Student, Fan Support Surges as San Marin Team Gears Up for Section Championship Game

students held a rally for the Mustang boys basketball team during lunchtime Friday and the school has made arrangements to have three buses take the kids over to the East Bay for Saturday night’s section championship game.

Principal Robert Vieth said the students will get round-trip transportation for $5 over to St. Mary's College in Moraga, where the Mustangs will take their 28-4 record into the North Coast Section Division III title game against El Cerrito (22-6). The buses will leave at about 5:30 p.m. and only students are allowed to board. Tipoff is schedued for 8 p.m. at McKeon Pavilion.

“I think the kids will be excited that they can go over together and have a good time and root on this team,” Vieth said. “The students have been an integral part of the success of this team. The (San Francisco) Giants enjoyed unwavering fan support last fall and these kids have the unwavering support for their team. And I think that makes a difference.”

Coach Craig Pitti, in his fifth season in charge, said the X-factor in this string of victories — 14 wins in 15 games — has been the enthusiasm of students, parents, fans and alumni who have turned out in force at recent games. 

"I have never seen anything like it,” he said. “Our students have been just incredible, but then to see all the community members and past alumni standing chanting along with our students, what can you say? It is so special and something myself and our players will never forget.

Pitti said the team on Thursday watched video of the team’s 51-46 NCS semifinal victory over Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland from Wednesday night. It was a massive upset because O’Dowd was the top seed in the tournament and had a lineup full of college-level talent.

“We all got chills again watching the end of the game,” Pitti said. “It was so loud and emotional Wednesday. We couldn't being doing this without (the students). If I ever had a doubt about our chances, after listening to over 1,000 people chanting for us ‘I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!’, how could I possibly disagree?" 

Vieth, who has been at the school for four years, announced his retirement earlier this week effective at the end of the school year and said he’s enjoying this run.

“We beat the No. 1 Division III high school in California (in O’Dowd) and that was a phenomenal game,” he said. “It’s been very cool. … The whole athletic department has improved with (Pitti) as our athletic director and he’s a favorite of the students. They even have a cheer for him.”

The team’s starting five — guards Ryan Zirkle and John Seavey, forwards Jimmy Burrows and Chris Glennon and center Stuart Wesonga — plus key reserves Alex Triantafyllos and Dominic Coyne are not necessarily being idolized on campus, Vieth said.

“One of the things I like about these kids that is that they’re pretty down to earth,” he said. “They’re doing their classwork, doing what they need to do. When they put that basketball uniform on, they’re basketball players, but the rest of the time they’re like anybody else on campus. I’m sure they’re on Cloud 9, though.”

Capacity at St. Mary’s College’s McKeon Pavilion is about 3,500, about 3 ½ times that of San Marin’s gym. Tickets will be $10 for adults and $7 for students.

For those who can’t make it, Comcast Sports Net Bay Area is planning on sending a camera crew to the game and will air highlights on its 10:30 p.m. show, “SportsNet Central.” You can find the channel on   Comcast cable channel 40 in standard definition, 720 in high definition, DirecTV channel 696 and Dish Network channel 419.