Miramonte boys ready to challenge SRV
Chris Lavdiotis has been a boys basketball coach in the region for more than 25 years, including stints at Piedmont and Lowell.
He has his dream team in his third season at MiramonteOrinda.
While mega attention has been paid just a mile up the road at No. 1 CampolindoMoraga, and rightfully so, the Matadors have quietly and efficiently built a juggernaut, a senior- and guard-dominated squad that is 14-1 and hosts the middle of three games Saturday in the first Martin Luther King Jr.-John Lewis Memorial.
Miramonte, ranked eighth by The Chronicle, takes on 18th-ranked San Ramon Valley-Danville (7-2). With teams having to drop out due to the coronavirus, the six-game schedule was cut in half, leaving Lavdiotis scrambling to get the schedule straight.
“I haven’t had time to do much scouting” on San Ramon Valley, Lavdiotis said Friday. “All I know is they are very, very good.”
But Lavdiotis or his assistant Rich Forslund, a highly successful head coach at Riordan and Half Moon Bay, aren’t scared of the competition. They found out just how competitive their bunch are with three straight wins over No. 10 Serra (50-48), Folsom (61-58) and King-Riverside (72-64) to win the 25th Bambauer Classic at Marin Catholic-Kentfield during the Christmas break.
Ben Murphy had 21 points, James Frye 16 points and 10 rebounds and Tyler Dutto 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the title game. The Matadors played all three games with just seven players due to coronavirus-related absences and injuries. In each outing, Miramonte took big leads and held on against teams with current combined records of 35-11.
“It’s a fun, great group to coach,” Lavdiotis said. “What makes it most fun is they’re so connected. They spend so much time together. There’s a trust factor. They share the ball.”
The 6-5 Frye, committed to play at Claremont McKenna, leads the team with an 18.4 scoring average to go along with 8.2 rebounds. He, 6-5 Caden Breznikar (13.7, 9.6), 6-4 Dutto (11.7, 6.2 assists) and 6-foot Murphy (11.5) are all senior co-captains.
Marcus Robinson, a 6-2 sophomore and brother of former Las Lomas-Walnut Creek standout Nathan Robinson (now at Seattle University), scores at 10.7 per game.
“Frye is super versatile and great around the rim,” Lavdiotis said. “Breznikar was a point guard who suddenly shot up to 6-5 and can do it all. He’s going to be a steal for a college coach. Murphy is a terrific finisher and defender. Dutto is a bull, a tremendous finisher, great competitor and a winner.”
Unfortunately Saturday’s event is not open to the public. Attendance is restricted to family of players and coaches, credentialed media and college coaches. Though no admission will be charged, non-cash donations to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund are encouraged.
While at Piedmont, Lavdiotis organized a MLK event for 13 years. He added the memory of Lewis, who died in July 2020.
“We’ve always tried to make the events more than just basketball,” Lavdiotis said. “I can’t think of two better or more vital or important men in our history when it comes to social and racial equality. It’s always been a great way for all people all backgrounds to connect, along with shining a light on the great game of basketball.”
MLK at De La Salle: The 24th annual MLK Jr. Classic presented by De La Salle will move back to the school where it all started. After long stints at McKeon Pavilion at St. Mary’s College and Haas Pavilion at Cal, a five-game set starts 11 a.m. Monday.
Two Southern California teams had to bow out this week due to COVID-19 restrictions, but they were replaced by Valley Christian and Capital Christian-Sacramento. As of Friday, no general admission will be available. The games will be streamed on vimeo.com/delasalletv.
Ranked girls team in action:
Three ranked girls teams — No. 1 Carondelet-Concord, No. 4 St. Ignatius and No. 11 Piedmont — will participate in the ninth annual St. Mary’s-Stockton MLK Showcase Saturday and Monday.
Carondelet (11-1) takes on Incarnate Word-St. Louis (10-0), ranked 10th nationally, 3:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Mary’s, followed by St. Ignatius (9-1) against Mission HillsSan Marcos (8-4) at 5 p.m. and Piedmont (8-3) versus Lynwood (6-7) of Los Angeles County at 8 p.m.
Oakland event postponed: The 10th annual MLK “I Have a Dream” Classic scheduled at Merritt College has been delayed until sometime after the Oakland Section shutdown ends due to COVID-19. The
section shut down started Monday.
According to Oakland coach and event organizer Orlando Watkins, six games were planned for Monday and now hope to be rescheduled on a Sunday, now that the CIF recently ruled games can be played on those days.