was a really tough game for the Bells.  We didn't play defense and we shot really badly...we (me especially) did not make shots around the basket and convert our free throws.  Mountain View has too many good clutch players to not make us pay and my good friend "Jay Dub" (James Watanabe) made us pay with a last second shot in OT to win the game.

Very disappointing to not win the tournament, but we need to quickly convert it to motivation to not repeat our mistakes and put the work in.  Nick McCue and I made the all-tournament team but that is not the trophy either of us wanted.  We wanted the team championship tournament trophy.  Next is the Independence tournament.  That is the gym where we need to learn to play well because CCS playoff games are usually at that venue and we need to be able to shoot well in that large gym.

Box Scores from Cupertino Tournament:

Bells take 3rd in Tournament (2-1)

Bells on All Tourney Team:  Nick McCue and Grant Vermeer

Saturday December 3, 2011

Cupertino Shootout Championship

Mountain View 59, Bellarmine College Prep 57

Bellarmine College Prep          15"‚11"‚9"‚13--57

Mountain View                        11"‚18"‚9"‚10--59

Bellarmine College Prep -- Mendy 3-5-11, McCue 5-5-16, Vermeer 4-2-10, Gion 1-1-3, O'Hara 4-3-11, Goudreau 2-0-4, Fordyce 1-0-2. Totals 20-16-57.

Mountain View -- Watanabe 4-2-13, Wang 3-1-9, Yanaga 1-0-3, McAlister 1-2-5, Collins 4-2-14 Kaestner 6-3-15. Totals 19-10-59.

Friday December 2, 2011

Bellarmine 64, Homestead 20

Bellarmine          13"‚16"‚22"‚13--64

Homestead          8"‚ 6"‚ 4"‚ 2--20

Bellarmine College Prep (2-0) -- Mendy 1-1-4, McCue 4-1-10, Vermeer 8-0-18, Gion 1-1-3, O'Hara 3-0-6, Goudreau 4-0-8, Fordyce 5-0-11, Straka 2-0-4. Totals 27-3-64.

Homestead (1-1) -- Hoffman 2-1-5, Hunter 2-0-4, Whitford 1-0-2, Martin 2-1-5, Shayesta 1-0-2, Gataric 0-2-2. Totals 8-4-20.

Three-point goals -- Vermeer 2, Mendy, McCue, Fordyce.

Thursday December 1, 2011

Bellarmine College Prep 65, Los Altos 25

Los Altos                                 5"‚ 8"‚ 3"‚9--25

Bellarmine College Prep          11"‚24"‚22"‚8--65

Los Altos (1-1) -- Becker 0-1-1, McLean 1-1-3, Onipede 6-2-17, Kliman 1-0-2, O'Such 0-2-2. Totals 8-6-25.

Bellarmine College Prep (1-0) -- Mendy 3-4-10, McCue 2-4-8, Vermeer 2-0-6, Schatzman 0-4-4, O'Hara 5-1-11, Goudreau 3-2-8, Fordyce 7-2-16, Straka 1-0-2. Totals 23-17-65.

Three-point goals -- Onipede 3; Vermeer 2.