union tribunes top teams and players

The following list of teams was compiled by Steve Brand of the San Diego Union Tribune. We can't say that we necessarily agree with it, and we'll just have to wait and see. We've got some previews of San Diego teams in the works, and we hope to have them up in by the end of the week, time permitting. In the meantime, rather than just give you a link to the Union Tribune website where this information can be found for now, we're going to inscribe it permanently (at least as permanently as digital bits and bytes can be in cyberspace) so that at the end of the season we can all come back and appplaud Mr. Brand on his wise suggestions, or call him an imbecile. Just kidding. But since the UT doesn't archive it's stories (or at least if they do, we haven't found where they're kept) we'll keep this stuff around for ready reference.

Here's the San Diego Union Tribune's (aka sportswriter Steve Brand's) Top 10 Basketball Teams in the San Diego area, as of November 30, 1999:

Rank	School	98-99 Record	Comments
1.	USDHS	20-9	Huge, veteran front line needs just one guard to step up
2	Horizon Christian	25-3	Three newcomers complement core of veterans
3	St. Augustine	20-9	Front line is set, but big questions at guard
4	Torrey Pines	19-11	Experienced guards Perry, Nelson have help
5	El Camino	21-9	It may take a while, but the talent is there
6	Mira Mesa	7-20	Transfers Johnson, Gordon bring winning attitude
7	San Diego	17-7	A lot depends on 6'-8" Shamar Shire's improvement
8	Bishop's	16-14	Booker a nugget; loss of Hausmann to graduation hurts
9	Helix	22-6	Waggoner quick, agile and loyal. Some vets return.
10	Rancho Bernardo	13-13	One big man away from being ranked a lot higher

Mr. Brand also did some notations on "Players to Watch" in the San Diego area, most of whom we've either heard about, seen (some many times) and some of whom are even listed among our top players and "Best of the Best" lists. Here's the Union Tribune's list of the Top Players to Watch in the San Diego region for the 1999-2000 season:

Name	School	Height, Year, Position	Comments
Rashawn Allen	La Jolla Country Day	6'-0" Jr. G	Can score from anywhere on the court
Jarrha Bolden	Horizon Christian	6'-1" Jr. G	Great vertical leap; plays under control
Nick Booker	Bishop's School	6'-5" Sr. F	Davidson-bound standout inside outside threat
D.J. Brown	Horizon Christian	6'-5" Jr. F	Monte Vista transfer isn't afraid to shoot
Tim Brown	Christian	6'-4" Sr. F	All-State Division V last year with 14.9 average
Jaris Cole	Bishop's School	6'-0" Jr. G	Deadly three-point shooter assumes bigger role
Ron Coleman	Horizon Christian	6'-9" Jr. C	Improved a ton, has ability to dominate
Amon Gordon	Mira Mesa	6'-4" Sr. F	Amazingly agile 250-pounder will move you out
Donald Harrison	San Diego	6'-2" Sr. G	Double-figures average on vastly improved team
Fred Hooks	Horizon Christian	6'-5" Sr. F	Morse transfer will help the Panthers run
Teyo Johnson	Mira Mesa	6'-7" Sr. F	This is preseason All-American's best sport
Jean P:ierre-Marley	El Camino	6'-8" Sr. F	Transfer has already signed with Coppin State
Donyare Mayfield	Vista	5'-8" Sr. PG	Senior point guard is a four year starter
Floyd North	St. Augustine	6'-5" Jr. G	Considered one of the nation's best juniors
Adam Olson	USDHS	6'-6" Sr. F	Underrated Don is a steadying influence
Blake Perry	Torrey Pines	6'-0" Sr. G	Good leader, shooter who knows how to win
James Profit	Serra	6'-6" Sr. F	Summer standout always plays above the rim
Shamar Shire	San Diego	6'-7" So. F	Thin but solid player with soft outside shot
William Waggoner	Helix	6'-2" Sr. G	Point guard supreme averaged 18.7 last year
Chris Walton	USDHS	6'-8" Sr. F	One state title not enough for SDSU recruit
Kam Walton	USDHS	6'-8" Sr. C	Powerful inside force with a velvet touch
Jamaal Williams	St. Augustine	6'-6" Sr. F	Can turn up the heat when he's on