May 28, 2010
Three Points for the Warriors
It might take four decades or so of living here to recall that there was once an NBA Warrior franchise located in San Francisco. Well, another incarnation of the Warriors, one with a roster laden with basketballers from across The City but also beyond, still exists. It's the Bay Area Warriors club team, headed by Randy Bessolo, who also coaches the varsity hoops program at University High in San Francisco.
Bessolo has been successful everywhere
Bessolo grew up in the Bay Area, played basketball and baseball and then relocated around the country for school and work before eventually returning in 2005 to the place he calls home. After earning a B.A. at Columbia while also playing basketball for the Lions and then gaining an advanced degree at Harvard Business School, he became a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs.
Then he moved into real estate, first as a vice president at Equity Office Properties and culminating in a position as a managing director and principal at the Chicago-based Transwestern Investment Company.
While in Chicago, he began coaching for Larry Butler's Illinois Warriors, a prominent Windy City-based club basketball team. Bessolo coached the younger players and among those he mentored were Jon Scheyer (just finished at Duke), Jacob Pullen (currently at Kansas State), Jeremy Pargo (starred for Gonzaga), Bobby Frasor (recently at North Carolina), among many others.
Bessolo also gave of his time by volunteering with Catholic Big Brother, Cabrini-Green Tutoring and Mercy Boys Home Hoops for Homework programs
But the lure of the Bay Area and family remained and he made the decision to return. Bessolo also decided it was time to enter coaching full time.
He first tried for a spot across the Bay. "I was a finalist for two Oakland Athletic League jobs," Bessolo explained.
Then the varsity basketball coach position at University High opened for the 2005-2006 season and, as Bessolo humbly puts it, "I was grateful to get it."
The year before he came aboard, University won but eight games. Since then, it's been an upward arc of 18, 21, 22, 23 and 28 victories. This latest season saw the Red Devils play but eventually lose to Branson in the state championship semi-finals.
Besides all of the above, what also adds to Bessalo's uniqueness is this: "I'm one of the very few guys coaching at a high school and also at the club team level."
What he especially likes about his Warriors bunch is that "the kids are hardworking, coachable and smart."
He also lauds Evan Jones, who helps Bessolo run the Warriors, coaches the 15U squad and is the junior varsity basketball coach at University.
Bessolo also does things differently on the court. He said, "I like to play three point guards at a time because we use a pressing, uptempo style of play and they typically have the skills we need to be successful."
Here are the top Warrior talents, with comments from Bessolo:
- Aaron Anderson, 6-foot-2, Archbishop Riordan, 2011 - an athletic combo guard who plays real hard, is coachable and a good defender.
- Aaron Brown, 6-foot-3, Wallenberg High, 2011 - Point forward who can score, he plays very unselfishly and is a good defensive player.
- Jordan Doherty, 6-foot-5, Riordan, 2011 - Good post foot-work.
- Kai Drewry, 6-foot-3, Redwood High, 2011 - Kai is a superb athlete and very strong.
- Chris Fontaine, 6-foot-6, Wallenberg High, 2010 - The squad's only unsigned senior goes to work in the paint.
- Jalen Headspeth, 5-foot-11, Oakland High 2011 - Jalen is a quick, strong and athletic point who can distribute and score and provides good leadership. Ryan Isono, 5-foot-11, Head-Royce, 2011 - An aggressive defender and point guard.
- Darius Johnson, 5-foot-10, St. Elizabeth, 2011 - Darius is a good scorer penetrating or shooting long distance. Connor McGrath, 5-foot-11, Serra High, 2011 - Excellent point guard.
- Matt Moreno, 6-foot-4, Redwood High, 2012 - Athletic, long and productive. Daylan Pacheco, 6-foot-6, Serra High, 2011 - a versatile wing.
- Ian Proulx, 6-foot, Menlo-Atherton, 2012 - Sharp-shooting guard.
- Noah Springwater, 6-foot-2, University High, 2011 - He is also a star baseballer who is still involved on the diamond.
- James Testa, 6-foot-3, Carlmont High, 2011 - A scoring guard also with point guard skills.
- Taylor Thompson, 6-foot, St. Mary's, 2011 - Combo guard.