Title Hangover

Edited 7:24 pm


I got word just an hour ago that Lemark Clark passed away today. I never coached Lemark, but we talked on occasion as I tried to recruit him a couple of times: Lemark was a very talented young player who had a world of potential. About eighteen months ago, it was discovered that he had a serious heart condition and that his basketball playing days were over; if I recall correctly he got a heart transplant last year and it looked like he was getting better. I don't know the details but he passed away today on the operating table.


 We lost someone today and the whole hoops family hurts. We compete on the court and yeah sometimes we fight and bitch at each other, but at the end of the day I like to think that we are one brotherhood of hoops, all involved in a sport we love. RIP Lemark. 

One of the quirks of our season in Costa Rica is how the season is split into Apertura and Clausura. Win one of the two "halves" and you have an automatic ticket to the National Finals. That can be a very dangerous situation because their is a normal human tendency to relax after winning Apertura. One of the remarkable things about Barva in their championship run is how they have taken care of business in Clausura, even when they win Apertura.


So this year we win Apertura...and we took a week to celebrate and recover. The scheduling this year was brutal. A week after winning Apertura, we were back on the court for a very tough road game against San Ramon and then had to face an explosive Perez Zeledon . On top of that you factor in all the bumps and bruises you accumulate during the season, and the season becomes a challenge very quick.

Sanatura 93 San Ramon 90 (FOT)


This was the greatest trap game ever. Consider all the following variables:

• we beat San Ramon at their place in Game 3 of the semi-finals to clinch the series.
• San Ramon was without two of their post players due to suspensions (I still don't understand how Jenfney got three games). 
• Two of our starters were very banged up. Michael hadn't practiced all week, so he started the game on the bench.
• San Ramon beat Escazu by 40 on Sunday before the game. 

So it was no surprise that San Ramon came out intense, going with a smaller quicker lineup. Amaurys Ripool had struggled in the playoffs but he came out firing on all cylinders as San Ramon broke out to a twenty point lead in the first half as we looked lethargic. We were able to pick up our defensive intensity and kept chipping away at their lead in the second half, before making it a two possession game in the fourth quarter. Henry hit a high three to get us within 1 and then it became a battle of free throws. To come away with a there point win in overtime was very fortunate, in what will be a key result in the standings. 

Perez Zeledon 82 Sanatura 94

One of the most talked about teams in the mini off-season was Perez Zeledon, who added Everson Solano from Barva and Reyner Archer from Limon. Add in Jackie Acuña and Cesar Chaves and you have a very dangerous perimeter offense. After a good first quarter, we hit a lull in the second quarter and in the blink of an eye Perez Zeledon broke out to a small lead.  Our team had a better reaction this time, flipped the lead in three minutes and started turning the tables on PZ. For the first time this season we were able to hold Jackie Acuña under 30 with good defense from Jaythiev Davis, Michael Jackson and Javier Bustamante. Eventually our interior bulk wore them out and we won the game by a comfortable margin, sealing the game with free throws from Dave Millinier to ice the game.