Marcos freshman follows a star
By Brian Gomez
At first glance, freshman point guard Kal Bay may look like nothing more than a scrawny, shaggy-haired kid who couldn’t possibly do all that much on a basketball court.
Other people see a budding young prodigy who already has exploded onto the scene at Marcos de Niza High School.
Bay himself sees even a different picture: a prototype of efficiency practiced by Oregon junior guard Luke Ridnour.Given the pair’s strikingly similar haircuts, it’s not too farfetched to fathom the possibility of the 5-foot-11, 150-pound prospect someday sitting in Ridnour’s shoes at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore.
"I love Oregon and I love Luke Ridnour," said Bay, who has received recruiting letters from seven Division I schools, including Kansas, North Carolina, Indiana, Texas Tech, Oregon State, Iowa State--and Oregon.
NCAA rules stipulate that college coaches aren’t permitted to contact potential student-athletes until the end of their sophomore year. That suits Marcos head coach Dave Stark just fine.
With Bay running the point and senior shooting guard Jon Ziri knocking down shots from everywhere but Stark’s lap, the No. 4-ranked Padres (19-3, 3-1 Central Region) have their sights set on a second consecutive state championship. They were unbeaten until last month when they sustained back-to-back losses to Chandler and Mesa in the McClintock Holiday Shootout.
After rebounding with a 70-61 victory at Glendale Deer Valley, Marcos opened region play with wins over Scottsdale Desert Mountain, Corona del Sol and Mountain Pointe. The team’s lone setback came in the form of a 62-60 loss to No. 3 Desert Vista.
"Kal is one part of the whole deal, but he accentuates what we have," Stark said. "He contributes in scoring and he delivers the ball nicely for us. He’s also shown he can play some solid defense."
Having scored a school-record 40 points twice this season, Ziri naturally garners the most attention on a team with talent at every position, even in the absence of all-state point guard Paul Mohr.However, without Bay’s contributions, Marcos might be wallowing in mediocrity instead of climbing toward the top of the polls.
"I didn’t think I had to replace Paul Mohr, and I don’t think they thought I could either," Bay said.
"I worked hard on my shooting and ball-handling. I felt like I could come out here and show people what I can do."
In early December, Bay helped the Padres erase a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit, before making a free throw with 20 seconds remaining in overtime to lift his team to a 68-67 win against No. 10 Mesa High.Two weeks later, he scored a game-high 23 points as Marcos celebrated a 94-73 victory over Phoenix Shadow Mountain in the championship game of the Flagstaff Pepsi Invitational.
Bay’s biggest moment came Dec. 12 when the Padres were locked in a close game at No. 2 Mesa Mountain View. As the final seconds ticked off the clock in overtime, Bay drained a jumper from the free-throw line that gave Marcos a 64-62 win.
"That was the best feeling I’ve ever had," said Bay, who is averaging 10.1 points, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Unlike the few freshmen that are playing at the varsity level in their first year removed from middle school, Bay has an uncanny ability to make smart decisions in pressure situations. His quick first move off the dribble is matched only by his awareness on the floor.
Bay, the youngest player on Marcos’ 12-man active roster, developed those skills last summer when playing in about 50 exhibition games with his new teammates. He left no doubt that he was best suited to carry the responsibilities and high expectations that go along with playing point guard.
"He understands his role," said Bay’s father, Kurtis, whose family moved to the Valley from Vancouver, Wash., a small town 275 miles south of where Ridnour attended high school."Kal just wants to win. He doesn’t care who gets the glory."
For the time being, Bay is making his own piece of history with a magnificent start at Marcos. Four years from now, he could be rewriting it on the stomping ground of his idol.
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com.
