First Showcase Ends with Wild Finish

Event for College Seniors Displays Skills and Entertainment


PASADENA, Calif. -- What a sight: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer basketball players shaking hands and laughing, each sporting white uniforms, preparing to play together for the first time.

Student-athletes who spent four years as ultra-competitive opponents were happily conversing near half court, this time warming up as teammates. They were getting ready to play in the first annual SoCal College Senior Showcase, organized by Caltech's coaching staff, an event intended to highlight the careers of Division II and Division III basketball players on the West Coast.

SoCal seniors in the first annual Showcase at Caltech.

La Verne head coach Rich Reed walked into Braun gym, wide-eyed by what he saw, shook hands with a few folks and exclaimed, "Man, there's something special going on here."

Meanwhile, Caltech forward Alex Runkel was chatting away with his new friend (and former foe), Alex Wolpe, the La Verne center who just over a year ago sent Runkel to the hospital with a broken nose in a conference matchup.

"When I saw Wolpe I told him I was relieved I didn't have to guard him," Runkel said. "We knew it was in our hands to shut down two very experienced DII forwards. On the court we communicated like we have been battling together for years."

The game began at a furious pace. No longer playing by college rules, the players -- many of whom are looking to play overseas next year -- adjusted to FIBA's 24-second shot clock and 8-second time in the backcourt. Division II All-American, Kwame Alexander from Cal State San Bernadino, set the tone with a smooth spin and typically strong paint bucket. Michael Edwards, Caltech's all-time leading scorer, immediately responded with a 3-pointer from the left corner thanks to a swift drive and dish from La Verne's Jake Vieth.

And there it began: an intense duel between the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) leading scorers (Vieth and Alexander), a shootout between a squad comprised of all DIII players (the West) and another mostly made up of DII and scholarship athletes (the East).

After another Edwards 3-pointer put the West up 11-2, the teams essentially traded baskets. It was certainly competitive and very physical. Edwards, who was forced out of the game after being knocked in the head would later say, "It was great playing with some of the players that I'd played against for four years. It was a great idea."

Vieth had another great idea.

With no possession arrow used for tie-up situations, a true jump ball was in effect between the 5 foot 8 Vieth and The Masters College guard Devin Dyer. Vieth, with his basket just a few feet ahead and figuring he had no chance in gaining possession against the high-flying Dyer, literally ran behind his opponent as the ball was tipped backwards. Vieth captured it in the air off Dyer's tip and put up a layup. Though Cal Poly Pomona's Mohamed Fall deflected the shot, the sequence generated oohs and laughter from the crowd.

"I knew I wasn't going to win it," Vieth later said when asked if the strategy was completely premeditated. "So I looked at (Dyer's) position and stole it off the jump."

For an all-star event, it was a surprisingly well played game, both in execution and team play. In fact, there was not a single dunk (despite a couple flashy alley-oop tries), something that encapsulates just how well teams took care of the ball and defended.

When Alexander, known for his array of high-powered slams, was told before the game not to break any backboards, he muttered, "That was my whole focus though."

He claimed his dominance in other ways. The West held the lead most of the first half until Alexander converted a last second 3 -- one of his three long-range shots -- that put the East up two points, 46-44, heading into the break.

A Nettles dunk attempt sparks a 16-6 West run.

The third quarter was tight and it wasn't until the fourth period, the score even at 67-67, that the East put a big run together. It scored 12 of the next 14 points, and as The Masters College guard Leif Karlberg canned another 3-pointer to put the East up 10, 79-69, with 6:30 left in the game, it seemed the West was done. But the SCIAC players were resilient.

"We know the system," Vieth remarked. "And they're all good guys."

The West climbed back quickly, and it was actually a missed dunk attempt by Cal Lutheran's Jayvaughn Nettles that sparked the run. When he was later asked about how he crossed over, exploded down the lane, and took off, he responded: "That would have been the best dunk of my career."

Vieth, as he did all game, dazzled with tight weaves in and out of traffic and used his quick release to keep his team close. He even picked up full court and forced an East 8-second violation. During the furious rally, the Whittier College guard Phillip Thomas finished two nifty moves in a row and Runkel got to the free throw line.

Tristan Kirk, the Redlands all-conference guard, helped maintain the West's poise with terrific play-making. When Vieth drove baseline with 30 seconds remaining in the contest and found Nettles in the left corner for the game-tying 3-pointer (85-85), Kirk wasn't surprised at all.

"It was team ball," Kirk said about the West unit, made up all SCIAC players. "There was good talent and we knew each other really well from the scouting reports over the years. We knew Jayvaughn loved the corner 3."

A highly competitive game goes down to the wire.

After a timeout by East coach Leo Balayon, players executed efficiently and the ball ended up in the hands of sharpshooter Karlberg. He balanced himself and did what he did his entire collegiate career: drained a beautiful trifecta from the left wing.

The West inbounded and Nettles drove the right sideline. Suffocated by a bevy of defenders he threw up a shot just over half court as he was hit by Alexander (who, fittingly, has his sights set on playing professional football). The ball bounced off the rim but Nettles was fouled and awarded three free throws. He missed the first, made the second and then intentionally missed the third in an attempt to get his team one more shot. Though it didn't work out, the event sure did.

With a final score of 88-86, the action -- and outcome -- couldn't have been much better.

Alexander was the game-high scorer with 23 points. Fellow CCAA members Fall (18 and 11) and CSUSB guard Johnny Bell (10 and 10) turned in double-doubles in points and rebounds. Karlberg scored 17 points after making his final four 3-point attempts, including the eventual winner.

Nettles tallied 21 points. Wolpe posted a double-double with 17 and 11 while college teammate Vieth had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Runkel did what he does best and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with 9 points and 3 steals.

Coach Briski thanks the seniors for playing.

"It was highly physical, and most importantly, a fun game to the final buzzer," Runkel said.

It would have been perfect had the game ended in a tie, though the players may not agree.

"There's no way they would have let that happen," said West coach Dave Briski. "Even if we had said no to overtime, the players would have stayed in the gym and finished the game."

Competitive and enjoyable. Exactly what the Showcase is intended to highlight.