Welcome to the first issue of volume eleven of Swish, a periodical with recaps and photos of Santa Monica YMCA youth basketball games, and other pertinent info such as announcements and updates from the program.
This Winter season, the Santa Monica YMCA has 5 divisions of youth basketball, with the Copper, Silver, and Gold divisions having 4 teams each, and the Bronze and Platinum divisions with 6 teams each.
We are a coed league with players that are ages 5 to 14. Our emphasis is that we are a developmental and recreational league, and we want the kids to not only enjoy playing youth sports, but to benefit from the three principles of the YMCA:
Youth Development, Social Responsibility, and Healthy Living.
We are partnered with the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation which provides jerseys, grants, and clinics to help develop our youth. We are ever grateful for their support of our program. Many thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation: Kiesha Nix, Kiley Sensi, Richard Harris, and Jeanie Buss for helping us become the premier youth basketball program on the Westside.
We also wish to give many thanks to UCLA Health for donating the Junior Lakers jerseys that our players wear with great pride, and partnering with the Foundation in providing grants and support.
The theme of the team names for this season is slang and terms that are often used in the sport of basketball.
If you wish to learn more about the Santa Monica Family YMCA and our programs, including our Summer youth basketball league, please visit our website https://ymcasm.org
SAT 4/22/23 SCRIMMAGE WEEKEND
Copper
Ballers vs Hoopsters
The Ballers feature new coach Alex Wang and his two children Olivia and Owen. The Hoopsters are coached by Alemayehu “Alex” Tilahun, who is celebrating the birth of his daughter just a few days ago. Alex’s son Matthew is one of the Hoopsters.
Jammers vs Swish
The Jammers have new coach Bing Sheng with his son Lincoln on the team, and the Swish feature new coach Justin Strock who is coaching his son Corbin.
Silver
Jumpers vs Breakers
The Jumpers have new coach Jodi Strock with her daughter Kahya, and veteran coach Noah Verleun with his son Linus. The Breakers have coach Jeff Boesiger returning with his son James.
Platinum
Splash vs Daggers
It’s been a long time, but Steven Sone has returned to coach in our program as his boys varsity Pacifica Christian high school team is in their offseason, and Steven will have the help of 2021-2022 Santa Monica YMCA Player of the Year and his standout high school player Jude Toren assisting in coaching the Splash. Longtime coach Brain Phelan with the young and impressionable Lowell Dean will keep our program strong as they coach the Daggers which also feature Brian’s son Jack.
Press vs Schoolers
The Press have the coaching tandem of Josh Wakefield and Craig Pariser with their sons Jarvis and Cam respectively. The Schoolers have new coach Joe Tilley who is excited to be involved in our program.
Rainmakers vs Cagers
Rendezvous again, as Bill Kravitz coaches his son Dylan on the Rainmakers, and David Cappiccille coaches his son Parker on the Cagers.
SUN 4/23/23
Bronze
Blockers vs Treys
George Edelman and Jeff Epstein return to co-coach their children Theodore and Katarina respectively for the Blockers. Doug Trussler leads the helm as he helps his son Howie and his team, the Treys.
Clutch vs Slammers
Ben Ketai has returned with his son Jonas to lead the Clutch. Dan Schneider is back again to help his son Aidan and the Slammers.
Rebounders vs Dimes
Both coaches are doing double duty coaching two teams each in our program, as Armando Gonzalez gathers his son Pablo and the Rebounders, and Craig Pariser is dropping Dimes with his daughter Mai Ly.
Silver
Dunkers vs Downtown
Elan Mevasse has made his return to coaching with his son Kai assisting, as they help guide the youth of their team, Downtown. The Dunkers are led by Darko Dogic as he coaches his son Lucas, and is assisted by his nephew Danilo Samardjiza and Sam
McGowan.
Gold
Handles vs Fadeaways
Armando Gonzalez has his second team that he coaches, now with his son Diego on the team, and is assisted by Matthew Covington whose son Henry is making his debut in the Gold division. The Fadeaways feature coaches Brent Stoll and his son Brayden that bring vast experience and knowledge to help their team.
Crashers vs Defenders
Longtime coach Pete Harris has come up to the Gold division with his son Oliver and many of the players that he coached in the Silver division to help them make the transition. My assistant Nicholas Walker leads a group of veteran Gold players that includes both boys and girls that are all eager to play with each other and for coach Nick. Nick will also be assisted by Kelly Roberts whose daughter Kay will be a key part of the team.
SAT 4/29/23 WEEKEND #1
Bronze
Clutch vs Slammers
Last season’s Copper MVP got the Clutch out to an early lead with 3 quick buckets in the first quarter, the Slammers came back with a basket by Alex Blondheim, three free throws made by Levi Lapierre, and a basket by Rex Bulette to take a slim lead in the second quarter, but the Clutch were able to take the lead back before halftime with additional points from Jordan Martin, Theo Stele, and Player of the Game Qiao Ren. In the second half, the Slammers Levi Lapierre added 2 more buckets, and Alex Blondheim added another, and Soren Verleun played solid defense; however the Clutch continued to get scores from Jordan Martin and Theo Stele, and solid defense from Wynn Jeffers, Sebastian Armijo, and Qiao Ren who had key steals and rebounds to give the Clutch the victory.
Blockers vs Rebounders
The score was tied after the first quarter as the Blockers Royal Luna and the Rebounders Buck Jacobs each made 2 field goals. The Rebounders got the lead in the second quarter as Jack Haot made a bucket, Teo Escalante had a free throw, and Saum Safavi made two long range shots. The second half saw all the points for the Blockers come from Theodore Edelman who had a game total of 5 points, and teammates Tomas Leblond, Baer Loubek, and Milena Zewdie provided steals and rebounds. But the Rebounders were strong as Jack Haot, Saum Safavi, and Player of the Game Buck Jacobs scored more points for their team to win the match.
Dimes vs Treys
Photo by Tariku Gebreselassie
I should have interchanged the names of these two teams, because the Dimes Johnny deNeufville hit the “3” better known as a trey in the first quarter to get the scoring going, and his teammate William Holt had a basket in the second quarter. The Treys got their scoring in the second half with buckets from Lucas Alemayehu, Rome Ricks, and Decker Amos; but, the Dimes countered with 3 more points from Player of the Game Johnny deNeufville, a free throw made from Liana Enayati, and a basket by Mai Ly Pariser to keep the lead till the end. Good defensive performances were had by the Treys Nanda Aysola, Rodrigo Padron, Ruth Tariku, and Howie Trussler. The Dimes got rebounds from Elliot Sheng.
Gold
Defenders vs Handles
Photo by Apolonia Drew
The Defenders were more of the offensive team in the first half as they had baskets from Mia Kondratyeva, Henry Huss, Mia Petrigliano, and Player of the Game Kay Roberts. The Handles had a first half basket from Abdullah Jooma, and rebounds and steals from Mariama Belew and Spencer Nelson. In the second half, the Handles got additional field goals from Henry Covington, Azumi Nomoto and Rohham Taherian. The Defenders played strong in the second half as Dominic Drew had multiple assists and Ethan Kondratyev had several blocks. Ibrahim Ally and Rayan Chibane each had a “3” to give the Defenders a comfortable lead to obtain the victory.
Crashers vs Fadeaways
As the name implies, the Crashers crashed the boards to get rebounds from Austin Bernier, Jarec Garibay, and Luke Steelman. The Crashers leading scorer was Ming Zhu with 11 points, and Coen Haynes had 7 points. The Crashers also had scoring from Ross Nelson, Ryan Yousefi, and Liam Katz. The Fadeaways leading scorer was Luca Hayutin, and points were also scored by Logan Cappiccille and Radin Taherian, and teammates Kayhler Tomlinson and Jake Records led the team in rebounds.
Splash vs Cagers
The Splash were down a few players due to injuries, but got quality scoring from Kingston Andes, James Cook, Sam McGowan, Sasha Peterson, Ethan Schwartz, and River Zelenovic; however, the Cagers were very dominant as multiple players scored, most notably Parker Cappiccille, Jake Montanez, and Player of the Game Matthew Scholze. The Cagers had an impressive Platinum debut from Kenzo Lowrey, and got quality rebounds and steals from Matteo Tinti, Hunter Esposito-Doi, and Justin Tun.
SUN 4/30/23
Copper
Swish vs Hoopsters
Season debut of the Copper division started out with defensive intensity in the first half with the only scoring for the Hoopsters coming from Theo Manolelis with assists from his teammate Matthew Alemayehu. The Swish had a first half bucket from Theo Jacobs. The second half featured more scoring from Player of the Game, the Hoopsters Theo Manolelis, as he scored all 10 points for the Hoopsters, but he had defensive help from Benson Berry and Jason Ren as they gathered rebounds to get into transition quickly to hold onto the victory. The Swish got two baskets from Corbin Strock
Ballers vs Jammers
Even though this was a low scoring affair, there was plenty of up and down action on the court. The score was deadlocked at 2 apiece at the end of the first half with the Jammers Lincoln Sheng with a bucket, and the Ballers Oscar Farrar with a bucket. The second half had the Ballers getting a bucket each from Olivia Wang and Player of the Game Luke Sarley. The Jammers had fine defensive performances from Frida Garcia, Killian Georgaris, and Ashok Dhaka, but the Ballers held on to win.
Silver
Jumpers vs Dunkers
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
The Dunkers have many returning players from last season’s Silver division championship team, and showed great cohesion as they built a big lead with multiple points from Emet Ketai, Keanu Lowrey, Oliver Mota, Nadir Nasr, Luca Tinti, and two “3”s from Mika Stele. The Jumpers were able to get points from Saryah Reece, Peter Rodrick, and Declan Wong, and solid defense from Alice Roberts and Elliot Israels.
Downtown vs Breakers
The Breakers are not the tallest team in the division, but are probably the most skilled, as James Boesiger, Beau Ellis-Farr, Rohan Peddi, and Player of the Game Ray Song displayed their excellent dribbling and shooting as they put multiple points on the scoreboard. The Downtown had scoring from Mariella Belew, Betanya Desta, Eugene Edouarzin, Chloe Scofield to help keep the game close.
Platinum
Press vs Daggers
The Daggers established their dominance early with full court pressure that led to transition baskets by London Coleman, AJ Evans, Louis Meehan Smith, August Von Hardenberg, and three balls by Jack Phelan and Christian Ferew. The Press did get it going towards the end of the first half, as points were scored by Leo Epsteing, Keen Nikkel, and Cam Pariser. In the second half, the Press big man Jack Segal made a few put backs, and Jarvis Wakefield made the scoring column. The Daggers gave the fatal blow as Player of the Game Rowan Booher made a couple of key baskets, and Razz Lee blocked multiple shots and scored points to give the Daggers the victory.
Schoolers vs Rainmakers
At first, it looked as if the Rainmakers were going to run away with this match as they jumped out to a huge lead, or shall I say “Making it Rain” as Ryan Chambers, Gabriel Chibane, Yafet Desta, and Player of the Game Kai Halpert made multiple baskets in the first half, but the Schoolers got it together in the second half and made a good run with points from Amensisa Alemayehu, Nehum Negusse, Leo Cohoe, Cassius Taylor, and Noah Tsegaye to get closer, but in the end, the Rainmakers got a couple of key baskets from Dylan Kravitz and Nicholas Rangel to hold on to the victory.
SAT 5/6/23 WEEKEND #2
Copper
Ballers vs Swish
The Ballers came balling as Oscar Farrar had a perfect 2 for 2 from the charity stripe in the first quarter, and Olivia Wang scored a basket in the second quarter. The Swish had a basket from Corbin Strock in the second quarter. In the second half, Player of the Game Oscar Farrar had a basket, and his brother Oliver added another, and Luke Sarley sealed the deal for the Ballers as he hit a fourth quarter bucket. The Swish got another bucket from Corbin Strock, and rebounds from Emma Haot.
Jammers vs Hoopsters
In the first half, the Jammers Ashok Dhaka had 4 points and the Hoopsters Theo Manolelis had 2 points. In the second half, the Jammers Killian Gregoris and Player of the Game Lincoln Sheng made the scoring column, as teammates Sora Nomoto, Tyler Enayati, and Frida Garcia grabbed rebounds to give the Jammers the victory.
Silver
Jumpers vs Downtown
Downtown got on the board first with a bucket by Andrey Sterlyagov, but the Jumpers countered with a driving layup from Linus Verleun, and took the halftime lead on a bucket by Declan Wong. In the second half, the Jumpers Peter Rodrick scored a floater, followed immediately by a driving layup from Downtown Mariella Belew, and another by Andrey Sterlyagov to tie the game. The Jumpers Liam Desante got the lead back for the Jumpers after making a free throw, and a bucket by Linus Verleun. But then Player of the Game, Downtown Elijah Kinard made two consecutive swish shots to give Downtown the lead to stay.
Dunkers vs Breakers
The Dunkers got a big early lead with points from Emet Ketai, Nadir Nasr, Jeffrey Records, and Mika Stele. The Breakers had first half points from Oliver Lynn and Rohan Peddi. In the second half, the Dunkers got additional scoring from Nadim Nasr and Luca Tinti on assists from Lucas Dogic. The Breakers had Henry Fyda, Ray Song, and Niam Pahwa get into the scoring column
Platinum
Daggers vs Splash
Back and forth in the first half as the Daggers had points from Jack Phelan, Razz Lee, August Von Hardenberg, AJ Evans, and London Coleman to build a first half lead. First half scoring for the Splash came from James Cook, Sasha Peterson, and Sam McGowan. In the second half, the Splash continued to get scoring from Sasha Peterson and Sam McGowan; however, Razz Lee and August Von Hardenberg continued to score points for the Daggers, and other Daggers made the scoring: Christian Ferew and Leah Onodera Brasel to help their team to victory.
Rainmakers vs Cagers
Photo by Stacy Kravitz
In a game in which both teams were low on subs, it took a couple of minutes before the scoring began with a driving layup by the Rainmakers Dylan Kravitz and three putbacks by Gabriel Chibane, a drive by Dagmawi Ayele, a “3” by Dylan Kravitz before the Cagers got on the board on a basket by Rayan Etemadnia. The Rainmakers Kaleab Seyum was 2 for 2 at the charity stripe, and Vihaan Nawathe and Noah Michael added to the scoring to give the Rainmakers a big halftime lead. The Cagers got additional points from Matteo Tinti and Hunter Esposito-Doi. In the second half, the Rainmakers had Yafet Desta scoring most of their points. The Cagers got tough defense from Axel Trussler and Gold division sub Logan Cappiccille, and additional points from Hunter Esposito-Doi who was the leading scorer for his team, Rayan Etemadnia, and Matteo Tinti. The Rainmakers were able to prevail with a deeper bench that tired out the Cagers who had no subs, as Player of the game Gabriel Chibane had the most rebounds and led the Rainmakers in scoring.
SUN 5/7/23
Bronze
Treys vs Blockers
This game had a lot of points scored as the teams combined for over 60 total points in the game. The Treys were led in scoring by Player of the Game Rome Ricks, and had multiple baskets from Lucas Alemayehu, Nanda Aysola, Howie Trussler, Decker Amos, and Rodrigo Padron. The Blockers leading scorer was Royal Luna, and Tomas Leblond and Katarina Epstein had multiple buckets.
Slammers vs Dimes
Photo by Sarah Williams
This game was the opposite of the previous game in which there wasn’t as much scoring, but the Slammers got points from Oscar Vigder and Soren Verleun. The Dimes had a very well rounded attack as Elliot Sheng got steals that led to transition baskets by Liana Enayati and Johnny de Neufville, along with 2 buckets by Luca Seidenstein, and 2 key field goals and multiple rebounds from Player of the Game Mai Ly Pariser to give the Dimes the victory.
Rebounders vs Clutch
The Clutch were short handed so they recruited the help of Mai Ly Pariser, and took an early lead on baskets by Jonas Ketai, Sebastian Armijo, and a free throw made by Qiao Ren. The Rebounders were able to get a bucket each from Jett Shung and Pablo Gonzalez, and a made free throw by Saum Safavi to keep pace. As the second half started, Player of the Game Jaxon Silverstein of the Rebounders, took over and was the leading scorer of the game with his drives to the hoop, and with a basket added by Teo Escalante, the Rebounders were able to obtain the victory. The Clutch had 4 points and multiple rebounds from Wynn Jeffers.
Gold
Defenders vs Fadeaways
Photo by Damon Huss
It was bittersweet for me to see the all time consecutive game streak at our YMCA come to an end, when my son, Dominic Drew of the Defenders, was taken ill and couldn’t attend. He had not missed a game since he was 4 ½ years old. But all good things must come to an end. However, the Defenders were able to play strong in the first half and get a “3” from Olana Alemayehu, a basket from Rayan Chibane, driving layups from Kay Roberts, and an “And1” from Yisaac Tariku to build a halftime lead. The Fadeaways first half scoring came from Kidd Ziegenhorn. In the second half, the Fadeaways got the scoring going with “3”s each from Ryan Cohen and Jack Meyer, and a bucket each from Alex Brussovansky and Nicholas Von Hardenberg. The Defenders countered with a “3” by Ibrahim Ally and a barrage of rebounds and points by Player of the Game MIa Kondratyeva to get the victory.
Handles vs Crashers
This game had good intensity and showed how much the players have improved in a short time. The Handles had first half scoring from Henry Covington, Nicholas Mirich, Azumi Nomoto, and Maraki Tsegaye to build a small lead at halftime. The first half scoring for the Crashers were from Conrad DiMauro, Coen Haynes, Liam Katz, and Luke Steelman. In the second half, the score tightened up as the Crashers had multiple buckets from Coen Haynes and Liam Katz, and Conrad DiMauro added another basket, along with a free throw made by Oliver Harris. The Handles were able to get key baskets from Diego Gonzalez, Abdullah Jooma, Nicholas Mirich, and Player of the Game Matt Covington, but also key rebounds from Sean Dobbs to hang on to the victory.
Platinum
Schoolers vs Press
The Schoolers got schooling right away in this game as they got a big first half lead on multiple points from Matthew Assefa, Noah Tsegaye, Leo Cahoe, and Player of the Game Cassius Taylor. The Press did most of their scoring in the second half and were able to narrow the Schoolers lead due to Jack Segal grabbing rebounds and scoring, Cam Pariser hitting outside shots, and points from Keen Nikkel, Raif-Henok Kendrick, and Jarvis Wakefield. But the Schoolers stood strong on defense and got key buckets from Jason Haynes, Clive Owen, and Cassius Taylor to get their first victory of the season.
SAT 5/13/23 WEEKEND #3
Copper
Ballers vs Hoopsters
The Ballers got two baskets from Olivia Wang in the first quarter. The Hoopsters were able to tie up the match on a basket from Theo Manolelis and the first basket ever by Matthew Alemayehu. The Ballers recaptured the lead for good on buckets from Oscar Farrar and Luke Sarley in the second quarter. In the second half, the Ballers got rolling with baskets from Oscar and Oliver Farrar, Luke Sarley, and Player of the Game Lior Vaisburd. The Hoopsters got more buckets from Theo Manolelis and Beck Britto.
Hugs all around for Ballers teammates. Photo by Jill Wang
Clutch vs Treys
The Treys took a first half lead on field goals from Lucas Alemayehu and Jhanov Srinivasan. The leading scorer for the Clutch was Jonas Ketai with 6 points for the game, and teammate Jordan Martin added a fourth quarter bucket. The second half saw most of the scoring from the Treys as Rome Ricks, Decker Amos, and Player of the Game Rodrigo Padron added baskets. Rodrigo made a couple of nice assists to teammates as he was lying on the floor after winning the scrum several times. The Clutch rebound leader was Qiao Ren, and Theo Stele and Rocco Thomas led the Clutch in steals.
Blockers vs Dimes
The Blockers were short handed to start the game, but Julia Enayati was gracious enough to jump from the Dimes to help the Blockers. The Dimes had 18 points from Johnny de Neufville, 10 points from Liana Enayati, and a basket by Olivia Wu(her first ever!). The Blockers got scoring from Theodore Edelman with 4, Tomas Leblond with 6, and Moss McFly Ton and Milena Zewdie with a bucket each, along with steals from Mateo Chan. The Dimes were able to secure the victory from rebounds by William Holt and Elliot Sheng, and steals from Mai Ly Pariser.
Silver
Breakers vs Jumpers
Photo by Jennifer Luckett
The Jumpers leading scorer was Saryah Reece who had 6 points in each half, and 15 rebounds for the game, and teammate Liam Desante had a bucket. The Jumpers had rebounds from Levi Cogan and Alice Roberts, as Linus Verleun led the Jumpers in steals. The Breakers were able to obtain the victory with 4 points each from James Boesiger and Rohan Peddi, a basket apiece from Henry Fyda and Keshav Srivastava, and 10 points from Player of the Game Beau Ellis-Farr, along with good defense from teammates Oliver Lynn and Krishna Aysola.
Gold
Crashers vs Defenders
Photo by Damon Huss
A defensive struggle in the first half, as all six points for the Defenders came from putbacks by Mia Kondratyeva, and the Crashers had a “3” from Oliver Harris, and a swish field goal from Austin Bernier. The second half saw 10 points for the Defenders from Olana Alemayehu, and 8 points from Kay Roberts, including an “And 1”. The Crashers had 6 points from Liam Katz, and a bucket from Luke Steelman, along with multiple rebounds and steals from Conrad DiMauro. The Defenders tightened up their defense with steals from Dominic Drew and Rayan Chibane, and double digit rebounds and multiple assists from Player of the Game Mia Petrigliano, to go on to victory.
Handles vs Fadeaways
The Handles posted a shutout in the first half with points from Henry Covington, Abdullah Jooma, and Alex Providas who was 2 for 2 from the free throw line. The Fadeaways got their scoring going in the second half with scoring from Logan Cappiccille, Kidd Ziegenhorn, Jack Mayer, Aidan Hill, and Kayhler Tomlinson who was the leading scorer for her team. The Handles got other players into the scoring column in the second half as Nicholas Mirich, Azumi Nomoto, Rohham Taherian, and Player of the Game Mariama Belew gave a big enough lead to hold on to victory.
Player of the Game Mariama Belew with coach Armando Gonzalez. Photo by Embibel Belew
SUN 5/14/23
Bronze
Slammers vs Rebounders
The first quarter had the Rebounders Jaxon Silverstein with two baskets, and the Slammers Alex Blondheim was a perfect two for two from the charity stripe. The second quarter saw two more buckets from Jaxon Silverstein and teammates Jack Haot and Saum Safavi each had a basket for the Rebounders. In the second half, the Slammers got buckets from Soren Verleun, Oscar Vigder, Rex Bulette, and Levi Lapierre. The Rebounders got additional points from Pablo Gonzalez, Buck Jacobs, Jett Shung, and Player of the Game Jack Haot who also led the game in rebounds.
Copper
Swish vs Jammers
First half scoring belonged to the Jammers as Killian Georgaris, Lincoln Sheng, and Jakob Sroka all scored a basket each for their team. The second half had the Swish scoring on a buzzer beater by Louis Liu(his first basket ever!) and Theo Jacobs with a bucket. The Swish got good defense from Corbin Strock with the help of teammates Isabelle and Elodie Ma, and good dribbling skills from Josephine Carey and Ivy Huss. The Jammers stayed strong in the second half as Sora Nomoto provided assists to teammates, and Frida Garcia had her first basket ever, along with being the leading rebounder in the game, thus earning the honor of Player of the Game.
Silver
Downtown vs Dunkers
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
The Dunkers took an early lead on baskets from Player of the Game Lucas Dogic, Nadir Nasr, Jeffrey Records, Mika Stele, and Luca Tinti. First half scoring for Downtown came from Betanya Desta, Eugene Edouarzin, Leon Meunze, and Andrey Sterlyagov. The second half had the Dunkers increase their lead as Nadim Nasr and Nora Neff made the scoring column, and Jane Ganek led the game in steals. The Downtown had Chloe Scofield lead the game in rebounds.
Platinum
Splash vs Schooler
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
A competitive first half as the Schoolers took the early lead on baskets from Matthew Assefa and Silas Hansson. The Splash countered with 5 points from Mesalay Benyam and a basket from Sasha Peterson. The second half had the Schoolers getting a bucket from Jason Haynes, steals from Clive Kim, 8 points from Azariah Gebeyehu, and buckets by Noah Tsegaye and Cassius Taylor. The Splash were too strong as Josh Weil and Sasha Peterson added to the scoring, and Player of the Game Sam McGowan had 20 points and 20 rebounds in a dominant performance to give his team their first victory of the season.
Cagers vs Daggers
I had the players and coaches give thanks to the moms on Mother’s Day. Photo by Tom Chambers
SAT 5/20/23 WEEKEND #4
Cooper
Hoopsters vs Swish
The Swish were in search of their first victory. Would today be the day? It started out very well as Emma Haot scored two quick baskets, and River Stanton had a bucket to give the Swish a halftime lead, as teammates Corbin Strock, Josephine Carey, and Theo Jacobs held down the defense. The Hoopsters got their scoring going in the second half, as Theo Manolelis did all the scoring including a third quarter buzzer beater as he got fouled. The Hoopsters got rebounds from Beck Britto, and steals from Matthew Alemayehu. The Swish stayed strong as they got good defense from Ivy Huss, and another basket by River Stanton, and two more buckets by Player of the Game Emma Haot, to give the Swish their first victory of the season.
Jammers vs Ballers
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
The first half saw the Jammers take an early lead on baskets by Jakob Sroka. The Ballers countered with a basket by Luke Sarley. The Jammers had Lincoln Sheng grab rebounds, and the rebound leaders in the first half for the Ballers were Oliver Farrar and Olivia Wang. The second half saw the Ballers get a basket from Oscar Farrar, and several blocks from Olivia Wang, as her brother Owen picked up the pieces to start the transition. The Jammers were able to build on their lead with assists and a basket from Killian Gregoris, a basket by Lincoln Sheng, and 6 more points from Player of the Game Jakob Sroka, and Noe Lanich got a couple of key steals to lead their team to victory.
Silver
Dunkers vs Jumpers
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
The first half saw the Dunkers get out to a quick lead on baskets by Jeffrey Records, Luca Tinti, Nadir Nasr, and a three “3”s by Mika Steele. The Jumpers first half scoring came from Jake Cahoon with a free throw, and two field goals from Peter Rodrick. In the second half, the Jumpers were able to get additional scoring from Saryah Reece, Linus Verleun, and Declan Wong. The Dunkers Mika Stele continued making “3”s, as he got two more, Nadim Nasr made a basket, and the Dunkers defense tightened up with Lucas Dogic, Jane Ganek, and Nora Neff grabbing rebounds. The Jumpers got solid performances from Alice Roberts and Liam Desante.
Bronze
Blockers vs Slammers
In a battle of winless teams, who would get their first victory?(I really wanted a tie!) The Slammers took the first quarter lead with baskets by Levi Lapierre and Oscar Vigder. The Blockers countered by taking the lead in the second quarter, as Player of the Game Royal Luna took over and scored the next 10 points in the game. In the second half, the Slammers got another basket from Levi Lapierre, and a basket from Soren Verleun. The Slammers Aidan Schneider led his team in steals. The Blockers were too strong with Mateo Chan making his first two baskets ever, Theodore Edelman converting a free throw, and Katarina Epstien with a basket and a perfect two for two at the charity stripe, and good defense by Tomas Leblond to lead their team to their first victory.
Gold
Handles vs Defenders
Photo by Pamela Petrigliano
A very competitive matchup of the top two teams in the Gold division. It started out well for the Defenders as they got steals to convert to layups from Mia Petrigliano and Alden Wong; however, the Handles came right back as Henry Covington, Nicholas Mirich, and the hot shooting of Rohham Taherian kept pace with the Defenders. As the game went back and forth in the first half, there was a period of 3 minutes in which Player of the Game, Olana Alemayehu, was “en fuego” as he couldn’t miss, and made 6 consecutive shots including three 3-pointers which helped his team maintain a small lead at halftime. In the second half, the depth of the Defenders took over, as Dominic Drew made two shots and had several assists, Kay Roberts had 3 points, Mia Petrigliano and Yisaac Tariku each added a basket to expand the lead, but the Handles were determined to make a comeback as Mariama Belew pick pocketed the top ball handlers of the Defenders, in order to score, and teammate Roman Sweeney had two baskets. The Defenders got a couple of steals from Rayan Chibane and Ibrahim Ally to hold onto the lead, as the Handles Henry Covington, Nicholas Mirich, and Rohham Taherian brought the game closer in the final minutes, but the Defenders hung on to win a close one, but both teams played great all around basketball.
Fadeaways vs Crashers
The Crashers got the big early lead on points from Austin Bernier, Oliver Harris, Coen Haynes, Liam Katz, Ross Nelson, and Ming Zhu. The Fadeaways got scoring from Jack Meyer and Kayhler Tomlinson. The second half had Luke Steelman making the scoreboard for the Crashers, along with good defense by Jarec Garibay. The Fadeaways had good defense and rebounding from Aidan Hill, Radin Taherian, Kidd Ziegenhorn, and Jake Records.
SUN 5/21/23
Bronze
Dimes vs Clutch
Tight match from start to finish. The first half saw the Clutch get baskets from Jonas Ketai and Wynn Jeffers, and the Dimes had baskets from Julia Enayati and Johnny deNeufville. The second half saw the lead change multiple times as Jordan Martin had a basket for the Clutch, along with teammate Qiao Ren stealing the ball. The Dimes pulled it out at the end as Mai Ly Pariser, Elliot Sheng, and Player of the Game Olivia Wu made key rebounds and steals to hold on to the narrowest of victories.
Treys vs Rebounders
As if the first match of the day wasn’t close enough, the second match of the day was even closer. The first half saw the Rebounders get a barrage of points from Jason Silverstein, along with teammates Saum Safavi and Buck Jacobs each getting a basket. The Treys got first half scoring from Howie Trussler, Jhanow Srinivasan, Nanda Aysola, and Lucas Alemayehu. This game became a Charles Dickens in the sense that it was the tale of two halves, because unlike the first half, the second half saw little scoring, and at times became a rugby match with multiple scrums for loose balls on the floor. Player of the Game, the Treys, Lucas Alemayehu made two critical field goals in the 4th quarter, and as time wound down, the Rebounders launched a three pointer to tie, that just went in and out of the basket, allowing the Treys to hold on to victory.
Silver
Breakers vs Downtown
Breakers Coach Jeff talking with his players. Photo by Jennifer Luckett
Height went to Downtown, tenacity went to the Breakers. The Breakers were able to grab more rebounds against the taller Downtown to then convert to points. Player of the Game Keshav Srivastava led the game in rebounds, and was able to give the ball to teammates Rohan Peddi, Oliver Lynn, Beau Ellis-Farr, James Boesiger, and Krishna Aysola to score points for his team. Downtown played much better in the second half, as they got scoring from Chloe Scofield, Finn Purdy, Redeat Gegeyehu, Betanya Desta, and Andrey Sterlyagov. In the end, the lead created by more offensive rebounds from the Breakers, was the difference that led to their victory.
Player of the Game, Keshav Srivastava of the Breakers. Photo by Jeff Boesiger
Platinum
Splash vs Press
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
As their name implies, they made a Splash early on, jumping out to a good lead in the first half on points from Mesalay Benyam, James Cook, Joshua Edwards, River Zelenovic, and Sam McGowan who nailed a 35’ shot at the halftime buzzer. The Press got first half points from Raif-Henok Kendrick, Cam Pariser, and Jarvis Wakefield. Although the Splash had a good halftime advantage; as their name implies, the Press put their name in action, and began to cut the lead, as Dakota Hoefner and Ilan Larsen got key steals to lead to transition points. But the Splash countered with key inside buckets by Ethan Schwartz and Player of Game James Cook to hold onto the victory.
Schoolers vs Cagers
Photo by Mollie Esposito
An up and down first half, as teams traded baskets, with the Schoolers getting baskets from Amensisa Alemayehu, Desi Parra, and Matthew Assefa; The Cagers had baskets by Parker Cappiccille, Justin Tun, Kenzo Lowrey, and Matthew Scholze. The second half became the Parker Cappiccille show as he had 18 second half points and was a perfect 4 for 4 from the charity stripe; teammates Hunter Esposito-Doi, Jake Montanez, and Ben Steelman added points and steals to help keep the big lead for the Cagers. The Schoolers got second half scoring from Cassius Taylor, Jason Haynes, and Azariah Gebeyehu to keep pace, but were not able to overcome the deficit.
Daggers vs Rainmakers
The last game of the day turned into the best game of the weekend. Two top teams meeting each other in a classic battle. The Rainmakers got the first half lead on points from Ryan Chambers, Aiden Lin, Noah Michael, Kai Halpert, and Kaleab Seyum. The Daggers kept pace in the first half as they got points from Jack Phelan, TJ Turner, London Coleman, AJ Evans, Razz Lee, and Adonyinas Yonas. The second half saw several lead changes as the Daggers got more points from Razz Lee as he drove to the basket, and points came from Asher Zaczepinski and Christian Ferew. Just as the Daggers got a late lead, the Rainmakers came back on a field goal by Aiden Lin, a couple of “3”s by Ryan Chambers, and a deep “3” by Isaac Lynn to go up by one. But the Daggers AJ Evans was able to convert a free throw to tie the game. It came down to the final seconds, but neither team could get the go ahead point, and both teams were left “Kissing your sister” which is what a tie is often referred to. Co-Players of the Game were the Daggers AJ Evans and the Rainmakers Isaac Lynn. Great game with great all around play from all players.
SAT 6/3/23 WEEKEND #5
Silver
Downtown vs Jumpers
The Jumpers jumped to the early lead on baskets from Liam Desante, Peter Rodrick, amd Declan Wong, but Downtown struck back with buckets from Eugene Edouarzin, Chloe Scofield, Andrey Sterlyagov, and Ocean Yaghoubzadeh to take a narrow halftime lead. The second half was back and forth as the Jumpers were able to tie the game when Alice Roberts hit both of her free throws, and Saryah Reece put back a rebound for a score. As the game wound down, Downtown went on a last few minutes surge to pull away, as Betanya Desta made multiple assists and added a field goal, and Player of the Game, Eugene Edouarzin took over, scoring 6 of his game high 12 points in the final minutes to give Downtown the victory. Downtown had good defense from Kamden King and Leon Meunze. Levi Cogan led the Jumpers in rebounds, and Kahya Strock led the Jumpers in steals.
Gold
Fadeaways vs Defenders
Photo by Damon Huss
Defensive struggle in the first half until Olana Alemayehu hit two consecutive “3”s, and a basket by Dominic Drew gave the Defenders a small halftime lead. First Half scoring from the Fadeaways came from a perfect 2 for 2 at the charity stripe from Kayhler Tomlinson. The second half saw the Defenders use diversified scoring as Ibrahim Ally, Rayan Chibane, Mia Kondratyeva, Mia Petrigliano, and Silver division sub Eugene Edouarzin made the scoring column. The Fadeaways got additional points from Jake Records, and tough defense from Luca Hayutin, Aidan Hill, Jack Meyer, and Radin Taherian. The Defenders, as their name implies, were tough on defense, as Yisaac Tariku and Henry Huss grabbed rebounds, Ethan Kondratyev had 5 blocks, and Player of the Game, Dominic Drew, led the game in steals and assists, as the Defenders went on to victory.
Crashers vs Handles
The first half stayed close throughout as the Crashers got scoring from Kaya Dahukey, Austin Bernier, Ross Nelson, Ming Zhu and Luke Steelman; and the Handles had scoring from Rohham Taherian, Maraki Tsegaye, Alex Providas, and Azumi Nomoto. In the second half, the Crashers were able to pull away as Liam Katz, Ryan Yousefi, and Player of the Game Jarec Garibay scored multiple points, and provided solid defense with the help of teammate Oliver Harris. The Handles got scoring from Sean Dobbs, Spencer Nelson, and sub player Radin Taherian to try to keep it close, but the Crashers crashed the party, and won the game.
Platinum
Press vs Cagers
The Cagers took off running from the start of the game, as Nicholas Huether was their leading scorer in the first half as he had 3 field goals, and teammates Kenzo Lowrey, Rayan Etemadnia, and Matteo Tinti made the boxscore. The Press had a first half basket from Caden Feradouni, and 8 points from Keen Nikkel. The second half saw the rest of the Cagers get into the scoring column, but also notable defensive efforts from Ben Steelman and Matthew Scholze. The Press scored more points in the second half, as Leo Epstein and Ilan Larsen also made the scoring column, and Iwa Hashim, Amir Enayati, Raif-Henok Kendrick, and Dakota Hoefner got steals and rebounds to narrow the lead of the Cagers, but in the end, the Cagers prevailed.
Rainmakers vs Splash
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
The Rainmakers had the early lead on baskets from Dagmawi Ayele, Ryan Chambers, Kai Halpert, and Vihaan Nawathe. The Splash narrowed the deficit by halftime with baskets from Sam McGowan, Sasha Peterson, Danilo Samarzija, Ethan Schwartz, and Josh Weil. The second half stayed close throughout, as the Rainmakers got additional scoring from Vihaan Nawathe who had 13 points for the game, Kaleab Seyum, Kai Halpert, and Gabriel Chibane all had points. But the Splash got key baskets from James Cook, Joshua Edwards, Ethan Schwartz, and Player of the Game, Sasha Peterson, splashing treys and going 7 of 8 from the charity stripe to have a “Threes and Frees” to win the game for the Splash.
Daggers vs Schoolers
The Schoolers took a big first half lead with multiple baskets from Nehum Negusse, Matthew Assefa, and Leo Cohoe, and the defense was strong from Amensisa Alemayehu and Desi Parra. The Daggers didn’t really get going in the first half, but did get scoring from TJ Turner, August Von Hardenberg, and Razz Lee. With a big point advantage at halftime, all would assume that the Schoolers were on their way to victory, but not so fast, things would change. The Schoolers got scoring from Noah Tsegaye and Azariah Gebeyehu in the second half, but the Daggers picked up the pace and took advantage of their deep bench, as London Coleman drove to the hoop for a bucket, AJ Evans was perfect from the free throw line, Adonyinas Yonas hit two big “3”s, but the final points that completed the big comeback, came from Jack Phalen who hit two field goals, and a game winning “3” in the final minutes to give the Daggers the largest comeback victory this season after being down by as many as 17 points. Never give up, and keep fighting.
SUN 6/4/23
Copper
Swish vs Ballers
A rugby match occurred in the first half, as multiple scrums ensued with tie-ups and grabbing the ball away, the only scoring in the first half came from a free throw by the Ballers Owen Wang. The pace picked up in the second half, as the Ballers got a basket each from Oscar Farrar, Luke Sarley, and Olivia Wang, and another made free throw from Player of the Game Owen Wang, along with good defense from Charlie James. The Swish got all their scoring from two buckets by River Stanton, and rebounds from Emma Haot and Corbin Strock, along with tough defense from Elodie and Isabelle Ma.
Hoopsters vs Jammers
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
The Jammers did most of their damage in the first half with a basket each from Frida Garcia, Killian Georgaris, Jakob Sroka, and Player of the Game Sora Nomoto. The Hoopsters started their scoring in the second half, as Beck Britto was a perfect 2 for 2 from the charity stripe, and Theofilos Manolelis had 2 field goals. Matthew Alemayehu led the Hoopsters in steals, as teammates Jaxon Oxendine, Rowan Massey, Benson Berry, and Greysen Lovett played strong defense, but the Jammers added more scoring from Ashok Dhaka, and steals from Lincoln Sheng and Noe Lanich to hold onto the victory.
Bronze
Rebounders vs Dimes
The Rebounders had no subs, but they made the best of it as they took a halftime lead on a basket each from Jack Haot, Saum Safavi, and Jaxon Silverstein. The Dimes got it rolling in the second half with a basket from Johnny deNeufville, and two baskets from Mai Ly Pariser. The Dimes were able to get steals and rebounds from Olivia Wu, Elliot Sheng, and William Holt; however, the Rebounders got a basket from Leo Yaghoubzadeh and multiple steals from Pablo Gonzalez to preserve the victory.
Slammers vs Clutch
The Clutch was just too much for the Slammers, as Jonas Ketai had 20 points for the game, and teammates Jordan Martin had 6 points, and Sebastian Armijo made a bucket which gave the Clutch a comfortable lead. The Slammers got most of their points in the second half as Rex Bullette, Alex Blondheim, Amarveer Gupta, and Bodhi Petitti scored points, and Indra Srivastava and Parisa Hemmati were able to get rebounds. The Clutch locked down on defense as Dora Manolelis, Rocco Tomas, and Theo Stele prevented the Slammers from catching up.
Blockers vs Treys
Nip and tuck through the first three quarters. The Blockers had a narrow halftime lead on baskets by Royal Luna and Moss McFly Ton, along with a free throw from Katarina Epstein. The Treys first half points came from Lucas Alemayehu, Nanda Aysola, and Rome Ricks. The Blockers kept the narrow lead at the end of the third quarter on tough defense from Tomas Leblond, and then had a slight advantage as they got points in the fourth quarter from Milena Zewde and Theodore Edelman; however, the Treys went on a scoring surge as Decker Amos made a bucket and Player of the Game Nanda Aysola had two key baskets to give his team the victory, as teammates Rodrigo Padron and Stanislau Zhizhenka locked down the defense.
Silver
Breakers vs Dunkers
Photo by Mirela Samardzija
The Breakers got an early lead on a basket from James Boesiger and a free throw made from Beau Zaczepinski. The Dunkers got it rolling on transition points from Oliver Mota, Jeffrey Records, Mika Stele, and Emet Ketai in the first half. In the second half, the Dunkers continued their scoring with points from Lucas Dogic, Nadir Nasr, Luca Tinti, and Player of the Game Oliver Mota. The Breakers second half scorers were Beau Ellis-Farr, Oliver Lynn, and Rohan Peddi. Good defensive performances were had by the Dunkers Nora Neff, Keanu Lowrey, and Jane Ganek, and the Breakers Niam Pahwa and Ray Song.
SAT 6/10/23 WEEKEND #6
Copper
Hoopsters vs Ballers
The Hoopsters took the early lead on baskets by Beck Britto and Jaxon Oxendine(his first ever! The Ballers caught up with 6 first quarter points from Oscar Farrar. The second quarter saw Oscar Farrar continue to score on assists from Safi Pahwa and Henry Bowman in order to take a halftime lead. In the second half, the Hoopsters got a bucket each from Beck Britto and Greysen Lovett on assists from Matthew Alemayehu and Benson Berry. The Hoopsters Rowan Massey led his team in steals. The Ballers got more points from Player of the Game Oscar Farrar who finished with a game high 22 points, and a basket each from Oliver Farrar and Luke Sarley. The Ballers got quality defense from Owen Wang who led the team in rebounds to help his team to victory.
Bronze
Rebounders vs Blockers
All the first half points came from the Rebounders on a basket each from Buck Jacobs and Marcel Jimenez. The Blockers got their scoring going in the second half on two buckets from Tomas Leblond and Renata Melo with her first basket ever! The Rebounders got scoring in the second half from Teo Escalante, Jack Haot, Jett Shung, Jaxon Silverstein, and Player of the Game Baran Dahukey. The blockers were led in rebounding by Katarina Epstein and Theodore Edelman, and Mateo Chan led the team in steals. The Rebounders had tough defense from Leo Yaghoubzadeh and Pablo Gonzalez to secure the victory.
Gold
Fadeaways vs Handles
A competitive first half saw several lead changes. First half scoring for the Fadeaways came from Logan Cappiccille, Aidan Hill, Jack Meyer, Radin Taherian, and Nicholas Von Hardenberg; first half scoring for the Handles came from Henry Covington, Sean Dobbs, Diego Gonzalez, Nichols Mirish, and Rohham Taherian. The second half saw the Handles take control as Henry Covington and Diego Gonzalez continued their scoring, Abdullah Jooma had a basket, and Rohham Taherian added a bucket, only to be followed immediately by a bucket from the Fadeaways Radin Taherian in a brotherly putback. The Fadeaways also had second half points from Logan Cappiccille, Jack Mayer, Radin Taherian, and Nicholas Von Hardenberg, along with good defense from Rafa Ayala and Alex Brussovansky, and several steals from Kayhler Tomlinson. The Handles remained strong in protecting their lead with good defense from Maraki Tsegaye, Spencer Nelson, and Roman Sweeney.
Defenders vs Crashers
The Crashers pounced on the Defenders and were up 9-0 on a bucket from Austin Bernier, a basket from Coen Haynes, and a “3” and a “2” from Ming Zhu. The Defenders finally got points from Ibrahim Ally, Olana Alemayehu, Mia Kondratyeva, Kay Roberts and Yisaac Tariku to close the gap at halftime. The second half was a different story, as the full court press came into play, for which the Defenders took full advantage. Steals were created by the Defenders, as Kudus Dagnew, Dominic Drew, and Player of the Game Alden Wong were creating turnovers that led to transition points as Alden Wong drove the basket to get points. The Defenders had Mia Petrigliano, Henry Huss, and Ethan Kondratyev making multiple blocks and rebounds to build a big enough lead to obtain the victory. The Crashers scoring in the second half came from Coen Haynes, along with steals from Liam Katz, and rebounds from Oliver Harris, Conrad DiMauro, and Kaya Dahukey.
Platinum
Daggers vs Press
The Press led early on points from Keen Nikkel, Cam Pariser, Jarvis Wakefield, and Leo Epstein; however, the Daggers got it going and got the halftime lead on points from TJ Turner, Razz Lee, Louis Meehan Smit, August von Hardenberg, and Adoniyas Yonas. In the second half, the Press had Caden Feradouni in the scoring column, and Brandon Israels making steals, but the strength of the Daggers defense from Asher Zaczepinski and AJ Evans, along with Jack Phelan and London Coleman making the scoring column was good and plenty to win the match.
Cagers vs Splash
The Cagers had too much firepower with the tandem of Parker Cappiccille and Justin Tun scoring in double digits. Other Cagers that made the scoring column were Ben Steelman with a “3”, Nicholas Heuther, Jake Montanez, and Player of the Game Rayan Etemadnia who also was the key distributor for his team, making multiple assists. The Splash actually outscored the Cagers in the second half, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Splash made most of their free throws, as James Cook and Joshua Edwards were perfect from the charity stripe. Other Splash players to score were Sam McGowan, Sasha Peterson, and Danilo Samardzija. Splash players Kingston Andes and Yousef Jooma helped to lock down the defense in the second half.
SUN 6/11/23
Copper
Jammers vs Swish
This match was all Jammers with scoring from Jakob Sroka, Killian Georgaris, Ashok Dhoka, and Player of the Game Noe Lanich who made two buckets. Theo Jacobs had the only bucket for the Swish, and rebounds a plenty were taken in by teammates River Stanton and Emma Haot. Kian Nouri and Ivy Huss helped the Swish on defense, and the Jammers jammed the middle on defense with Sora Nomoto and Lincoln Sheng.
Bronze
Clutch vs Slammers
Photo by Kristen Jeffers
Photo by Mike Tomas
In a rematch of last week, this turned out to be a close affair as the match stayed neck and neck throughout. The Clutch got points from Wynn Jeffers, Jonas Ketai, Rocco Tomas, and Player of the Game Sebastian Armijo. The Slammers scoring came from Rex Bulette, Alex Blondheim and Levi Lapierre. In the final minutes of the game, the Clutch held on with defensive stops from Qiao Ren and Jordan Martin. The Slammers gor rebounds from Soren Verleun, Oscar Vigder, and Bodhi Petitti.
Player of the Game, the Clutch Sebastian Armijo. Photo by Kristen Jeffers
Treys vs Dimes
In the first half, the Dimes got out to a 7-0 lead on points from Johnny deNeufville, Julia Enayati, and Luca Seidenstein. However, the Treys came back on three buckets by Lucas Alemayehu, and a made free throw by Rodrigo Padron to tie the game at halftime. The second half was a back and forth, as the Treys Nanda Aysola made a bucket, Jhanov Srinivasn, and Stanislau Zhizhenka made key steals and rebounds. The Dimes got a key bucket from Olivia Wu, 6 points in the fourth quarter from Johnny deNeufville, and key rebounds from Liana Enayati, May Ly Pariser, and Player of the Game Luca Seidenstein to hold onto the narrow victory.
Silver
Dunkers vs Downtown
Close in the first half, as the Dunkers got points from Chloe Scofield and Eugene Edouarzin, but the Dunkers had balanced scoring throughout the game as Lucas Dogic, Emet Ketai, Oliver Mota, Nadir Nasr, Jeffrey Records, Mika Stele, and Luca Tinti had field goals. The second half saw Downtown Andrey Sterlyagov and Ocean Yaghoubzadeh get into the scoring column, and defensive contributions from Finn Purdy, Kamden King, and Beyanya Desta. In the end, the Dunkers won, but Downtown showed vast improvement under the coaching of Kai and Elan Mevasse.
Jumpers vs Breakers
Photo by Jennifer Luckett
First half saw all the scoring for the Jumpers by Linus Verleun, as the Breakers spread the scoring around with James Boesiger, Beau Ellis-Farr, Henry Fyda, Oliver Lynn, and Rohan Peddi scoring. In the second half, the Jumpers had Kahya Stock, Peter Rodrick, and Alice Roberts made the scoring column, and the Breakers Keshav Srivastava was the leading scorer in the second half with all 8 of his points, as his teammate and Player of the Game locked down the defense to give the Breakers the victory.
Player of the Game, The Breakers Beau Zaczepinski. Photo by Jennifer Luckett
Platinum
Rainmakers vs Schoolers
The Schoolers got off to a good start as Matthew Assefa and Noah Tsegaye dominated the paint and scored most of the first half points for their team, with additional baskets from Silas Hansson and Nehum Negusse to take a first half lead. The Rainmakers first half scoring came from Noah Michael, Yafet Desta, and a “3” from Nicholas Rangel. As the second half started baskets were exchanged between Co-Players of the Game Matthew Assefa of the Schoolers and Noah Michael of the Rainmakers, as both were excellent from the free throw line. The second half saw Vihaan Nawathe get 8 points in the final minutes to put the Rainmakers in the lead, along with a “3” from Ryan Chambers, but the Schoolers fought back as Cassius Taylor hit a “3”, and Jason Haynes made a free throw to tie the game. Time ran out as both teams had last second chances, but all shots went in and out, and the match ended 37-37. The second time that the Rainmakers have a draw this season. I guess you can say that if you can’t be them, you can tie them down.
This Issue’s Profile
Each issue, Swish has a profile of a coach, player, or someone in the program who inspires all of us involved in Santa Monica YMCA youth basketball.
This issue’s profile is of the Dogic family. Darko coached a team in the Bronze division last season with his son Lucas playing for him. Darko then stepped in at the last moment to coach a Silver division team, and with his son Lucas playing, and his nephew Danilo Samardzija and his friend Sam McGowan as assistant coaches, they won the Silver division championship.
Darko is a lifelong and diehard Laker fan, and brings an enthusiastic and positive reinforcement to his players, all the while, making sure the kids have a great and fun time. His son Lucas started as a beginner, but blossomed into an advanced player by the end of the Winter season.
Fast forward to now, and Darko is coaching in the Silver division again with his son Lucas playing, and their team is dominating games with passing the ball all around, playing high quality defense, and hitting open shots.
Darko and Lucas travel all the way from Calabasas to coach and play in the program. As Darko tells us, this is the best program out there for youth basketball, because it supports the kids and is extremely organized, and most importantly it is partnered with his all time favorite basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
I asked Darko and Lucas, a few questions for the Swish:
DocDrew: What is your favorite thing about youth basketball at the Santa Monica YMCA?
Darko: It’s well organized basketball program. They way it brings the youth together and gives them the opportunity to learn and train basketball at a great GYM.
Lucas: Meeting new friends and playing together on a Team.
DocDrew: Who is your favorite player or coach, and why?
Darko: Erling Haaland, Norwegian soccer player. He currently plays in the Champions League for Manchester City. He is young and talented player, who is always exciting to watch.
Lucas: Nikola Jokic, he is a good player MVP!
DocDrew: What hobbies, activities,or other sports do you like to do?
Darko: I also enjoy coaching soccer at LAFC Youth, and boating.
Lucas: I like playing soccer, video games and playing with my friends.
We can’t thank the Dogic family enough for all that they have done to promote and support our program of youth basketball at the Santa Monica Family YMCA. We are very grateful and fortunate to have them as part of our youth basketball program.
Scores
SAT 4/29/23 WEEKEND #1
Bronze
Clutch 17, Slammers 13
Blockers 9, Rebounders 23
Dimes 11, Treys 6
Gold
Defenders 28, Handles 10
Crashers 23, Fadeaways 11
Platinum
Splash 25, Cagers 63
SUN 4/30/23
Copper
Swish 6, Hoopsters 10
Ballers 6, Jammers 2
Silver
Jumpers 12, Dunkers 44
Downtown 16, Breakers 24
Platinum
Press 21, Daggers 38
Schoolers 25, Rainmakers 33
SAT 5/6/23 WEEKEND #2
Copper
Ballers 10, Swish 4
Jammers 14, Hoopsters 2
Silver
Jumpers 9, Downtown 10
Dunkers 66, Breakers 34
Platinum
Daggers 45, Splash 23
Rainmakers 47, Cagers 28
SUN 5/7/23
Bronze
Treys 42, Blockers 19
Slammers 4, Dimes 16
Rebounders 23, Clutch 15
Gold
Defenders 30, Fadeaways 13
Handles 27, Crashers 20
Platinum
Schoolers 40, Press 28
SAT 5/13/23 WEEKEND #3
Copper
Ballers 24, Hoopsters 14
Bronze
Clutch 8, Treys 22
Blockers 14, Dimes 30
Silver
Breakers 22, Jumpers 14
Gold
Crashers 13, Defenders 26
Handles 28, Fadeaways 11
SUN 5/14/23
Bronze
Slammers 13, Rebounders 32
Copper
Swish 4, Jammers 10
Silver
Downtown 12, Dunkers 47
Platinum
Splash 39, Schoolers 32
Cagers 37, Daggers 29
Rainmakers 53, Press 32
SAT 5/20/23 WEEKEND #4
Cooper
Hoopsters 8, Swish 12
Jammers 14, Ballers 4
Silver
Dunkers 46, Jumpers 15
Bronze
Blockers 24, Slammers 8
Gold
Handles 33, Defenders 40
Fadeaways 6, Crashers 30
SUN 5/21/23
Bronze
Dimes 10, Clutch 9
Treys 18, Rebounders 15
Silver
Breakers 26, Downtown 12
Platinum
Splash 35, Press 29
Schoolers 33, Cagers 53
Daggers 38, Rainmakers 38
SAT 6/3/23 WEEKEND #5
Silver
Downtown 32, Jumpers 18
Gold
Fadeaways 3, Defenders 27
Crashers 30, Handles 16
Platinum
Press 24, Cagers 48
Rainmakers 35, Splash 43
Daggers 46, Schoolers 40
SUN 6/4/23
Copper
Swish 4, Ballers 8
Hoopsters 7, Jammers 14
Bronze
Rebounders 18, Dimes 7
Slammers 13, Clutch 28
Blockers 20, Treys 22
Silver
Breakers 15, Dunkers 36
SAT 6/10/23 WEEKEND #6
Copper
Hoopsters 10, Ballers 26
Bronze
Rebounders 19, Blockers 6
Gold
Fadeaways 22, Handles 37
Defenders 28, Crashers 17
Platinum
Daggers 47, Press 33
Cagers 47, Splash 25
SUN 6/11/23
Bronze
Clutch 18, Slammers 13
Treys 13, Dimes 15
Copper
Jammers 16, Swish 2
Silver
Dunkers 27, Downtown 13
Jumpers 18, Breakers 35
Platinum
Rainmakers 37, Schoolers 37
Standings:
Teams are awarded 5 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 1 point for a loss, 0 points for a forfeit. Tournament games have greater point value. Teams are listed in their place in the standings with W-L-T and team points.
Copper:
Ballers 5-1-0, 26 points
Jammers 5-1-0, 26 points
Hoopsters 1-5-0, 10 points
Swish 1-5-0, 10 points
Bronze:
Rebounders 5-1-0, 26 pts
(Rebounders 1-0-0 vs Dimes)
Dimes 5-1-0, 26 points
Treys 4-2-0, 22 points
Clutch 3-3-0, 18 points
Blockers 1-5-0, 10 points
Slammers 0-6-0, 6 points
Silver:
Dunkers 6-0-0 30 points
Breakers 4-2-0 22 points
Downtown 2-4-0, 14 pts
Jumpers 0-6-0, 6 points
Gold:
Defenders 6-0-0, 30 points
Crashers 3-3-0, 18 points
Handles 3-3-0, 18 points
Fadeaways 0-6-0, 6 points
Platinum:
Cagers 5-1-0, 26 points
Daggers 4-1-1, 24 points
Rainmakers 3-1-2, 22 pts
Splash 3-3-0, 18 points
Schoolers 1-4-1, 12 points
Press 0-6-0, 6 points
Thank you very much, to all the coaches, parents, players, referees, and my assistant Nicholas Walker.
Dr. Paul Drew, youth basketball coordinator at the Santa Monica Family YMCA, editor and publisher of Swish
