LPC Men Make It 5 In A Row, With Room To Grow

In a strong start to conference play, the Las Positas men’s basketball team notched back-to-back wins over Foothill and Ohlone this past week.

Freshman Michael Hayes put on another show in an 89-72 win over visiting Ohlone on Jan. 11, extending the Hawks’ winning streak to five. He had 32 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Hawks (13-3, 2-0 Coast-North) also beat host Foothill 73-65 on Jan. 9 in their conference opener. Hayes and Alafia Oluwosogo both had 23 points and nine rebounds.

Against Ohlone, the 6-foot-4 Hayes scored on a drive and sensational 360-degree spin and on a left-handed slam off a John Ketchel lob from the opposite side. He was 11 of 12 from the free-throw line and 9 of 14 from the floor.

“We just came out with a good spirit and we did what we had to do,” said Hayes, who has moved up to No. 3 in state scoring, averaging 24.1 points a game.

Wesley Burse also came up big with 16 points, and Ketchel, the state assist leader, had 14 points.

But Hawks coach James Giacomazzi wants to see more consistency over 40 minutes from his talented bunch. The Hawks led Ohlone by 30 before taking their foot off the gas a bit.

“I really like the way we were playing, we were clicking on all cylinders in the first half, swinging it and hitting shots, playing with enthusiasm, playing inspired, playing together,” Giacomazzi said. “But we have a tendency to just play and not have the same type of energy or purpose. We’re kind of playing in spurts, which is very, very dangerous, not only in conference play but in general.”

Giacomazzi says the Hawks can’t let the score “dictate” how they play.

Las Positas has a big game on Wednesday in Hayward against district-rival Chabot, which opened conference play with a road split against Canada and Foothill. Las Positas will host San Jose on Friday.

HAYES CONTINUES TO AMAZE: Of his ‘360’ spin in traffic on a tough three-point play, Hayes basically said that’s how he rolls. “That’s what I do, I bring a lot to the table. I like to go hard for my team. I like to do a lot for my team.”

Of his gym-rattling jam, Hayes says Ketchel looks for him on lobs. “Always, always. He just says, “I throw it to the rim and look away.”

Looking to the future, Hayes, a business major, has big dreams.

“I’ve got future ‘League’ (NBA) dreams, no matter how long it takes to get there, no matter how much work I’ve got to put in,” Hayes says. “For this year I’ve got state championship dreams. I’m looking to get a ring and then go to, hopefully, a big D-1, maybe a G-League, maybe overseas, but I’ve got big ‘League’ dreams. If not, I’ll fall back on my degree, college.”