Lincoln boys’ grit overcomes lack of height
When three-fifths of your starting squad is well under 6 feet tall — and your tallest player is 6-2 — it takes the “little things” to succeed, Lincoln boys basketball coach Carl Jacobs said.
No pun intended.
“It’s all about the fundamentals,” said Jacobs, who has the Mustangs off to a 5-2 start. “Repetition. Defensive principles. Boxing out not just when convenient, but every single time.”
It also requires a lot of grit, confidence and resilience, all big things the Mustangs have shown since Jacobs returned to the program in 2018 after a 14-year absence. Lincoln has gone 57-17 in that time, including 29-4 in 2019-20 when it was preparing to play a home game for the Northern California Division 4 title against Brookside ChristianStockton only to have COVID-19 scuttle the season.
The deep disappointment of unfinished business followed by the transfer of its top three players — brothers Jeremyah, Justin and Jordan Aquino to Sacred Heart Cathedral — and the San Francisco Unified School District’s decision to not play a 2021 spring season severely tested the Mustangs’ mettle.
“Patience, persistence and a little faith,” said Jacobs, 59, who led Lincoln to seven San Francisco Section championships and nine NorCal appearances in 10 seasons as head coach before leaving in 2004. “We’ve needed all of it. It feels very good to be back in the swing again.”
It helped to have continued weight training from Murray Athletic Development and the return of the Aquino brothers. The trio led the Mustangs on Friday and Saturday to impressive home wins over Stuart Hall (72-41) and University (71-53) at the initial Rick Boyle Classic.
Jordan Aquino, a 5-9 senior, had a combined 43 points, 16 rebounds and 14 steals in the two games, Jeremyah and Justin, 5-7 junior twins, added 40 and 25 points, respectively.
“They’ve all been playing since they were probably 4 years old,” Jacobs said.
The team’s center is 6-2 Andre Irving, Senior cocaptain Daniel Toy (just 5foot-7) adds leadership, and 6-foot forward Tyreque Ellington brings football toughness. Freshman Ceyaan Lutt and junior Nikita Kartsev round out the rotation.
Showdown: Top-ranked Campolindo, which beat No. 3 De La Salle-Concord (48-41) and No. 9 Riordan (48-31) on its way to the Gridley Invitational title, hosts No. 8 St. Francis at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Good to see: Serra coach
Chuck Rapp is back on the sideline after sitting out the better part of two seasons following hip surgery. The No. 12 Padres have lost only to De La Salle 46-40 in the finals of the Chris Vontoure Classic.
Island showdown: Morgan Cheli, one of the top sophomores on the West Coast, had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as then-No. 2 Mitty defeated Salesian-Richmond 63-60 in the final of the Iolani Classic on Dec. 11. Noemie Bartieau had 12 points and Makayla Moore and Siena
Guttadauro added 10 points apiece for the Monarchs, who moved up to No. 1 after Pinewood-Los Altos Hills was defeated 59-54 the same night by visiting St. Ignatius, which moved from No. 4 to No. 2 with the win. Salesian was led by junior guard Makiah Asidanya’s 16 points. In the St. Ignatius win over Pinewood, Sabrina Ma had 34 points, 20 in the first half.
Watch out: A surprise girls team in the East Bay is Berean Christian-Walnut Creek (10-1), whose only loss is 46-40 to unbeaten Colfax (10-0). The Eagles are led by 6-3 sophomore Gabrielle Abigor (27.2 points, 17.6 rebounds, 7.2 blocks per game).
Keeping up with Broncos:
There’s more success in Walnut Creek at Northgate, where the boys and girls have yet to lose. The boys, under head coach Michael Shaughnessy
and led by 6-2 senior guard Brady Cook, are 8-0 with wins over Piedmont, San Ramon Valley-Danville and Berkeley. The 7-0 girls are led by senior point guard Tegan Gaines (19.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg).