by JimineyCricket » Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:29 pm
Borrowing heavily from Louie's rankings, here is a guide to the current status (as of 11/15) of some of the top '00 teams in the area, ordered as in Louie's end of Fall ranking. CAUTION: contains a fair amount of rumor and conjecture. Near as I can tell, those are a couple of things the Bucket is made for...
1.Grapettes Kahwaty: Tryouts Dec. 1 & 2 in Stockton. Established team. Probably not likely to see a lot roster movement. Will likely remain a top '00 team in the Spring.
2. Rocklin Hype: Tryouts not yet announced. Established team. Probably not likely to see a lot of movement. Lack of tryouts could mean roster is set, or could be a sign that coaching is in flux (Breeze IS looking for a new coach...). Anyone know? Likely another top '00 team in the Spring.
3. CA Breeze: Tryouts Dec. 2 at BATS. One of the teams affected the most by the Lady Magic announcement. Will have a new head coach coming on-board (name not yet announced), lost some top talent, will likely be rebuilding roster. No way to even guess how this team will look/play in the Spring until a head coach is announced.
4. Roseville Heat (Cota): Tryouts Dec. 1 in Antelope. Website says will be looking at '00 and '01 players, seems to be turnover in the assistant coaching ranks (The ad says "coaching staff will be returning", but there's only one asst listed on the website now. You be the judge.). Another team that rumor says has been impacted a lot by the Lady Magic announcement. Roster will likely need significant rebuilding. How many friendlies can they schedule before Spring? Probably the end of the run here.
5. Salinas Storm: Tryouts Nov. 25 and Dec. 1 in Salinas. Established team. Probably not likely to see a lot of roster movement. Add that to solid instruction, and this team should continue to impress in Spring.
6. CA Rapids: Tryout dates not yet announced (but at least the website is finally back up – sort of). Newer team, showed the most improvement of any '00 team from Spring to Fall. Lack of tryouts could mean roster is set, or could be a sign that coaching is in flux (Breeze IS looking for a new coach...). Anyone know?
7. Team CA: Tryouts Dec. 1 in Roseville. Probably not likely to see a lot of roster movement - from appearances head coach mostly stayed loyal to his players when he switched orgs last year. '00 team struggled through injuries, but continued to improve – should continue to do so in the spring.
8. KG Hitters: Tryouts Nov. 17&18 in Concord. Newer team, roster has some strength, played hot and cold in the fall. Players will get the added benefit of getting to learn to swear like a sailor at the feet of a giant.
9. Clovis Rockets: Is anyone really going to commute to Clovis to play 12u? I don't think so.
Wild Card. Lady Magic: Tryouts Nov. 29 in Antelope and Dec. 8/9 in Elk Grove. New team. Rumors seem to indicate this team will be a heavy mix of former '00 Breeze and Heat (Cota) players, but "all positions are open." Does anyone doubt this team will compete out of the gate?