Going into the 2005-06 season, the future of the Evergreen Valley basketball program was looking bright with a number of potential Divison I collegiate recruits entering the program. However, these stars failed to see eye to eye with coach Dennis Fernandez and decided to take their talents to other schools. Four years later, the Cougar varsity boys basketball team is struggling through yet another inconsistent and frustrating season. The squad has shown a few flashes of potential, highlighted by a nail-biter 54-52 loss to league title contender Independence. With so much talent on their side, why aren't the Cougars succeeding? More often than not, the team has been held back by the inept leadership of head coach Dennis Fernandez.

Many team members have expressed irritation over Fernandez's offensive game plan, which often relies on the passing abilities of inexperienced guards instead of taking advantage of the play making skills of center Jordan Atkins and swingman Larry Melton. In instances when the things opened up, notably against Silver Creek on January 20, the offense thrived, scoring a season high 82 points. The Cougars have struggled against the half-court trap in game after game, a clear indication of poor preparation on Fernandez's part. The team has also lacked energy in the second half, very likely due to the lack of conditioning done in the preseason. In their first meeting against Independence on January 9, the Cougars were tied with the Sixers heading into the fourth quarter, when the opponents promptly went on a 14-0 run to seal the game.

This season was supposed to be the crowning year of Cougar basketball, when those shining class of 2009 stars were meant to excel in their senior campaign. Instead, the team is again failing to succeed. The players are talented, but they are not being led in the right direction by their coach. It's time to take a look at options for a new leader of the Cougar hoops dynasty.

Tonight on the road, EV pulled out a 59-58 thriller against Andrew Hill. The Cougars led almost the entire game, but it was close throughout. Each time EV gained some ground, Hill fought back behind a crowded, partisan gym. Defensively, the Cougars were shaky but they scored fairly easily. Unlike previous games, the guards really were able to control the pace and stay within themselves. They did not panic and dribbled effectively. Coach Fernandez coached a good game as well. Any time Hill went on a run, Fernandez called a timeout to settle his team down, and they always looked strong coming out of timeouts. In the final minutes, Danny Pham and Jordan Adkins were absolutely unconscious. Pham sunk several free throws to preserve the lead and Adkins took over on offense by penetrating and converting on several key possessions. With 7.3 seconds to go, Andrew Hill trailed by 4 and drove to the hole. The Falcons made the basket and Mark Miloto committed a foul that gave the Falcons a free-throw, which cut the lead to one. Off of the inbounds, the Cougars spread the ball effectively and were able to avoid the Falcons attempts to foul. The team rushed the court and jumped up and down with excitement. This win was unexpected considering the drubbing EV took at home to Hill earlier in the season and the fact that Hill has established itself as one of the elite teams in the league. It's sad that the team played one of its best games of the year so late and was unable to consistently compete. However, it was great to see the seniors play their final game with such passion and finish by adding to the win column.

-Before the game, seniors Mark Milioto, Jordan Adkins, and Patrick Ngo were honored in a small on-court ceremony with their families. We wish the three of them the best of luck as they move forward and thank them for their contributions to EV basketball.

After a strong first half, the EV basketball team fell to Del Mar on Tuesday night. Starting in the second half, the defense started to break down and the offense became stagnant. Good shots were hard to come by and the Cougars weren't able to convert. The key to the night was turnovers. In the final minutes of the game, the Cougars turned the ball over on crucial possessions. With 1:06 left, the Cougars were down by 5 and forced an apparent jum ball call that would have given the Cougars the ball, the referees conversed and awarded Del Mar a timeout instead. This was the third occasion in the game where the Cougars had a call changed to go against them. After that, the Cougars lost the momentum they had gained and fell to 3-10 in league. Eric Ngo drew his third charge in two games to earn his third 5-dollar off coupon for a pizza courtesy of Coach Fernandez.

EV Sporting Events for the Week of 2/16-2/22

2/17 Boys Basketball v. Del Mar (JV 5;30, V 7)

Senior Night at the Cougar Den will honor the contributions of seniors Mark Miloto, Jordan Adkins, and Patrick Ngo. EV won a thriller against Del Mar on the road in mid-January.

2/18 Girls Basketball v. Silver Creek (JV 5:30, V 7)

Senior night at the Cougar Den against a hated rival. EV looks to continue cruising through league a secure a league title on its way to CCS.

2/27-2/28 CCS Wrestling Finals at Independence

Ezra Calumpit leads a class of four EV wrestlers looking to make a deep run in the tournament.

2/28 Baseball v. Santa Clara (@ Washington Park in Santa Clara) 8 P.M.

The Cougars have high expectations as they look to rebound from a tough year. This years squad is talented and a preseason scheduled chalked full of talented A-league teams will be a major test of character. Sources from other schools have indicated they believe EV has the talent to capture a league title.

-Girls Basketball Rolls

The Lady Cougars cruised to a 70-35 home victory over Leigh last night. EV improved to 19-5 and 11-1 in league. They remain in first place and have all but locked up a spot in the CCS tournmanet. Prudencio led all scorers with 20.

-Boys Basketball loses 63-60

The Cougars looked good early but found themselves trailing by 6 at the end of the 3rd quarter. By playing good defense, the Cougars were able to will their way back into the game. With 1:04 left, C.J Refugio sunk a three to ignite the crowd and tie the game. Down the stretch, the Cougars missed several close shots and free throws, and turned the ball over on crucial possessions. Down 4 with 3.1 seconds to go, Mark Miloto went to the free-throw line for the Cougars. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Marshall Grasty came up with the rebound and dished it out to Larry Melton who launched an errant three pointer. Jordan Adkins,who had four fouls in the first half and fouled out early in the fourth, added 12 points. but was missed down the stretch. Silver Creek came away with a 63-60 victory behind Chijoke Nwuzi who came up one assist shy of a triple-double. Eric Ngo had an outstanding game for the Cougars. He made 4 three pointers (3 in the first half) and took two charges (including one in a pivotal moment in the 4th).

Tomorrow, the Silver Creek Raiders will make the 2.92 mile journey to Evergreen Valley's Cougar Den to square off in heated rivalry at 8 p.m. Earlier in the year, EV routed Creek on the road on a Tuesday night. Creek had a large crowd roaring but the EV fans were still able to produce more sound and encouragement. Creek-EV games in any sport always incite hostile crowds and cheers. Tomorrow's game figures to be no exception. Although these two teams are not in contention for a league title, the rivalry always seems to produce special moments. Friday night crowds are always larger and a nearly sold-out gym is expected. Last year, these two teams met at Creek in the final game of league play with the league title on the line. It turned out to be the wildest game in EV sports history. Fans from both sides caused a raucous and stood the entire game as the two teams battled it out on the court. EV came storming back from a large first quarter deficit to tie it at halftime but Billy Dick took over and Creek willed their way to a league title. Regardless of the standings, tomorrow's game holds huge bragging rights in a rivalry that won't be renewed again for another 10 months.

-Without starting forward Jordan Adkins, the boys varsity basketball game lost at Sobrato. The game was close until the end. Down 2 late in the fourth, the Cougars had the ball but had four questionable travel calls go against them. They were forced to foul and Sobrato ended up pulling away. Senior center Mark Miloto posted a double-double in the losing effort.

-The Cougars next face rival Silver Creek at home at 8PM. Next Tuesday will be senior night vs. Del Mar.

***Despite losing to Piedmont Hills on Friday night, the Lady Cougars basketball team only dropped one spot in the Mercury News CCS rankings to the 14th slot.

Home Events for the week of 2/9-2/13...Games to be played at the Cougar Den.

-Tues. Wrestling v. Overfelt (6:30)

The seniors will wrestle at home for the final time.

-Wed...Girls Basketball v. Sobrato (JV 5:30, V 7)

Lowly Lady Bulldogs are 3-7 in league and should be an easy victory for EV who looks to rebound from their first league loss.

-Friday...FOUR home basketball games! A basketball lover's dream: the QUAD

Girls Basketball v. Leigh (JV 3:30, V 5)
Leigh is winless in league and should be another easy win for the formidable Cougars

Boys Basketball v. Silver Creek (JV 6:30, V 8)
Rival Silver Creek comes to the Cougar Den to try to avenge their loss on their home floor. After losing dominating big man Billy Dick to graduation, Creek has struggled mightily.

Girls Basketball

-After cruising through league, the Lady Cougars 9-game winning streak was halted by Piedmont Hills. At 9-1, EV is still atop the Mount Hamilton Division and was ranked 13th in CCS by the San Jose Mercury News last week. This loss will likely push them out of the rankings. EV was missing its second leading scorer which clearly hurt their offensive production. On Wednesday, EV hosts Sobrato and will look to get back on track as they try to make a run through league and notch some wins in the CCS tournament.

Girls Soccer

-Under the lights, the seniors went out on top by beating Sobrato 2-0. Rain drenched the field and stands as the faithful looked on under the cover of umbrellas. The field was soaking wet and puddles slowed the pace of play. Late in the second half, Ashley Travaglione tried to dribble around a defender, only to have the ball sit in a puddle. EV kept the pressure on Sobrato the whole game by constantly attacking the goal. The Cougars have one final regular season game at Pioneer on Wednesday and then must wait until February 15 to find out if they qualified for CCS. Last year, the Cougars lost by one goal to Los Gatos in the first round of the CCS playoffs.

Boys Basketball

-The boy's basketball team continued to struggle in league (3-7) as they fell to Willow Glen by 13 on the road. The low point of the game was a scoreless 3rd quarter in which the Rams went on a 17-0 run. EV has played well in the first half of almost every league game this year but has folded in the second half against the the top teams in the league. Mark Milioto and Larry Melton each had 12 points in the losing effort. Even though the Cougars have been out of league contention for a while, they host a big game on Friday against cross-community rival Silver Creek. The Cougars routed the Raiders at Silver Creek earlier in the year. Every time these two teams play, the crowds are always large and raucous. Friday night will be no exception.