Alex Van Dyke, the Grid-Hoop State Player of the Year, is on the right. His teammate from Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove, L.J. Reed, another of the state’s best at both sports, is on the left. The duo will be reunited in college at UCLA. Photo: Mark Tennis.
UCLA-bound wide receiver Alex Van Dyke was also an all-state forward for Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove. He is the first Grid-Hoops State Player of the Year from the Sac Joaquin Section in 16 years. Go inside to see who that player was and for more about him plus list of previous winners from the last 28 years.
To check out writeups of the first 20 all-state grid-hoopers plus more, CLICK HERE.
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There is something special about the grid-hoop athlete since few sports demand more complete athleticism than football and basketball. It isn’t easy to perform at a high level in one sport, let alone two, especially when seasons overlap. The special athletes who make up the 2013-14 Cal-Hi Sports Grid-Hoop All-State team have been able to accomplish it despite high school sports becoming more specialized over the years.
As more athletes continue to specialize in one sport, it’s become more difficult to compile this team. Another factor in the difficulty is many of the state’s top football recruits, especially quarterbacks, choose to enroll early in college and skip their senior seasons of basketball. Palo Ato’s Keller Chryst falls into this category as he likley would have made one of the elite teams for the second consecutive year. Mr. Football State Player of the Year Adoree’ Jackson of Gardena Serra also chose not to play hoops this season but is competing for the Cavs’ nationally-renowned track team.
Not every school year will produce a legit first team all-state type in both sports like a Stais Boseman (Inglewood Morningside ’93) or a Tony Gonzalez (Huntington Beach ’94). The athlete who comes closest to that level this year is 6-foot-4 wide receiver-forward Alex Van Dyke of Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove. Today, the UCLA football recruit has been named the 2013-14 Cal-Hi Sports Grid-Hoop State Player of the Year.
Van Dyke also tops the 2013-14 All-State Grid-Hoop Team, which is the 28th year such a squad has been chosen and released. It’s not ideal to get it out so late in the school year, but the selections generally can’t be done until all of the all-state basketball teams are selected and announced (boys & girls) and that process was completed just a week before the very busy weekend of Nike football camps.
The son of a former NFL wide receiver by the same name, Van Dyke was a third team all-state choice in football after catching 54 balls for 1,042 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns for a 7-4 team. In basketball, Van Dyke was just as spectacular as an athlete around the basket. He nearly made the 30-man elite all-state team after pumping in 18.5 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for a Wolfpack club that advanced to the NorCal Division II regional finals where they lost to Folsom. Van Dyke was named to the Division II all-state team.
It’s perhaps more amazing that Alex wasn’t the only notable grid-hooper at Cosumnes Oaks, either. In fact, another of the state’s very best was his junior teammate, L.J. Reed. When watching the two play, it was obvious they are football athletes first but they brought that intensity to every minute they were on the court.
Van Dyke is the first Grid-Hoop Player of the Year choice from a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section school since the 1997-98 season. That year, Matt Barnes from Del Campo of Fair Oaks played football for the first time and was an immediate standout. He was an elite all-state choice (third team) in basketball and today is a forward for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
1986-87 Grid-Hoop Player of the Year Junior Seau from Oceanside watches his daughter play volleyball in 2012 about one month before his death in May of the same year. Photo: Scott Kurtz.
Cal-Hi Sports Grid-Hoop
State Players of the Year
2013-14 Alex Van Dyke, Elk Grove Cosumnes Oaks
2012-13 Max Redfield, Mission Viejo
2011-12 William Stallworth, Tulare
2010-11 William Stallworth, Tulare (Jr.)
2009-10 Victor Dean, San Diego Lincoln
2008-09 James Boyd, Los Angeles Jordan
2007-08 Nelson Rosario, Oceanside El Camino
2006-07 Rob Jones, San Francisco Riordan
2005-06 David Ausberry, Lemoore
2004-05 Danny Williams, Los Angeles Fremont
2003-04 Marcus Everett, West Hills Chaminade
2002-03 Steve Smith, Woodland Hills Taft
2001-02 Marcedes Lewis, Long Beach Poly
2000-01 Antwon Guidry, San Jose Leigh
1999-00 Teyo Johnson, San Diego Mira Mesa
1998-99 Josh Shavies, Oakland Fremont
1997-98 Matt Barnes, Fair Oaks Del Campo
1996-97 Jason Thomas, Compton Dominguez (Jr.)
1995-96 Chris Claiborne, Riverside J.W. North
1994-95 Johnnie Sanders, Los Angeles Franklin
1993-94 Tony Gonzalez, Huntington Beach
1992-93 Stais Boseman, Inglewood Morningside
1991-92 Stais Boseman, Inglewood Morningside (Jr.)
1990-91 Rob Johnson, El Toro
1989-90 Willie McGinest, Long Beach Poly
1988-89 Shante Carver, Stockton Lincoln
1987-88 Eric Bamberger, Concord Ygnacio Valley
1986-87 Junior Seau, Oceanside
1985-86 Dan McGwire, Claremont
1984-85 Michael Johnson, Baldwin Park
1983-84 Jerald Jones, Vallejo
1982-83 John Paye, Atherton Menlo School
1981-82 Reggie Rogers, Sacramento Norte Del Rio
1980-81 Jack Del Rio, Hayward
1979-80 Don Rogers, Sacramento Norte Del Rio
Mark Tennis contributed to this report.
Ronnie Flores is the managing editor of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at ronlocc1977@yahoo.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
