Sports
Steve Kline Takes Helm Of Ohlone Men's Basketball
With Scott Fisher's resignation right before the season, his former assistant, a longtime American High coach, will guide the Renegades
Change is always in the air when a basketball season begins, but new Ohlone College men’s coach Steve Kline is experiencing change in a head-spinning kind of way.
After former Renegades head coach Scott Fisher resigned for personal reasons in late August, Kline, Fisher’s assistant the past four years, suddenly found himself with a new title right on the brink of the season.
Ohlone will tip things off with its own Jonathan Wallace Memorial Tournament Nov. 8 and Nov. 10.
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But rest assured. Kline knows the sport and the Ohlone program well. The former longtime American High coach says “If the moons line up we can be OK.”
“We’re gonna run the same stuff,” he says. “Shoot threes, run some continuity stuff on offense that we ran in the past. Lots of ball screens, doing the same analytics we’ve done the last three years – Layup, free throw or a wide-open three.”
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The Renegades will be led by sophomore guards Kai Winterling out of Menlo-Atherton High and Felipe Marasigan (Washington-Fremont). Winterling averaged 9.4 points a game last season as Ohlone advanced to Round 2 of the state playoffs. The Renegades beat West Valley 70-65 in the first round before falling to No. 3 Yuba 75-60
A pair of newcomers out of Antioch High, Kaleb Smith and Kirmarje Trent, are looking good, along with Aiden Graham of Brisbane, Australia, and freshman Kyle Vickery (American).
A lack of size could prove a tough obstacle for the Renegades in the powerful Coast Conference-North Division. Ohlone doesn’t have anyone over 6-foot-5 who will play, so they can’t dump it in there for 25 points.
Kline gives American High’s first basketball coach Dave Garcia credit with giving him his first opportunity to coach. A former American athletic director and assistant football coach, Kline also credits Fisher with preparing him to take the helm.
Kline expects City College of San Francisco, the reigning state champion, to repeat as Coast-North champion, and figures all the other teams will battle for second place. He sees Chabot as much-improved under new coach Keenan McMiller.