POST #800 - Monday morning quarterback (evening edition)

The best part of the 49ers game yesterday.

Monday morning quarterback (evening edition)

One who criticizes or passes judgment from a position of hindsight
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What an awful, and I mean awful Bay Area sports weekend if you weren't a fan of the Stanford Cardinal. The Warriors stunk it up Friday and Sunday night, the Sharks were shut out on Saturday night, the Raiders got blown out on the road and the 49ers put up another stinker at home. We'd like to thank them for participating.

Now onto St. Mary's Athletics, and we start with the Achievement Game on Saturday. Good thing this game was played in the afternoon and it got in before the thunder and lightning arrived. Justin and Miles both gave it a good shot, with Miles even getting an assist on a goal, and Justin coming close to putting one in the net, but the game lacked intensity.

I guess that's what happens when you play in a game with no significance. It's a shame that the players didn't go all out in their final game. When the person coming at you is going 100%, you are likely to do the same. There were so many instances in the game where the ball would sit on someone's foot and the player just stood there with it.

It wasn't because the talent level was so great. It was because the game didn't seem to have any energy. A shame, but it is what it is.

TOURNAMENT FALLOUT

Fanta orange soda is great.

As I was drinking this soda can of Fanta, best soda ever I might add, the 6th and 8th graders embarked on the beginning of what hopes to be a memorable journey, as they both played in game one of the CYO preseason tournament (see below).

Both teams, or all three, were identical in their style of play, very rugged and sloppy after being away from basketball for quite a while. The little fundamentals of basketball are very rusty right now, so for both games resulting in a victory is a good thing, because think about what the teams can do when they start getting on the same page.

That's not to say there weren't any glaring mistakes that could've been rectified, so it's our job here at the MMQ to take a look at the errors.


For starters, the turnovers for both teams were just brutal. I was able to see some game footage from both games, and the blatant giveaways caused a lot of stress.

The triple-threat, which is a drill that every player has done at some point in their short careers, is something that should not be overlooked. In a triple-threat, you shouldn't stick the ball right in front of your belly so the other team can rip the ball away.

Some players just don't know how to pivot and are just completely awkward on the court, which is why they lose the ball.

Bounce passes were also very sloppy, with a lot of them aimed at the knees of their teammates. A bounce pass should skip right to a person's waist area. If it doesn't, maybe a bounce pass, or a pass in general, isn't a good idea.

And 3 seconds? When you get called for it once, you better not get called for it again.

One specific play in the 6th grade game needs to be mentioned and it's taking the ball at half court. With less than 10 seconds left in the game, the 6th grade inbounded the ball right on the edge of half court. What happened? Justin took a step back and it resulted in a backcourt.

In that situation, you need to receive the ball in the backcourt to start. If you receive it in the front court, make sure you catch it and have space to move back, so it's not called for an over and back.

Plus, the backcourt had so much room, so catch it there where you have more room to operate. Of course, easier said than done.

Onto the 8th grade game where the White Team dug the 8th grade an early hole, only to come back with a strong third quarter.

The White Team, although in a weaker division than the Red Team, can still make a run for the playoffs, if not more. But for that to happen, Mark and Calson will need to play a lot better than they did Sunday. Mark came away with just two points while Calson was held scoreless.

Both of these players have the potential to do something special in their final year of 8th grade, but sometimes their focus, energy and drive isn't there. When it is, like when Mark put up his 20 point games, or when Calson scored 17 points and dominated the rebounds in a game a few years ago, the White Team is a tough team to beat.


HONORABLE MENTIONS
We take a break from the one week return of 3 stars of the weekend and instead will give out a few honorable mentions.


Gavin C. - Scored 2 points on a nice jumper yesterday. Gavin is a pretty good spot up shooter and he will get many open looks during the season. Keep shooting.

Daniel- Daniel had a great offensive game, scoring 7 points in the 6th grade's win. If he can up his scoring, the team will be much more difficult to face.

SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
For those wondering and those who care, Waldorf defeated Epiphany in the 8th grade soccer championship, while St. Peter's beat Stuart Hall in the 6th grade final.