October 8, 2010
Tollefsen will don a Don uniform
There isn’t a better catch-and-shoot, pick-and-pop marksman in the Bay Area than Mark Tollefsen -- he has justly earned that mantle. Backing up that claim, here’s our description of his play in the recent Nor Cal Clash: "Mark Tollefsen is a net-nestling shooter. Let him catch and fire is simply a losing strategy as his treys last night never met iron." He’s taking it elsewhere come the 2011-2012 college season.
At 6-foot-9 and with very good mobility, Tollefsen provides multiple options offensively and defensively for his coaches, Joe Fuca of the Lakeshow basketball club and John Raynor at San Ramon Valley (SRV). Now, Coach Rex Walters of the University of San Francisco (USF) is going to be the next recipient of those talents.
Why did Tollefson go with the Dons?
"There are a lot of important pieces to the decision," Tollefsen explained. "USF is in one of the top basketball conferences, the impressive history with Bill Russell, K.C. Jones and Bill Cartwright, I got a very good feeling from Coach Walters and it’s 45 minutes away from home so my family can come see me play. I couldn’t let the opportunity pass."
How did he feel right after making his decision?
His response was a string of descriptions: really happy, kind of relieved because it was stressful at times, but mostly, on top of the world."
Asked what position Coach Walters talked about him playing and if redshirting came up in their discussions, Tollefsen said "the three and the four," adding "he old me he wasn’t recruiting me to redshirt."
Coming off an impressive club basketball team spring and summer, Tollefsen is a major reason Lakeshow enjoyed a very successful spring and summer.
Here’s Lakeshow’s Joe Fuca on his protege: "Mark was clutch in big games. Just when you think you figure him out, he hits you with something you’re not prepared for. Against the Double Pump team in a semi-final, he tipped in a missed shot to put us in the lead for good and this was after he scored 20 points on a mix of three-pointers and some high-flying dunks on the break.
Mark’s length on defense really bothers the other team’s best inside shooters as he can cover a 4 or a 5 with no problem, but he has the unique ability to play the 3 or 4 on offense. Mark is also a good team mate who always thinks about the team win versus personal stats.
Mark was fun to have in the program because of two major things: he made 99% of the practices and worked hard at each workout. He also is very creative on his dunks. Mark usually won the dunk contest each workout and that’s not easy to do in the spring when we have juniors, seniors, and alumni there.
USF really made Mark a priority in their recruitment efforts. He will be a great success in the West Coast Conference for USF. Mark’s hard work, increased body weight, and high basketball IQ will vault him to the high level at USF."
As for San Ramon Valley hoops, the Wolves went 28-4 last season, 13-1 in East Bay Athletic league play.
But Chris McNealy has moved on to Cal Irvine plus Jordan Tappin and his inside muscle graduated. Backcourter Jordan Guisti (another Lakeshow-er) returns for his senior go-around and it’s up to he and Tollefsen to lead the team. Per the new Don, "Our goal this season is to win league and beat De La Salle," the team that exited SRV from the CIF playoffs with a three-point victory last season.