Clay Kallam, Author at SportStars Magazine

How The West Has Won

High School Basketball Sac-Joaquin Section October 5, 2017 0

West Campus Girls Hoops Begins A New Era In 2017-18 — One As A Defending State Champ • Story by CLAY KALLAM | Photos by DAVE LAWICKA Northern Illinois. Eastern Washington. Western Michigan … In the world of collegiate sports, these fine institutions are known as “directionals,” and their... Read more

Brave New World

High School Sports Features August 7, 2017 1

Examining CIF’s Shift To A Competitive Equity-Based Playoff System • Story by CLAY KALLAM | Illustration by MIKE DECICCO It used to be so simple: How many students a school had attending once determined what division it played in. But now it’s a brave new postseason world for high... Read more

The Trials Of USA Tryouts

Central Coast Section High School Basketball North Coast Section Northern Section Sac-Joaquin Section June 1, 2017 0

The Obstacles Are Plenty And The Odds Are Long — But It’s Still Just Basketball • Story By CLAY KALLAM COLORADO SPRINGS — It’s all pretty familiar. Navigating in and out of the airport, getting the rental car, driving to the hotel, finding the gym. Maybe you expected the United States... Read more

All-NorCal Girls Basketball ’16-’17

Central Coast Section High School Basketball North Coast Section Sac-Joaquin Section May 8, 2017 0

Player Of The Year, Iimari Thomas of Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F., Headlines Our Top 15 Players From 2016-17 • There’s a computer program buried deep in the bowels of the massive MaxPreps’ database of girls high school basketball teams, and it churns through the wins and losses — and... Read more

College Advice, Who Knows Best?

CalHiSports Insights July 6, 2016 0

A lot people are giving me advice about where to go to college. I Read more

Girl’s Basketball- Transition Game

Basketball Basketball High School Basketball North Coast Section June 1, 2016 0

In girl’s basketball there’s a rule of thumb about the constant traffic in transfer rumors: Believe them when you see the girl going to class at the school she’s supposedly going to attend. In the case of Sierra Smith, a starting guard for national-power St. Mary’s-Stockton last year, there’s... Read more

License To Drill

CalHiSports Insights June 1, 2016 0

Conditioning, Strength Workouts Are Good, But Not As Important As Skills Development Some guys spend the whole summer just working out. They do conditioning and lifting plus they do a lot of skill work. I Read more

New Coach: Walk Softly & Win Games

CalHiSports Insights May 4, 2016 0

We just got a new coach and he came in and changed everything without even talking to us about it. Now we’re all confused and it seems like we’re just starting over. Wouldn’t it make more sense to see who’s on the team and do some of the things... Read more

Sabrina Ionescu: Girl’s Got Next | SportStars Vault 2014

Basketball High School Basketball North Coast Section July 16, 2014 0

Miramonte’s Sabrina Ionescu Wore A Team USA Jersey Once Again This Summer, Adding To An Already Stacked Resume • This story was originally published in July 2014. Blinded by the light of professional sports – and of course, the money on the men’s side – it’s easy to overlook... Read more

Why You Make The Recruiting Process All About YOU

CalHiSports Insights LEVELUP INSIDERS May 3, 2013 0

Q: I’m getting recruiting letters from schools in the West Coast Conference, but my friends just laugh and say a Pac-12 scholarship is all that counts. What should I tell the West Coast Conference coaches when they call? J.B., Oakland A: Tell them your friends are idiots. OK, they... Read more

Girls Playoff Hoops Preview

Basketball February 13, 2012 0

NCS/OAKLAND: By Clay Kallam | SJS: By Jim McCue This is not a year for parity, at least in the North Coast Section. In fact, all five of the top teams ““ Berkeley, Carondelet, Bishop O’Dowd, St. Mary’s and St. Joseph Notre Dame ““ could easily be placed... Read more