2024: Nick Barkett, Original San Diego Section basketball player of year
Nick Barkett was determined to improve his lot in the Hoover basketball program after serving as the fifth of five guards on the 26-2 team of the 1959-60 Cardinals. “He…
2023-24 Basketball Week 11: Happy Trails, San Diego Section Ballers
The girls from Grossmont and Montgomery closed the San Diego Section basketball season on losing notes in championship games in Sacramento. Montgomery (25-12) dropped a 56-50 decision to Oakland High…
2023-2024 Boys Week 10A: Carlsbad Loses Epic Struggle Against Top Seed
San Diego Section boys teams exited early from the Southern California regional tournament, but No. 4 seed Carlsbad stuck around and almost knocked out No. 1. Coach Clark Allard’s Lancers…
2023-24 Boys Week 10: It’s Unanimous, Carlsbad No. 1 in Final Poll
John Maffei’s weekly, final regular-season Union-Tribune poll and the final Max-Preps and Cal-Hi Sports ratings, inclusive of the state playoffs. # TEAM RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS MAX-PREPS CAL-HI SPORTS 1 Carlsbad…
2023-2024 Boys Week 9A: The Hall Truth: Carlsbad Tops Montgomery for Open Title
Jake Hall’s two, late three-point baskets got No. 1 seed Carlsbad past Montgomery, 56-47, Saturday, February 24, for the San Diego Section Open Division championship. The victory, before more than…
2023-2024 Girls Week 9A: Grizzlies Roar, Division Champs Crowned!
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2023-2024 Girls Week 9: A Couple Semifinals Upsets
Scores through Friday, February 23, are included below. A playoffs wrap-up will appear later along with pairings for the Southern California regionals. Almost all divisions met seeding expectations, without even…
2023-2024 Boys Week 9: Carlsbad-Montgomery Rematch for Championship
Scores through Friday, February 23, are included below. A playoffs wrap-up will appear later along with pairings for the Southern California regionals. No. 1 Carlsbad will try to reverse a…
2023-2024 Boys Week 8B : Playoffs Enter Semifinals Round of 4
Two rounds of San Diego Section playoffs produced at least four shockers, sending power ratings analysts diving for cover. No. 8 seed Scripps Ranch defeated No. 1 Santa Fe Christian…
Absolutely great. Thanks Rick
Thanks Rick! I Get to an Aztec Game each Year when they Play The Rebels – Sit With My HS Coach Tom Mercer Who’s Got Great Season Tickets (not far from where Steve Copp Sits) and would Really Love to Meet U & Say Hello. I Know Who U Are Now – You’re A Legend!! MM
I’m in H-29,will benear the ice cream stand usually about 50-60 minutes before the game.
Wow – Not Sure of Who”s Responsible for The Amazing Sports History I Have Just Read but I Certainly Would Like to Thank Them. Read About Some of My Dad Bud Milke’s Old Mar Vista & Castle Park HS Team’s As Well as Some of My High School Hilltop HS Old School Teams! What Nostalgia – So Many Player’s Names I Remeber as A Ball Boy for My Dad – As Well as When He Coached at Southwestern JC. Paul Pruitt was My Sophomore Coach at Hilltop – Steve Copp Was Our Stud. Elburt Miller Yes Indeed – Got to Know Elburt When I Went on to College at UNLV 1975-78 & Was in Attendance at His Funeral! My Dad Passed Away in 2017 but Thanks for Bringing Back Such Great Memories – Mike Milke Hilltop 1972-74!
One of the first games I covered for the Lincoln High school newspaper was a game against Mar Vista, led by Larry Boyd, Jerry Sanger, and George Verdugo. Yoour dad was a tall, imposing man, who had a great career in the South Bay, including that first-season 23 wins at Castle Park. I’m very interested to hear from you on the passing of Elburt Miller, who was terrific at San Diego High, City College, and UNLV. The last I heard Elburt had been successful in selling automobiles in Las Vegas. Do you have any additional information? Thanks for writing, Mike.
Sorry Rick – Just Accessed Your Response! Elburt Miller Should Have His Number Retired at UNLV – But Gotta Have That NBA Pedigree I Guess. He Was Always Really Good to Me as I Always Brought UP San Diego City College Stuff With Him…Specifically John Early &
Jumpin Johnny Otis!! He Died Peacefully & The Service Was Packed – Think He Was Selling Cars or Real Estate at The End. Quiet Humble Peaceful Man. Ok Rick – Been Meaning to Ask You This Question!! Greatest HS Starting Alumni 5 In Basketball in SD Area? I ‘m Plugging Hilltop HS – John Tschgol (sp) Steve Copp Pete Jackson (Recruited to Army by Bobby Knight) Me – Playing at UNLV For Tarkanian – Two Hall of Fame Coaches There & I Guess One of Those Early Hilltop Guys You Know Better Than Me!! Go Lancers!! Thought That Would Be A Great Topic – Love Reading Your Clips, Thank You – Mike Milke
Hilltop’s first year, 1959-60, they won 20 games under the dour Paul Pruett, who came down from San Dieguito. I saw the Hoover-Hilltop game there in 60-61 and was always impressed with Charlie Schneider and Robbie Hewitt. Don’t know how far they went collegiately. I first saw your dad coach a game at Lincoln in 1955-56 when I was a student reporter for the Lincoln Buzz. George Verdugo and Larry Boyd were the Mariners’ stars. Speaking of first years, your dad, about whom I wrote when he passed earlier this year, I think, had a great inagural season at Castle Park. I had heard that Elburt had passed and that he had been successful selling cars in Las Vegas. Helluva player, as were John Tshogl (played with 76ers) and Steve Copp. I wasn’t covering the high schools beyond 1963-64. The Tribune put me on the Aztec beat, then the Chargers, and I left to become PR guy with the Golden State Warriors (Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond, Jeff Mullins, Cazzie Russell, etal). I won’t argue about Hilltop’s having the best Alumni 5. That’s a terrific subject and I will bring it up with some of my basketball friends. I share Aztec season tickets with Al Catlin, a great player at Lincoln, San Diego City, and San Diego State. Thank you for the very nice note, Mike.
One guy we all seem to forget just may be the greatest all around athlete in San Diego History. Also the most courageous. They made a movie about him that every young person should see. His name was Joe Roth.
In 1975, Joe Roth, Chuck Muncie, and Wesley Walker led California to an upset, 28-14 victory over undefeated, 8-0 USC. Not long after we began reading reports of Roth’s battling cancer, which I believe or read started with a mole on his back or face. Granite Hills should create a statue on campus for Joe Roth, whose brother Mike (?) also was a quarterback and who played at Washington State.
I just posted in “The Red Devils HOF’ recognizing you must be George’s brother. My dad (Robert “Jo-Jo” Moss played basketball at San Diego State in the early 1930’s and) knew your dad. You are right, Rick’s one grand legend; we were classmates at Lincoln (class of 1957); and he was the sports editor for the Lincoln HS “Buzz” newspaper.
Just read a little more. It’s nice to see there is a little recognition after all these years.
Thank a bunch for the comments. Those were fun years. Thank you. John Fairchild
John, my best memory of you was that you could get up and down and had a pretty good mid-range jumper. Am I correct? And didn’t you play in a regional tournament game in which BYU either won or lost, something like 101-95, or thereabouts?
I am way behind on this website. A day late and dollar short. The Portland State player was Cooper. I saw Fairchild take Mel Counts apart in the Far West Classic in 1963. San Dieguito had another outstanding player, Janski, during that time period, who went on to play at Santa Clara. Speaking for the 1961 Hoover team, we would have won because no one could outcoach Charlie Hampton in those days. Record in 1960 was 27-2, in 1961 24-3, in 1962 25-2. Elburt Miller was also the last player cut by the San Diego Clippers. Had he not broken his nose I believe he would have made the team.
The Potter family contributed to that three-season record of 76-7, starting with your brother Norm on the ’60 team. You, of course, followed with an outstanding career under Hampton. I’m not sure about Elburt Miller. The San Diego Rockets were hewre during the 1969-70 and ’70-71 seasons. The Clippers came several years later.
I meant to say the Rockets and the player that got the last spot was Nick Jones from U of O. I played with him, and his brother Steve who played 12 years in the NBA and ABA. To whomever responded to my comment; Norm passed away three weeks ago.
Rick Potter, this is Rick Smith, the person who responded to your earlier comment. I’m sorry to hear about your brother. As I recall, he was Hampton’s first substitute, the first player off the bench on that 1959-60 Hoover team? I must have spoken with Norm 3 or 4 years ago. I think he was living in one of the beach cities around Los Angeles. All the best and I hope you continue to check in on this blog.
Two comments re: this thread:
1. As a sophomore Caver, when Elburt was a senior, I’ll never forget a game in our gym when he drove the lane and got hammered without a foul call. Falling parallel to the floor, and about 18 inches from it, the ball sprung out of his hand and banked in off the backboard. The B Street Boys went crazy.
2. As an undersized singles hitting all-star for the Mike Morrow Little League Butchers team, loaded with Jerry Devanon and John D’Aquisto (who went on to the majors), Dougie Hunt (who should have) and athletes like Gary Marshall, Lyle Hull, John Morstad (all three future Hoover Cardinals), eventual teaching pro golfer Kert Holden and others; I thought I was pretty good and looked forward to Pony League the following year. Teammate John Lau and I went over to the Pony field to watch a game in which Cluck was throwing the ball harder and more inside than I’d ever seen, and I think he drilled two kids in a row while we watched. The hell with Pony League, I quickly turned to fishing and made a career of it. Years later, I returned to the ballfields after forming a three-pitch softball team named the City Lakers, once again with a couple of major leaguers playing with us. Gene Stone who’d been with the Phillies and played when Richie Allen couldn’t get back from the race track played first, and Kevin Mitchell a cousin of one of our players and was still active showed up to play with us once in a while as well. Now I’m just old and with a memory.
IMO the U-T’s Top 52 (or whatever it’s called) re: those who influenced sports in this town missed a few. Wilbur Folsom in tennis, The Abregos of Presidio in golf and Mike Morrow in baseball.
Are you Jim Brown of Zeke Zieralski fame? Of Rob Orttman B Street fame? I’ve got a few Kovac stories of my own, which I won’t relate here. I would have responded sooner but have been laid up last week qith a mild case of pneumonia and stomach flu. Quite a parlay. Of all those names mentioned above, Cluck is the closest. We gather with a group of guys at D.Z. Akins every Thursday morning. Bob is still working, scouting West Coast teams for Tampa Bay. I see Gary Marshall at the CIF track championships every year. He’s retired in Carlsbad. I always considered Doug Hunt was one of the best athletes I’ve seen out of San Diego High. I was interviewing Wilver Stargell during a Padres-Pirates series at San Diego Stadium in early ‘seventies and he told me Doug Hunt was his cousin. Thanks for writing and reinforcing Elburt Miller’s legend. He was in the same league with Hambone Williams. I’m available for a sandwich and some conversation if you have the time. Does having lived in an apartment on B Street between 27th and 28th Street in 1963 make me a B Street boy?
Thanks for writing, Bob. Sorry to hear that Elburt passed. He had a good career at what I believe still was called Nevada Southern (now UNLV) in the mid-‘sixties and went on to have a successful career in automobile sales.
Was happy to hear in your blog about the late, great, Elburt Miller (San Diego High 1963, City College, Nevada Southern) breaking the single game scoring record at City with 64 points in 1964. I believe that he broke the Hambone Williams record that year, another great local player. Not enough is written about Junior College Sports in this town. Rick, keep up the good work.
How about an article on the 1961 San Dieguito High School basketball team that went 25-1 and won the first San Diego CIF county basketball championship. They were led by 6’8″ John Fairchild. He went on to play for BYU, LA Lakers, Anaheim Amigos, Denver, and Indiana Pacers.
Good idea. The coach at San Dieguito, Dick McCracken (hope I have the name right) wanted to play Hoover, but the teams were separated by divisions. Unlike today there pro was no impetus to bring them together during the season and they wouldn’t meet in the playoffs. Hoover was 24-3 and won the AA championship. The Mustangs won the A championship. I forget who beat San Dieguito, which played its home games in Bing Crosby Hall next to the Del Mar Racetrack, but it was early in the season. Fairchild was a tall, rangy guy who could get up and down. What I remember best about Fairchild was an NCAA tournament game against UCLA in 1964. BYU gave the championship-bound Bruins a run for their money in a high scoring game. San Dieguito had another player who went on to Portland State and had a good college career. I’ll do some research and come up with an article.
Nice to hear a little history, from way back then. The team did go 25-1, in 1961. 54 years ago and I’m still breathing.
McCracken was a good coach and a hard driver, but I think we all needed it.
Thank you, again. John Fairchild
John, I remember you. A tall, slender guy who could get up and down. I don’t think there would be a question in 2015. San Dieguito and Hoover would play. Your team certainly deserved the opportunity. We were all so short-sighted and narrow minded in those days.