split

Dear Family and Friends:

Riki’s Redondo Union High School team split their first two games in the Gahr (Cerritos) tournament, defeating Huntington Park 51-39 in the first round and losing to Long Beach Jordan 39-43 in the second game. Riki scored 3 and 7 points respectively and has played 75-85% of the games. In the Jordan game, Riki’s late three-pointer with 20 seconds left made it exciting (she also had a driving layup just fall out) but they still fell short, unfortunately.

Redondo’s third game is Monday, 12/29 at 3 p.m. vs. St. Mattias of Downey. If they win on Monday, they will play at 4:30 on Tuesday (1:30 if they lose).

Also, Redondo’s team was featured in last week’s Beach Reporter and Riki was part of a nice lead photograph. I have attached copies of the photo and article. (One correction: the article cites Riki as one of Redondo’s two returning varsity players… she isn’t. Unfortunately, the player who is returning wasn’t identified.)

http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2008/12/29/sports/sports1.txt

Thank you for your continuing support of Riki!

new uniforms

Riki’s Redondo Union team takes the court again after a week of practice and will be sporting their brand new uniforms on Friday, December 26 at 6 p.m. in the Gahr (Cerritos) Holiday Classic. Redondo’s opening opponent is Huntington Park.

Gahr High School
11111 Artesia Blvd Cerritos CA 90703

Redondo is still trying to find a solid rotation from a roster of 15 girls not to mention finding consistent offensive production en route to a 3-5 record so far. Riki continues to start at point, averaging about 3.5 points per game.

Redondo has won CIF championships in girls basketball under Coach Marcelo Enriquez in 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2008 so we believe it to be cyclical (hoping for a title in 2011, Riki’s senior season).

Happy Holidays!

Battle @ the Beach

Riki’s Redondo Union High School team (3-3) faces a tough challenge today at 3:30 p.m. in a 5/th place semifinal for the Redondo “Battle @ the Beach” versus Santa Monica (who lost a nail biter to Long Beach Millikan on Wednesday). In the event, Redondo loses, they will play the loser of the Bishop Montgomery/Palos Verdes game on Saturday at 1:30. If they pull a major upset, they play the winner of that game at 5:00 for fifth place. The championship game will feature the winners of the Inglewood/Vista del Lago (Moreno Valley) and the South Torrance/Millikan semifinal winners). A surprise visitor to Wednesday’s game was WNBA and USC star Lisa Leslie (her niece plays for Inglewood).

Riki has started all six games at point and is averaging about 20-25 minutes/game (out of 32). She is averaging about 3 points a game with a high of 9 points. More significantly, she has taken 7 charges in six games (and has gotten up each time she was knocked down!) Her defense and overall court leadership earned her the Redondo coach’s “All Tournament” recognition in the Colony tournament last week in Ontario where they finished 2-2.

Needless to say, we’re very proud of her and her ability to step up at this level. If she remains healthy, she should have a good three seasons of high school ball.

Following the Redondo tournament, they have a break from competition until the Gahr tournament that begins on December 26th.

Colony (Ontario) Tournament

Dear friends, family and fans:

After a long summer and fall, full of the usual bumps and bruises and some unexpected growing pains (for the Redondo basketball program), Riki will begin her official varsity career today in the Colony (Ontario) Tournament against Chino Hills at 4:30 p.m. The tournament continues through Saturday, but game times are subject to winning or losing. Unless there are some unseen changes, Riki will start at point guard (whew!).

Redondo is picked to place third in the Bay League by the Daily Breeze, the South Bay’s local paper and unlikely to continue their streak of four Bay League titles. There is an article in today’s paper which can be viewed at www.dailybreeze.com. Riki gets mentioned along with half the team (which is majority sophomores and freshmen).

Redondo hosts its own tournament, the third-annual “Battle at the Beach” next week starting on Monday. Redondo opens against Westchester on Monday at 6:30 p.m. (full brackets attached) The tournament features some top-ranked teams in the area including Inglewood, Santa Monica, and A.B. Miller (from the inland empire) and continues through Saturday, December 12th. (If you stop by anytime Wed through Sat, you will probably find me at or near the snack bar). If you need to find out Riki’s schedule, please give me a call.

Thanks for all the support!

A Couple of Thoughts on Election Eve

Dear Friends:

(Warning: the following is very political and religious. Most of you know me fairly well, so it shouldn’t be a surprise, but I rarely let something like this “go”).

This morning I had a chance to call on voters in North Carolina and Missouri as part of an Obama campaign phone bank. Unfortunately, I was treated to one of those conversations that we all know are out there… a woman in Missouri answered my query of “Will you be voting tomorrow for Senator Obama?” with “NO! I am not voting for HIM and none of my people are!” This was a GOTV (Get Out the Vote) canvassing of voters who had a predisposition to vote for Obama. Interestingly, she went on to say that she wished Hillary was the choice making it clear that she was not particularly partisan. RACE apparently was the reason. Many pundits have questioned why Obama is not well ahead given the negativity towards the Bush administration, the current economic crisis and the amount of money Obama has spent on this campaign. I believe that this exposes one of the reasons: racist sentiment underneath the surface which only needs to be scratched just a little for it to simmer to the surface.

Last week I had an interesting email dialogue with a number of people prompted by an email from a friend of over 20 years with a link to an anti-gay marriage website. In short, my response was to support gay marriage as a Christian and a parent from the perspective of tolerance and unconditional love and as an American from the perspective of non-discrimination and the protection of civil rights. The responses to this, as could be expected, was a vigorous attack from a “Biblical” standpoint. What my biblical witness friends failed to recognize (aside from the fallibility of our interpretations of scripture) was a Christianity that acknowledged that Jesus came with a different type of message. A message that he specifically delivered to the “teachers of the law” (among them the Pharisees and Sadducees) who failed to understand God’s spirit. Many understand the gospel (the good news) to be a release from a very litigious understanding of religion to one that embraces the first commandment of “love thy neighbor (as thyself).” Furthermore, I understand the “fall of man” to be as related in the story of Adam and Eve, to be one of hubris (pride) wherein the temptation is to be more like God, to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thereby usurping God’s role as judge (if this is a role you attribute to God). To vote to allow gay marriage to exist doesn’t make you less Christian, however, it may make you more human.

All of this is to say that tomorrow’s election is critical. I hope that you remember to vote if you haven’t already. I can’t think of a more critical election.

Thanks for listening - Jeff

Image that appeared on the front of a newsletter sent out to the Chaffey Community Republican Women's Club based in Upland, CA


New Gloucester, Maine

disappointing end

Dear Friends:

After a disappointing end to her Tomodachi career last weekend at the VFW tournament (1-2), Riki now turns her full attention to the Redondo Union girls basketball team.

RUHS finishes its pre-season schedule with games at Serra HS in Gardena today at 4:30 vs. Dorsey and next Saturday, 11/8 at 1:30 vs. Crenshaw. Note: we’re not sure how much Riki will play as the coach is still finalizing his last few varsity spots and will be trying new lineups.

Here is RUHS’ newly released varsity schedule:

Dec 1-5 (M-F) Colony (Ontario) Tournament
Dec 8-13 (M-Sa) RUHS’ own tournament “the Battle at the Beach”
Dec 26-30 (F-Tu) Gahr (Cerritos) tournament
Jan 10 (Sat) @ Mark Keppel (3:00 pm)
Jan 13 (Tues) Palos Verdes (start of Bay League play, Tues and Fridays at 6 p.m)
Jan 16 (Fri) Peninsula
Jan 17 (Sat) @ Santa Monica (8 pm)
Jan 20 (Tues) @ Mira Costa
Jan 23 (Fri) @ Leuzinger
Jan 27 (Tues) West Torrance
Jan 30 (Fri) @ Palos Verdes
Jan 31 (Sat) @ Bishop Amat (La Puente) (7 p.m.)
Feb 3 (Tues) @ Peninsula
Feb 6 (Fri) Mira Costa
Feb 7 (Sat) @ Inglewood (7:30)
Feb 10 (Tues) Leuzinger
Feb 13 (Thurs*) @ West Torrance

Bold denotes Bay League games
* (Change) league game is Thursday

This young RUHS team will be hard-pressed to win its 4th straight Bay League championship much less repeat as CIF Div IA champion. Mira Costa, last year’s league co-champion and CIF runner-up, returns enough talent to be the odds-on favorite. Palos Verdes returns 8 varsity players (6 seniors). Five of the 6 Bay League teams are expected to start a JA at point guard. It should be fun to watch!

Fundraiser!

Riki’s Redondo Union High School team takes the court this weekend (after a bye last weekend) with a 4:30 p.m. game on Saturday against North Torrance at Serra High School in Gardena. The Redondo varsity continues to work hard with four practices (8 hours) and two conditioning sessions (3 hours) each week

Two weeks ago, Riki attended a clinic at Santa Monica College put on by Lyndsey Medders and Point Guard College (www.pointguardcollege.com). Medders played at Iowa State and led the nation in assists (7.7 apg) as a junior. The clinic was excellent and spent 1/3 of the time in classroom watching film and discussing court strategy. A good amount of time was also spent on attitude and the game knowledge required of point guards.

Riki has recently announced that she will discontinue playing with her local, Asian community team, the FOR Tomodachis, after the upcoming VFW tournament in Orange County next weekend. The grind of HS varsity basketball and her coursework makes it almost impossible for her to find the time. If you would like to catch one of her games, we know that she is playing on Saturday 10/25 at 11 a.m. at the Garden Grove Recreation Center (9301 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove, 92844) and either at 3 or 4 p.m. at Bolsa Grande High School (9401 Westminster Ave, Garden Grove, 92844) – call me to confirm at 213.200.8277. They play on Sunday most likely at 2 or 3 p.m.

Lastly, there is still time to join us in a friends and family ad in the 2008-09 RUHS Girls Basketball media guide. Please let me know if you can contribute so we can put you in the ad.

And, for those who can make it to the South Bay, please join us on Tuesday, 10/29 for a fundraiser at Ruby’s Diner at the Redondo Marina. Please bring the attached flier so that 20% of your purchase can be applied to the RUHS girls basketball program.

Thank you!

Your Support Requested

Riki’s RUHS basketball “season” is underway with Fall league, practices 4 days a week and two days of conditioning! RUHS has won its first two games of the league, over Paramount and Fremont. They face a challenge this Saturday against Serra at 5:30 p.m. at Serra HS in Gardena (on Van Ness and Marine). So far, so good, as Riki has been the starting point guard since the beginning of summer.

We are also beginning to raise funds for the program via advertising in the RUHS Media Guide. The RUHS girls basketball program has won four CIF division championships since 2000 and 6 of the last 7 Bay League titles. We will be putting together a friends and family ad again, so any contribution will be appreciated. You can send a check to us at:

507 Avenue G, Apt E
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Please let us know by Wednesday, October 22 if plan on contributing.

In case you want to place an ad of your own or know of someone who might, you can do so via the attached media guide order form.

Another fundraising support opportunity for those in the South Bay is to join us at Ruby’s Diner in the Redondo marina (just north of the pier) on Tuesday, October 29th anytime from 5-9 p.m. 20% of purchases (including take-out) accompanied by the attached flier will go towards the RUHS Girls Basketball Program.

Thanks for all the support!

Summer Close

Hello, fans, friends and family!

Following a very hectic summer schedule, Riki and the family enjoyed a brief respite from the basketball rigor (all of three weeks).

After a trying summer for Redondo basketball (trying to make up for the loss of 8 seniors, including all five starters from last year’s CIF champions), Riki finished her summer away from Redondo with the North-South All-Star game in Pleasanton (the 10th grade South team lost), a week at the Marumoto Basketball Academy (highly recommended) in Orange County, and a championship at the Hollywood Dodgers tournament in Vegas, Riki was able to spend some time with family and rest her body.

With the Fall and the new CIF rules which allow coaches contact throughout the year (except for 21 days during the summer), RUHS has stepped up its fall program. The varsity is now practicing four days a week (total of 8 hours) and going through speed, strength and agility training at an off-site facility twice a week for 3 hours total. (It’s a good thing Dad isn’t working).

They have also signed on to a Fall league which will play on Saturdays beginning this week. All games are at Serra High School in Gardena:

9/20; 3:30 vs Paramount
10/4; 5:30 vs Serra
10/18 4:30 vs. North Torrance

Note: the league runs through mid-November, but Redondo may stop short in October. Redondo also will play on 9/27 but Riki will be participating in a point-guard clinic at Santa Monica College that day.

At this point, Riki is working vary hard at winning the starting point guard position with the varsity on a very young team (over half freshmen and sophomores). Keep your fingers crossed!

Riki’s Tomodachi team will participate in the VFW tournament in Orange County the weekend of October 24-26th. More on this when we get the schedule.

Thanks for the support!

Summer Comes to a Close with a Win

Riki’s JA community team, the FOR Tomodachis, came away from the Hollywood Dodgers tournament in Las Vegas with the 9th grade (entering 10th grade) championship by virtue of a 33-30 victory over the FOR Island Girls, the dominant team in their grade level over the past four years. Riki, still nursing a sprained left ankle aggravated in the Marumoto camp during the first week of August, scored 4 points in the final game, and 6 and 9 pts in the previous two games.

After six weeks of playing almost constantly, Riki gets to rest for a couple of weeks before school and basketball start up again. Will update you when her Redondo schedule gets finalized.

Thanks, again, for your support.

RIKI HITS GAME WINNER IN SWISH TOURNAMENT

Riki’s RUHS team finished an uneven Swish tournament this weekend with an 18-16 offensively-challenged victory over St. Mary’s of Inglewood this afternoon at University High School in Irvine. Riki hit the game winning 3-pointer with 10 seconds left.

Riki had an 11-pt game yesterday in a 17-point loss to the Arizona Fire club team. Included in her 3 for 3 3-point shooting day was a shot from beyond half-court at the buzzer ending the first half. Swish!

RUHS defeated Mercadel, another club team, by 15 on Friday night but lost earlier in the day to a club team from the Bay Area.

RUHS split two games on Wednesday during its summer league, defeating Harvard-Westlake and losing to Serra (Inglewood). These two games followed their early morning flight back from Portland where they took their share of lumps en route to an 0-3 performance in the End of the Oregon Trail national tournament’s Gold bracket. Along the way, they lost to teams from Minnesota, Seattle and the Bay Area.

RUHS continues playing tomorrow and Wednesday in their summer league before traveling on Thursday for the San Diego Classic tournament. Their first game is Thursday at 6 p.m. at Alliant University versus San Diego Mater Dei.

On a side note, Riki was named to the 10th Grade Southern California squad for the annual North/South game for Japanese American and Asian players from N. and S. California. We will travel up to Pleasanton, CA on August 1-3 for the games.

End of the Oregon Trail

Dear Friends:

We’re off to Oregon today for the “End of the Oregon Trail” tournament that starts on Sunday. Riki’s Redondo team is playing as the “Redondo Hawks” in the Gold Division at this mostly club/travel team tournament. You can follow the Gold bracket at http://www.eotbasketball.com/brackets/allstar/gold.htm. Their first game in Sunday morning at 9 a.m.

We’re not expecting much from Redondo as they will be starting 4 sophomores (including Riki at point) and one junior, but it is exciting to go to a national caliber tournament like we have the past three summers (there are teams from up and down the west coast - and beyond like Michigan and Iowa - and even Alaska and Hawai’i). In particular, we will be trying to take in some Platinum and Diamond bracket games which will feature some of the best teams/players in the nation. This is a tournament where players get “noticed” by colleges.

Christine and I are tagging along for a mini-vacation without the task of driving a team van or having to hang-out with the team (for which Riki is glad, I’m sure).

Once back, we head down to OC for a tournament next weekend and then down to San Diego for another big tournament: the San Diego Classic. Squeeze in Redondo league games on Monday and Wednesday and we’ll be hearing basketballs dribbling and sneakers squeaking in our sleep.

It’s all very exciting…

Third in Sacramento

Tomodachis take Third in Sacramento

Riki and I just returned from the Sacramento Rebels tournament this weekend. Her team, the Tomodachis, took third place, losing in the second round to the eventual champion Sacramento Barons. Riki struggled from the outside and at the line on Saturday but came back strong on Sunday to net 14 points (12 in the first half) in a 37-31 victory over the San Francisco Dragons. The Tomodachis were missing three of their players, including their starting power forward, so they did well.

FOR Tournament Play this Weekend

This weekend, Riki and the Tomodachis will be playing in the FOR tournament at Carson High School. Their first game on Saturday, May 3 is against the ABC Tigers at 11 a.m. The second game will depend on the outcome of the first game and will be either at 3 or 4 p.m. The two teams are fairly evenly matched, so it could go either way.

JAO Prep Resumes

The Tomodachis resume their JAO season on Sunday, May 11th against the Hollywood Havocs at 9 a.m. at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach.

- Jeff

Summer Schedule

REDONDO UNION HIGH SCHOOL

GIRLS BASKETBALL
VARSITY SUMMER LEAGUE
2008
REVISED
TEAMS

REDONDO UNION SANTA MONICA PENINSULA
MARY STAR CHADWICK MIRA COSTA
TORRANCE WEST TORRANCE NORTH TORRANCE
SOUTH TORRANCE BEVERLY HILLS BISHOP MONTGOMERY
INGLEWOOD HARVARD WEST. PALOS VERDES
SERRA EL SEGUNDO ST MARY’S

REVISED
6/23 6/25
1:30 South vs. West 1:30 Harvard vs. Palos Verdes
2:20 Inglewood vs. St. Mary’s 2:20 St. Mary’s vs. El Segundo
3:10 Serra vs. El Segundo 3:10 Harvard vs. North
4:00 Chadwick vs. Costa 4:00 Inglewood vs. Palos Verdes
4:50 Samo vs. North 4:50 Samo vs. West
5:40 Redondo vs. Peninsula 5:40 Beverly Hills vs. Costa
6:30 Mary Star vs. Torrance 6:30 Redondo vs. Mary Star
7:20 Beverly Hills vs. Bishop 7:20 Chadwick vs. Torrance
8:10 Serra vs. Bishop
9:00 South vs. Peninsula


6/30 7/2
1:30 Redondo vs. South 1:30 Harvard vs. West
2:20 St. Mary’s vs. Bishop 2:20 Redondo vs. Chadwick
3:10 Inglewood vs. North 3:10 Harvard vs. Peninsula
4:00 Samo vs. Peninsula 4:00 Inglewood vs. West
4:50 El Segundo vs. Palos Verdes 4:50 Samo vs. South
5:40 Chadwick vs. Mary Star 5:40 St. Mary’s vs. Mira Costa
6:30 Serra vs. Mira Costa 6:30 Beverly Hills vs. Mary Star
7:20 Beverly Hills vs. Torrance 7:20 Serra vs. Torrance
8:10 El Segundo vs. North
9:00 Palos Verdes vs. Bishop




REVISED

7/7 7/9
1:30 Bishop vs. Peninsula 1:30 St. Mary’s vs. Beverly Hills
2:20 St. Mary’s vs. Chadwick 2:20 Redondo vs. Harvard
3:10 Inglewood vs. Samo 3:10 El Segundo vs. Samo
4:00 El Segundo vs. South 4:00 Inglewood vs. Harvard
4:50 Serra vs. Beverly Hills 4:50 Redondo vs. Serra
5:40 Palos Verdes vs. Mary Star 5:40 Palos Verdes vs. Chadwick
6:30 North vs. Torrance 6:30 North vs. Mary Star
7:20 Mira Costa vs. West 7:20 Bishop vs. South
8:10 West vs. Torrance
9:00 Mira Costa vs. Peninsula


7/14 7/16
1:30 Redondo vs. Samo 1:30 Harvard vs. South
2:20 Beverly Hills vs. Chadwick 2:20 Serra vs. Chadwick
3:10 Inglewood vs. Peninsula 3:10 Harvard vs. Samo
4:00 El Segundo vs. West 4:00 Inglewood vs. South
4:50 Palos Verdes vs. Mira Costa 4:50 Redondo vs. Beverly Hills
5:40 St. Mary’s vs. Torrance 5:40 North vs. Mira Costa
6:30 Serra vs. Mary Star 6:30 St. Mary’s vs. Mary Star
7:20 Bishop vs. North 7:20 Palos Verdes vs. Torrance
8:10 El Segundo vs. Peninsula
9:00 Bishop vs. West


7/21 7/23
1:30 Mira Costa vs. South 1:30 El Segundo vs. Harvard
2:20 St. Mary’s vs. Serra 2:20 Redondo vs. St. Mary’s
3:10 Palos Verdes vs. Beverly Hills 3:10 Bishop vs. Harvard
4:00 Bishop vs. Samo 4:00 El Segundo vs. Inglewood
4:50 Redondo vs. Inglewood 4:50 Palos Verdes vs. Serra
5:40 Torrance vs. Peninsula 5:40 North vs. Beverly Hills
6:30 Chadwick vs. North 6:30 Mira Costa vs. Samo
7:20 West vs. Mary Star 7:20 West vs. Chadwick
8:10 Torrance vs. South
9:00 Peninsula vs. Mary Star

Summer Season

Dear Friends:

Riki’s Redondo Union HS varsity team is now firmly entrenched into the summer season with tournaments, leagues and camps filling their weeks.

Using yesterday, Monday, as an extreme example, RUHS had an 8-9 a.m. practice and then headed to CSULB for two games, one at 10:30 and another at 12:30. They then came back, stopping for lunch on the way, and had 4:00 and 6:00 league games back at Redondo. Yep, that’s right, four games in one day!

Of course, on top of this, I was transporting six of the girls to CSULB and coordinating 16 hours of “coverage” for the door and snack bar at Redondo. So, the day didn’t end till past 9 p.m.

Riki is off to an 8 a.m. practice this morning and has 2 games at CSULB later on. No league games, thank goodness!

League resumes tomorrow along with the last day of the CSULB “camp”. See summer league schedule attached. All league games are at RUHS.

Redondo hosts this weekend’s Redondo Summer Classic on Friday and Saturday which means 3 more games and 24 hours of door/snack bar coverage

After next week’s league games and the 4th of July holiday, the varsity takes off for the End of the Oregon Trail in Oregon City/Portland, July 5-9. Mom and Dad are going up with Riki and the team for a short “vacation.”

Riki continues to play significant minutes as the starting point guard. She is struggling from the field, so far, but is limiting her turnovers and getting some nice assists. She is also doing well defensively, a sign that she is back from last summer’s knee injury. She took two charges in last weekend’s tournament at Vanguard University (the team struggled going 1-3).

This will be a proverbial “rebuilding” year for the defending Division 1A champions with only two seniors (who, also, are not expected to be among the 7-person rotation). So keep the faith!

Stateline (NV) Trip on Saturday, May 10

Christine and I will be joining Riki's former SGV team on a charter trip to Stateline on Saturday, May 10. This is a fundraiser for the team as they raise money for the AAU national championship trip to Norman, OK.

The cost is $50 per person and includes a buffet at Stateline. The bus will be departing from Torrance (location tab) at 7:30 a.m. with a pick-up in Montebello (@ the Quiet Cannon restaurant/Montebello golf course) shortly thereafter (8 a.m.).

The return is expected to be at 10:30 and 11 p.m. respectively.

Join us for a time of gambling or shopping (at the Prim outlets) and some fun on the bus.

Let me know if you're interested in joining us.

My cell phone is 213.200.8277.

4/13/08 Sunday Game

For those planning to check out Riki’s game this Sunday, 4/13, the location has been changed to North Torrance HS. The time is still 10 a.m. vs. FOR Maka Koa.

Summer

Dear Friends:

Riki’s summer schedule is firming up with seven tournaments, one league and one team camp in the next six weeks. Riki is currently recovering from a cold but will hopefully be ready for her first action on the (summer) varsity squad this Friday in the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association (SCIBCA) Summer Classic. Redondo plays in the Inglewood region as the number two seed. Their first game is on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Inglewood HS.

They have two games on Saturday, one at 10 a.m. and the second at either 1 p.m. (loss in the morning) or 2 p.m. (win in the morning). Only the winner of the 2 pm game advances to play two games on Sunday at Arroyo HS in El Monte. The semifinal game will be at 1:30 with the third place game at 4 and the championship at 5 p.m

Teams in the Inglewood pool are Inglewood, Redondo, North Torrance, Paramount, Mayfair and Firebaugh. With no starters returning from last year’s CIF-championship varsity, this summer will be a learning experience for Redondo.

Your support is always appreciated!

Spring Prep Season

Riki’s FOR (Japanese American community league) team finished its spring prep season at 6-1 and in first place with a convincing 43-32 victory over the ABC Tigers today. Riki had a solid game with 13 points (all in the first half on 4-4 shooting from 3-pt range and 1-2 from the line).

We recently received Riki’s Redondo Union High School varsity summer schedule. They will be playing in 7 tournaments, one league and one camp between mid-June and the end of July, including two out-of-town tournaments. For now, she is playing with the varsity as they will be graduating 8 seniors (5 starters) in a few weeks.

The following is their tournament schedule:

6/13-15 SCIBA (Arroyo HS, El Monte)

6/19-22 Vanguard (Costa Mesa)

6/27-29 Redondo Classic (Redondo Union HS)

7/5-9 End of the Oregon Trail

7/11-13 Swish (Orange County)

7/17-20 San Diego Classic

7/25-27 Best in the West (?)

Christine and I are planning on joining her in Oregon and San Diego. RUHS will also be playing in their own summer league on Mondays and Wednesdays from the end of June through the third week of July. They also will be going to CSULB for a team camp on 6/23-25.

After three years of club ball (and traveling across the west and one national trip each year), the pace is nothing new. We did expect that enrolling her at Redondo would give her the level of coaching that she is used to but would miss something on the competition level. Of course, at her age, pure physical athleticism (i.e. size and speed) is catching up and there is no guarantee that she would get as much playing time if she stayed with club ball. Right now the prospects are for her to play point guard against some of the top Asian point guards in So Cal because all of the South Bay schools seem to have at least one!

So, this seems to be working out for the best for Riki. A solid three years of varsity ball at Redondo and we’ll see if she wants to play at the next level as a walk-on somewhere. If her game improves, maybe she can get some attention at the DII or DIII level. Who knows?

If you’re interested in possibly seeing Riki play in any of the tournaments and want to know specific game times, just let me know sometime that week.

Thanks for your support!

36-35 victory

Riki played through a stiff back and three first-half fouls on Sunday to lead the Tomodachis to a hard-fought 36-35 victory over the FOR Trouble. Riki ended the game with 19 points on three 3-pointers and 8-10 from the free throw line. She pushed through a physical match-up and even a box-and-one defense at the end of the game (she was the one). After three years of distributing the ball on her club team, Riki has had to find her scoring side recently.

The Tomodachis will play on Sunday, 4/13 at 10 a.m. and on Sunday, 4/20 at 11 a.m. at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach before they head up to Sacramento for the Rebels tournament on April 26-27.

Keep your fingers crossed and hope that Riki survives her Spring Break without injury or illness.

One Game at a Time

April 2, 2008

Riki missed the San Jose tournament because of her ear infection and, therefore, was glad to return to action on Sunday, March 30 for a JAO league game. She scored 16 points on 2 3’s, 2 layups (one breakaway off a steal), and shot 6-8 from the free-throw line. Unfortunately, the Tomodachis lost on a last second shot (they were missing their post player).

When she got home Sunday night, she fell on her back while standing on a small dresser and is INJURED AGAIN. Fortunately, the x-rays were initially negative and she is on ibuprofen and prescription Tylenol for this week. She is on a limited basis for a week.

Besides her league games on Sunday, she is scheduled to play in the Sacramento Rebels tournament at the end of the month, so we hope to get in some court time before then. With Riki, who knows?