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When former California High basketball player Steve Ohlmeyer took over the Grizzlies program in June 2020, I can remember writing that if the team played with half the tenacity of Ohlmeyer did when he played, the Grizzlies would be a force.
And they have been.
Two years ago, the Grizzlies advanced to the second round of the CIF State Division II tournament before falling 72-59 to eventual state champion San Joaquin Memorial.
It was a great season for the Grizzlies, as they made their first trip to the state tournament.
Last year with a mixture of injuries and ineligible transfers, Cal fell to 12-15 overall and a 2-7 in East Bay Athletic League play.
As the team headed into the summer ball, Ohlmeyer and his staff saw some great things.
“Our best player last year — Dane Wallace — was out injured,” Ohlmeyer said. “He was back for the summer and as we watched the team, we thought we could come back strong.”
How strong? Through the first 20 games this year, the Grizzlies are off to the best start in school history at 18-2, and after three EBAL games, Cal is the lone team unbeaten at 3-0.
Last week Cal avenged one of its two losses this season when the Grizzlies beat Dublin 61-60 in overtime. It was the first time in 15 years that Cal had beaten Dublin at the varsity level.
The Gaels were 17-1 before the loss.
“It was huge,” Ohlmeyer said of the win over Dublin. “And it wasn’t just to us. I think it helped send a message to others that we are legit.”
The two losses have come to Dublin and then 47-34 to Foothill of Santa Ana in The Classic at Damien in Southern California, one of the top prep basketball tournaments in the state.
Although there was a loss, the 3-1 mark the Grizzlies finished up the tournament was crucial.
“That tournament was a gamechanger for us,” Ohlmeyer said. “The one thing this year is losses don’t bother these guys. They stay calm. It sounds so cliche, but this team really does take one game at a time.”
They finished the non-league season 14-2 and confident, but what laid ahead was the brutally tough EBAL season. It features perhaps five or six of the best teams in Northern California.
“The EBAL can be gratifying and demoralizing — it is just draining,” said Ohlmeyer.
Take their first three games.
Cal had to face Amador Valley, a team that was 13-2 at the time. Second was Dublin at 17-1, with the third being a Monte Vista team that was 12-6 after playing a brutally tough schedule.
“We were hoping 2-1 or 1-2 — we just didn’t want to start 0-3,” Ohlmeyer explained.
They dropped Amador 56-44 to start and then came the big win over Dublin. Three days later, up stepped Monte Vista.
“One hundred percent it would have been easy to have a letdown game,” Ohlmeyer said. “You’re talking about a real good Monte Vista team that has great coaching and at their place on a Friday night.”
It wasn’t perfect, but at the end of the game it stood 47-45 Cal and the 18-2 record.
“We rallied and didn’t miss a beat,” said Ohlmeyer. “But we were physically and emotionally drained Friday night.”
With the EBAL so tough, there is no time to rest on their early accomplishments.
“No rest of the weary,” added Ohlmeyer, with a slight laugh.
What happens the rest of the way out remains to be seen. But if the season ended today, Ohlmeyer would have a smile on face.
“This season has already been a blessing,” he said. “It is a testament to the kids. I am the luckiest guy to be able to coach these kids. Just to see the community and school support is amazing.”
Cal is back in action Tuesday hosting Granada (two-time NorCal finalist), then San Ramon Valley (a NorCal semifinalist last year) on Friday.
Cal honoring late player
Ohlmeyer also pointed out that the Friday night game will be in honor of former great Cal player Rob Kraft, who passed away from ALS on Oct. 20 at the age of 54.
Ohlmeyer, who also lost his mother nine days earlier last fall, wanted to make sure his former friend and teammate will be remembered.
A former teammate of Ohlmeyer’s — they were classmates from kindergarten through their 1988 graduation — Kraft was a force underneath the basket, earning all-EBAL honors.
The night will be an ALS Awareness Night. There will be a presentation to his family between the JV and Varsity game.
There will also be blue Cal basketball shirts available, representing ALS Awareness.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation.
