Sweeney Put King in Position to Win
- Share via
It looked like checkmate for Tim Sweeney Jr. and Riverside King High.
The Wolves had lost to Redondo Union in the Southern Section Division II-A boys’ basketball championship game on a last-second three-pointer, an off-balance shot that Sweeney lamented “you couldn’t make one out of 10 times on a playground.”
With top-seeded Santa Ana Mater Dei looming in the Southern California Regionals, King would go on, maybe win another game or two, and call it a season.
Hardly.
The Wolves knocked off Mater Dei and went on to win the state Division II championship, becoming the first team from Riverside County to win a state boys’ basketball title.
The Times’ boys’ basketball coach of the year made his players believe. That was a tall order for a team in only its second varsity season.
Yet, King played its best in its biggest games because its coach put it in a position to win.
“I didn’t expect this for four or five years, to be truly competitive,” Sweeney said. “It’s really neat to see a true community school with community players have the kids develop the way they have and just show the character and really be able to adapt to the system. It’s a testament to the kids we have in the program.”
*
Ben Bolch
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
