North Valley Outlawz 4th in West Coast National Championship tourney

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The North Valley Outlawz basketball club team consisting of Fallbrook High School and Bonsall High School players placed fourth at the West Coast National Championship tournament July 15-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

"We did great," said North Valley Outlawz head coach Moe Golshani.

Golshani is also Fallbrook High School's head boys basketball coach. The Warriors' CIF season ended June 1 with a loss in the Division IV playoffs. Golshani had made preparations for an off-season club, including a feeder program for players not yet in high school, prior to the beginning of the CIF season. After CIF play ended the North County Outlawz began practice.

The North County Outlawz program is for both boys and girls 10 years and upwards. Practices are at Fallbrook High School. "The high school lets us use the gym two nights a week," Golshani said.

Although 35 players are enrolled in the club not all of them are able to attend every practice, but approximately 30 players and sometimes more are at each practice.

"It starts developing a program," Golshani said.

The West Coast National Championship was the fourth tournament for the varsity boys. "It's been getting better. We're seeing the development a lot quicker than we thought," Golshani said.

Only the varsity boys team played in the West Coast National Championship. Ten players participated, Which allowed for the substitutes to obtain more court time. "That was the whole purpose. When you're asking families to travel that far you want to make sure the kids get a decent amount of playing time," Golshani said.

Seniors who graduated earlier in the calendar year are eligible for the tournament, and one of the North Valley Outlawz players completed 12th grade in June. The other nine players will be students at Fallbrook High School or Bonsall High School when school resumes. None of those are incoming freshmen.

The North Valley Outlawz played six games at the West Coast National Championship and won four of those. "We beat a really good team out of Colorado," Golshani said.

The first loss was in the semifinals against a team from Utah. A successful free throw would have tied the game and sent it into overtime, but a free throw lane violation resulted in a one-point loss. A Palos Verdes team defeated the North Valley Outlawz in the third-place game.

"It was a good bonding time for the kids," Golshani said. "It's nice to get everybody together and find a way to make everybody become better."

Fourth place among 18 teams was an accomplishment, but giving the high school players six games at that level of competition is expected to lead to future accomplishments. "We are just changing the culture of the entire program," Golshani said.

Fallbrook High School will be the site of the next North Valley Outlawz tournament. "We're also holding our own tournament on the seventh and eighth," Golshani said.

The Aug. 7-8 tournament will begin at 8 a.m. each day and conclude at approximately 6 p.m. Tickets are $12 for each day for adults and children 7 or older and $6 for each day for children six or younger.

"We are 100% committed to making a monster difference this year," Golshani said. "I'm very excited for next season. I think this summer has helped us tremendously."