2017: John Williams, Played on Great Hoover Team
Name Hoover’s starting five in 1959-60 and Johnny (Bo) Williams probably would be the fifth to come to mind. But Williams, a 6-foot, 1-inch guard, was an effective offensive player (269 points in 27 games) and outstanding defender for arguably the finest San Diego-area team before Bill Walton and Helix arrived a decade later. Williams, […]
Read More1967-68: Mount Miguel on Mountain Top
They have been cast in the 6-foot, 11-inch shadow of Bill Walton and Helix’ 33-0 team of 1969-70. History has overlooked the Mount Miguel clubs that dominated the Grossmont League and San Diego Section in the late 1960s. The Matadors were 25-6 in 1966-67 and 32-0 this season. But coach Dick Ridgway’s squad did not […]
Read More1956-57: A Red Devils Reset
Who would have thought a team that started the season with a 1-8 record and finished 10-10 would be celebrated? Hats off to the Sweetwater Red Devils. An eighth loss in nine games was where coach Wells Gorman’s team stood on January 6, 1957, after a 55-50, Metropolitan League, opening-game loss at Helix. But that […]
Read More1955-56 Basketball, Looking Back: Islanders Square Account
Originally posted June 22, 2017. Coronado paid an old debt. Hoover’s playoff advance was halted at the foul line. Merrill Douglas ended a great run at San Diego High. Lincoln showed that patience had virtue. —John Kovac was a football coach who happened to come along at the right basketball time at Coronado. The dour […]
Read More1952-53: Gehring Leads Way to Hoop
Football, basketball, baseball, and track and field, the majors, remained seasonal sports for the best athletes, who usually participated in at least three. Single-sport concentration and club teams were a half-century away, but a change of another kind took place in high school hoops this season. There were many more games in which the competing […]
Read More1951-52: A Season Seven Times Significant
What made this campaign one to remember: 1) Hoover’s 11-1 ride through the City Prep League and 23-win campaign which stalled after an 11-point lead in the playoffs. 2) Point Loma’s rags-to-almost-riches season that ended with a call from Uncle Sam. 3) Helix, without a gymnasium, or a campus, not playing like a first-year team. […]
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