Welcome to the second issue of volume thirteen of Swish, a periodical with recaps and photos of Santa Monica Family YMCA youth basketball games, and other pertinent info such as announcements and updates from the program.
We have completed the Fall season, and the following teams are their division champions:
Cooper: Pugs
Bronze: Corgies
Silver: Whippets
Gold: Calupoh
Platinum: Dobermanns
Congratulations to all the players that participated this season, and special thanks to all the volunteer coaches and referees.
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.
The theme of this season was dog breeds. If you have interest in adopting a pet, please check out the Santa Monica Animal Shelter.
Or goto any of the other local animal shelters to adopt a pet in need of a loving home.
SAT 11/11/23 WEEKEND #6
Copper
Doxies vs Bichons
The Bichons luckily got the third player to come to prevent a forfeit, and were able to put on a strong display of offense, as River Stanton and Player of the Game Sofia Pulusani did all the scoring damage for their team, but they had help from the rebounds of Zayden Rashid, and good defense from Brayden Rodriquez. The Doxies got buckets from Jackie Pittman, Jaxon Oxendine, and Hugo Casarella to keep pace. In the end, the Bichons were able to hold on to the victory.
Bronze
Corgies vs Vizslas
The Vizslas took the early lead on baskets from William Holt and Theodore Edelman, but the Corgies took the lead in the second quarter on baskets from Billy Casarella, Jasper Kaya, Rodrigo Padron, Rome Ricks, and Player of the Game Phoenix Volken.
The second half saw the Corgies extend their lead on a free throw made from Allison Lyons, and baskets from Derek Hahn. The Vizslas got closer in the fourth quarter as Theodore Edelman continued making drives for layups, and Seher Khan made a
bucket, and teammates Tyler Keliddari and Aiden Schneider stole the ball to push up the court. The Corgies had Beau Bigler and Rayden Toteja lock down the defense, and allow Jasper Kaya and Derek Hahn to take it full court to make running jumpers to give the Corgies the victory.
Silver
Poodles vs Aussies
First half scoring from the Aussies came from a basket each by Elliot Israels and Beau Zaczepinski. The Poodles took the halftime lead on baskets from David Yonatan and Player of the Game Alden Wong. Scoring opened up more for both teams in the second half, as the Aussies got multiple points from Oliver Lynn and Tomonori Kugawa; the Poodles had field goals(a basket made, not a 3-pointer)from all players on their team with Beau Ellis Farr, Lucas Alemayehu, Nora Neff, Mai Ly Pariser, and Ray Song making the scorecard to give the Poodles the all around team victory.
Collies vs Whippets
3 points apiece at the end of the first quarter as good defense was displayed by the Collies Jack Haot, Rocco Tomas, and Oliver Valles; the Whippets had Leo Yaghoubzadeh stealing the ball which then carried over to creating points for his team in the second quarter as Alexander Melamed, Linus Verleun, and Ocean Yaghoubzadeh made baskets. The third quarter had the Collies Buck Jacobs score a bucket; and then, Player of the Game Jaxon Silverstein was red hot with 11 points in the third quarter alone to build a big lead for his team. The Collies Jonas Ketai was strong in the fourth quarter as he made buckets and free throws to bring his team closer; but as time wound down, the Whippets got an additional bucket each from Oakley Entsminger and Linus Verleun to claim the victory.
Gold
Calupoh vs Malinois
Strong first half by Liam Adams of the Malinois, as he had multiple rebounds for putbacks and had 10 points, along with a “3” by teammates Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos and Andrey Sterlyagov, the Malinois had the halftime lead. The Calupoh kept pace with baskets by Diego Gonzalez and Ezra Mooney. The second half had Maximiliano Flores making shots for scores, Sam Affleck with a bucket, another “3” by Constantine AV(sometimes I need to abbreviate his name) to extend the lead. But the full court press by the Calupoh in the third quarter created turnovers on steals from Sean Dobbs and Kayhler Tomlinson that led to multiple driving layups by Maryck Booher to give their team a small lead at the end of the quarter. The fourth quarter was a tight contest with Ryan Yousefi getting steals for the Malinois to give assists to his teammates.
But just as the score got tied, the Calupoh Ross Nelson stepped up and nailed a 20 footer in the final seconds to give the Calupoh the victory and earn Player of the Game honors. Dude has ice water in his veins, that shot was the exact name of this
periodical: “Swish!”
Platinum
Shepherds vs Danes
The Danes used their patented press to get a big first quarter lead as Asher Zaczpinski and Cam Pariser created turnovers with their steals and Adoniyas Yonas and Leo Mooney took it to the rack for scores and free throws, and AJ Evans hit the downtown
trey. The Shepherds flipped the switch in the second quarter, as Cassius Taylor made two “3”s, and Ryan Chambers and Dagmawi Ayele each had a basket to take the halftime lead.
The Danes fought back as Louis Meehan-Smith made a “3”, AJ Evans made a deuce and two free throws, and Adoniyas Yonas was getting to the inside to drive to the bucket for scores. And as the fourth quarter progressed, the Danes had treys from Leo Mooney and Jack Phalen, along with two buckets from Rowan Booher that included an “And1” with the converted free throw, and all of the sudden, the Danes were only down by 2 points with a minute to go. But the Shepherds stayed strong, and
got a big bucket from MIa Kondratyeva, free throws made by Cassius Taylor, and the performance of a double-double in rebounds and points by player of the Game, Sam McGowan, that helped the Shepherds hang on in the final moments for the victory.
Dobermanns vs Labradors
The Dobermanns know how to put the big bite on early, as they always do, and today was no different, as Parker Cappiccille did most of his damage early on with multiple baskets, Max Baracy had several buckets, Hunter Esposito-Doi converted an “And1”, and Rayan Etemadnia had a bucket, and the Dobermanns were off and running.
But the Labradors got it going and started catching up as Danilo Samardzija and Ryan Nagase scored to bring them closer. In the second half, the Labradors continued to get points from Danilo Samardzija who had a trifecta pair of free throws, “2”s, and “3”s, and a basket each from Azariah Gebeyehu and James Cook. The Dobermanns continued to score as Matthew Scholze was the only player to score a basket in every quarter of the match, Logan Cappiccille made steals and blocks, and Nicholas Mirich had a couple of field goals to lead their team to the victory.
SUN 11/12/23
Bronze
Vizslas vs Beagles
Vizslas took the early lead as Theodore Edelman and Aiden Yousefi each had a basket and a perfect 2 for 2 from the charity stripe in the first quarter. The Beagles got going in the second quarter as Bodhi Kothari, Sean Murphy, Steven Brown, and Todd Freeman all had a basket each. The third quarter saw the Beagles Killian Georgaris with a bucket and a perfect 2 for 2 from the free throw line to bring his team closer. The Vizslas put the clamps on in the fourth quarter as Seher Khan, Sora Nomoto, and Soren Verleun prevented the opponent’s shots from going in, and William Holt made the coreboard with a field goal to give their team the victory.
12-14
Junior Lakers vs Junior Clippers
Lamondo Greer brought over a talented team of Junior Clippers from the Culver/Palms YMCA to play against our Junior Lakers. The Clippers kept pace through the first half; but, the Lakers had Cassius Taylor on fire, as he couldn’t miss and had a spectacular game in which he had 28 points for the game which included four 3-pointers, and multiple steals and rebounds. The Lakers were aided by Estevan Padron who led the game in rebounds and had 10 points for the game, Ryan Chambers had 6 points, Isaac Lynn and Aiden Lin created turnovers, James Cook led in assists, Joshua Edwards had 6 points, Ryan Nagase had 4 points, and Danilo Samardzija had 5 points including a long distance “3” at the buzzer to end the third quarter.
Special thanks to coach Joe Tilley for guiding the Junior Lakers to victory.
Copper
Doxies vs Pugs
Pretty much all Pugs for this matchup as Luke Sarley, Louis Liu, and Bodhi Ren Chopra scored all the points for their team, and Grace Parry and Player of the Game Eli Bolland grabbed the rebounds. The Doxies had Jackie Pittman do all the scoring, but was assisted by Jaxon Oxendine. Good defense for the Doxies was displayed by Brayden Rodriguez, Alexander Wolf, and Bruce Hua.
Silver
Whippets vs Springers
Competitive matchup between two top teams in the Silver division. First quarter was all Jaxon Silverstein as he had 10 points in the quarter to give the Whippets the early lead. The Springers came back in the second quarter as Decker Amos, Krisna Aysola, and Leon Muenze all scored to bring the game closer at the end of the first half. The second half saw the Springers get a basket from Liana Enayati, and strong defense from Krsna Pathak and Myles Shaw. The Whippets had Oakley Entsminger and Alexander Melamed score, and Teo Escalante along with brothers Yaghoubzadeh(Leo and Ocean) keep the full court pressure on to hold onto the win.
Gold
Goldens vs Malinois
Liam Adams and Rohan Peddi scored for the Malinois in the first half. The Goldens Jason Gaines had a big first half with 12 points taking advantage of his teammate Dominic Drew setting screens for him to get open shots as well as assisting him on his 3-pointer. In the second half, the Malinois Dylan Zindel made a basket, Liam Adams controlled the boards and had multiple putbacks for points, Sam Affleck and Rohan Peddi made multiple shots to draw them closer to the Goldens. The Goldens got
second half scoring from Eugene Edouarzin, Chloe Scofield, Ibrahim Ally, Olivia Ruiz, and Player of the Game Adrik Wadia. The Malinois showed toughness as Andrey Sterlyagov, Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos, and Siddhant Khanna got rebounds and steals; however, the Goldens Brendan Still held down the fort with a couple of key blocks to preserve the win for his team.
Boxers vs Calupoh
The Calupoh had a full squad howling to get the pack off and running which is exactly what they did, as Diego Gonzalez, Maryck Booher, Ezra Mooney, and Kayhler Tomlinson all scored on running shots as they drove to the hoop to take the first half
lead. The Boxers got going later in the first half as Ming Zhu made a couple of “3”s, and Liam Katz and Rohham Taherian each made baskets. The Calupoh kept it rolling in the second half as Jared Garibay and Player of the Game Jaden Arellano both scored and blocked shots, while teammates Redeat Gebeyehu and Liam Desante grabbed rebounds. The Boxers kept pace as Jagger Wrobel scored, and Conrad DiMauro got steals, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Calupoh who had Sean Dobbs plugging the lane and denying penetration to the basket to help his team win the game.
SAT 11/18/23 WEEKEND #7
Bronze
Vizslas vs Frenchies
Strong first half by the Vizslas Theodore Edelman and William Holt who scored most of the points. The Frenchies kept pace with a basket by Emily Cruz, and steals from Corbin Strock who then scored a bucket in the second half. The Vizslas got Soren
Verleun and Player of the Game Tyler Keliddari on to the scoring column in the second half, as they cruised to the victory.
Beagles vs Corgies
Tight and high scoring first half between the two teams. The Beagles had all their first half scoring in the first quarter as Steven Brown and Todd Freeman each had three field goals, but were unable to score in the second quarter. The Corgies had first half scoring from Beau Bigler, Derek Hahn, Jasper Kaya, Allison Lyons, and Rodrigo Padron to take the halftime lead. The second half saw the Beagles Killian Georgaris and Bodhi Kothari make the scoreboard with a bucket each; however, the Corgies got rolling and had more points from Allison Lyons, Jasper Kaya, Derek Hahn, and Player of the Game, Beau Bigler, to take a big lead and go on to the victory.
Copper
Pugs vs Bichons
A low scoring affair, but the Pugs had a basket in the first half by Matthew Alemayehu, and the Bichons had a basket each by River Stanton, Beck Britto, and Sofia Pulusani to take a halftime lead. The Pugs got closer in the second half as Bodhi Ren Chopra made two buckets. The Bichons held on as Player of the Game, Beck Britto, made another basket, and were able to defeat the undefeated Pugs.
Silver
Aussies vs Collies
First quarter belonged to the defense, and scoring didn’t really develop until the second quarter when the Collies Buck Jacobs did all the scoring for his team, and the Aussies got baskets from Elliot Israels, Oliver Lynn, and Tomonori Kugawa to bring the score at halftime at a tie to what the Beatles would say “Number 9”. The second half was a close battle of back and forth between the two teams as Buck Jacobs continued his scoring with the help of additional baskets from his teammate Jonas Ketai.
The Aussies had second half scoring from Harrison Bond and Beau Zaczepinski with 3 points each, but the difference maker was their teammate and Player of the Game, Tomonori Kugawa, who had 6 key fourth quarter points to give the Aussies the narrow victory.
Springers vs Poodles
The Poodles got their bark and bite early on as they jumped out to the lead in the first half as Mariella Belew, Ray Song, Declan Wong, Olivia Wu, David Yonatan, and Player of the Game Mai Ly Pariser all scored. The Springers started to catch up on 3 points from Myles Shaw, and two baskets by Logan Christenson to draw closer at halftime.
The second half had tough defense by the Springers Krisna Aysola and the Poodles Lucas Alemayehu. The Springers were able to get a bucket from Decker Amos, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Poodles who held on for the victory.
Gold
Goldens vs Boxers
Tight knit contest in the first half as the Boxers had a “3” each from Michael Li and Ming Zhu, along with a basket from Conrad DiMauro; the Goldens had a basket each from Eugene Edouarzin, Kay Roberts, and Chloe Scofield. The Goldens Dominic Drew hit two running floaters to be the leading scorer in the first half. The second half saw the Boxers Zidan Jivani, Rohham Taherian, and Austin Bernier make the scoreboard; however, the Goldens began to pull away on the strength of a basket each from Olivia Ruiz and Adrik Wadia; and, a barrage of “3”s from Jason Gaines and Mariama Belew, all off of assists from Player of the Game, Dominic Drew, to pull away for the victory in the fourth quarter.
Platinum
Bernese vs Dobermanns
Both teams shorthanded, but put on a great show as this match was close from start to finish. Scoring in this match for the Dobermanns came from Max Baracy, Hunter Esposito-Doi, Antonio Rodriguez, Radin Taherian, and Rayan Etemadnia. Scoring from the Bernese came mostly from Gabriel Chibane who had a game high 21 points along with 20 rebounds, but teammates Dylan Kravitz and Alden Wong each had 10 points.
It came down to defense in the final quarter, as the Dobermanns Logan Cappiccille made several steals and blocks, and the Bernese got key rebounds from Aiden Lin and Isaac Lynn who both assisted teammate and Player of the Game, Gabriel Chibane, to score key points late in the match that gave the Bernese the narrow victory, thus ending the undefeated winning streak of the Dobermanns.
SUN 11/19/23
Copper
Bichons vs Doxies
The Doxies shut out the Bichons in the first half as Jaxson Oxendine, Greysen Lovett, and Jackie Pittman each had a basket. The second half saw the Bichons wake up and capitalize on steals from Player of the Game, Brooks Carey, who gave the ball to Beck Britto and River Stanton to score. The Doxies got Hugo Casarella into the scoring column, but fell behind by one point in the final seconds; however with time running down, Player of the Game Greysen Lovett was fouled in the act of shooting, and
converted one of the free throws to tie the game. They say a tie is like kissing your sister, but in this case, everybody went home happy.
9-11 year olds
Whippets vs Jr. Clippers
Special game was set up for the undefeated Whippets to take on the 10-11 year olds from Westchester YMCA. It looked as if the Whippets were going to run away with the match when they scored the first 6 points off of baskets by Saum Safavi and Ocean Yaghoubzadeh; however, the well would run out over the next three quarters as the stronger Westchester YMCA would score 8 points in each of the remaining quarters and shut down the Whippets. The Jr. Clippers star of the game was Jaylin Robinson who had 10 points that included a couple of spin move fadeaways with nothing but net for scores. The Whippets stayed strong and played good defense as Alexander Melamed, Leo Yaghoubzadeh, and Oakley Entsminger got rebounds, and teammates Teo Escalante and Pablo Gonzalez got steals. In the end, the Jr. Clippers won, but it was a good learning experience for both sides as they put on a good show for the fans.
Bronze
Corgies vs Frenchies
All Corgies in the first half as points were scored by Jasper Kaya, Rome Ricks, and Allison Lyons. The Frenchies got their scoring going in the second half as Rex Bulette, Knute Haglund each had a basket, and teammate Corbin Strock made 3 shots. The Corgies got additional scoring from Billy Casarella, Derek Hahn, and Phoenix Volken to keep the big lead and go on to the victory.
Gold
Boxers vs Malinois
Malinois took the early lead on baskets from Sam Affleck and Abdullah Jooma. The Boxers came back to obtain the lead at halftime on baskets by Austin Bernier, Jagger Wrobel, and Ming Zhu. In the second half, the Malinois got Liam Adams, Maximiliano Flores, and Rohan Peddi on the scoreboard, and teammates Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos and Azumi Nomoto played tough defense. The Boxers got Rohham Taherian on the scoreboard, and Conrad DiMauro anchored the defense in the second half to guide their team to the victory.
Goldens vs Calupoh
The Calupoh jumped out to a big first quarter scoring barrage led by Ezra Mooney and Diego Gonzalez scoring multiple transition points, and teammate Jaden Arellano made a putback bucket off a rebound. The Goldens did get first half scoring from Ibrahim Ally, Eugene Edouarzin, Kay Roberts, and Chloe Scofield to get a little closer. In the second half, Olivia Ruiz made multiple steals and made a free throw, Kay Roberts and Dominic Drew each had a “3”, and Mariama Belew made a bucket. The Calupoh were too strong as Maryck Booher and Jarec Garibay each had a bucket, Kayhler Tomlinson got rebounds, Ross and Spencer Nelson stole the ball, and Player of the Game, Sean Dobbs, made a free throw along with multiple blocks in the game to keep the Calupoh in first place in the Gold division.
Platinum
Dobermanns vs Danes
The first half saw the Dobermanns get the first half lead on 9 points from Parker Cappiccille, with baskets from teammates Max Baracy, Hunter Esposito-Doi, and Matthew Scholze. The Danes kept pace as Leo Mooney, Cam Pariser, Christian Ferew,
and Asher Zaczepinski each had a basket. The Danes came out in the third quarter with their patented press and created turnovers that led to points by Jack Phelan, Cam Pariser, Ethan Schwartz, Rowan Booher, and Louis Meehan Smith. The Danes had come back to take a narrow lead in the fourth quarter; however, the Dobermanns stayed strong as Hunter Esposito-Doi nailed a couple of “3”s, Matthew Scholze made key free throws, and the boards were controlled by Max Baracy and Parker Cappiccille as they grabbed the rebounds and took the ball to the hoop for big time buckets to take the lead back and hold on at the end to obtain the #1 seed for the in-season tournament.
SAT 12/2/23 WEEKEND #8
Copper
Pugs vs Doxies
The Pugs got the first quarter lead on baskets by Louis Liu, Matthew Alemayehu, and Grace Parry; the Doxies kept pace with baskets from Jaxson Oxendine, and free throws made from Jackie Pittman.
The Pugs got second quarter scoring from Luke Sarley who had a couple of baskets to give the Pugs the halftime lead. The second half saw the Doxies Hugo Casarella make a couple of shots to draw his team closer; the Pugs countered with baskets from Matthew Alemayehu and Louis Liu. The game became tied near the end of the fourth quarter as Player of the Game, Jaxon Oxendine hit a couple of key outside swish shots, then teammate Hugo Casarella hit a free throw with seconds left to put the Doxies up by one point. With only a few seconds left in the game, the Pugs were able to tie the game on a made free throw by Player of the Game, Grace Parry, to make it “Even Stevens” and everyone went home happy.
Bronze
Corgies vs Vizslas
The Corgies seem to have a habit of always starting out slow, and today was no different, as the Vizslas took an early lead on baskets from Theodore Edelman and William Holt. The Corgies managed to get a little closer by halftime on points from Jasper Kaya, Derek Hahn, and Rayden Toteja. The second half saw the Vizslas continue to get scoring from Theodore Edelman, and had Soren Verleun, Seher Khan, and Aiden Yousefi get into the scoring column. The Corgies finally woke up on the strength of a strong third quarter from Rome Ricks who had three baskets, and then ke buckets from Jasper Kaya with the conversion of an “And1”, along with free throws made from Derek Hahn helped the Corgies make the comeback to get a narrow victory and keep the team undefeated.
Platinum
Labradors vs Shepherds
This matchup was tight throughout, and the Labradors won the first quarter on baskets from Patrick Linskey, Isaac Tariku, Amensisa Alemayehu, and Brandon Israels who had an “And1”. The Shepherds came back with baskets from Sam McGowan, Dagmawi Ayele, Joshua Edwards, and Mia Kondratyeva to draw closer at halftime. The third quarter saw other players emerge as key components to each team’s success.
The Labradors had a strong game from Danilo Samardzija who was the leading scorer for the game with 22 points, and teammate Olana Alemayehu got into the scoring column. The Shepherds got Ryan Chambers involved who did all his scoring in the second half, Iwa Hashim with a nice straight away “3” from downtown, and Cassius Taylor with all his points in the third quarter to give the Shepherds the narrow lead. The Labradors didn’t give up, and drew closer on the strong fourth quarter from James Cook who hit a couple of treys in the final minutes.
In the end, big buckets and assists by Player of the Game, Sam Segal, allowed the Shepherds to barely hang on to the victory in a fun competitive matchup. Ironically the two teams will meet each other the very next day, and if it’s anything like this game, it should be a dandy.
Danes vs Bernese
The Bernese were low on players, but made the best of it, as Gabriel Chibane was the leading scorer, and Dylan Kravitz and Gold division sub Oliver Harris provided additional points. The Bernese had strong defensive performances from Aiden Lynn and Isaac Lynn.
Highlighted players for the Danes were Ethan Schwartz, Jack Phalen, Christian Ferew, AJ Evans, Asher Zaczepinski, and Player of the Game Leo Mooney to guide their team to the victory.
SUN 12/3/23
Copper
Bichons vs Pugs
Strong first half for the Pugs as baskets were made by Luke Sarley, Louis Liu, Grace Parry, and Bodhi Ren Chopra. The Bichons kept pace with points from Sofia Pulusani, and started catching up in the fourth quarter as Zayden Rashid and Quentin Dijols got key steals to give to teammates to score. The Pugs eventually held on as scoring came from Louis Liu, Luke Sarley, Matthew Alemayehu, Grace Parry, and Player of the Game Bodhi Ren Chopra.
Congratulations to the Pugs for being the champions of the Copper division.
Bronze
Frenchies vs Beagles
Mostly the Beagles barking in the first half as baskets were made by Steven Brown, Todd Freeman, Sean Murphy, and Milena Zewde. The Frenchies were able to get their scoring going in the second half as Rex Bulette, Knute Haglund, Emily Cruz, and Corbin Strock made points. The Beagles were able seal the deal as Killian Georgaris got onto the scoreboard to help the Beagles to victory.
Silver
Springers vs Collies
With a spot on the line for the in-season tournament, these two teams met in a fierce battle where defense ruled the first quarter. The Collies had steals from Rocco Tomas and Mateo Chan, while the Springers got rebounds from Krsna Pathak. First half scoring for the Springers came from Decker Amos and Logan Christenson; Buck Jacobs helped the Collies stay close as he scored throughout the match, and teammates Jonas Ketai and Charlie Hackett each had baskets to get even with the Springers late in the game.
The Springers were able to pull it out in the end as Leon Muenze, Myles Shaw, and Liana Enayati scored down the stretch to get their team into the in-season tournament.
Gold
Goldens vs Malinois
The Malinois were hoping to get their first victory of the season, and it was looking good as Sam Affleck, Liam Adams, and Abdullah Jooma got their team out to an early lead.
The Malinois also got steals from Azumi Nomoto and Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos to help keep the lead into the third quarter. The Goldens fought back as they got multiple points from Ibrahim Ally, Eugene Edouarzin, Olivia Ruiz, and Chloe Scofield, as they were all recipients of threading the needle passes from Dominic Drew.
The Malinois continued scoring in the second half with more baskets from Liam Adams and Sam Affleck as they used pick and roll plays to keep their team close, and with a basket on a drive from Andrey Sterlyagov, things were still looking good for that possible first victory; however, Player of the Game, the Goldens Mariama Belew, spoiled the party, as she made steals to which were converted to points to give the Goldens the victory. It was close, and the Malinois played an excellent game, and I’m sure that victory will come soon.
Boxers vs Calupoh
The Boxers took the first bite as Oliver Harris, Liam Katz, and Kaya Dahukey scored. The Calupoh came back on a basket from Liam Desante and multiple drives with off-balance layups from Ezra Mooney who made several of his shots while being fouled.
The second half saw the Boxers get several baskets from Rohham Taherian, Austin Bernier, and Liam Katz; while teammate Jake Records grabbed rebounds. The third quarter belonged to the Calupoh as Diego Gonzalez and Player of the Game Kayhler
Tomlinson penetrated the lane for points, and teammates Redeat Gebeyehu and Jaden Arellano got rebounds. The fourth quarter saw the Calupoh obtain the victory as Ezra Mooney had three big buckets down the stretch to not only give his team the victory, but the season championship.
Platinum
Shepherds vs Labradors
Having played a close match against each other just yesterday, these two teams were back at it again; but this time, a spot in the in-season tournament was at stake. The Labradors took the early lead on outside shots from Amensisa Alemayehu and James Cook, along with inside strong moves from Danilo Samardzija. The Shepherds came back to take a narrow halftime lead as Mia Kondratyeva and Sam McGowan scored, with assists for Kenzo Lowrey.
The second half went back and forth as the Labradors got a “3” from Patrick Linskey, a basket each from Dakota Hoefner, and continued scoring from James Cook, Danilo Samardzija, and Amensisa Alemayehu. The Shepherds were able to counter as Dagmawi Ayele scored and blocked shots, Cassius Taylor had three “3”s, Ethan Kondratyeva got rebounds, and Sam Segal earned Player of the Game honors for the second day in a row, as he took over the fourth quarter with 10 points with perfect shooting from downtown, the charity stripe, mid-range shots, and drives to the basket to give his team the victory.
A well played game by both sides and I’m certain that the Labradors will get that first victory in their next matchup.
SUN 12/10/23 Weekend #9
Copper
Doxies vs Bichons
Excitement was in the air as everybody was feeling great about the Los Angeles Lakers winning the inaugural NBA in-season tournament last night. Both teams were a little shorthanded but that gave the opportunity for kids to get more playing time to which they took full advantage. The Doxies had 6 points each from Hugo Casarella, Jackie Pittman, and Brayden Rodriguez, and teammate Isabelle Ma made a basket in the fourth quarter. The Bichons eventually won with 4 points from Brooks Carey, tough defense from Galiel Sarfati, and 23 points from River Stanton.
Bronze
Beagles vs Frenchies
Seeding game with #3 vs #4. The Beagles came out strong in the first half as Steven Brown, Todd Freeman, Marcel Jimenez, Bodhi Kothari, and Sean Murphy each had a bucket. The Frenchies got going in the second half as Rex Bulette, Landon Schmidt, Corbin Strock, and Jonathan West all scored for their team, and teammate Knute Haglund grabbed multiple rebounds. The Beagles had Killian Georgaris, Milena Zewde, and Player of the Game Nicholas Rivas all score to lead their team to the victory.
Silver
Poodles vs Aussies
The first tourney semi final game featured a competitive matchup between the #2 and 3 seeds. The Aussies got the early lead on baskets from Harrison Bond, Tomonori Kugawa, and Nicholas Chan. The Poodles played catchup through the first three quarters with baskets from Beau Ellis-Farr, Lucas Alemayehu, Declan Wong, and Olivia Wu.
The Aussies pulled ahead further in the fourth quarter with tough defense from Beau Zaczepinski and Itamar Yurman, and key baskets from Oliver Lynn. But the Poodles kept fighting back, and tied the game with steals from Nora Neff and Mai Ly Pariser, and points from Ray Song to send the game into overtime. Overtime was all Poodles as Mariella Belew and Ray Song made free throws to give the Poodles the victory and head onto the tourney 1st place game. Enjoyable match for all to watch.
Whippets vs Springers
The second Silver division tourney semifinal featured the first place Whippets taking on the Soringers that won the play-in match to get into the tourney. The Whippets were too strong as multiple points were scored by Alexander Melamed, Saum Safavi, and Ocean Yaghoubzadeh, and stout defense was displayed by Leo Yaghoubzadeh and Teo Escalante. The Springers got baskets from Decker Amos, Krisna Aysola, Liana Enayati, and Myles Shaw to keep pace, but not enough to catch up. So it is onward to the tourney finals for the Whippets.
Platinum
Danes vs Bernese
The first tournament semifinal of the Platinum division had the Bernese in a predicament as one of their players contracted food poisoning just prior to the match, leaving them with only four to play; however, as luck would have it, the former most
outstanding player from the summer league, Darien Jones, happen to be in the gym, and both coaches agreed that he could play in order to have a match.
The first half was close as the Danes got baskets from Leo Mooney and Asher Zaczepinski, and “3”s from AJ Evans and Cam Pariser. The Bernese took a narrow halftime lead on 9 first half points from Kai Halpert and 7 first half points from Gabriel Chibane. In the second half, the Danes had third quarter scoring from Ethan Schwartz and a big fourth quarter from Rowan Booher who had 9 points. But the Bernese pulled away on the strength of “3”s from Darien Jones, Dylan Kravitz, and Player of the Game Gabriel Chibane who out rebounded all players on the court, in order for the Bernese to move onto the Platinum
tourney final.
Dobermanns vs Shepherds
In the second Platinum tournament semifinal, there was the Dobermanns, who were the top seed, up against the improving Shepherds who won the play-in game to qualify for the tournament. The Shepherds controlled the first half with blocks from Ethan Kondratyev, 7 first quarter points from Sam McGowan, and 14 first half points from Cassius Taylor which included three “3”s. The Dobermanns kept pace with 10 first half points from Parker Cappiccille.
The third quarter saw the Shepherds extend the lead as Ryan Chambers and Sam McGowan each had a deuce and a trey, and Joshua Edwards added a bucket. Just when you thought that the Shepherds had this one in the bag, the Dobermanns decided they did not, and made a strong comeback in the fourth quarter as Max Baracy, Matthew Scholze, and Hunter Esposito-Doi each had a basket, and teammate Parker Cappiccille went on a big run with “3”s and free throws to get within a couple points with less than a minute left in the game. It took Player of the Game, the Shepherds Dagmawi Ayele, making three free throws to help the Shepherds hang on to the victory and secure a spot in the in-season tournament final.
SAT 12/16/23 WEEKEND #10
Copper
Copper All-Stars vs Gold All-Stars
Fun time for our youngest players as the Purple was represented by Quentin Dijols, Eli Bolland, Bruce Hua, Brayden Rodriguez, and Greysen Lovett. The Gold was represented by Issa Ally, Galiel Sarfati, Brooks Carey, Matthew Alemayehu and his brother Lucas who was confined to passing only because he was older. In the end, the Gold prevailed on the strength of Player of the Game, Matthew Alemayehu, being the leading scorer for the game.
Bronze/Copper
Frenchies vs Copper All-Stars
The Frenchies were in search of their first victory of the season as they took on the Copper All-Stars which had Sofia Pulusani, Luke Sarley, River Stanton, Hugo Casarella, and Jackie Pittman. The Copper All-Stars got the early lead, but the Frenchies fought back as Rex Bulette, Aidan Schneider, Knute Haglund, Corbin Strock, and Player of the Game Emily Cruz, all came through to give the Frenchies their first victory of the season.
Bronze
Corgies vs Bronze All-Stars
When a team is undefeated, they must play an All-Star team, such as the case with the Corgies. The All-stars got the early lead on baskets from Theodore Edelman and Seher Khan. The Corgies got going in the second quarter as Rome Ricks and Jasper Kaya got on the scoreboard; however the All-Stars weren’t going to give up as Bodhi Kothari, Soren Verleun, Killian Georgaris, and Steven Brown all scored to grab the lead back.
The Corgies would not be denied a victory as they turned up the intensity in the fourth quarter as Rodrigo Padron stole the ball and scored, Beau Bigler made a basket, and Player of the Game, Derek Hahn, controlled the boards and scored multiple points down the stretch to keep the Corgies undefeated as they would go up against their rivals the next day to obtain the perfect season.
Silver
Collies vs Silver All-Stars
The Collies took on a talented group of Silver All-Stars who took the early lead on six first half baskets by David Yonatan and a basket by Bronze player Beau Bigler. The Collies came back to take a narrow halftime lead on baskets from Buck Jacobs, Charlie Hackett, and sub-player Sebastian Joyce.
The All-Stars took the lead back in the third quarter on baskets from Linus Verleun and Griffin Marder, and strong defense from Levi Cogan. The Collies turned it up in the fourth quarter and used strong defense from Rocco Tomas and Liam Lind, along with multiple baskets from Player of the Game, Buck Jacobs, to take the lead back late in the game, and claim the victory.
Silver All-Stars vs Gold All-Stars
We divided the players up equally with Ali Safavi coaching the Gold, and Jennifer Lynn coaching the Purple. Purple had the lead at the end of the first half from baskets by Nicholas Chan, Faizan Khan, Alexander Melamed, and Tomonori Kugawa. Gold kept pace with baskets from Saum Safavi, Linus Verleun, and rebounds from Beau Zaczepinski and Niam Pahwa.
Purple played strong defense in the second half as Leon Muenze blocked shots and Decker Amos stole the ball, and Oliver Lynn made multiple baskets. The Gold used strong defense from Krsna Pathak, put back rebounds for points from Logan Christenson, and a scoring barrage from Beau Ellis-Farr to take the lead back in the fourth quarter for good in a closely fought contest showcasing good play and sportsmanship for our program.
Gold
Malinois vs Gold All-Stars
The Malinois are a good team that has just missed out on a victory in some of their most recent games, but they were determined to get a victory today. The only points in the first quarter came from the All-Stars off a basket from Adrik Wadia. The All-Stars built a small lead in the second quarter from baskets by Olivia Ruiz and Silver sub Tomonori Kugawa.
The Malinois kept pace with baskets from Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos, Andrey Sterlyagov, and Siddhant Khanna to draw closer to the All-Stars. The All-Stars were able to take a lead into the fourth quarter as Olivia Ruiz continued to score to be the game high scorer with 10 points, and Liam Desante made the scoreboard with a bucket. The Malinois put the pedal to the medal, and got their scoring going late in the match as Azumi Nomoto made a key bucket and Player of the Game, Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos, made drives to the hoop to give the Malinois their first victory of the season.
Platinum/Gold
Gold All-Stars vs Labradors
The Labradors were in search of their first victory of the season and things were looking good as they got a big early lead on baskets from Danilo Samardzija and Brandon Israels, and a trey from Amensisa Alemayehu. But just when you thought it was a done deal, the All-Stars outplayed the Labradors in the next two quarters in which Michael Li, Kay Roberts, Rohham Taherian, and Dominic Drew all scored, and before you knew it, we had a game on our hands. The Labradors picked up the pace, and Danilo Samardzija, Brandon Israels, and Amensisa Alemayehu all had a strong third quarter with their scoring.
The All-Stars wouldn’t let down as Jaden Arellano made a basket, and Kay Roberts sank two “3”s in the fourth quarter. The Labradors came through in the end, as Ryan Nagase and Olana Alemayehu made baskets, and Player of the Game, Yisaac Tariku, with a pair of deuces and trey to save the day, and gave the Labradors their first victory of the season.
Platinum
Danes vs Dobermanns
Time for the big dogs to play. Even though this was for 3rd place in the in-season tourney, there was a lot at stake for the Dobermanns who needed a tie or a win to secure the season championship.
The Danes used their patented full court press to create turnover that led to points to get them an early lead, as Rowan Booher and Jack Phelan each had a first half “3”, and AJ Evans, Louis Meehan-Smith, Asher Zaczepinski, and Ethan Schwartz each had a basket. The Dobermanns kept pace with baskets by Parker Cappiccille, Matthew Scholze, and Rayan Etemadnia. The third quarter saw an exchange of baskets made from downtown, in which the Dobermanns had a “3” each from Hunter Esposito-Doi and Parker Cappiccille, and the Danes had two “3”s from Jack Phelan. The Danes had the lead to start the fourth quarter, as Asher Zaczepinski and Leo Mooney each had a basket to extend the lead.
However, the Dobermanns stayed strong, as steals from Player of the Game, Rayan Etemadnia, helped to create points for Parker Cappiccille, Hunter Esposito-Doi, and Matthew Scholze to make the comeback and catch the Danes at the very end to get the narrow victory and secure the championship for the season.
SUN 12/17/23
Bronze
Corgies vs Vizslas
Would the Corgies obtain the undefeated season? It was looking good in the first half as Jasper Kaya, Derek Hahn, Rome Ricks, and Player of the Game Rayden Toteja did a lot of damage with their field goals. The Vizslas kept pace throughout the game as Soren Verleun was their leading scorer with 10 points, and Seher Khan and Aiden Yousefi each had a basket, and Auggie Friedman provided tough defense. The Corgies were too strong as Phoenix Volken had a basket, and Beau Bigler and Billy Casarella were grabbing rebounds to give the Corgies the perfect season.
Silver
Springers vs Aussies
Springers did as Springers do, and sprung out to the early lead as Krsna Pathak, Krishna Aysola and Decker Amos each had first half baskets. The Aussies were able to take a narrow lead at halftime with buckets from Oliver Lynn, Griffin Marder, and
Harrison Bond, and extended the lead in the third quarter on buckets from Tomonori Kugawa. The Springers came roaring back in the fourth quarter as Decker Amos, Logan Christenson, and Leon Muenze scored buckets, and Myles Shaw grabbed
rebounds. In the final minutes, the Aussies regained the lead on baskets from Beau Zaczepinski, and Player of the Game, Harrison Bond, to get the narrow victory, and 3rd place for the in-season tournament.
Whippets vs Poodles
Poodles had the lead going into halftime, as David Yonatan, Declan Wong, Ray Song, and Lucas Alemayehu made field goals. The Whippets kept pace with points from Alexander Melamed and Bronze sub Soren Verleun, along with good defense from
Bronze sub Seher Khan. The second half belonged to the Whippets as Alexander Melamed, Saum Safavi, Linus Verleun, and Oakley Entsminger all made multiple shots.
The Poodles tried to catch up on a strong fourth quarter from Beau Ellis-Farr who had 7 points in the quarter, and strong defense from Nora Neff and Mai Ly Pariser, but it wasn’t enough, as the Whippets went onto to have an undefeated season with only a previous tie with the same Poodles early in the season.
Gold
Boxers vs Malinois
Would the Malinois keep their winning streak going? The Boxers took the first bite as Austin Bernier and Rohham Taherian each had a basket. The Malinois bit back as Sam Affleck, Abdullah Jooma, and Azumi Nomoto made baskets to give their team a narrow halftime lead. The Boxers were resilient and fought back as Zidan Jivani and Silver sub Tomonori Kugawa scored points in the second half, and Silver sub Oliver Lynn got steals.
The Malinois came through to get their second win of the weekend as Andrey Sterlyagov converted free throws, Siddhant Khanna had a basket, Abdullah Jooma nailed a “3”, Dylan Zindel and Ryan Yousefi got rebounds, and Player of the Game,
Azumi Nomoto, made a couple of late baskets to obtain the victory as the Malinois finished the season on a high note.
Calupoh vs Goldens
The Calupoh had wrapped up the season division title last weekend, but the seeding game came with a lot of pride between these two teams to win it. The first quarter ended in a dead heat as the Goldens had 7 points from Ibrahim Ally and baskets by Adrik Wadia and Chloe Scofield.
First quarter scoring for the Calupoh came from 8 points by Ezra Mooney and 3 points from Maryck Booher, each player added 3 more points in the second quarter to give their team the halftime lead. The Goldens kept up with their excellent passing with assists from Dominic Drew and Mariama Belew. The third quarter saw the Goldens Kay Roberts make several free throws, and Brendan Still made a free throw(which would turn out to be very significant!).
The Calupoh still had a slim lead to start the fourth quarter thanks to baskets by Kayhler Tomlinson and Jaden Arellano. The final minutes was a see-saw affair as the Goldens Kay Roberts hit a “3” and Olivia Ruiz made a driving shot to give their team a two point lead with less than a minute to go. But with only 20 seconds left, the Calupoh Ezra Mooney hit a “3” from Downtown to give his team a one point lead. With no timeouts left, the Goldens drove down and Player of the Game, Chloe Scofield, made a bank shot with only seconds left that would be the game winner to give her team the one point victory! (Once again, I reiterate the importance of a made free throw by Brendan Still earlier).
Great game from both sides as both teams can hang their heads high in a well played match.
Platinum
Shepherds vs Bernese
First place for the in-season tournament was on the line in this match. The Shepherds got the party started with baskets from Mia Kondratyeva, Ryan Chambers, and Dagmawi Ayele. The Bernese kept pace with baskets from Darien Jones and Kai
Halpert. But what this contest came down to was any “3” you can do, I can “3” better.
It saw the Bernese get one trey from BJ Hooks, two treys from Darien Jones, and four treys from Dylan Kravitz that included three “3”s in the third quarter. But not to be outdone the Shepherds would get a “3” from Rayan Chibane, Ryan Chambers, and
Dagmawi Ayele; then for good measure, Cassius Taylor made a couple of rainbow🌈 treys and deuces. But the Shepherds had four incredibly long distance 30’ three pointers from Sam McGowan, that NBA announcer Mike Breen would say “Way Downtown”, to the point that I almost ran from my scorekeeper desk to grab the fire extinguisher because Sam was “En Fuego!”🔥🔥🔥🔥.
The “3” barrage by the Shepherds was too much for the Bernese to overcome, and in the end, the Shepherds would prevail and finish the season as the in-season tourney winners and the hottest team in the division.
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 Yaghoubzadeh family. Coach Arash successfully coached his Silver division team to a championship this season with his sons Ocean and Leo guiding the team in their victories. Arash looks to improve every player on his team by getting them all involved and inspiring them to play hard and with confidence.
This shows most definitely in his two sons Ocean and Leo who not only are team leaders, but make sure to encourage every teammate to help them do better and improve their play. The Yaghoubzadehs know that you have to win as a team, so everyone on the team makes a difference, and teammates respond to the positive reinforcement given to them with their improved play and determination, thus the reason that so many players want to play for coach Arash and have Ocean and Leo as their teammates.
I asked coach Arash, and his sons Leo and Ocean, a few questions for the Swish:
DocDrew: What is your favorite thing about youth basketball at the Santa Monica YMCA?
Arash: It’s inclusiveness and sense of community.
Leo: it’s competitive !
Ocean: I like the courts.
DocDrew: Who is your favorite player or coach, and why?
Arash: Ja Morant because he is not too tall but he plays above the rim.
Leo: Kobe Bryant , because he is my idol.
Ocean: LeBron James because he is the best in the world.
DocDrew: What hobbies, activities,or other sports do you like to do?
Arash: I love soccer. I also coach soccer.
Leo: Soccer, and I love to dance.
Ocean: Skateboarding, and drawing.
We are very grateful to have the Yaghoubzadeh family as a big part of our youth
basketball program at the Santa Monica Family YMCA. They help to inspire and
improve other players with their support and teamwork, along with positive
reinforcement to help others feel important and motivate them to keep playing in
our program.
Scores
SAT 11/11/23 WEEKEND #6
Copper
Doxies 10, Bichons 24
Bronze
Corgies 33, Vizslas 22
Silver
Poodles 32, Aussies 18
Collies 13, Whippets 28
Gold
Calupoh 30, Malinois 28
Platinum
Shepherds 41, Danes 37
Dobermanns 49, Labradors 28
SUN 11/12/23
Bronze
Vizslas 27, Beagles 14
12-14
Junior Lakers 59, Junior Clippers 37
Copper
Doxies 11, Pugs 28
Silver
Whippets 23, Springers 15
Gold
Goldens 36, Malinois 24
Boxers 15, Calupoh 39
SAT 11/18/23 WEEKEND #7
Bronze
Vizslas 30, Frenchies 16
Beagles 22, Corgies 39
Copper
Pugs 6, Bichons 10
Silver
Aussies 22, Collies 21
Springers 13, Poodles 26
Gold
Goldens 29, Boxers 17
Platinum
Bernese 40, Dobermanns 38
SUN 11/19/23
Copper
Bichons 12, Doxies 12
9-11
Jr. Lakers(Whippets) 7,
Jr. Clippers 29
Bronze
Corgies 43, Frenchies 10
Gold
Boxers 31, Malinois 17
Goldens 24, Calupoh 44
Platinum
Dobermanns 36, Danes 32
SAT 12/2/23 WEEKEND #8
Copper
Pugs 21, Doxies 21
Bronze
Corgies 24, Vizslas 22
Platinum
Labradors 45, Shepherds 48
Danes 53, Bernese 32
SUN 12/3/23
Copper
Bichons 13, Pugs 16
Bronze
Frenchies 7, Beagles 21
Silver
Springers 17, Collies 13
Gold
Goldens 31, Malinois 21
Boxers 24, Calupoh 30
Platinum
Shepherds 45, Labradors 34
SUN 12/10/23 Weekend #9
Copper
Doxies 20, Bichons 27
Bronze
Beagles 28, Frenchies 10
(6-4-2 for W-T-L)
Silver
Poodles 21, Aussies 18 OT
(Tourney semi-final)
Whippets 32, Springers 13
(Tourney semi-final)
Platinum
Danes 34, Bernese 47
(Tourney semi-final)
Dobermanns 41,Shepherds 45
(Tourney semi-final)
SAT 12/16/23 WEEKEND #10
Copper
Gold All-Stars 12, Purple All-Stars 8
Bronze/Copper
Frenchies 20, Copper All-Stars 4
Bronze
Corgies 28, Bronze All-Stars 16
Silver
Collies 30, All-Stars 28
Gold All-Stars 37, Purple All-Stars 32
Gold
Malinois 19, All-Stars 17
Platinum/Gold
Gold All-Stars 28, Labradors 41
Platinum
Danes 32, Dobermanns 35
(6-4-2 for W-T-L, 3rd place tourney game)
SUN 12/17/23
Bronze
Corgies 25, Vizslas 14
(7-5-3 for W-T-L)
Silver
Springers 20, Aussies 22
(6-4-2 for W-T-L, 3rd place tourney game)
Whippets 29, Poodles 23
(7-5-3 for W-T-L, 1st place tourney game)
Gold
Boxers 17, Malinois 20
(6-4-2 for W-T-L)
Calupoh 30, Goldens 31
(7-5-3 for W-T-L)
Platinum
Shepherds 60, Bernese 41
(7-5-3 for W-T-L, 1st place tourney game)
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:
Pugs 8-1-1, 44 points Champions
Bichons 4-5-1, 28 points
Doxies 1-7-2, 18 points
Bronze:
Corgies 10-0-0, 52 points Champions
Vizslas 5-5-0, 32 points
Beagles 5-5-0, 31 points
Frenchies 1-10-0, 15 points
Silver:
Whippets 9-0-1, 50 points Champions
Poodles 5-4-1, 34 points
Aussies 4-5-1, 29 points
Springers 3-7-0, 23 points
Collies 3-7-0, 22 points
Gold:
Calupoh 8-2-0, 44 points Champions
Goldens 7-3-0, 40 points
Boxers 4-6-0, 27 points
Malinois 2-9-0, 20 points
Platinum:
Dobermanns 8-2-0, 43 pointsChampions
Bernese 6-4-0, 36 points
Shepherds 5-5-0, 32 points
Danes 5-5-0, 31 points
Labradors 1-9-0, 14 points
Fall Season Awards
Copper
Most Valuable Player
Louis Liu-Pugs
Most Outstanding Player
River Stanton-Bichons
Most Improved
Jaxon Oxendine-Doxie
Hustle award
Grace Parry-Pugs
All First Team
Luke Sarley-Pugs
River Stanton-Bichons
Jaxon Oxendine-Doxie
Grace Parry-Pugs
Beck Britto-Bichons
Louis Liu-Pugs
Matthew Alemayehu-Pugs
Bodhi Ren Chopra-Pugs
Hugo Casarella-Doxies
Jackie Pittman-Doxies
Zayden Rashid-Bichons
All Second Team
Greysen Lovett-Doxies
Sofia Pulusani-Bichons
Galiel Sarfati-Bichons
Quentin Dijols-Bichons
Brooks Carey-Bichons
Greysen Lovett-Doxies
Brayden Rodriguez-Doxies
Esme Chan-Pugs
Eli Bolland-Pugs
All Honorable Mention
Theo Manolelis-Pugs
Benson Berry-Pugs
Issa Ally-Pugs
Alexander Wolf-Doxies
Isabelle Ma-Doxies
Bruce Hua-Doxies
Greyson Wells-Doxies
Lorenzo Biliman-Bichons
Alex Wang-Bichons
Sophia Stanton-Bichons
Josh Cheung-Bichons
Mars Gocen-Pugs
Bronze
Most Valuable Player
Jasper Kaya-Corgies
Most Outstanding Player
Theodore Edelman-Vizslas
Most Improved
Emily Cruz-Frenchies
Hustle Award
Sean Murphy-Beagles
All First Team
Jasper Kaya-Corgies
Theodore Edelman-Vizslas
Emily Cruz-Frenchies
Sean Murphy-Beagles
Steven Brown-Beagles
Todd Freeman-Beagles
Killian Georgaris-Beagles
Bodhi Kothari-Beagles
Rex Bulette-Frenchies
Knute Haglund-Frenchies
Corbin Strok-Frenchies
Derek Hahn-Corgies
Allison Lyons-Corgies
Rome Ricks-Corgies
William Holt-Vizslas
Soren Verleun-Vizslas
Seher Khan-Vizslas
Aiden Yousefi-Vizslas
All Second Team
Beau Bigler-Corgies
Rodrigo Padron-Corgies
Melanie Zewdie-Beagles
Marcel Jimenez-Beagles
Nicholas Rivas-Beagles
Billy Casarella-Corgies
Phoenix Volken-Corgies
Rayden Toteja-Corgies
Landon Schmidt-Frenchies
Jonathan West-Frenchies
Tyler Keliddari-Vizslas
All Honorable Mention
Auggie Friedman-Vizslas
Efe Gocen-Frenchies
Tyler Enayati-Beagles
Lior Vaisburd-Vizslas
Emma Haot-Frenchies
Max Lind-Frenchies
Sora Nomoto-Vizslas
Amarii Turner-Vizslas
Aiden Schneider-Vizslas
Silver
Most Valuable Player
Ocean Yaghoubzadeh-Whippets
Most Outstanding Player
Decker Amos-Springers
Most Improved
Tomonori Kugawa-Aussies
Hustle Award
Nora Neff-Poodles
All First Team
Ocean Yaghoubzadeh-Whippets
Leo Yaghoubzadeh-Whippets
Decker Amos-Springers
Tomonori Kugawa-Aussies
Nora Neff-Poodles
Oliver Lynn-Aussies
Mai Ly Pariser-Poodles
Harrison Bond-Aussies
Nicholas Chan-Aussies
Jonas Ketai-Collies
Buck Jacobs-Collies
Lucas Alemayehu-Poodles
Ray Song-Poodles
Faizan Khan-Poodles
Declan Wong-Poodles
Beau Ellis Farr-Poodles
Olivia Wang-Poodles
Liana Enayati-Springers
Myles Shaw-Springers
Krsna Pathak-Springers
Krishna Aysola-Springers
Logan Christenson-Springers
Leon Muenze-Springers
Oakley Entsminger-Whippets
Alexander Melamed-Whippets
Jaxon Silverstein-Whippets
Saum Safavi-Whippets
Linus Verleun-Whippets
Beau Zaczepinski-Aussies
All Second Team
Mariella Belew-Poodles
Elliot Israels-Aussies
Niam Pahwa-Whippets
Levi Cogan-Aussies
Griffin Marder-Aussies
Alex Blondheim-Collies
Mateo Chan-Collies
Charlie Hackett-Collies
Jack Haot-Collies
Rocco Tomas-Collies
Oliver Valles-Collies
Alice Roberts-Poodles
Julia Enayati-Springers
Teo Escalante-Whippets
Pablo Gonzalez-Whippets
David Yonatan-Poodles
All Honorable Mention
Itamar Yurman-Aussies
Sebastian Joyce-Aussies
Orion Mane-Aussies
Hunter Calhoun Rocha-Collies
Liam Lind-Collies
Gavin Geary-Whippets
Qiao Ren-Springers
Jett Shung-Springers
Gold
Most Valuable Player
Ezra Mooney-Calupoh
Most Outstanding Player
Sam Affleck-Malinois
Most Improved
Rohham Taherian-Boxers
Hustle Award
Olivia Ruiz-Goldens
All First Team
Ezra Mooney-Calupoh
Liam Adams-Malinois
Sam Affleck-Malinois
Rohham Taherian-Boxers
Olivia Ruiz-Goldens
Austin Bernier-Boxers
Michael Li-Boxers
Kayhler Tomlinson-Calupoh
Diego Gonzalez-Calupoh
Liam Katz-Boxers
Dominic Drew-Goldens
Kay Roberts-Goldens
Abdullah Jooma-Malinois
Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos-Malinois
Chloe Scofield-Goldens
Jason Gaines-Goldens
Maryck Booher-Calupoh
Ibrahim Ally-Goldens
Liam Desante-Calupoh
Mariama Belew-Goldens
Ming Zhu-Boxers
Rohan Peddi-Malinois
Adrik Wadia-Goldens
All Second Team
Andrey Sterlyagov-Malinois
Maximiliano Flores-Malinois
Azumi Nomoto-Malinois
Brendan Still-Goldens
Kaya Dahukey-Boxers
Jaden Arellano-Calupoh
Siddhant Khanna-Malinois
Eugene Edouarzin-Goldens
Oliver Harris-Boxers
Ryan Yousefi-Malinois
Spencer Nelson-Calupoh
Ross Nelson-Calupoh
Sean Dobbs-Calupoh
Honorable Mention
Conrad DiMauro-Boxers
Jake Records-Boxers
Jagger Wrobel-Boxers
Zidan Jivani-Boxers
Dylan Zindel-Malinois
Jarec Garibay-Calupoh
Redeat Gebeyehu-Calupoh
Dylan Geary-Goldens
Platinum
Most Valuable Player
Parker Cappiccille-Dobermanns
Most Outstanding Player
Gabriel Chibane-Bernese
Most Improved
Ethan Kondratyeva-Shepherds
Hustle Award
Estevan Padron-Labradors
All First Team
Parker Cappiccille-Dobermanns
Ethan Schwartz-Danes
Dylan Kravitz-Bernese
Ryan Nagase-Labradors
Isaac Lynn-Bernese
Louis Meehan Smith-Danes
Leo Mooney-Danes
Cam Pariser-Danes
Jack Phalen-Danes
Estevan Padron-Labradors
Gabriel Chibane-Bernese
James Cook-Labradors
Rayan Etemadnia-Dobermanns
Matthew Scholze-Dobermanns
Sam McGowan-Shepherds
Dagmawi Ayele-Shepherds
Ryan Chambers-Shepherds
Cassius Taylor-Shepherds
Adonyinas Yonas-Danes
Hunter Esposito Doi-Dobermanns
Kai Halpert-Bernese
Danilo Samardzija-Labradors
AJ Evans-Danes
Asher Zaczepinski-Danes
Rowan Booher-Danes
Joshua Edwards-Shepherds
Mia Kondratyeva-Shepherds
All Second Team
Amir Enayati-Danes
Patrick Linskey-Labradors
Max Baracy-Dobermanns
Brandon Israels-Labradors
Dakota Hoefner-Labradors
Olana Alemayehu-Labradors
Ethan Kondratyev-Shepherds
Kenzo Lowrey-Shepherds
Rayan Chibane-Shepherds
Sam Segal-Shepherds
Amensisa Alemayehu-Labradors
Azariah Gebeyehu-Labradors
Christian Ferew-Danes
Aiden Lin-Bernese
Alden Wong-Bernese
Reagan Saumers-Shepherds
Radin Taherian-Dobermanns
Honorable Mention
Iwa Hashim-Shepherds
Ilan Larsen-Press
Grayson Klein-Dobermanns
Wally Levitt-Dobermanns
Nicholas Mirich-Dobermanns
Logan Cappiccille-Dobermanns
Antonio Rodriguez-Dobermanns
Keen Nikkel-Labradors
Yisaac Tariku-Labradors
Alex Providas-Labradors
Milo Debeveye-Bernese
Luca Ghermezian-Bernese
BJ Hooks-Bernese
Thank you very much, to all the coaches, parents, players, referees, and my assistant Nicholas Walker.
Special thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation for partnering with the Santa MonIca Family YMCA youth basketball program.
Dr. Paul Drew, youth basketball coordinator at the Santa Monica Family YMCA, editor and publisher of Swish
