Warriors again honor Oakland Tech title team
The crowd at Chase Center celebrated a dynasty, and that was before they watched the Warriors play the San Antonio Spurs.
The Oakland Tech girls basketball team, which won its third state title in as many tournaments last month, was recognized at midcourt by the Warriors on Friday. Golden State won three of its four most recent NBA championships while still in “The Town.”
“To have them here tonight and have them here at halfcourt before the game and see them in the crowd, and go in there and show them some love, it means a lot,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “Obviously, the history of this franchise in Oakland, and us maybe being an inspiration.
“Now they're champs again, it's awesome.”
Mari Somvichian, Tech's senior point guard, told first-year teammates Jhai Johnson and Terri'A Russell to not take the night's festivities for granted.
“It goes by so quickly because it feels like just yesterday that I was a freshman,” Somvichian said. “I definitely want them to enjoy this moment, and take it all in.”
The Warriors honored the team after winning Division III last year; it won
the Division I title March 10. Senior Erin Sellers characterized the event as a tradition.
“It's like we know each other now,” said Sellers, the Oakland Athletic League MVP, who called the ceremony “a nice reunion.”
Sellers and her teammates
may have tried to play it cool pregame, but loud screams and cheers echoed through the walls and into the press conference room. The loudest yells were reserved for Draymond Green, but Tech also enjoyed seeing Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole
and Curry.
“Shoutout to the Oakland Tech girls team going back-to-back, that's so cool,” Thompson said. “I remember I was able to win one in high school and I still cherish those memories to this day. And I know those ladies will do the same; they
got (three), so that's really cool.”
A few days before seeing Curry and the Warriors, Tech's girls were visited by NBA legend Kareem AbdulJabbar, a player who won three high school, three collegiate and six NBA titles.
“His main message was to pursue education, and pair it with basketball,” Somvichian said. “He said the best way to achieve success was to use those two things together, and then great things will happen.”
Tech coach Leroy Hurt drew parallels between his team and the Warriors, noting both showed the importance of allowing a group to grow together through struggles. Warriors coach Steve Kerr agreed.
“You can see on a night like tonight, we're struggling and not playing that well,” Kerr said. “When when you put Draymond, Klay and Steph out there together, there's a synergy there and they figure out how to make plays. They know what the other is thinking, and the game just makes sense. I think that's true at every level.”
With Tech graduating six seniors, Hurt doesn't consider future ceremonies at Chase Center to be a guarantee. Instead, he focused on celebrating the run the team has gone on over the past five years.
“I want to stay as hungry as I was when we won our first one,” Hurt said. “You can be a great coach and never win a title, and I've got three, so I'm just the happiest guy in the world. I never saw it coming, but we're here. These kids have taken us to new heights.”