RealClearSports: Little St. Mary's Finds a Sweet Spot

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

MORAGA, Calif. -- To get to Saint Mary's College, you need a GPS and a lot of luck. It's due east of Oakland down a winding road through a canyon of redwood trees that are maybe a bit taller than Omar Samhan.

He's the 6-foot-11 center on a basketball team from a program with a great deal of history but beyond California receives almost no recognition. As for Moraga, it's a bedroom community named after Joaquin Moraga, the rancher deeded the area in 1835 by the government of Mexico.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

RealClearSports: Washington and the West Gain Respect

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- We're all witnesses. Lorenzo Romar said that. After his Washington team upset New Mexico. After he heard Northern Iowa upset Kansas.

After he reminded us in this lunacy of a college basketball tournament "anyone can beat anyone.''

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

SF Examiner: Bay Area schools step into the spotlight

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Montgomery’s supposition was impossible to argue: “No matter how good you think you are,” the Cal coach said, “you’re playing other people who have won games.”

Then again, those other people are playing you, because you’ve also won games.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company