Choates a blur in track debut for Washington State

Former Seaside High and Hartnell College sprinter De’antae Choates recently made his indoor track and field debut for Washington State.

Choates ran the 60 meter dash at the Husky Invitational in Seattle in 7.08 seconds. He also ran his first ever banked indoor 200 meters.

The sophomore sprinter is expected to be a part of the Cougars’ 400 relay team when the sport transitions to the outdoor season next month.

A former football and track standout at Seaside, Choates blistered the track for Hartnell in 2019 with a mark of 10.64 seconds in the 100 meters.

In one full season at Hartnell, Choates put his name among the top 10 sprinters of all-time in the 100 and 200 (21.67). He also earned All-American honors, helping the 400 relay team to a third place state meet finish.

Choates was a Central Coast Section finalist in the 100 meters as a senior at Seaside in 2018.

Olivares establishing new standards in Sacramento

Jordan Olivares has already surpassed last season’s entire point total in half the games for the Sacramento State women’s basketball team.

Despite nursing a foot injury early in the season and a sore hamstring, the sophomore guard is averaging 9.7 points in 22 minutes a night on the floor in her first 13 games for the Hornets, including 22 points last Thursday in a loss to Weber State.

The 5-foot-8 Olivares is also leading Sacramento State in steals at 2.3 a night and assists at 2.7. She is pulling down 2.8 rebounds a contest.

A two-time Herald Basketball Player of the Year, Olivares led Seaside to the program’s first Central Coast Section Division IV title, and a spot in the NorCal Division III quarterfinals in 2019.

Johnson finding the floor down under

Seeing his first extensive action since 2017, Palma product Orlando Johnson is averaging 22.4 minutes per game for the Brisbane Bullets in the Australian Basketball League.

The 6-foot-6 Johnson is averaging 7.1 points, dropping in a season-high 15 two weeks ago. He’s also pulling down 4.8 rebounds and dishing out 1.3 assists a night.

Johnson played in 12 games last year in Russia before the pandemic shut things down. He was limited to one game in 2019 and didn’t see the court in 2018.

A former second round draft choice by the Sacramento Kings, Johnson spent three seasons in the NBA with Indiana, Sacramento, New Orleans and Phoenix. Johnson averaged over 25 points a game in taking Palma to the NorCal Division IV semifinals in 2006. He also earned all-conference honors while at UC Santa Barbara.

Robles making an impact at Sacramento State

Don’t be misled by Aliyah Robles’ .231 batting average. The former Alvarez all-county softball slugger sports a .500 on-base percentage for Sacramento State.

The true sophomore has walked seven times in seven games for the Hornets, having knocked in a pair of runs, scored three and stolen two bases.

Robles has been flawless in the field with 12 putouts. Last season Robles drove in eight runs in 52 at-bats as a freshman in a shortened season because of the pandemic.

Teammate and former San Benito catcher Amber Rodriguez has yet to commit an error behind the dish with 12 putouts in four games for Sacramento State.

Adjustments on the fly for Palma grad Allen

Noah Allen is still getting acclimated to his new team, playing for

HLA Alicante of the Spanish League, averaging 3.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11 minutes of play.

The Palma prodigy began the 2020-21 season playing in Germany, where he was averaging 9.8 points and 4.5 rebounds for Eisbaren Bremerhaven.

A four-year starter and Herald Basketball Player of the Year at Palma, Allen was an all-conference selection at the University of Hawaii, playing for the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards summer league teams.

A Pacific Grove native, the 6-foot-7 guard spent the previous two seasons in the NBA’s G-League with the Capital City GoGo.

Monterey Bay FC to launch virtual events

The Monterey Bay Football Club, which will begin play in the United Soccer League in 2022, is hosting a series of virtual events and listening sessions to support the creation of the club’s crest and colors.

The sessions are open to the public and will also engage in a range of community segments, including drawings of a potential logo from local artists.

Deposits on the 2022 season can be purchased for $22. Individuals and businesses interested can visit www.montereybayfc. com

You can learn about Monterey Bay FC by going to @MontereyBayFC on twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Giammanco Foundation

Despite a pandemic crippling the high school sports season, applications are being accepted for the 2021 Gen Giammanco Foundation awards.

All Monterey County senior student-athletes, who plan to continue to play sports at the college level are eligible to apply.

Over the last decade, the Giammanco Foundation has given out over $350,000 to student-athletes that went on to play college sports, and local school athletic departments

Go to www.gengiammancocofoundation.org. Applications are due on March 31.

Seaside seeking head coaches for fall sports

Seaside High is accepting applications for head coaching positions for football, boys and girls cross country, volleyball and cheerleading. Contact Alex Jennings at ajennnings@mpusd.net