Salinas boys basketball

Salinas (17-10, 8-4)
 A changing of the guard just didn't mean the departure of nine seniors from last year's 17 win team for Salinas.
 After having one coach for four decades, the Cowboys are going through a coaching change for the second time in five years as Jerod Stewart has taken over for Jens Gordon.
 Stewart is no stranger to the program, having served as an assistant coach. He knows the personnel, which is why he brought up five sophomores this season
 "Our program will look to focus on solid character, good guard play and great defense," Stewart said.
 Stewart has a few parts to play with, starting with the return of guards JoJo Paris and AJ Saldana, both of which had significant roles on last year's team.
 "Both will provide leadership on the floor," insisted Stewart. "We're going to build around them. AJ is a defensive specialist while JoJo can shoot."
 Saldana earned a spot on an all-tournament team last year, recording a career high eight steals in one game last season.
 Both Saldana and Paris began to assert themselves offensively in the second half of last season, and have been the teams top two scorers early this year.
 "Our focus is getting a little better each week," said Stewart, who brought in one-time Palma coach Paul Alioto to be his assistant.
 Realizing the cupboard was going to be bare this year, Salinas brought up two sophomores last year to gain experience for this season in Derek Diaz and Carl Richardson.
 While the 6-foot-4 Richardson was a late arrival after an extended football season, he will give the Cowboys another option inside with his aggressiveness.
 "We may have several surprises from this group," Stewart said.
 With the reigns fully in his hands, Stewart has made subtle changes in the concepts that Salinas will use on the hardwood on both ends of the floor this season.
 "There are a lot of new concepts being introduced on both sides of the ball," Stewart said. "So we need to be patient with the process in the preseason."
 Being disciplined on the court means playing defense. That was on display early in the season when Salinas held Pacific Grove to 34 points.
 "Our measure of success will be found in the process of creating good habits that lead to our ability to compete and improve from start to finish," Stewart said.