Las Positas Sophomores Ready For Next Level

Even during the shelter in place things are jumping for Las Positas College men’s basketball coach James Giacomazzi.

With sophomores putting the final touches on transfers to four-year schools and fresh talent entering the program, Giacomazzi is a little like a musical conductor keeping everything flowing properly and in tune. And what a winning beat: The two-time Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year at Cosumnes River earned his 300^th career victory last season at Las Positas.

“Our job is not only to bring 'em in, but to get 'em out,” he said recently of his bustling program. “That’s what we’re working on. It’s been a little bit of a challenge this year with the circumstances we’re all in.”

After a 20-9 season and runner-up finish in the Coast-North, Las Positas will be sending out six sophomores and at least two other ex-Hawks are transferring to new schools.

Las Positas’ biggest name, sophomore Michael Hayes, a co-State Player of the Year and the Hawks’ all-time top scorer and rebounder, is completing his academic requirements this spring while weighing numerous Division I options.

Former Freedom High basketball star Drew Mork, a native of Arvik, Sweden, is also sorting through offers after averaging 12.6 points a game and shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range. He has had a lot of conversations with California University of Pennsylvania, among other out-of-state schools.

It’s a challenging process for recruits without on-campus visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Mork has had some expert help.

“I think coach James did a great job of developing me and getting me a bunch of options,” Mork says. “I had a good season numbers-wise. My stats were right there, and I think he did a great job with that.”

Mork, who has a 3.7 GPA, transferred to Las Positas from Metropolitan State in Denver, where he played one season after redshirting. His former Freedom teammate John Ketchel, who deftly ran the point at Las Positas for two seasons before Mork joined the Hawks, is transferring to Mayville State in North Dakota after playing at Hawaii Pacific last season.

Whenever the games return, Mork will surely be ready. His drive at Freedom was the stuff of legends.

“Drew was one of the most competitive players I ever coached and one of the hardest workers in the weight room, on the basketball court and in the classroom,” said Drew Torres, his former high school coach.

Mork has grandparents in Sweden and might consider playing there professionally after college. He came to the United States with his family at age 5. He started high school play at Heritage as a freshman before transferring to Freedom.

SIGNING SEASON

Las Positas sophomore Wesley Burse is transferring to Bethel University in Indiana, located about three miles from the University of Notre Dame. “He has a chance to do some good things,” Giacomazzi says of Burse’s next destination. “They have a good coach. I think he’ll have a good career there.”

Michael Moore signed with Hope International in Orange County, where he will join former Las Positas player Keith Hunter, who transferred to Hope after having a good season at University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Additionally, Isaiah Abdul, a guard who averaged 5.6 points for the Hawks last season, will transfer to Fisher College in Boston. Matt Roseby is looking to transfer to Clark University in Worcester, Mass.

FREEDOM STRONG

Ketchel, Mork and Torres have maintained a Freedom Falcon brain trust of sorts through the years.

“I’m very close to both of them,” Mork says of Ketchel and Torres. “I just talked to John the other day … He was talking about where he was going and what he was thinking, and I was telling him my two cents and everything.”

Torres gives both Mork and Ketchel high marks as players and people, but they have different personalities. “John’s more outgoing and personable and wants to be well liked, and he is, where Andrew doesn’t care. He just wants to compete against you, and ‘I don’t care what you think about me,’” Torres says.

Torres was impressed that Mork was his best player and hardest worker, an attractive combination which set the standard in the successful program. Mork was a first-team all-Bay Valley Athletic League pick as a senior, a year after Ketchel was league MVP as a senior.

“Mork was our strongest guy in the weight room,” Torres recalls. “We did all these different tests and he won our vertical jump test. He won our endurance test.”

And then he went out and won the shooting contests on the court as well.

Torres added, “He was always super competitive. I think his senior year he shot 40 percent from 3-point range, which is a really good clip for him at that high school level.”