Simply the best

Before you think that we favor athletes from private schools or that we don’t put enough emphasis on players from public schools, let me put those questions and concerns to rest. The Daily Journal sports department — which is comprised on me and Terry Bernal — keep notes, either written or mental, throughout each season about athletes who we think will be in contention for post-season honors.

And to be completely honest, we may actually use tougher criteria on athletes from private schools. Basically any ties go to public school selections, but those usually also have some kind of interesting story to go with it.

Take AJ McDonald, 2024 Boys’ Water Polo Player of the Year. One of the best players in the Central Coast Section, he and the Sequoia team had a historic run during the 2024 season.

This past fall, however, there were no compelling argument to choose public school kids over private.

In the end, those athletes who are honored were simply better than the rest of their peers.

***

When is enough enough? Does the chance to do something very few athletes get to do, override the sportsmanship associated with high school athletics?

These questions are being asked anew after it was reported Adrian Stubbs of Maryvale High School in Phoenix, Arizona, set a new state single-game scoring record as he went for 100 points in a win over Kofa High School Tuesday night.

Kofa actually outscored the rest of the Maryvale team, however, 25-9.

Final score: 109-25.

According to reports, Stubbs, a 5-10 senior guard, scored 70 points in the first half alone, nearly breaking the previous record of 75 points set in 1966. He added 30 more in the third quarter before taking a seat in the fourth.

Should the school and coaching staff be embarrassed for letting Stubbs go for the century mark? Is that against the spirit of the high school game?

I posed the question to some in the office. Daily Journal columnist Mark Simon asked a good question: did the Maryvale team do anything differently in trying to run up the score?

It’s hard to know without actually having seen the game, but the stats Maryvale reports to MaxPreps.com indicates Stubbs is a baller. Going into the game, he was averaging just shy of 24 points per game. Last year, he averaged over 27.

And he is not just a scorer. Twice this season he has flirted with a quadruple-double, scoring 45 points, grabbing 15 boards, while adding nine steals and eight assists in a game Maryvale won 92-78. He had another game of 31 points, 11 assists 10 steals and eight rebounds in a 91-82 win and had 56 in a 77-75. The Panthers are only 10-6 on the season, so it’s not like Maryvale is putting beatings on every opponent.

In this case, I think I let it slide. It’s obvious this kid can fill it up. Seventy points in the first half means an average of 35 points a quarter. What fan doesn’t want to see that?

But it probably shouldn’t happen again.

***

While basketball league play is in its early stages, some are already turning their attention to the spring.

Mercy’s third-year varsity softball coach, Erik Vorsatz announced the Mercy Alumnae Softball Game for Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. at Cuernavaca Park in Burlingame. Vorsatz said he expects nearly two dozen former players to compete against this year’s varsity team.

“I am entering my third year as head coach,” Vorsatz said in an email. “Having an event like this is important to our program to show our current players how rich Mercy softball is with so many great women that came before them.”

Nathan Mollat has been covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal since 2001. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.