For those of you who cannot make it to L.A. for the basketball state championships, you can still be there with your team by listening to live broadcasts.

The women’s basketball team plays today (3/11) at 1 p.m. against Pasadena. You can listen to that game live at http://www.coasports.org/Broadcasts.asp! We will also be updating the coverage of that game live via our twitter feed at CCSFSPORTS.

The men’s game will be streamed live as well, but at http://www.homefieldsports.com. The men’s basketball team starts their championship round at 1p.m. tomorrow (3/12) against Irvine Valley College. Again, we will be updating the coverage of that game  via our twitter feed at CCSFSPORTS. Best of luck to both teams! Go Rams!

By Bontã Hill
The Guardsman

Freshman guard Daryl Cooper brings the ball down the court during a game against Chabot College at the Wellness Center on March 6.

For a program that has set the bar high, participating in the state championships is becoming a yearly routine.

The City College men’s basketball team clinched a third consecutive “Elite Eight” appearance as they cruised to their fourth victory over league rival Chabot this season, 83-68.

“Our guys came out intense, which was the plan,” head coach Justin Labagh said. “We let them know from the very beginning of the game that they were not going to win.”

Sophomore forward Da’Ron Sims led the way with 16 points, while sophomores Calvin Douglas and Chris White chipped in with 14 points each.

Right off the bat, the Rams defense would not let the Gladiators breathe as they held them to only five points in the first 11 minutes of the game. Chabot would go on a 13-5 run to whittle the Rams lead to 22-18.

That was as close as they would get. The Rams stormed into halftime with a 14-point lead, 40-26. From that point, it wasn’t a question of if they would hold on to win, but who they would be playing in the first game of the of the “Elite Eight.”

“We weren’t shocked at all because we played hard every day in practice all week just preparing for them,” said sophomore Chibuzo Emeka. “Just going over the plays step by step, and everybody played hard during the game.”

Awaiting the Rams in their fourth round game is Irvine Valley College, a team nobody in the North Region seems to know anything about, aside from their impressive 26-4 record.

“At this point in tournament play there’s not so much you can do, since you can’t prepare for every offensive set they run,” Labagh said. “We just got to play the rules on defense, play smart and do what we do well, which is run and attack.”

Defense has been the key for any team at this point of the season, but Labagh’s team seems to have really bought into the concept, and he likes where his team is.

“We’re right there, right where we want to be,” he said.

The Rams take the court March 12 at 1 p.m. in Cal State Lutheran University’s Gilbert Arena in Thousand Oaks.

“This time it’s going to be much different,” Emeka said. “We’re more focused. We play as a team and just go harder.”

By Aaron Turner
The Guardsman

Freshman guard TC Smith leads a Rams fast break against Ohlone's Jasmine Rubin at the Wellness Center on March 6. RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

The City College women’s basketball team knew they could not look past any opponent, despite the fact they have not lost a game in over two months.

The Rams took another step closer to a state title with a convincing 74-63 victory over Ohlone College on March 6 at the Wellness Center, and set the stage for a rematch with Pasadena City College in Thousand Oaks on March 11.

Mone Peoples led the scoring with 18 points on the night, and her sophomore guard companions Marlee Rice and Brittney Allen added 15 and 12 points, respectively.

“Ohlone is a good team with some really good athletes,” head coach Jamie Hayes said. “It’s hard to play a team four times and get a win each time, so they were not a team to be taken lightly.”

This was the fourth time this season the Rams have topped the Renegades, and in every game the Rams’ margin of victory was ten points or greater.

Still, Ohlone started off with a spark, going neck and neck with the Rams’ scorers midway through the first half.

Despite the prolific scoring effort by Rams’ guards, it was the Rams’ forwards who would put the clamps down on defense.

Sophomore forward Ciera Foster was able to slow down the Ohlone scoring attack and allowed the Rams to build up a sizable 40-29 lead going into the half.

“Everyone got it done tonight,” Foster said following the game. “They had two really good players tonight. We had ten.”

The Rams showed some of that depth in the second half. Freshman forward Shawnte Taylor, who had 10 points by halftime, sat out for five minutes to have a cut on her chin stitched after a hard fall on the floor.

Freshman Shanyece Thomas was able to fill in nicely until Taylor could return to the game.

Despite Ohlone’s attempted comeback led by Renegade guard Geneaya Rogers, the Rams were able to go on a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach. After falling behind briefly 54-50, the Rams scored on their next six possessions in a row.

“The fast break is what was working,” Allen said. “We had to get back to our bread and butter and just run on them.”

All eyes now turn to the Rams’ fourth-round opponent, Pasadena. Rams sophomores still have the bitter memory of last year’s heart-breaking double overtime loss to the Lancers at the state tournament in Fresno.

“We’re very confident going into this game,” Peoples said. “We all definitely want to get Pasadena back for last year, so we’ll be going hard.”

By Bontã Hill
The Guardsman

The wonderful month of March is here and flowers seem to be blooming faster than Greg Zeman’s  rough beard.

Two things make this month special — March Madness and the return of Major League Baseball.

I might be more excited for fantasy baseball as opposed to getting psyched about the 2010 San Francisco Giants. Sorry that I’m not feeling gung-ho about the signings of Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa to this season’s club.

The pitching remains solid, but what did the Giants do to improve the pitiful offense from last season? Not much, but the good thing to remember is when have the Giants ever looked good on paper?

The answer is not often. Yet in a division that’s so unpredictable, who knows, maybe the Giants will make some noise and sneak into the playoffs.

I have the rest of semester to break down this year’s team, so let’s switch gears and talk about possibly the most exciting sporting event of the year, the NCAA Tournament.

In a event that has the office geeks scrambling for brackets to fill out, there is nothing like the excitement these three weeks provide.

With Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse being the favorites coming in, this year’s tournament looks to be as unpredictable as ever. I’ll refrain from any predictions for the time being but I’m leaning towards the Wildcats from the Bluegrass State.

With Giants baseball, March Madness, and the NFL’s start of the free agency period with no salary cap, March is looking like a month that will provide plenty of excitement and sunshine.

Idiot of the Week
I have to go with Jay McGwire, the younger brother of steroid using, home run bashing Mark McGwire. What a punk this guy Jay is.

As the elder McGwire admitted to using in his playing days, the newly appointed hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals must’ve been shocked when he got word his bro was writing a book about him.

Jay’s book, “Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secret,” is out on bookshelves and chronicles when he introduced his older brother to steroids.
Family and blood is obviously not thicker than money when it comes to the McGwire’s. Welcome Jay to the I.D.H.O.F., you gutless human being.

Miscellaneous
The Winter Olympics are over and I failed to mention anything about them. Sorry, but I did watch the U.S. and Canada gold medal hockey game.

Great drama and excitement, but it ended in heartbreak for the red, white and blue. If you don’t know, Canada won in overtime 3-2 as star Sidney Crosby (who I thought was American with the way this country hypes him) scored the game winner to further enhance his legend status in Canada.

Also, I want to end this column by giving a shot out to men’s basketball team manager Mario Gomez. Reason being, he came into this season with a goal of dropping his weight down to 205 pounds and dropped over 30 pounds to reach it.
To one of the loyal Ram supporters, big ups to Mario for working hard and getting the job done.

By Aaron Turner
The Guardsman

Sophomore forward Cierra Foster (center) goes for a layup over Skyline guard Tina Shiheiber (left), Feb. 19 at the Wellness Center. JESSICA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

It seems like a year ago since the last time the City College women’s basketball program tasted defeat.

In fact, it was last year, on Dec. 30, 2009, one game before their conference opener, that the Rams fell to Solano College in the championship game of the Gervasoni Classic. Since then, they have not lost a single game.

On Feb.19 at the Wellness Center, their historic tear through the Coast Conference was completed, as they beat Skyline College 91-59 in their regular season finale.

The win both captures City College’s first conference title since 2006-2007, and marks the first time the team has gone undefeated in conference play.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Rams head coach Jamie Wong said of her team’s victory.

“We are excited and enjoying it but playoffs are around the corner, and we want to be ready to get the same results,” she said.

Sophomore forward Cierra Foster finished with 20 points to lead all scorers, and sophomore guards Marlee Rice and Mone Peoples scored 19 and 18 points apiece, as the Rams routed the hapless Trojans for the second time this season.

“They zoned us all night,” Peoples said. “We figured if they did that, they’re afraid of our penetration, so we were able to rely on our three point shots.”

By halftime, the Rams had already amassed a 51-29 lead.

Scoring was not a problem all night for the Rams, as they once again capitalized on their superior size and speed on both offense and defense.

As the whole Rams team turns its collective eye towards the California state playoffs, both players and coach well remember last year’s disappointment, an overtime heartbreaking loss to Pasadena City College in the state semifinals.

“Earlier in the season, coach reminded us of that game,” Peoples said. “She made sure we knew what we did to lose that game, and how she doesn’t want us to feel that ever again.”

Hayes however feels nothing but confidence as the number one ranked team in Northern California begins their preperation for playoffs.

“I have a lot of confidence in this team,” she said. “They’re experienced when it comes to playing in big games, since we have four players from last year who played in the state tournament.”

Coast Conference MVP Brittney Allen, along with all-conference sophomore Mone Peoples will get a chance to erase  last season’s playoff loss from their memory.

The Rams, who have a first round bye in the playoffs, will face the winner of the contest between American River College and Diablo Valley College.

That game will be held on Feb. 27 at the Wellness Center at 5 p.m.

By William Courtney
Contributing Writer

City College swimmers prepare to dive off their starting blocks and swim laps during a practice Feb. 18 at the natatorium inside the Wellness Center. AARON TURNER / THE GUARDSMAN

For the first time in over 18 years, City College of San Francisco has a women’s swim team to call their own.

In their inaugural season, the newest Rams team is hoping this will be the beginning to a long, successful women’s program.

The squad is led by head coach Phong Pham, who is taking on his first collegiate coaching job after spending nearly 18 years at nearby Lincoln High School as a swim coach and instructor. Phong will be assisted by experienced swim coach Jaclyn Rosen.

Despite limited initial funding for the program, Pham was able schedule 10 meets, as well as the conference and state championships, culminating into a season that has the potential to stretch all the way into May.

Roselin Sretpisalsilp, who swam under Pham at Lincoln, said she and the rest of the team desire to start off on the right foot, but at the same time they want to have fun.
Specializing in backstroke and individual medley, Stretpisalsilp was dubbed by Pham as the team’s top swimmer.

“He’s a great coach and every year he makes his swimmers faster,” Sretpisalsilp said of Pham.
Although this is the team’s first season, Pham and his staff have high hopes.

“My goal is to make us competitive enough to be top four in the Coast Conference this year,” he said.

Other standout swimmers Pham cited include backstroke and freestyle swimmer Alyssa Stember, butterfly and distance swimmer Cathryn Gibson, and breaststroke specialist Heidi Tieu.

With a roster of 24 swimmers, the team is considered to be on the small side for college swimming. Fewer swimmers equates to more time spent one-on-one during practices, which Pham said gives him extra opportunities to make his swimmers faster, and more competitive.

Because of the smaller roster, Pham said he plans to spread out swimmers at different events, with the goal of scoring more team points per meet. In collegiate swimming, a team is awarded points based on where swimmers finish in their event.

Even with a tough building process ahead of it, the City College swim program has already gained some experience.

Following an exhibition relay event at West Valley College on Feb. 6, the Rams traveled to Las Positas on Feb. 19 to take part in the Hawks Invitational. Although it was a non-scoring meet, City College had swimmers finish in the top ten in three individual events. The team also finished in 5th place out of 16 in the 200 yard medley relay.

“We were going up against Santa Rosa and Sierra College, who were the number one and two teams in the state last season,” Pham said. “The fact the fact we were able to have more than one swimmer finish in the top ten is very good.”

The swim team will have their next meet at DeAnza College, February 26 at 2 p.m.

By Sol Ladvieka
Contributing Writer

With all of the prominent sports programs at City College, badminton is one that has flown under the radar during the past couple of seasons.

Last season, after breezing past conference competition, the Rams women’s badminton team was one victory away from claiming a California state championship, coming up just short to Irvine City College, a team that was comprised partially of international Olympic badminton players.

After finishing second in the state in 2009, with a perfect 8-0 regular season, the team’s two head coaches said they are looking to have repeat success as they near the start of the 2010 season.

“We were very successful last season,” Rams coach Coni Staff said.  “We had both singles and doubles players that qualified for state, as well as the team.”  She, along with fellow coach Fred Glosser, are entering their third full season leading the badminton program.

With returning players such as Jody Chan, Maggie Choy, Rufina Wu, and Wendy Zhu, the Rams have a bevy of sophomore talent that Glosser feels they can rely on all season.

“This team may be even a little bit better than last season,” he said. “We have two really good players at the top of the team and a lot of other experienced players. I think we are going to be really strong once again.”

With the number of returning players, along with the sheer dominance in conference play last year, Staff and Glosser both feel they have every reason to be confident and excited.

“I’m excited about this season,” Staff said.  “If we have the same results as last year, then I’ll be satisfied. As far as the season goes, the players simply have to play with heart and do well in conference once again.”

The Rams are set to begin their season on the road against De Anza College in an early tournament on March 20. They will then travel to Mission College, to begin Coast Conference play on March 23.

Rams basketball goes all-conference
The City College men’s and women’s basketball teams will be well represented this season on the all-conference teams.  The women received five selections, including the Coast Conference MVP, which was awarded to sophomore guard Brittney Allen. Joining her on the First Team all-Coast Conference was sophomore guards Mone Peoples and Marlee Rice, sophomore forward Cierra Foster, and freshman forward Shawnte Taylor. The men received three selections this season, as sophomore  guard Bennie Rhodes along with sophomore forwards Da’Ron Sims and Chris White were named First Team all-Coast Conference.

Baseball gets underway
The Rams baseball team is off to a 2-7 start before their Coast Conference opener on March 2.  The home doubleheader against Napa Valley, which was being played at Skyline College, was called in the third inning due to heavy fog. The Rams resumed the game at Napa Valley’s home field, where the Rams were able to win their second game of the season. The second game of that double header was played Feb. 22. The score was 12-3 Napa.

Tennis team drops season opener
After having the first two meets of the season cancelled due to poor weather, the women’s tennis team lost their season opener on the road at Mission College on Feb. 16. The Rams were scheduled to hold their conference opener on Feb. 23 at home against Chabot, but the match was rained out.

By Sol Ladvienka
Contributing Writer

Forward Chris White (center) swoops in for a layup in the Rams' win over Skyline, Feb 19 at the Wellness Center. White was name first-team all Coast Conference this season. ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

As the men’s regular season came to an end Friday night at the Wellness Center, Rams head coach Justin Labagh wanted his team to finish the regular season with a bang before preparing for the Northern California playoffs next week.

“It’s not about Skyline tonight, but about finding out who we are,” Labagh told his team prior to tip-off.

With the Rams’ 98-62 victory over the Trojans, they finished the regular season with a 24-4 record, 9-3 in the Coast Conference, and tied with Foothill for second place.

City College started the game with a bang right off the opening tip.Freshman guard De’End hit sophomore forward Chris White for an alley-oop dunk, not only get the game under way, but to get the crowd into the game early.

Jonathon Williams, who finished with 23 points to lead all scorers, helped the Rams jump out to a 49-30 score at halftime, and they never looked back.

“Coach’s motivation tonight was to have the freshmen step up and play like sophomores,” Williams said.

The Rams’ defense was solid the entire game, as they locked down Skyline’s perimeter shooters and post players.

“We were able to stay on point,” sophomore guard Tyler Brown said. “Coach teaches us to stay together, and tonight was all about defense and pressuring them the entire game.”

Despite their stellar shooting performance, which saw the Rams hit 70 percent of their three-point attempts, missed free throws were a concern for Labagh after the game.

“We left too many points on the line, and we can’t have that going into the playoffs,” he said. “We work on them every practice. I just won’t accept missed free throws.”

The Rams, who are seeded number-two in the Northern California region, are set to take on the winner of Wednesday’s contest between College of the Redwoods and San Joaquin Delta.

Brown, who is one of eight players returning to the state playoffs this season, knows the team has a long road ahead of them if they hope to even have a shot at the state title.

“It’s going to take a lot,” Brown said. “We need to stay on point, and get the most out of our practice time.”

City College will have the rest of the week to practice before their Feb. 27 second round game at the Wellness Center, which will tip-off at 7 p.m.  The Rams must then win their two regional games if they hope to return to the state tournament, which will be held March 11-14 at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

By Bonta Hill
The Guardsman

I have tried to stay away from the Tiger Woods mess, but after seeing how this has put the sports world on pause, it’s time for my thoughts on the ordeal.

Woods cheated on his wife and has stepped away from golf to try to repair his marriage. As Woods spoke out to the public this past Friday, golfers like Ernie Els felt the timing was selfish because of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship that often features the worlds best golfers.

Here is a memo to all of the golfers out there: Your tournament would not be crap without Tiger. The purses that have inflated at PGA Tour events would not be what they are without Woods and the game of golf would not be where it is today without him either.

What happened in Woods’ personal life is really none of our business. Did he do something wrong on the golf course? No. He did something in private that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.

Not that I am condoning it at all, but Woods has earned the right in his profession to speak when he wants to. If he wanted to do a press conference at the Masters during the final round, so be it. Golf would never have this type of attention without him.

I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with this assessment, but how do you feel when everybody is in your personal business? Do we like it when people talk about us behind our backs?

Nobody does and with paparazzi or the media following you around and commenting on your every move, we would snap and have a mental breakdown.

So please, if we forgave Kobe Bryant and his cheesy act to buy his love after cheating on his wife, we can accept Woods’ sincerity and let him ease back into what he does best — dominating the world of golf.

Idiot of the Week
The Idiot Hall of Fame Committee had to cancel this week’s ceremonies due to snow, rain and plane delays, but there are still a couple of athletes who deserve mention.

Floyd Landis is on the ballot and will get his due consideration in the next issue (yes, The Water Cooler dives into the grueling sport of cycling.) Hopefully, in the next two weeks we’ll get enough candidates to make this the best ceremony yet.

There is also a rumor that the Wizards’ Josh Howard was hungover and unable to play in a game while he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

This is the same guy who dissed the national anthem on camera, participated in street racing during the offseason and admitted to dating “Mary Jane” during his time-off from basketball.
The I.H.O.F. will be in for some great festivities two weeks from now.

Miscellaneous
I had the pleasure of watching the replay of the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers game on Feb. 19. It’s probably the best professional basketball game I’ve seen for some time. So sorry for you if you missed it, because the Nuggets Carmelo Anthony and the Cavaliers LeBron James put on one hell of a show.

Carmelo hit a long jumper over the outstretched arms of James to give the Nuggets the 118-116 overtime victory and snapped the Cavs 13-game winning streak.

Anthony finished with 40 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, while James finished with a ridiculous 43 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists. This duel between the two gave me memories of the old showdowns between legends like Bird and Magic.

Anthony and James, who are good friends, went after each other so viciously, you would think that one of ‘em slept with the others wife.

However, showdowns like this are what make the NBA fantastic. Sporting events like this are what make me the fanatic I am today.