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Like all draft days in any sport, its puts your instincts and gut feelings to the ultimate test. A player who looks good in college may not be able to make the transition to the next level and that's why there is so much pressure on scouts and coaches to make the right decisions. In the case of the 2020 Rams draft last month only time will tell whether the nine players they drafted will make an impact in their first year in the National Football League (NFL). One thing is for sure, the Rams...
Just when the Culver City boys' volleyball team started to improve, the coronavirus spike the ball over the net and block their road to a successful season. The team, according to head coach Joe Manzo was primed and ready to make a positive move. "We were young but we got better from last year," said Manzo in a telephone interview last Monday. "We definitely improved from last year. We had good chemistry. I think we had a chance to win a CIF championship if we were placed in the right...
The coronavirus can stop the Centaurs on the fields and courts but Culver City athletes continue to score points away from the spot lights. During the past few years the Centaurs have had a record number of gifted athletes receive college scholarships. Receiving an athletic scholarship takes a lot of hard work on and off the field or court. You have to have a ball in one hand and book in the other hand. Simply put you have to be a well-rounded student-athlete who has a great support group. It...
The NFL draft ended last Saturday with few surprises. Among the players that were taken last Thursday, Friday and Saturday were three UCLA players, tight end Devin Asiasi, running back Joshua Kelly and defensive back Darnay Holmes. The USC players that were chosen were offensive tackle Austin Jackson and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Asiasi is a sure handed tight end that was drafted in the third round by the New England Patriots. The 6-3, 257 pound Asiasi has average speed but what the NFL...
After six years away from the playoffs the Lakers were primed and ready to make a run deep into the post season and possibly win an NBA Championship. Then the coronavirus took the wind out of their sails like getting zero presents on Christmas day. Missing a game winning shot or free throw is one thing but missing part of the season and the playoffs is totally different. This team was built to win this year. Ten of their 16 players on their roster had been in the league six years are more. They...
The Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) made all of the right moves last summer. They signed two super star players, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to go along with a solid roster that included Patrick Beverly, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams. During the season they added forward Marcus Morris and guard Reggie Jackson. All the pieces to the championship puzzle were put together by a studious front office led by Lawrence Frank, President of Basketball Operations and...
The coronavirus has turned the world upside down and the sports world in America was thrown a breaking curve ball that has put fans at the edge of their seats, even if those seats are at home and not inside a stadium. At Culver City High School spring sports was blossoming into a beautiful flower that turned into a coronavirus cactus. Here are the records for some the spring teams before their seasons were put on hold. The baseball team was 9-4 overall and 2-1 in Ocean league play. Girls'...
Everyone in Southern California knows Culver City High School has one of the most efficacious sports programs in the state but what they may not know is they are very successful in the classroom. According to the latest statistics released by the school the 2019-2020 school year produced some very impressive grade point averages in 23 sports and that includes cheerleading which is classified as a sports by the CIF Southern Section. Here is a list of the sports and the GPA’s. FALL 1. 3.67 G...
Although high school sports has been put on hold due to the Coronavirus Pandemic the Culver City varsity football team, the girls soccer team and the boys soccer team placed eight players on the All-CIF fall and winter teams it was announced last week by the CIF Southern Section office. Making the All-CIF teams is a prestigious honor that not only recognizes the individual accomplishments of the players but it also in many cases signifies that the team they played for was also successful. Five...
Everyone in Southern California knows Culver City High School has one of the most efficacious sports programs in the state but what they may not know is they are very successful in the classroom. According to the latest statistics released by the school the 2019-2020 school year produced some very impressive grade point averages in 23 sports and that includes cheerleading which is classified as a sports by the CIF Southern Section. Here is a list of the sports and the GPA’s. FALL 1. 3.67 G...
The coronavirus has turned the world upside down and the sports world in America was thrown a breaking curve ball that has put fans at the edge of their seats, even if those seats are at home and not inside a stadium. At Culver City High School spring sports was blossoming into a beautiful flower that turned into a coronavirus cactus. Here are the records for some the spring teams before their seasons were put on hold. The baseball team was 9-4 overall and 2-1 in Ocean league play. Girls'...
Now that the regular season is over the UCLA and USC men's basketball team can concentrate on Pac-12 Tournament that began last Wednesday in Las Vegas. If they win their games on Thursday they will advance to play in the semifinals on Friday (today). If both teams win on Friday it will be a UCLA against USC championship game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Both teams need to win at least one or two more games to be selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans are 22-9 and the Bruins are 19-12....
March madness is supposed to start when teams reach the NCAA Tournament in the third week of March. For the USC and UCLA men's basketball teams it starts on Saturday when the two teams meet in the final game of the regular season. USC is 21-9 overall and UCLA is 19-11 The tipoff is set for 12:15 p.m. and both teams need a win to stay in contention for a bye next week in the Pac-12 Tournament at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The first day of the tournament, Wednesday, the top four teams in the...
The birds are singing and the flowers are blooming and that means its spring time. It also means 10 Culver City high school sports are in the starting blocks and are off to the races. Baseball, golf, boys and girls lacrosse, softball, swimming, boys tennis, boys and girls track and field and boys volleyball are looking to have winning seasons and make the playoffs. The bar of success has risen very high at Culver City. In the fall several teams made the playoffs and all five of the winter teams...
Like former Clipper announcer Ralph Lawler use to say, "Fasten your seat belts" because the Lakers and Clippers are headed for a an exciting last two months of the season. Both teams have less than 30 games to play and both teams are looking to avoid injuries heading into the playoffs. The Lakers are in first place in the Western Conference with the second best record in the NBA at 41-12 and Clippers are 37-18, five games behind the Lakers. The team with the best record in the NBA, the...
The UCLA women's basketball team is currently 22-3 and ranked No.8 in the nation but as good as they are there is something missing. Their tallest players are 6-4 and 6-2, and both of those players are freshmen who don't get a lot of playing time. The Bruins have a quick team but when they play taller teams in the Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament they might have matchup problems. The two teams ahead of the Bruins in the Pac-12 standings both have taller teams. Oregon has one 6-4...
You know it's getting close to spring when you hear the crack of the bat on the baseball field. It's time for Culver City baseball. They started the 2020 season with two wins last Saturday and Tuesday. They beat Verdugo Hills 5-0 on Saturday and Buena 4-1 last Tuesday. As usual the Centaurs will use a tough preseason schedule to get ready for the always competitive Ocean league. They will play in several tournaments before they start league play against Santa Monica in the middle of March. This...
The second half of the Pac-12 season can make or break the UCLA and USC men's and women's basketball seasons. The UCLA women are in the best position to stumble and still make it to the NCAA Tournament but they still want continue to play at a high level to get a high seed in NCAA's. The UCLA and USC women and the UCLA and USC men started the second half of the Pac-12 season last week and excluding the UCLA women the other teams have to win games if they expect to make it to the NCAA...
It's still hard for the Lakers and the rest of the basketball world to move forward after the death of Kobe Bryant of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and eight other people on January 26, but like they say in the entertainment world, "the show must go on." After a moving tribute to Kobe last Friday night at the Staples Center before the game against Portland, the Lakers tried to get back to work on the basketball court. They lost that game but the game seems incidental. "It's hard to put into words,"...
I have been a sports writer in the City of Los Angles for over 45 years. I have interviewed and covered some of the greatest athletes in the world. I started writing sports when I was a student at UCLA during John Wooden days so my introduction into the sports writing world started with greatness but Kobe Bryant redefined greatness. Bryant, his 13 year old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas last Sunday morning. They were on their way to a girls'...
Talented players and good coaching creates a winning combination most of the time. In the case of the USC men's basketball team it appears that combination is putting the Trojans in a position to stay near the top of a very talented Pac-12 league. At press time (Tuesday)10 of the 12 Pac-12 teams had winning records and the other two teams, UCLA and California were 8-8. USC was 13-3 at press time and they have the talent to continue to battle the best teams in the Pac-12. Stanford, Oregon, Colora...
Culver City high school's football program has been successful for many years and especially the last few years. The football team has reached three consecutive CIF semifinal games and they won the CIF championship last year. During that time many great players have played inside the Jerry Chabola Stadium on the Culver City campus. One of those players is Alex Smith. Last Wednesday Smith played for the University of Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. "It feels great," said Smith at the Lawry's Beef...
The 9-2 USC men's basketball team will play the 8-2 Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers on Saturday at the Staples Center at 6 p.m. Both teams come into the game with winning streaks and something to prove to the rest of the nation. USC beat Long Beach State last Sunday 87-76 at the Galen Center on the USC campus. The Trojans were led by freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu who scored 28 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and he also had three steals in 30 minutes of play. Senior guard Jonah Mathews...
When someone mentions Culver City high school water polo or swimming you have to quickly refer to the Dordoni family. That name has been synonymous with water sports at Culver City high school for the past 35 years and this season is just like the previous 35, a Dordoni is the head coach of the boys and girls water polo teams. Nestor Dondoni Sr. started the tradition and now Nestor Jr. continues to give the teams at Culver City excellent coaching and wisdom. The girls' water polo team is current...
Sports banquets are held to celebrate the past season. Whether the season was good or bad everyone gets together to give each other a pat on back. Culver City's 2019 football banquet was special because the football program tried to acknowledge everyone who had a part in making the season a success. "I thought it turn out nice," said head coach Jahmal Wright. "We took time and acknowledged everybody that helped us have a successful season. A banquet is a celebration so we wanted to acknowledge...
