HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS : Fremont Has Taken Rough Road to Title Game

Sam Sullivan, Los Angeles Fremont High boys’ basketball coach, prefers making life difficult for his team.

That is why the Pathfinders played in competitive holiday tournaments in Northern California and Las Vegas earlier this season. And why practices often last four or five hours. And it is the reason Sullivan has his team on a hectic pace in preparation for Saturday’s Division I state championship game against Alameda St. Joseph’s.

The game, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, features the top two teams in California.

Fremont, making its first trip to the state tournament final, is ranked No. 1 by Cal-Hi Sports and has a record of 34-1. St. Joseph’s, ranked No. 2, is 30-3.

Sullivan has been working his team hard all week, telling his players that it is business as usual. They have been running wind sprints, repeating drills, scrimmaging, and, in their spare time, watching video tape of Fremont’s 73-62 victory over St. Joseph’s in the Amador Valley Tournament last December.

Although most coaches would have their team in Oakland at least a day before a championship game, Sullivan has decided to bring his team up Saturday morning. If there are delays at the airport, preparation time will be limited.

“We never like to do things easy on this team,” said Sullivan, in his 15th year at the school. “Doing things the hard way has become a way of life. I actually think our kids thrive on difficult situations. It makes things a little more fun.”

State finals begin today at the Oakland Coliseum Arena with boys’ and girls’ games in Divisions IV and V. Divisions I, II and III will be played Saturday. A sellout crowd of 15,000 is expected for the Fremont-St. Joseph’s game.

Fremont, the City 3-A champion, defeated Santa Barbara, 78-59, last Saturday in the Southern Regional title game at the Sports Arena to earn its trip to the state final. St. Joseph’s, the North Coast Section champion, advanced by defeating East Shore Athletic League rival Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, 75-59, in the Northern Regional final.

Although the Pathfinders defeated St. Joseph’s in December, the title game figures to be up for grabs. St. Joseph’s was without its top player, guard Jason Kidd, in its earlier game against Fremont. Kidd, a 6-foot-4 junior, has recovered from his early-season ankle injury and led the Pilots to their first appearance in the state championship game.

Kidd is regarded as one of the top players in the state, averaging 25 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and five steals a game.

“Kidd is an exceptional talent,” Sullivan said. “I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen of him. We’ll defend him with several different players because it is not a one-man job.”

Fremont has plenty of its own scoring punch, led by 6-2 guard Chris Ford, who is averaging 21 points. Center Michael Tate, 6-5, is averaging 11 points, as well as 11 rebounds.

“Fremont is very quick and they really hustle,” St. Joseph’s Coach Frank LaPorte said. “But I think we have a good shot.”

In other boys’ games Saturday, Tustin (29-4) plays San Ramon (29-2) in the Division II title game at 3 p.m., and Costa Mesa Estancia (28-5) takes on Fremont Washington (24-9) in Division III at 11:15 a.m.

In girls’ games Saturday, Inglewood Morningside (33-2) tries for its third consecutive state championship against Berkeley (29-2) in Division I at 4:45 p.m. Morningside defeated Berkeley in last year’s title game, 67-56.

Brea-Olinda (32-1) is seeking its second state title in the last three years in the Division II championship against Hayward Moreau at 1:15 p.m.

Palos Verdes (31-2) takes on Healdsburg (30-4) in Division III at 9:30 a.m.