The Gavilan College men
’s basketball team has just two local players this year, but
both have been key parts of the starting lineup already.
The Gavilan College men’s basketball team has just two local players this year, but both have been key parts of the starting lineup already.
Guards Tommy Sond-groth (a San Benito grad) and Erik Nelson (a Gilroy alum) are two of only three sophomores on the team. The other returner is Los Banos product Jimmy Cheatum.
“They both worked very hard in the offseason,” said second-year Gavilan coach Chris Shoemaker. “Tommy worked on his ball handling skills and is playing with a lot more confidence and leadership this year. He is shooting the ball better. Eric worked on developing an all-around better game. He has improved his passing, his ball handling and his defense.”
Last year’s team relied heavily on local talent to carry the team. But this year, no new players wanted to join the team.
“My focus was to recruit 100 percent locally,” Shoemaker said. “For whatever reason the local kids where not interested in coming to play. I had to resort to plan ‘B’ and go out and get the best players I could find.”
The Gavilan sophomores will be joined by freshmen Lionel Simmons and Tim Goode (forwards from Sacramento’s Encina High), Jon Morrison (a guard-forward from Santa Teresa High in San Jose), Raoul and Jesus Estrada (forwards from Los Banos) and Mike Fugate (a guard-forward from Han-ford).
The current starting lineup for the Rams has Sondgroth at point guard. Nelson starts at the two position, and Cheatum plays in the third spot. Goode and Simmons are the starting forwards.
“We have a little more height this year, and we are better athletically too,” Shoemaker said.
The Rams, who lost to Napa Valley 64-54 on Saturday to fall to 0-3 overall, play their first home game on Dec. 11 against Skyline College.
The Rams will face a tough Coast Conference Southern Division schedule. Hartnell, San Jose City, West Valley and Cabrillo were all among the top eight teams in Northern California last year.
The 2003-2004 basketball year it really did suck the head coach didn’t know what he was doing our assistant Bumgarner was a better coach than shoemaker, he didn’t know how to utilize the players he had what we start out with 30 guys during summer and ended with 8 on final roster, I played one year and that year took the fun out of the game for me, the minutes I played gave my all i didn’t go back for my sophomore season off court things happened had to choose between an education or being homeless, so had to give up ball and get a job to keep a roof over family’s head because mother chose not to, i did have some fun but was pissed off more than I ever been, the teammates I met will always be my brothers from Tommy Eric Jimmy John Mike Lionel Tim even mark when he sat out they will always be my brothers from another mother, I got to experience something many didn’t think I could achieve in life I got to play college basketball, I got to experience the game learn from others around the country, my all time goal was to get to Leland Stanford Jr university medical school it took me 13 years to achieve that goal, if I could go back and do it all over again I would have fought harder done better on and off the court, the awards I have achieved in life being retired at a young age become if a presidential seat challenger 2020, 2024
The journey and team I have gained, I do wish I could have done better, now in stand and fight for swim thing way bigger than myself way bigger than the game of basketball, the time it takes the wins the loses how you attack life when life bounces in direction you don’t want it to go how I can overcome these obstacles in life, to help other achieve their greatest potentials, to be part of many societies organization team is a group or organization set on one goal it’s about the team work and journey, we all not promised tomorrow have to enjoy the time we do have, I’m Raoul Estrada the forward from Los Banos high school, my triplet brother is Jesus Estrada, when he left the team it hurt knowing he wasn’t on the court with me, I remember my last game like it was yesterday, 8 points in 11 minutes when Mike told me I better not miss a free throw, the game
Of basketball was fun to play now I’m just a fan of the game, I remember playing a pick up game in Salinas there were a lot of people that knew me they kept saying I’m going to Stanford I’m going to make a difference in the game of basketball,
2020-2021 year covid hit hard In the world I would write the Stanford and women basketball team on a daily, to give them words of encouragement, the Stanford lady cardinals won the NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THE GAME ON TV TO WITNESS SOMETHING THAT I ALWASY WANTED TO SEE IN PERSON
BUT DUE TO COVID 19 sars2 and other names the virus was given, I pushed myself in the medical field that year took more out of me than basketball ever could and to see the lady Cardinal win the NCAA TITLE MADE BE LOVE THE GAME AGAIN, the players reminded me of my friends back home they way they played the game of basketball, to be part of the university that brought home a NCAA TITLE OS SOMETHING SPECIAL NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS I THOUGHT IT COULD HAPPEN, it shows what hard work does to never give up on your goals to give your all no matter what the outcome is,
I will always remember my last ball games in school, many didn’t believe I could make it the coach didn’t even think I could make he told me I wasn’t going to make it so I pushed myself hard didn’t give up wanted to quite the team because it wasn’t fun but I stuck it out and proved many doubters wrong, getting to play college ball was amazing the feeling of putting on that jersey 23 because the coach didn’t get any numbers lower than 10 so when I got my jersey 23 my brother said 23 that’s 2+ 3 =5 just put a plus in the middle of 23 you get 5 I laughed, seeing the campus over head become a nasa citizen scientist and to be apart of great things, mars 2020, DOUBLE ASTOUD REDIRECTION TEST TEAM TO WIN A SPACE FOUNDATION AWARD BORN AT VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER TO BECOME A POTUS SEAT CHALLENGER, I want to say thank you to all those that gave me the opportunity in life to be committed to excellence, thank you with out any of you I would be here today this message would never be, thank you for all the support in my life the ups the downs can’t win them all the team work and journey is want matters not the end result, we have to continue to do better for the future give the youth the best opportunities in life to succeed, our wolf we all live in it let’s make it better for the future, time is to short for petty ways, have to care about the life we have, I want to thank gavilan college for the opportunity they gave me thank you thank you thank you to all that helps me in my life I had the opportunity to learn study do research at Stanford Harvard yale John Hopkins Michigan for the greater good on life to be healthy today to help others get better in their life the sky is not the limit go above that never know a small helicopter named Ingenuity can make things possible ingy the little helo THST COULD WITH PERSEVERANCE that many said couldn’t be, DART PROGRAM THAT MANY SAID IT WOULDN’T WORK THAT A SMALL SATELLITE WOULD FAIL FALL SHORT DIE TRYING THE SKy IS NOT THE LIMIT
Stay humble in your dealing
Stay safe stay healthy have fun in life
Dr Raoul A Estrada
Gavilan basketball #23, 2003-2004