Novato Players Look Up to Their Little Big Man

Senior has had some tough tasks as a leader in the Junior ROTC program, but there's no question in his mind the toughest thing he's had to do this winter.

"Guarding Padovese," Hays said of Marin Catholic's 6-foot-6, 320-pound center Mike Padovese. "He's double my size."

And more. Hays, a first-year starter for the Hornets, stands 6-2 but weighs a mere 156 pounds.

If there ever was a time to be a little big man in Marin County Athletic League basketball, this year wasn't it. Not only did Hays have to go up against Padovese, but he also went face-to-chest with Terra Linda's 6-9 Mike Best and San Marin's 6-7 Stuart Wesonga.

"They're all different," Hays admitted on the eve of Saturday's first round of the MCAL Tournament, which sends Novato to Justin-Siena for a 7:30 p.m. game.

"Best is a great shooter. You have to treat him like a guard on the perimeter. And he's a great offensive rebounder. He's hard to box out.

"Stuart is a stronger player than Best, which makes it tougher in the post. You have to do your work early.

"Padovese was the hardest player for me. I just tried to stay in front of him, because if he gets the ball, he takes one step and he moves through the whole team."

Hays began his Novato career as a guard, but that didn't go particularly well.

"I looked at him after his sophoomre year and wondered if he'd ever play varsity basketball," Novato coach admitted. "Through hard work in the off-season, he's made a contribution. Because of his work ethic, toughness and hard work, he's become a big part of our team. He understands his role and is willing to do whatever it takes."

Hays admits the transition from guard to center was a no-brainer, noting, "I'm not a great shooter, which hurt me at the guard position."

So taking a page from his ROTC training, he decided to become a leader and set the example.

"We're the smallest team in the league," he observed, "so we have to battle. We have to out-hustle them."

It's possible Hays will play his final MCAL game Saturday night, but he assures it won't be his last basketball game. He plans to try out for the team at Oregon State next season, where he will be attending college on an Army ROTC full-ride scholarship.

He earned the award from the Department of Defense, which honored him for his grades (3.2 average), athletics (he's also on the golf team), extracurriculars, essay writing, interview and physical fitness test.

"I started when I was an eighth-grader," he said of his ROTC experience, after having grown up in a military family, with his dad having served in the Navy and both his grandfathers in the Army.

"I thought it would be about learning about the military," he continued. "But the more I got into it, the more it helped me in things like public speaking and leadership. Being captain in basketball went hand-in-hand.

"ROTC teaches us teammwork. We do projects. We do planning. And we do physical fitness. So in the off-season, I never get out of shape."

Being in shape helped against Padovese. Putting on an additional 100 pounds would have helped even more.

"When you're working out, you have your own boundaries," he said in comparing the hardships of staying in shape with going against the Marin Catholic big man. "When you go up against him, he sets the boundaries."

MCAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

First Round, Saturday

BOYS

Novato at Justin-Siena, 7:30 p.m.

Tam at Terra Linda, 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS

Novato at Terra Linda, 5:30 p.m.

San Rafael at Drake, 7:30 p.m.