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Sports Notebook...with Brian Gomez
For Bay, no break in heat of recruiting

By Brian Gomez

For Marcos de Niza High School point guard Kal Bay, there’s no such thing as an off-season.

Just the continuation of last season and the start of next season.

Fresh off an impressive sophomore campaign in which he established himself as one of the state’s premier point guards, Bay hasn’t stopped playing basketball long enough this summer to even catch his breath. 

He averaged 30 points per game in Gilbert’s summer tournament, and then averaged 27 points in a team camp at Arizona State University, drawing attention from Sun Devils recruiting coordinator Tony Benford.

Earlier this month, Bay played for a Nike team in Portland. He plans to attend several other tournaments in the coming weeks, including the adidas Big-Time in Las Vegas and the adidas Best of Summer in Los Angeles.

“He doesn’t know anything but basketball,” said Kurtis Bay, Kal’s father. “Sometimes I wish he was a little more diverse, but the guy just carries around a basketball and plays basketball.”

College coaches can’t have direct contact with Bay until after next season, although Bay already has received bundles of recruiting letters.

Iowa has shown interest in Bay, as has Duke, Maryland, Ohio State, North Carolina and Syracuse. Pac-10 schools that have sent him letters include ASU, Washington, UCLA, Oregon and the University of Arizona.

Kurtis Bay said coaches from Georgia Tech and Notre Dame called Marcos coach Dave Stark, asking about Kal’s development. Louisville coach Rick Pitino and Gonzaga coach Mark Few were at the Pump N’ Run Easter Tournament in Las Vegas, where Bay had a 28-point game.

Hacker makes diving nationals

Kyrene Corridor resident Max Hacker will dive July 17 at the Junior Olympic West Summer Championships in Brown Deer, Wis. Hacker, who advanced through a regional qualifier last month in Tucson, is expected to compete on the 1- and 3-meter springboard and the 5-meter platform.

Anderegg signs with SMCC

Corona del Sol graduate Phil Anderegg will play next year at South Mountain Community College. As a senior at Corona, Anderegg, a third baseman, earned All-Central Region honors.

Brindley headed to Whittier

Marcos graduate Billy Brindley has signed with the Whittier (Calif.) College football team. He will be a kicker and a wide receiver and he’ll also play on defense.

Corona freshman earns honor

Incoming Corona del Sol freshman Scott Minchuk has been named a second-team All-America Scholar by Pop Warner Little Scholars. Minchuk maintained a 4.0 grade-point average for three years at Kyrene Middle School and ranked in the top 1 percent of the 380,000 students that participated in the national program.

Reap pitches in national tourney

Corona graduate Chris Reap pitched last month for the Arizona Senior Sunbelt team, which finished seventh at a national tournament in Shawnee, Okla. Reap was saddled with a loss June 23, as Arizona dropped an 11-6 decision to a team from Georgia.

Former Aztecs now in minors

Five Corona graduates are playing this summer for minor-league baseball teams.

Pitcher Chris Cooper is with the Akron (Ohio) Aeros, a Double A Cleveland Indians affiliate. Infielder Rudy Gomez is with the Arkansas Travelers, a Double A Anaheim Angels affiliate. Pitcher Chris Honsa is with the Batavia (N.Y.) Muckdogs, a Class A Philadelphia Phillies affiliate. Infielder Brad Vericker is with the San Jose Giants, a Class A San Francisco Giants affiliate. And pitcher Sean Martin is with the Hagerstown (Md.) Suns, also a Class A Giants affiliate.

Summer sports camp info

Gethsemane Lutheran School will host two youth sports camps this summer. Its volleyball camp runs from July 19-23 and its basketball camp runs from July 26-30. For more information, call Gethsemane Athletic Director Bryan Winfrey at (480) 229-6910.

Corona releases football schedule

A look at the Corona football team’s schedule for the upcoming season:

Sept. 3 at Mesa Dobson; Sept. 10 vs. Chandler Hamilton; Sept. 17 vs. Phoenix Maryvale; Sept. 24 at Phoenix Alhambra; Oct. 1 vs. Gilbert Mesquite; Oct. 8 at Yuma High; Oct. 15 vs. Mountain Pointe; Oct. 22 at Tucson Flowing Wells; Oct. 29 vs. Marcos; Nov. 5 at Desert Vista.

Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com.

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