By Dr. Paul Drew
Welcome to the sixth issue of volume two of Swish, a weekly periodical with recaps and photos of Santa Monica YMCA youth basketball games, and other pertinent info such as standings, schedules, announcements, and updates from the program.
Registration for the Spring season of youth basketball at the Santa Monica YMCA is now open online at http://welcome.ymcasm.org/
Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, the Swish will have a series of articles dedicated to the history of African Americans in basketball and honoring the pioneers that led to diversity and inclusivity of the game, helping to make it the sport that we all very much enjoy today. The following is from https://www.blackfives.org/ I strongly encourage everyone to visit their website and support their foundation.
Edwin B. Henderson, “Grandfather of Black Basketball”
“Edwin B. Henderson set the tone and created the infrastructure for African American participation in athletics, by creating leagues and associations for black athletes and referees when no such thing previously existed.”
— Edwin B. Henderson II, 2008
Edwin Bancroft Henderson.
Teams: Washington 12th Streeters (Twelfth Street Colored Y.M.C.A.), Howard University
Home: Falls Church, Va.
Born: 1883
Died: 1977
Edwin Bancroft Henderson first learned basketball in 1904 at Harvard University while attending a summer physical training class for gym teachers.
Upon returning to Washington, D.C., Henderson promptly introduced the game to black students in the segregated public school system there.
It was the first time African Americans had played basketball on a wide scale basis, earning Henderson distinction as the “Father of Black Basketball” and the District of Columbia as the “Birthplace of Black Basketball.”
Henderson was a fine basketball player. His leaping ability made him a natural center, the most crucial position in basketball back when each made basket was followed by a jump ball.
“In the beginning of the second half the Y.M.C.A. boys played with full steam on. Henderson shot four pretty goals.”
— The New York Age, 1909
And Henderson’s tactical mastery of the game — along with his extraordinary communication skills — made him an excellent coach, promoter, and organizer.
He later formed the first African American athletic conference, the Interscholastic Athletic Association (I.S.A.A.).
Through the I.S.A.A., Henderson organized and promoted intercity play between black basketball teams along the Mid-Atlantic coast, especially between New York and Washington, D.C.
He soon organized a basketball team for the local Twelfth Street Colored Y.M.C.A., which he then led to an undefeated season and the 1909-10 black national title.
A year later, seeking more fans, Henderson successfully petitioned nearby Howard University to adopt his 12th Streeter squad as its first varsity basketball team.
He then promptly coached that team to win the 1910-11 Colored Basketball World’s Championship title, again going undefeated.
During this time, Henderson also co-edited the Spalding Official Handbook for the I.S.A.A., which was published from 1910 to 1913.
The Spalding I.S.A.A. series gave first comprehensive account of black participation in all major sports and remains a rich source of early historical information about African Americans in basketball.
“Mr. Henderson’s book should eliminate much of the guess work upon which both sports writers and fans have been forced to rely in discussing the merits and records of our runners, jumpers, boxers, swimmers, basketball and football players and other stars.”
— The New York Amsterdam News, 1939
Incredibly, this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as Edwin B. Henderson’s accomplishments in life.
His contributions to the game of basketball are gaining attention.
Edwin Henderson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Rookies
BLUE JAY SYLVIE LEVITT PERCHES TEAM ON BACK — February 17th. In the postgame huddle after every game, one particular player always asks me, “Who won?” It’s become a bittersweet bonding moment for the whole team because we all know the question’s coming, yet despite the same answer every game (“They did!” chorus the kids), these bad news Blue Jays never get too down, nor do they stop bravely showing up and trying hard for their fallible coach. In the history of sport, several players have won MVP’s and special honors despite their squad’s overall record. Thus, let this be a record that when the dust settles a special distinction is justified for diamond-in-the-rough, Sylvie Levitt. Sunday, she scored 4 points to go with 4 rebounds, and her attitude should be an inspiration to all of us to never stop hunting for those elusive wins. Oh, and the Rays are really good at running the fast break. Final Score: The Rays a lot to the Blue Jays a little. Submitted by Coach Pete Harris
Rays over Blue Jays 22-7. Our Rays were treated to a pizza buffet just before tip-off, but the full bellies of the kids didn’t slow them down too much. The Blue Jays started off by holding the ball for a few minutes at a time and tried to pick their spots to get through our tough defense. This slow-down strategy worked fine for a while, as the winless Jays kept the game very close to our undefeated Rays into the half. Vitalina Moncher and Aaron Dyner took over in the second half; with Vitalina scoring 6 of her game-high 8 points in the second half and Aaron scoring 4 of his 6 points. Rosalina Storstein had another excellent game and buckets were also scored by Luca Samson and Theo Franklin. Johnny Richardson and Mariama Belew got extra playing time in this game and played very well on both ends of the court. This team is improving weekly and they are looking forward to keeping their spotless record. Submitted by Coach Rick Moncher
Orioles vs Yankees: Sunday’s match started with both teams at 2-2 record looking to break above 50%, and were the only other team left in Rookies that either team hadn’t yet played this season. The Yankees proved to be tough with several active players doing different things. However, this game was taken over by 6-year-old dynamo Mr. Jackson Harper…who had the single handed most overall beast mode game I (Orioles coach) have ever seen by a Rookie player in 6 straight seasons over past year and half in Rookie League. Harper ended with a triple-double…16 points, 15 rebounds, 10 steals, 3 blocks, and 1 assist!! While coaching staff tried to convince him to pass more and get closer to the basket when shooting, Harper was determined, nonetheless, to be a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the court…which he was while blowing up the stat sheet. Only two other players on the Orioles saw baskets including Tristan Hayes (2 points) along with 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist…Eloise Siegler dropped a free-throw basket plus 3 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot. Cruze Hecklin, Ross Nelson, and Wyatt Mindis each chipped in with a steal a piece. Ross Nelson had a rebound. First season player and 5 year old preschooler, Bryson Ning, while not showing on the stat sheet, played noticeably very tough and impactful defense every minute he was in the game. Yankees made a valiant effort, especially off of two quick baskets in the last minute of the 1st half bringing them within 1 point (9-8), but the 2nd half Orioles were able to pull ahead leaving it 19-10 to close the game. Submitted by Coach Holden Hayes
Bantams
In the first game of the weekend, the Padres showed yet again that a strong defense is key for winning a game. The whole team was outstanding on defense – with high energy movements and several blocks and steals. Notably, Sampson Robinson, Kingston Andes and Ethan Pages played an important part in the defense. Offensively, the Padres are getting much better at passing and trying to find open players around the basket. James Cook, Parker Keslow, Leo Garcia and Jake Kazerani contributed greatly on offense. Submitted by Coach Kerri Keslow
The Padres second game of the weekend was the late 6:40 pm game. Even though many of our players would normally be on the way to bed, the team pushed through and played hard and active on defense. Jake Kazerani and Kingston Andes played strong and aggressive. James Cook and Parker Keslow had a strong presence on both sides of the court. Submitted by Coach Kerri Keslow
REDS vs CUBS: The Reds matched up with the Cubs in an afternoon game that was the Reds first test against a 2-3 zone and a high-low offense reminiscent of the Creighton teams of the ’80’s. Tough defense and rebounding by both teams kept the game scoreless until Alex Ma’s mid-range jumper ended the drought. Alex played a terrific all-around game, finishing with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Felix Idell drew a shooting foul and was able to convert 1 of 2 at the charity stripe to give the Reds a 3-0 lead at halftime.
The 2nd half saw the Cubs roar back and take the lead 4-3 with some outstanding teamwork; passing from the high-post to block for quick scores. Team rebounding by Elliot Ma, Leo Epstein, and Lara Masood kept the Reds in the game and helped to set up with the winning play. Koa Entsminger chipped in with 2 steals and 1 rebound while Auden Steiger was a monster on defense and the glass, finishing with 9 rebounds and 4 steals. Some last-minute heroics by Erol Besincioglu put the Reds up for and sealed the victory. His wing jumper from the right side found the bottom of the net. Final score Reds 5 – Cubs 4. Submitted by Coach Charles Ellinwood
REDS vs CARDINALS: Playing their 2nd game in as many days, the Reds faced a talented group in the Cardinals. The game opened up with a flurry of Cardinal baskets, putting the Reds down by double-figures early in the 2nd quarter. The Reds responded with a little run to get back in the game. Felix Idell scored on a left-wing jumper and went 1 of 2 from the foul line.Leo Epstein followed suit with a long jump shot of his own to close the gap to 5 points. The defense woke up and held the line with Erol Besincioglu, Elliot Ma and Leo Epstein combining for 24 rebounds, and 6 steals. The momentum carried over into the third quarter when Koa Entsminger got open on the perimeter and made his first 3-pointer of the season. Not long after, Auden Steiger scored on a short put-back off an offensive rebound to tie the game at 10 – 10. In a game of runs, the Cardinals responded and put the game away with creative out-of-bounds plays and ball screens that netted easy baskets. Final score Reds 10 – Cardinals 18. Submitted by Coach Charles Ellinwood
The Giants had two tough battles this weekend and played their hearts out! In Saturday’s matchup, the Giants came up short 34 – 22, after a great battle, until the Brewers pulled further ahead in the second half.
The Giants had some impressive rebounding performances with Harlan Mansfield leading with 8 boards, James Petrovich with 6, Abby Ma with 5, Jaxton Moore with 3, Jacopo Stabilini and Sadie Stiehm each grabbing 2, and Sam Hastings getting one rebound. Petrovich led the scoring with an impressive 12 points. Stabilini and Ma scored 4 points each and Sadie Stiehm sunk an exciting basket late in the game that brought hope and cheers to the team! Stiehm also helped her team with 2 assists. Despite coming up short, the Giants had a solid defensive performance. Petrovich was like a hawk on the court snagging steals, with Stabilini, Mansfield, and Moore also each getting one steal to help the team. Stabilini also had 2 blocks, while Petrovich and Stiehm each rejected shots. Submitted by Jason Moore
The Giants returned Sunday and fought through an exciting game against the Diamondbacks, that was close until the Giants pulled ahead in the second half. Stabilini led the scoring with 8 points, including two three point shots. Petrovich scored 6 including a three pointer. The three pointers came with a cost, as the Diamond backs were able to play full defense on both Stabilini and Petrovich for the rest of the game in an already tough game. Abby Ma also scored two points and Mansfield scored one point with a free throw. Mansfield and Moore lit up the rebounding effort with 6 each. The rest of the Giants team also had impressive rebounding considering the loss – Petrovich and Stabilini each had 5 boards, while Ma and Stiehm each got 4 rebounds. Stiehm also had an assist to add to the effort. On defense, Stabilini and Moore each had blocked shots, while Petrovich (2), Stabilini (2), and Mansfield (1) racked up steals. It was a tough loss, but an exciting game for the crowd. Submitted by Jason Moore
Padres team member Leo Garcia #81 making his first game basket ever! Padres vs Pirates 2/16/19 game. Photo by Mayra Velasquez
Dodgers against the Cardinals: It was a close start in the first quarter with both teams adjusting to each other defense. We had Oliver Kowalczuk play a great defensive game with 5 rebounds 3 steals and 1 block, he is a force to be recon with down low! Gideon Hittner played great defense and grabbed 2 rebounds in the game. Richard Haro also grabbed a rebound with his defensive efforts. Xavier Aldez hustled in the game and kept pace with defense and hustle. Michael “MJ” Mikhail had 3 baskets, 2 steals and 2 rebounds as he is continuing to play as an aggressive player in the game. Walker “Wally” Levitt had a great game with 3 rebound 2 assists ans 2 steals, for being the youngest player on the team Wally continues to surprise us with his amazing plays and hustle attitude. Jarvis Wakefield had a breakout game with 17 rebounds, 5 steals, and 8 point. Jarvis is playing great this season and puts in a huge effort in rebounding that helps the team convert points in the fast break. Cam Pariser was the player of the game with 5 steals, 5 rebounds 4 points and an assist. Cam plays like a floor general and helps the Dodgers get going with fast breaks and runs the point guard position. Submitted by Coach Karim Mikhail
Dodgers against the Brewers: It was a very exciting game with efforts from all of the Dodgers players especially on fast breaks and defense. The dodgers collectively as a team grabbed 26 rebounds, and 13 steals our player of the game was Jarvis Wakefield with a giant game of 13 rebounds, 9 steals, and 8 Baskets made that included a couple of free throw shots.Wally scored 6 points and MJ scored a bucket and had a steal to contribute to the win over the brewers 17 to 12. The team overall played great defense with effort from Cam Pariser, Oliver Kowalczuk, Richard Haro, Gideon Hittner, and Xavier Aldez all putting in work on Hustle, rebounds, and steals. Great Victory for the Dodgers. Submitted by Coach Karim Mikhail
The Cardinals faced the tough and well coached Dodgers on Saturday, and even though the Redbirds played fine defense, the Dodgers were able to get a few more of their shots to go in, and prevailed over our team. Dodger coach Karim Mikhail employed a man to man defense that made it difficult for us to penetrate to the basket. Congrats to Brendan Still on his first Bantam basket ever! Conor Durcan had a standout performance on defense, and Monika Diaz led the scoring for the Cardinals with two baskets, Aiden Lin and Miles Franklin contributed to the scoring. Submitted by Coach Paul Drew
The Cardinals made an amazing turnaround on Sunday against the Reds. After having 24 hours to think about their loss the day before, the Redbirds took lessons learned and employed what we had worked on in practice the week before, and had a great team performance. Miles Franklin was “Player of the Game” with his amazing all around performance of baskets made, assists, blocks, and rebounds. Dominic Drew had buckets and assists to teammates including Jenson Montague who got into the scoring column. Monika Diaz took advantage of excellent screens by her teammates to have easy pathways to the basket to score multiple points. Aiden Harvey and Conor Durcan stifled the Reds shooting. Aiden Lin and Rayan Etemadnia were tough and gritty and helped to command the troops on defense. The Reds were well coached by Charles Ellinwood whose team made a comeback in the 3rd quarter and almost caught the birds, but fortunately for the Cardinals, a strong 4th quarter helped us to victory. Submitted by Coach Paul Drew
BREWERS vs GIANTS 2/16: Our Brewers took on the Giants on Saturday and were ready to go from the opening tip. The kids used the passing drills we worked all season which led to transition buckets throughout the game. Facing a resilient Giants squad, we never let up with our go to guy Sebastian Jukanovic leading the way again with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. He had plenty of help from Julian Reed with 6 points and 6 rebounds, Vaughn Elliot with 4 points and 6 rebounds, and Sammy Levi, Dylan Kravitz, Alan Larkin and Noah Hagooli all chipping in baskets. Luca Hayutin and Constantine Avrampoulos contributed rebounds and tough defense to complete a full team victory. By the end, our Brewers won one of the highest scoring Bantam games ever by a margin of 34-22. Submitted by Coach Bill Kravitz
BREWERS vs DODGERS 2/17: Our 2nd game of the weekend pitted our Brewers against the formidable Dodgers in a battle for top seeding in the Bantam League. A near sell out crowd of parents, relatives and friends, saw a back and forth game between two teams who both used a fast break tempo throughout to make it an exciting contest. The Dodgers stingy defense bottled up Seabastian Jukanovic who still managed 4 points to go along with his 11 rebounds, so Sammy Levi stepped up and had a strong game with 6 clutch points. Dylan Kravitz had 6 rebounds to go along with his 2 points and Vaughn Elliot had 7 rebounds. In the end the Dodgers held on to get the victory 17-14. Submitted By Coach Bill Kravitz
Minors
No games were scheduled
Majors
Angels tie with Mariners. This game was a wacky back-and-forth affair that defied the odds. Our Angels felt we were the stronger team on paper and when we opened a quick 11-4 lead without even playing too well, I think we all felt the lead would be up to 15 by halftime. Of course, we then started throwing the ball away and missing shots and we did not score at all for 6-7 minutes and found ourselves down 8-10 points until Timosha Moncher hit some shots just before the half to get us within 4 at 23-19 at the half. Every time we closed the gap, the Mariners would open up a larger lead until Timosha caught fire. After a 12-point first half, he went 5-7 on 3-pointers down the stretch for a 17-point second half for a 29-point performance that seemed to close the door on the Mariners.
Sam Rubin had his usual strong game on both ends of the court and Dom Kajota worked through an off-night on his shooting to still hit buckets and play tough defense. Amir Jahromi had a very strong game in the paint. When the final buzzer went off, we lead 51-47 and were ready to celebrate. We had 4 free throws and they had 6. We shot our 4 first and hit 2 to take a 53-47 lead. After they hit their first 2, we still weren’t nervous in the least, as Quest Miller came to the line to shoot 4 free throws and would need to make all 4 just to tie. To his credit, he hit all 4 and we were left with a very disheartening 53-53 tie. At least the fans got to see a very exciting game. Submitted by Coach Rick Moncher
Julian Bao (7 pts, 3 reb, 2 assists) and Brayden Stoll’s (10 pts, 4 reb, 3 stls) aggressiveness, in addition to a big comeback game from Bruno Bernachhi (20 pts, 3 stls) sparked the A’s to a 46-33 victory over the Royals. Sebastian Ramirez (7 pts) lead the A’s on the boards with 15 rebounds. After a narrow 21-17 lead at halftime, the A’s ran away with the second half, thanks to a strong defensive effort, rebounding and grit. Submitted by Coach Brent Stoll
The Rangers fell to the Astros on Saturday. Playing without several of their best players, the Rangers had a 30-point deficit going into the second half, but did not give up. The Rangers combined for 7 three-pointers in the second half to outscore the Astros by 11. Josh Birnbach was on fire from behind the arc, knocking down 4 treys. He also picked up 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and a blocked shot. The Rangers played aggressively in the second half, forcing multiple turnovers and jump balls. Eli Eng provided a boost offensively, scoring 8 points. Clark Elliott also had a strong second half, with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal. Owen Boelke was solid on defense with 6 boards and 2 steals. Ultimately it wasn’t enough to overcome the huge deficit, but the Rangers should be proud of the way they fought back and didn’t give up. Submitted by Coach Jonathan Wray
This Week’s Profile
Each week, Swish has a profile of a coach, player, or someone in the program who inspires all of us involved in Santa Monica YMCA basketball.
This week’s profile features Maxwell Brooks and his grandson Griffinn Pine. Max is currently coaching the Major division Royals which features his grandson Griffinn. Max has been involved with the Santa Monica YMCA for many years, working with former youth basketball director Peter Arbogast, and helping Peter at the summer youth camps, as a counselor at the Santa Monica YMCA Camp Big Bear in Big Bear Lake. Max is always a fun guy to talk to about anything, and a great leader for our youth.
Griffinn is a great kid who is not only a talented basketball player, but a motivator for his teammates and younger players by setting the examples of being a good teammate and displaying excellent sportsmanship whenever he plays. Griffinn has a long career of playing basketball at the Santa Monica YMCA.
DocDrew: What do you enjoy most about coaching youth basketball at the Santa Monica YMCA?
Max: Watching the kids improve their game and skills over the length of the season.
DocDrew: Which are your favorite memories or moments in your coaching career at the YMCA?
Max: Watching my Grandson improve over the years to finally take home the league MVP last season. The season before and last season were break through seasons for him. All of a sudden, his game came together and he stepped it up to a whole new level.
DocDrew: What would you like to see in the future for the youth basketball program at the YMCA?
Max: I would like to see it continue to teach kids in the future the importance of good sportsmanship and hard play. This has been a great environment for my grandson and I hope many young boys and girls along with their parents will come to appreciate the Y as much as Griffinn and I do now.
DocDrew: What do you like about playing basketball at the Santa Monica YMCA?
Griffinn: Making new friends and having a good time.
DocDrew: What are your favorite moments or memories in your basketball career?
Griffinn: Making a half court shot in a game. Scoring at least 20 points in 4 straight games. Getting the MVP of the league last season. Coming in first place on my first season in Rookie league 7 years ago.
DocDrew: Who are your favorite basketball players and why?
Griffinn: Magic Johnson because of his no look passes and team play. Dennis Rodman for his excellent defense. And Steph Curry for his great shooting.
The Santa Monica YMCA thanks Max and Griffinn for all that they have done to motivate our youth, and help to teach all of us responsibility and leadership.
Scores:
Scores:
Saturday, February 16th
Rookies
No games scheduled
Bantams
Dodgers 18, Cardinals 10
Padres 20, Pirates 16
Rockies 10, Diamondbacks 8
Giants 22, Brewers 34
Reds 5, Cubs 4
Minors
No games scheduled
Majors
Astros 54, Rangers 35 **not a league game, no points toward standings
Royals 34, Athletics 46
Mariners 53, Angels 53
Sunday, February 17th
Rookies
Yankees 8, Orioles 19
Twins 12, Red Sox 6
Rays 22, Blue Jays 7
Bantams
Brewers 14, Dodgers 17
Cardinals 18, Reds 10
Cubs 3, Pirates 8
Giants 17, Diamondbacks 28
Padres 21, Rockies 9
Minors
No games scheduled
Majors
No games scheduled
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.
Rookies:
Rays 5-0-0, 25 points
Red Sox 3-2-0, 17 points *Red Sox beat Orioles head to head
Orioles 3-2-0, 17 points
Yankees 2-3-0, 13 points *Yankees beat Twins head to head
Twins 2-3-0, 13 points
Blue Jays 0-5-0, 5 points
Bantams:
Padres 5-1-1, 29 points
Brewers 5-2-0, 27 points
Dodgers 4-1-1, 24 points
Rockies 4-3-0, 23 points *Both teams lost to Padres, Rockies beat Brewers, Cardinals lost to Brewers
Cardinals 4-3-0, 23 points
Diamondbacks 3-4-0, 19 points *Diamondbacks beat Padres, Pirates lost to Padres.
Pirates 3-4-0, 19 points
Reds 3-3-0, 18 points
Cubs 1-6-0, 11 points *Cubs beat Giants head to head
Giants 1-6-0, 11 points
Minors:
Phillies 5-2-0, 27 points
Marlins 4-2-0, 22 points
Nationals 4-2-0, 21 points *one loss by forfeit
Mets 3-3-0, 17 points *one loss by forfeit
White Sox 2-4-0, 14 points
Rangers 2-4-0, 13 points *one loss by forfeit, Rangers beat Tigers head to head
Tigers 2-4-0, 13 points *one loss by forfeit
Braves 0-5-0, 5 points
Majors:
Astros 5-0-0, 25 points
Angels 3-1-1, 19 points
Athletics 3-2-0, 17 points
Royals 2-3-0 13 points
Mariners 1-3-1, 11 points
Rangers 0-5-0, 5 points
Upcoming schedule
All games are played in the gymnasium of the Santa Monica YMCA
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2019
ROOKIE LEAGUE
10:30 AM TWINS VS BLUE JAYS
11:40 AM ORIOLES VS YANKEES
12:50 PM RAYS VS RED SOX
BANTAM LEAGUE
2:00 PM DODGERS VS REDS
MINOR LEAGUE
3:10 PM METS VS BRAVES
MAJOR LEAGUE
4:20 PM MARINERS VS RANGERS
5:30 PM ATHLETICS “A’S” VS ROYALS
6:40 PM ASTROS VS ANGELS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019
BANTAM LEAGUE
10:20 AM DIAMONDBACKS VS PIRATES
ROOKIE LEAGUE
TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
11:40 AM 3RD PLACE VS 6TH PLACE
12:50 PM 4TH PLACE VS 5TH PLACE
STANDINGS AS OF CLOSE OF PLAY ON FEBRUARY 23
MAJOR LEAGUE
TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
2:00 PM 3RD PLACE VS 6TH PLACE
3:10 PM 4TH PLACE VS 5TH PLACE
STANDINGS AS OF CLOSE OF PLAY ON FEBRUARY 23
MINOR LEAGUE
4:20 PM NATIONALS VS TIGERS
5:30 PM BRAVES VS RANGERS
6:40 PM MARLINS VS WHITE SOX
Thank you very much,
Dr. Paul Drew, assistant youth basketball coordinator at the Santa Monica YMCA, editor and publisher of Swish
