Alameda, without question, a feel-good story

ALAMEDA >> Feel Good Bakery in Alameda is aptly named because on Sunday the scene was so feel-good for the kid at the center of the commotion.

A night earlier, on their home court at Alameda High, Sam Wettergren and his teammates celebrated history, the boys basketball program’s first Northern California championship.

The next day, Wettergren went about his routine, a Sunday job at Feel Good.

There was buzz in the air but not about the pastries and pies.

Customers wanted to talk about the Hornets, who will play Crossroads-Santa Monica and its star — Shareef O’Neal, Shaq’s son — for the Division II state championship Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

“I would just have random people come up to me and take pictures with me,” Wettergren said Monday. “It’s surreal having the community come together that much that it really makes a bond with everyone.”

The bond between team and community tightened as Alameda went on its postseason run.

Seeded No. 1 in Division II, the Hornets won four consecutive home games to reach the state final, capped by an overtime gut-check against St. Mary’s-Stockton in the regional final Saturday night.

When coach Cameron Quick arrived four years ago, he had a plan, a vision to one day win a state championship.

The locker room underwent a face lift in Year 2, the season the team improved from 6-22 in Quick’s first season to 11-19.

The Hornets won 19 games in the coach’s third year.

With eight players returning for their senior year, the stage was set for what unfolded this winter.

“Our whole thing is family,” Quick said. “When the family is running at its best, everybody is contributing. We don’t have a guy is going to get 20 to 25 points a game by himself. We’re at our best when everybody is contributing, from our starting five to a guy who may not play.

“Their contributions may not be felt in a game, but it’s in practice, pushing everybody else to be better.”

Alameda went undefeated in its league this season and reached the semifinals of the North Coast Section Division II playoffs before losing to eventual champion and NorCal Open finalist Bishop O’Dowd.

The Hornets then took advantage of their regional seeding.

In the state’s new competitive equity model, one spot can make a difference. Had the selection committee positioned the Hornets a notch higher, they would have been the 16th seed in Division I and played on the road against the No. 1 seed in the first round.

Instead, Alameda took advantage of being at home, beating Oak Ridge, Los Gatos, Grant and St. Mary’s to make the Division II state final.

“I am a strong believer in God; I know He had a plan for us,” Quick said. “At that time I couldn’t see it. He wanted us to be here, so we’re here.”

Said Wettergren, “We were going to make the best of whatever we got. If we were 16 in Division I, we still would’ve gave everything we’ve got.”

It took everything Alameda had Saturday to survive against St. Mary’s, which outscored Alameda by six in the fourth quarter to stretch the game into overtime.

The celebration after the 76-66 win, like the season, was one for the history books.

“It’s been incredible for the kids, the school and the community,” Quick said. “It’s brought a lot of people together. I’ve heard alumni who haven’t been back to the school in a while came back to watch some of our games. The community has supported us. The kids at school, who we call the swarm, have been a huge part of our success at home.”