Bell-Jeff Girls Basketball State Championship Notebook
March 17, 2009
Jack Pollon
It was only four years ago during the 2005-2006 season that the Bell-Jeff of Burbank girls' basketball team was in the second year of another pitiful season.
Bryan Camacho, head coach for the Guards during very successful seasons in 2003 and 2004 left to pursue a college coaching opportunity in Montana and things seemed to fall apart on the small campus just north of the 5 freeway.
However, Camacho returned for the 2007 season, built the program back up from the dead and now has Bell-Jeff back on top, playing for the Division V state championship Friday at Arco Arena in Sacramento at 3:30 p.m. against Pinewood of Los Altos Hills.
Camacho led Bell-Jeff to the Southern Section Div. V-A championship this season and the Guards were runner-up in Div. IV-AA last year.
"Leaving was hard to do but it was a college opportunity that I felt I had to take," Camacho said. "I didn't want to look back and have any regrets that I didn't try for the next level. I learned so many things in Montana and everything happens for a reason and now we get to play for a state championship."
Camacho has been back for three seasons now and is not lost on the fact things have turned around so quickly after coming back to a program that registered only nine wins in two season when he was gone.
"We have just been so fortunate to have great kids and great families," Camacho said. "The kids and families have bought into the school and the program. We have been blessed and gotten some breaks here and there."
RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN
With a victory Friday, Bell-Jeff would break the school record for most wins in a season. The Guards are currently tied with the 1997 squad led by Jackie Johnson that had 33 wins. This years team has already surpassed the 97' team reaching the state final. The 97' team lost to St. Bernard of Playa del Rey in the regional championship one win away from advancing to the state championship.
"We can't worry about records right now," Camacho said. "We are only focused on winning this game Friday. If that happens the record will take care of itself. Everything great comes with a victory Friday."
MORE THAN BASKETBALL ON THE SCHEDULE
Bell-Jeff is not letting an opportunity for a sort of mini-vacation slip away with its first state title appearance.
While the Guards will be focused on the task at hand, the team also has a planned tour of the state capital on Saturday and a trip to San Francisco later that night.
The team will drive to San Francisco Saturday afternoon, spend the night with relatives of Camacho's family and tour the city Saturday night and Sunday morning before heading back home.
"We are going all out on this trip," Camacho said. "It is going to be a celebration of our season and the countless hours put in by the kids and staff and families. Everyone has sacrificed so much and we are going to finally let loose."
Hopefully for Bell-Jeff, it will get to do so showing off a championship plaque in the process.
PREPARING FOR PINEWOOD
At this point in the season there is not a lot of teaching and new material implemented. Bell-Jeff is working on shooting, staying fresh and breaking down its opponent.
"We had a light walk-through on Monday," Camacho said. "We are really just doing a lot of shooting and taking these four days to really dissect Pinewood. They are a very good team and similar to us in a lot of ways. They can handle the ball, shoot and run its sets very well. We want to know their tendencies and their coaching tendencies in certain situations."