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Road Trip

Brian Wilkinson

(Updated: Thursday, August 04, 2011, 9:10 AM)

Rick Slayton, president of the Yosemite Youth Basketball Association, might have been a little tired after a five day trip to Las Vegas for a youth basketball tournament, but he could not have been more pleased that 36 basketball players from the Mountain Area had the opportunity to participate in the event.

Slayton said the July 23-26 Swoosh Ultimate Showcase Basketball Tournament is very competitive and well respected and featured 80 teams from the west.

Although Y.Y.B.A. is not officially associated with Yosemite High School, the majority of players on the five teams that went to the tournament will be Badgers. The teams included the boys junior high school team, the Badgers JV and varsity teams along with two girls varsity teams.

The three boys teams were coached by Stephen Lopez, assisted by former Badger Brad Wilkinson and Slayton. Lopez has been coaching the seventh and eighth grade summer team since spring and was assisting YHS varsity coach Mark Siverly, who recently took a coaching position and relocated to Santa Maria High School.

Gary Blate and his son Mac coached the girls varsity and JV teams.

Playing against primary "elite" teams made up of the best players from a specific town or region, the Yosemite teams took their lumps during the tournament. "Our varsity boys team ran across squads that every player on the team could dunk the ball," Slayton said.

Although a couple of the games were close, none of the five teams managed a win during the tournament, but that did not discourage Slayton or any of the coaches.

"This tournament was not about wins, it was about our players having the opportunity to improve their game and participate in a big tournament," Slayton said. "It also gave all the players a great opportunity to experience some fun with their team mates off the court like swimming, barbecues, roller coaster rides and touring Fremont Street in Vegas. Win or lose, we all had a great time and if it wasn't for everyones' efforts to make this trip happen, these kids would have just been sitting at home."

The 22 boys helped off-set some of the expenses by paying $100 each to attend the tournament, although the total cost for the three boys teams, including lodging, groceries and transportation was near $4,000.

Slayton said fundraisers like the organization's fireworks stand in Madera Ranchos and a big car wash, along with some community donations, is what makes trips like this possible for Y.Y.B.A.

The girls teams were financed through separate fund raising efforts.

"Although out teams spent a sizable amount of money to participate in this tournament, we did not spend as much as the four teams and their supporters from Hawaii, 130 in all, that came to the tournament on a charter jet," said Slayton.

Lopez said teams at quality tournaments are very serious about their basketball and very competitive. "The host team, Triple Threat, has played 64 tournament games since the end of the school year."

Although Blate has been taking his girls summer teams to out of state tournaments for 10 years, the Vegas trip is the first time Y.Y.B.A. has taken girls and boys teams to a tournament. "This happened because coach Lopez was able to organize and pull together the boys JV and varsity teams to attend the event," Slayton said. "He is very committed and I admire the time and effort he put in to coach all three three boys teams with help from Brad and I."

Lopez pointed to junior high team member Chase Lassos for providing good leadership on and off the court for his team. "Chase stood out at the tournament and has played hard for us all summer," Lopez said.

Lopez also said Nathan Gardner was a stand out at times. "Nathan has great potential and I look for him to improve a lot over the coming years," Lopez said. "Kyle Kingsland was our only post player and made a great effort every game."

The JV team was led by Luke Blate at point guard and Beau Campbell. "Luke was our leading scorer and played hard in every game and Beau provided great effort for us at multiple positions,' Lopez said.

At the varsity level, Lopez said Justin McMillen, Jason Pol, Dylan Jenkins and Cory Skerce provided the team leadership and positive attitudes to compete at the level with the caliber of teams that were in this tournament.

"Overall, the combined effort of all the boys on all three teams was admirable," Lopez said.

Blate split his varsity team into two teams to allow maximum playing time for everyone.

"We are in a rebuilding year since our top seven players last year were seniors," Blate said. "After a summer of hard work we like to take the players on an out of town trip to a major tournament. This Vegas tournament was a reward for their hard work and effort all summer long ... a chance to have a fun experience off the court and create some camaraderie amongst the team."

In addition to the coaches, volunteer chaperons who helped with transportation and cooking team meals were Lauri Blate, Nan Grant and Lynn and Cindy Jenkins.

Slayton thanked the community for the support of the Y.Y.B.A. program and the donations that allowed the teams to make the trip. "If it were not for the contributions of the Blate family, Lopez and Wilkinson, the kids would not have been at this tournament. It was rewarding to me so see these teams improve every game. By the end of the tournament, I could not have been more pleased with their effort."

Details: Rick Slayton, (559) 906-7352, slayton@sti.net.