Hard to believe, but for our Fall athletes, the summer is over and it's time to start practice. Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Girls Volleyball and Cross Country practices all formally begin on Monday, August 16.
We have very high expectations for our Cross Country program this fall as the students prepare to improve on a great 2009 season. Lead by Sean, Cole and Alex, the boys' team has its eyes set on a Division 5 NCS title.
Our Girls Tennis team looks to build on a great 2009 and earn another trip to the NCS Tennis Tournament.
Girls Volleyball looks to replace five incredible seniors and will be lead by juniors Danielle S and Hadley M and senior Abby D.
Lastly our Boys Soccer team looks to build on its 2009 4th place finish in the BCL-West. While the squad lost some key members to graduation, the boys bring back starters at key positions and will be lead by Even C, Gabe K and Gabe H.
It's set to be an exciting fall at The Urban School of San Francisco. The Athletic Department has some fun events planned and we intend to have a GREAT time supporting our BLUES.
Go Blues!
Greg Angilly The Urban School of San Francisco Director of Athletics
A reminder to all Urban athletes, the summer is when we can go from good to GREAT. Take advantage of your free time and spend some time working on your fitness and skills.
Boys basketball will continue to have Drop In Hoops on Thursday's from 4:30pm to 7:00pm. (6/24, 7/1, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22). All boys hoops players are encouraged to come and play including our incoming freshman.
Girls Hoops will hold workouts on Wednesday's and Friday's from 4:30pm to 6:00pm.
Champsionship teams are built in the off-season. Let's work hard this summer!
Go Blues!
Greg Angilly The Urban School of San Francisco Director of Athletics
There is much to celebrate today at The Urban School of San Francisco. Yesterday, in a key BCL West softball game, University and Urban took to the field in a battle for first place. What occurred over the course of the subsequent two hours can be described in one word: PERFECTION.
Senior captain, Danica L, took to the mound and delivered a perfect game. Twenty-one University batters came to the plate, 21 University batters were retired in order. Danica struck out 16 batters, retired two Red Devils on their come back attempts, and her teammates combined for the other three outs. Danica threw 66 strikes and a mere 19 balls and was in total control of the game from the onset. (She also had three RBI's, two hits a scored a run. Just another day at the ballpark!)
Congrats to the entire Softball Team and to Danica L - Perfect on April 13th!
Go Blues!
Greg Angilly The Urban School of San Francisco Director of Athletics
Posted
by gangilly
on Wednesday April 14 at 12:53PM
Last night was our annual Spring Concert at the Herbst Theater. It offered a chance to see many of our great student athletes excel in yet another discipline. I am truly amazed at how well rounded and talented our incredible student body is. It's rare in today's world of specialization to see young men and women focus on a variety of different activities. In an era where parents push their children to do everything possible to obtain Division 1 scholarships, I feel truly blessed to work with student athletes who are equally passionate about the Arts and Music. A few great sights and sounds from last night:
Max - One of the best defensemen on our lacrosse team and an intergral part of our boys hoops team TEARING up the keyboard and piano with the Advanced Jazz Band
Abby - A volleyball and soccer player literally melting hearts with her vocals on All of Me
Sophie - The captain our of our girls volleyball team playing multiple instruments and playing them WELL!
Evan - Captain of our boys' soccer team enjoying a vocal solo
Lily - A power forward on our hoops team and a talented track and field member rocking the bass for multiple groups.
Every athletic team was represented last night and the parallels between Music and Athletics are not hard to find. Teamwork, practice, dedication, passion and pride -- attributes that define our student body. Job well done last night!
WE ARE URBAN!
Go Blues!
Greg Angilly The Urban School of San Francisco Director of Athletics
It's been awhile since I've updated the blog, and I'm sorry as much has occurred since my last post:
Our spring teams are battling on a daily basis and each team is improving as we speak. With 11 teams and nearly 35 percent of our student body competing in the spring things are certainly busy here in the athletic department.
I'd be remiss if I didn't take a few moments to comment on the NCAA Basketball Tournament, as I find it to be an incredibly captivating athletic competition every year and this year is no different:
For starters, Urban grad Jene Morris led her San Diego State team to an UPSET victory over Texas on Sunday. Jene lead all scorers with 32 points and was clearly the best player on the court. Best of luck to the Aztecs as they continue their quest!
The Little Guy - How exciting to see the Northern Iowa's and St Mary's of the world defeating traditional powers like Kansas and Villanova. These young men represent the best of amateur athletics. There is not one person on the Northern Iowa team who was recruited to play "big time" college basketball. There's not one young man on that Northern Iowa team who has realistic visions of playing basketball beyond the college level. Yet on Saturday night, they had a chance to beat a team of highly recruited athletes, many of whom are destined to play pro basketball, and they made the most of that opportunity, as did Bay Area local Omar Samhan and St Mary's.
Sportsmanship - I've been moved by the raw emotion of this year's event. There have been so many games decided on last second shots and I've yet to witness anything but incredible sportsmanship from everyone involved. My favorite comments came from University of Maryland standout, Greivis Vasquez. The 'Terps lost a hearbreaker after erasing a nine-point deficit in the last minute. It would have been so easy for Greivis to be curt with reporters after the game as he just played his last game in a college uniform. Instead, he spoke eloquently about his love for college basketball and his teammates. He ended his remarks by telling the press that while his team lost on the court today, they won in the larger scheme of things. "Today we grew as a team and we will be better men because of this experience."
Life lessons through competition - doesn't get better than that!
Go Blues!
Greg Angilly The Urban School of San Francisco Director of Athletics
As our girls and boys varsity basketball teams wait to find out if they will play in the NCS Tournament and our spring teams prepare for their first contests, it offers a nice time to reflect on the hoops season. Some highlights:
Our boys varsity game AT University. While the boys failed to get the W, they battled a very good UHS team for 32 minutes in front of a packed house. What makes this a great Urban moment is while we were the away team, our student body filled the gym and displayed an incredible amount of school spirit cheering the boys on until the final whistle. You could not ask for a better atmosphere.
Girls comeback vs UHS. Down 18 points at one point and 8 with four minutes left in the game, the girls battled back and defeated UHS in overtime for a huge league victory in Kezar.
JV Boys vs University - The JV boys were dealt a tough loss at UHS but in their second game at Kezar they dominated from the opening whistle and avenged the loss with a resounding victory. (Must have been the headbands!)
JV Girls - Tough to pick out one moment as they had an incredible season and improved every day. They battled a very good Lincoln team to the buzzer in St Agnes early this season and showed themselves and everyone who was watching that the future of the Urban Girls Hoops program is BRIGHT.
Frosh / Soph Boys - After losing to both UHS and MA by large margins, the frosh / soph boys finished their season with wins over both squads.
I gained a good deal of respect for our Urban athletes this winter. They handle victory and defeat with class, they represent their school with pride, and they treat their teammates and opponents with respect. They honored the game of basketball and should all hold their heads high. Success is about so much more than wins and losses and to that point, I'm confident we had a very successful basketball season and continue to build a successful basketball program here at The Urban School of San Francisco.
Go Blues!
Greg Angilly The Urban School of San Francisco Director of Athletics
Posted
by gangilly
on Friday February 19 at 02:52PM
After an exciting regular seasons, it's BCL-West playoff time! Our boys and girls teams have battled all season long and with wins last week, both are eligible for the NCS D5 Tournament. They have 2 paths for this event - an At Large bid or an Automatic Bid if they are able to win 3 games this week and win the BCL-West Tourney.
BCL Tournament - Tuesday
First up for the girls, Tuesday @ 4:30pm in Kezar vs Marin Academy. The girls have played 2 close games vs MA, losing at MA by 2 points and winning in Kezar last week by 8. Expect a close game.
The Boys battle Lick @ 6:30pm at Lick. Despite losing twice to Lick in the regular season, the boys certainly proved they can run with our D4 rivals after losing a heart breaker by 2 points earlier this month. Expect a 32 minute battle!
With two weeks left in the BCL-West regular season, much is left to play for. Both our boys and girls varsity teams are battling for key league wins in an effort to solidify quality finishes within the league and opportunities to compete in the NCS Basketball Tournament later this month. Two great chances to come show your support:
Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. - The Boys battle UHS at Kezar. The student body will be rocking some old school Blue / White / Blue headbands to show their support of the B L U E S!
Friday at 7 p.m. - The Lady Blues will battle Lick at Kezar. Once again, players and fans will be sporting our old school headbands as cheer the Blues on.
This is a call to all BLUES fans. Come help us rock KEZAR and cheer the Blues on to victory.
Go BLUES!
Greg Angilly The Urban School of San Francisco Director of Athletics
Posted
by gangilly
on Tuesday February 2 at 10:31AM
Today as I stepped off the 71 bus en route to The Urban School, I noticed a small video production crew filming on Haight St. As I slowly walked past, I recognized the young man who was both filming and directing the video. He was a former student that I coached in lacrosse five years ago while at St Ignatius College Prep. When he saw me he stopped production for five minutes and we spent a few minutes catching up.
As a junior in high school Eli (name has been changed) didn't make the varsity team and I offered him the opportunity to play JV. He was the only junior on the JV team which i'm certain was a tough pill to swallow but he worked hard and came back to tryouts his senior year determined to make varsity team. Eli worked hard during his tryout but was clearly not one of the best players and was someone who was not going to see much if any playing time. My coaching staff and I met and we decided to give Eli a chance to be on the team with the understanding he may not get on the field very often, if at all. He jumped at the chance and made the most of every opportunity he was given. He met with our staff to discuss getting in better shape as he was slightly "overweight" and his eating habits were far from healthy. In the span of our lacrosse season, Eli lost 20 pounds and literally transformed physically and changed his life.
As we stood and shared a cup of coffee, he let me know the opportunity to be part of the varsity team his senior year completely altered his life. He realized that he could accomplish anything he set his mind to and as opposed to following his father and brother into dental school and dentistry he forged his own path and is "fulfilling his dreams on a daily basis." "Coach, if it wasn't for that opportunity, i'm not certain I would ever have realized my true potential -- thanks." I quickly reminded Eli that all we as coaches did was give him an opportunity and what he did with that opportunity is the true success story. I hugged this young man and wished him wel,l as he is set to move to New York City this weekend to continue to pursue his career in video and film production.
This chance run-in inspired me to continue to push our Urban coaches on a daily basis. It inspires me to push our athletes to make the most of every opportunity presented to them. and it inspires me to work harder each and every day to make this Athletic Department the best it can possibly be.
Go Blues!
Greg Angilly Director of Athletics
Posted
by gangilly
on Thursday January 28 at 02:24PM
As our league season begins, I'm reminded of a great book, The Last Amateurs. The book, by John Feinstein, takes readers through a season of Patriot League basketball. The Patriot League comprises seven highly respected academic institutions. Academics clearly come first at these seven schools and STUDENT athletes play basketball for the love of the game as opposed to playing the game in an effort to make it to the NBA.
I find this to be quite analogous to the BCL West. Our Urban basketball players have to be incredible time managers as they attempt to navigate a full basketball season along with the rigors of the Urban curriculum. After nearly six weeks of nonleague games vs opponents ranging from other Nor-Cal D5 schools to large D1 public schools, our league games are now a chance to battle our peers.
The Last Amateurs depicts each league game as a battle and that is no different than the BCL West. Many of the young men and women on basketball rosters in the BCL know each other from elementary and middle school, and as we all know, you never like to lose to a friend! This makes for some great games and much drama.
I'd ask all of Urban basketball players to keep in mind that while we strive to win, we always honor the game and play with class, in our wins and our losses. In addition, remember we are representatives of The Urban School of San Francisco.
Here's to a great season. Let's just keep in mind we are battling our peers and we should respect them and upon the final whistle, shake their collective hands and thank them for the opportunity to battle on the court.
Go Blues!
Greg Angilly The Urban School of San Francisco Director of Athletics
Posted
by gangilly
on Friday January 15 at 10:18AM
Hard to believe, but for our Fall athletes, the summer is over and it's
time to start practice. Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Girls Volleyball
and Cross Country practices all formally begin on Monday, August 16.....Read More
