San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
MONTGOMERY'S BOYS HOOPS TEAM IS ON SAME PAGE
Players seem to flow as one; they even rolled off 17 straight wins this season
Sometimes there is just a feeling, a sense that you and your teammates are tuned to the same channel.
For Montgomery High’s JJ Sanchez, it was easier to understand since his twin brother, Alek, was one of four freshmen who melded together a year ago on the basketball court and this year have taken it a step further.
Since the Aztecs opened the season with a 78-65 loss to No. 1 St. Augustine, they are 22-3, seeing their 17-game winning streak snapped by Santa Fe Christian on a last-second basket, 70-69, last week.
“Despite losing (to St. Augustine), I thought we’d be fine,” said JJ, who leads the team with a 19.9 scoring average. “We played together last year. We discovered we had all bought in, and this year we’ve gotten closer. Before we were several strings, but now we’re all one string looking to win the championship.”
That championship would be in the Open Division where St. Augustine is expected to be No. 1 when the seedings are announced. Montgomery and Carlsbad are right behind.
For Ed Martin, now in his 15th season as the head coach, the next title will be his first, which explains why he would start the season with a team like St. Augustine.
“We always think big to open the season,” Martin said. “We played (Chatsworth) Sierra Canyon three straight years, and while that wasn’t a fun outcome, it was perfect film to study how we could get better.
“We have a few friends at St. Augustine, and we know Mike (Haupt) is a great coach, and they had five returning starters from winning the Open Division last year, so that’s who we wanted to play.
“This team is getting better and better right before our eyes. We’re not real tall, but we have a high togetherness IQ. The camaraderie is amazing. They don’t turn the ball over, and they’re smart.”
JJ noticed.
“There are no egos at all,” said the 6-5 forward, who is two minutes older than Alek. “What my brother and I have is amazing. We communicate without talking on the basketball court, but the whole team is that way, too.”
Alek, who is 6-4, averages 8.8 points and 5.4 assists a game. Devin Hamilton is No. 2 in scoring at 12.7 points a contest and Xair Mendez, who stands 6-3, is right there with 12.6-points a game. Senor Nico Reyes’ 8.9 points rounds out the starters, and 6-3 junior David Soto, the team’s lone transfer (Bonita Vista), contributes 6.8 points while providing depth.
Mendez played with the Sanchez brothers in YMCA ball, while Hamilton joined the team as a freshman.
“The thing about this group is the dedication level to what they do,” Martin said. “You can only practice a certain number of hours a day, but these guys will come in before school and on weekends to work on their own.
“It’s the little stuff, like waking up early and taking 100 free throws before school.”
While Martin said the group loves scoring, JJ says that’s just part of the puzzle. “I think our strength is our defense,” was his surprising answer to why the team is so strong. “Defense or offense, we love sharing. We don’t care who does the scoring, as long as we score.”
So far, that’s the way the Aztecs have rolled. They average 73.3 points a game while allowing 50.1. Add in 25.5 rebounds and 17.5 assists to go with 13 steals a game and you can see how they’ve marched through the Metro Mesa League.
The one thing they don’t do is get too far ahead of themselves. “We know we have four sophomores, and so the next two years should be a lot of fun,” JJ said. “But we’re playing really well right now, and we want to keep it going in the playoffs.”