Castlemont's Phelps chooses Gaels over Zags

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Nov 16, 2004

IN THE END, Kieisha Phelps couldn't leave. The senior standout for the Castlemont High girls basketball team made a non-binding verbal commitment last month to attend Gonzaga, but Phelps had a change of heart and instead signed her national letter-of-intent with St. Mary's on Monday. "I thought I wanted to leave, but I wanted to stay by my family and let them be able to see me play," Phelps said after a signing ceremony at Castlemont that was attended by more than 20 people. "I kept on thinking about it, and I wanted to stay close." Phelps was raised in Kansas City, Mo., and moved to Killeen, Texas, in the summer of 1999 to live with her aunt. She stayed in Texas for three years, but when Phelps' aunt moved to the Baltimore area, Phelps came to Oakland. Seven of her 13 brothers and sisters, along with her stepmom, Mary Phelps, live in the Bay Area, and Phelps decided against moving to eastern Washington. "I truly believe St. Mary's was something she always wanted," Castlemont coach Matthew Lane said. "It's never too late. I told her to go with her heart, and St. Mary's was where she wanted to go, so we're all for it." An athletic 6-foot-1 forward, Phelps helped the Knights to the Oakland Athletic League playoffs as a sophomore and junior, leading the team in scoring last season at 15.1 points per game. Phelps can dunk a volleyball and is an outstanding defender and rebounder. She played for Curtis Cooper and Garnett Givans with the Oakland Bruins in 2003. After a strong summer with the Orinda Magic and coach Darrell Hiroshima, Phelps' stock soared. "I expect to go in and contribute as a freshman and continue to grow and improve," Phelps said. St. Mary's went 15-14 last year and is coached by Michelle Jacoby, who was an assistant with the Gaels when current Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves was in Moraga. As a result, Phelps should fit in well with the St. Mary's system. "This sends another good word out there," Lane said. "You can come here, and you can be successful. Kieisha is another example of a kid coming up with a hard life and making it."

Lawson hanging'em up

It's the home stretch for St. Mary's High football coach Jay Lawson.

Thanks to Saturday's 34-21 Bay Shore Athletic league win over Piedmont, Lawson's Panthers qualified for the North Coast Section 2- A playoffs and will take on No.3 seed Acalanes in Friday's first round.

What the win over Piedmont did was give Lawson at least one more game to coach before he calls it quits. He's announced to his players and the administration that he's leaving the football program and tend to his family (he has two girls) while his wife, Darci Kosmal, pursues her master's degree in family counseling at Sonoma State.

"This is something I've been planning for a while," said Lawson, who resigned his job as athletic director at the start of the school year. "It's time to step aside and take care of the family."

Lawson said he'll continue to teach math and economics at the school, and he will coach track again this spring. However, running a football program on top of that would be too much.

He admitted it's tough to walk away. He's been coaching football at St. Mary's for 18 years, the last four as head coach.

"It's going to be weird not coaching football," said Lawson, who played college ball at UC Davis. "I've been playing or coaching football for the last 27 years."

He did leave the door open for a possible return, however.

"Hopefully (Darci) can finish up with her master's in a couple of years," he said. "Then I can come back here as an assistant coach."

Swain OK

Oakland Tech senior Fermin Swain, who was knocked unconscious during Saturday's football game against McClymonds, was treated and released from a local hospital on Sunday afternoon.

"He's doing fine," Bulldogs coach Delton Edwards said. "They were keeping him for precautions. They wanted to be cautious, especially after what happened to the kid in Vallejo."

Mike Pennerman of Jesse Bethel High died Nov.7 after taking a blow to the head in a game the night before against Rodriguez. Edwards, whose team meets Skyline on Friday in the OAL playoffs, said Swain will be out for the rest of the season.

No show, no play

After scanning the North Coast Section football brackets, one question popped up immediately: Where is El Cerrito?

The Gauchos (5-5) were eligible for the 2-A East Bay playoffs and owned a victory over Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League champion De Anza, which would have guaranteed them a spot.

Instead, nobody from El Cerrito attended the meeting, and as a result, the 2-A field is comprised of seven teams, giving

No.1 Campolindo a first-round bye.

That is in stark contrast to Hayward's Casey Moreno, whose team went 4-6 but told everyone in the 3-A meeting he promised his kids he would attend if the Farmers were eligible. Even Washington and San Leandro were represented at the 4-A meeting despite little hope for a spot.

View From the Tower is a weekly column compiled by staff writer David Schoen. The Tower can be reached by e-mail at dschoen@angnewspapers.com, by phone at (510) 208-6463 or by fax at (510) 208-6477.