As a physics teacher, Jarrod Bradley knows a lot about numbers. He had plenty of impressive ones to share at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon. The most important is that his San Marcos boys basketball team is off to an 8-1 start, including a title at the Coast Union Tournament over the weekend. Thayer White was named MVP of the tournament, scoring 16 points in the title game, which was a win over Fresno Hoover High School. This is not a typo — the Royals shot 71-percent … [Read more...]

If you're allergic to soccer, leave town immediately. There will be so much soccer played this weekend that nearly every field in town will be occupied with the world's most popular sport. UCSB's Harder Stadium will be the biggest stage, as an NCAA National Champion will be crowned at the College Cup. But at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Luncheon, San Marcos High administrator Aaron Solis reminded everyone that the high school ranks will also invade Santa Barbara this … [Read more...]

There were two firsts on Sunday for the UCSB women’s basketball team. One is more important, and the other is more impressive. The important one is that the Gauchos got their first win of the season, a 63-54 home decision over Northern Colorado, to improve to 1-4 on the season. The impressive one is that center Mekia Valentine recorded the program’s first-ever triple-double by posting 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks. She earned Female Athlete of the Week honors for her … [Read more...]

Turkey Day approaches, and college hoops fans are thankful for the fact that basketball season is in full gear. "We're off to our usual slow start," said UCSB men's assistant coach Dave Campbell at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon. It hasn't been too slow, however, as the defending Big West champion Gauchos are 2-2 and have already received a brilliant performance from star junior Orlando Johnson. In a home win against Fresno State on Saturday, Johnson scored 35 points … [Read more...]

Last year was a tough one to swallow for local football, as none of the five 11-man teams made the postseason for the first time in memory. That's all changed this time around, as Bishop Diego, Carpinteria and Dos Pueblos were all represented at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon to discuss their upcoming playoff matchups. Bishop will head down to Granada Hills on Friday to take on 9-1 Sierra Canyon, while Carpinteria will travel to Montebello to take on Cantwell Sacred … [Read more...]

The school year’s first wave of playoffs is upon us, and there are a lot of local teams who haven’t seen the postseason for awhile. CIF-newcomer Providence Hall’s girls volleyball team is making its very first playoff appearance, while football squads from Dos Pueblos, Carpinteria, Bishop Diego and Laguna Blanca will be returning for the first time in a few years. Cate’s 8-man football squad is also in, with a No. 2 seed to give the Rams a possible shot at a CIF title. Dos Pueblos … [Read more...]

Craig Moropoulos was feeling a little low on Monday morning, two days after his injury-plagued SBCC football squad lost its second consecutive one-possession game, 30-24 at L.A. Valley. The team has lost its leading receiver due to injury and was down to just four defensive linemen for the game. But a run-in with a Santa Barbara sports legend brightened his day, and he brought the perspective along with him to the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon. Moropoulos was teaching a class at … [Read more...]

The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table was given a heap of kudos by a very influential person in the community on Monday, when Santa Barbara School District Superintendent Brian Sarvis stopped by Harry’s for the weekly press luncheon. “I’m really here just to thank the Athletic Round Table for what they do, the attention they pay to our students and the attention they pay to sports,” said Sarvis. Sarvis was at Peabody Stadium on Friday night for “The Big Game,” as Santa Barbara … [Read more...]