Lasting Impression Sheldon’s heralded group of seniors fell just shy of its state championship goal, but it was intent on leaving the Huskies in good hands
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By jim mccue | Senior Contributor
his season was supposed to be the season the Sheldon boys basketball team took the next step. One year removed from losing in the CIF Division I state final to perennial power Mater Dei-Santa Ana, the Huskies set their sights on winning one more game than the year before. Sheldon had an established tradition of greatness, the majority of its starting lineup returning, and the addition of transfer Darin Johnson to finally tip the state championship scales in their favor. Unfortunately, none of those factors were an answer for Archbishop Mitty-San Jose and its blue chip recruit Aaron Gordon in the Open Division Northern Regional final. “We didn’t seem to have that jump that we normally have,” senior Dakarai Allen said of the final game. “It was a sad moment, but we have to move on.” Allen admitted that moving on was difficult for the first few days after the 70-50 loss at Sleep Train Arena, but the entire team, including the 10 seniors on the roster, are eager to pass the torch to the next group of Huskies. “The young guys might not be as good as this group, but they are just as determined to win,” head coach Joey Rollings said. “Everyone thinks that we will have a big dropoff, but our goal next year is to win section again.” The next generation of Huskies will have some big shoes to fill and an extremely high bar to aim for. In 2008, Rollings took over the program with senior stars Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton leading a talented group that included freshmen Allen, D’Erryl Williams, and Ryan Manning. Sheldon won the first of four consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I titles that season as the trio of freshmen learned the ropes. Through their four years, Allen, Williams, and Manning became mainstays in the starting lineup and Sheldon became synonymous with success. As their careers were winding down at Sheldon, the trio understood it would have to prepare their younger teammates for the challenges ahead — much like they were prepared by the likes of Nelson and Eaton. “It started with DeMarcus Nelson and continued through Darius and Ramon before this group came along,” Rollings said of the Huskies’ tradition carrying over from one group to the next. “Once you start winning, kids want to come play at the school and everyone wants to win and expects to win.
Sheldon senior Dakarai Allen braces to go up for a basket as he’s swarmed by Archbishop Mitty defenders during the Huskies’ 70-50 loss in the Open Div. regional final on March 16. Photos by James K. Leash
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April 1, 2013
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