Townsend, Keene to lead East All-Stars

Yep, it’s nearly June and high school basketball is back.

The 2009 Tulare-Kings Counties Boys’ All-Star Game is returning Saturday as a sort of respite for hardcore basketball fans who want something to tide them over until late November.

Yet, apparently, not many are aware of it.

“Nobody even told me about it until about last week,” Lindsay coach Lance Cheatwood said after he found out his star center, Seth Townsend, would represent the Cardinals in Visalia.

It would be a shame, though, if the stands weren’t half full to witness some of the Valley’s top talent, which also includes city productCurtis Keene, of Granite Hills, to go with Townsend.

As the reigning ESL MVP, the 6-foot-4 Townsend bolsters a towering front court for the East squad that also features 6-foot-7 Ross Rivera (El Diamante) and 6-foot-5 Money Nagra (Redwood).

Townsend, who mixed his All-Star practice sessions with academic obligations — including a recent trip to Fresno representing one of Lindsay High’s top two students — averaged a double-double of 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds.

“Seth deserves it,” Cheatwood said. “I don’t know how they selected the All-Stars but I’m glad he got in.”

Rivera put up 21.6 points and 9.6 rebounds while his teammate, point guard Alex Jacobsma, got the invite for dropping 75 dimes last season.

Nagra also averaged a double-double of 12.5 points and 10.3 boards.

The East will need all of those numbers to match up against the West’s All-Stars, which showcases three ESL foes from Corcoran, Andrew Burke, Joseph Turner and Devin Johnson.

The 6-foot-4 Turner battled Townsend a number of times last winter, and while his team got the best of the Cardinals, Townsend got the MVP.

“Joseph pretty much did what he wanted to against us,” Cheatwood said. “He’s a skilled bigman with long arms.”

Burke finished as the ESL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“Burke was a pest on the defensive end and I think he scored about 24 points on us,” Cheatwood added.

Johnson will help with the guard duties for the West, which includes EYL first-teamer Frankie Coelho out of Tulare Western.

Hanford and Hanford West combined to send five players to Visalia while Lemoore sent three of its players, including sharpshooter Kameron Hoyt.

Lemoore coach T.J. Wilkins will guide the West roster.

Central Valley Christian sent three players to the East team as well as its coach, Blake Vanderschaaf. Guards Blake Van Grouw, Anthony Vanderschaaf and Lance Reeves, who led the team with 16.7 points per game, will help anchor the backcourt.

Keene got the nod for his all-around contributions of 13 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the seven-win Grizzlies. The senior found out he was selected two weeks after the season ended in February and has been practicing with coach Vanderschaaf the past couple of weeks.

“He seems to really know his stuff,” Keene said of the coach. “I think he’s just going to let us have fun, but it’s not gonna be like street ball or anything. It’ll be competitive out there.”

The Panthers’ Phillip Carganilla earned the invite but will be unable to participate in Saturday’s game since he missed out on practices due to his enrollment at adult school.

Golden West’s Adrian Pascua and Devin Lovering as well as Delano’s Ymorjay Estrada round out the 12-man roster.

Boys Rosters

East

Seth Townsend, Lindsay

Ymorjay Estrad, Delano

Curtis Keene, Granite Hills

Ross Rivera, El Diamante

Alex Jacobsma, El Diamante

Money Nagra, Redwood

Lance Reeves, CVC

Anthony Vanderschaaf, CVC

Blake Van Grouw, CVC

Adrian Pacua, Golden West

Devin Lovering, Golden West

Coach - Blake Vanderschaaf, CVC

West

Cougar Williams, Hanford

D.J. Jackson-Maciel, Hanford

Michael Faccinto, Hanford

Kameron Hoyt, Lemoore

Cheyanne Acala, Lemoore

T.J. Johnson, Lemoore

Jimmy Rivera, Tulare Union

Jerry Green, Tulare Union

Frankie Coelho, Tulare Western

Warren Moon, Hanford West

Ethan Carrell, Hanford West

Andrew Burke, Corcoran

Joseph Turner, Corcoran

Devin Johnson, Corcoran

Coach - T.J. Wilkins, Lemoore