Santa Clara Receives Coach’s Highest Praise

The winningest boys’ basketball coach in California history stood on the court with a lei of red carnations around his neck and tears of joy in his eyes as he locked his arms around every player he could.

Lou Cvijanovich, the 72-year-old Santa Clara High coach, let everyone know that the 829th victory of his glorious 41-year career was more than special.

“I was emotional because I love them so much,” he said. “These kids have given me their lives.”

Led by Nick Jones’ 32 points, the rebounding of Terrance Dotsy, the ball handling of B.J. Ward and the hustle of Jason Angell, Santa Clara won the state Division V championship Friday night by defeating Calvary Temple Christian of Modesto, 75-68, at Arco Arena.

Afterward, Cvijanovich proclaimed the Saints (30-3) “the best basketball team I’ve coached.”

And that says plenty coming from a man who started coaching in 1958 at the Oxnard Catholic school and has won three state titles.

“I’ll tell you, these kids have been one dedicated, devoted group,” he said.

To beat an athletic, sharp-shooting Calvary Temple team, the Saints withstood repeated challenges in the second half. Three times, Calvary Temple closed to within three points after trailing, 40-31, at halftime.

Santa Clara played the final 6:11 of the third quarter without Ward, who was benched with four fouls. Instead of faltering, the Saints expanded their lead to 11 points, with the 6-foot-4 Jones scoring 13 points in the quarter.

Cvijanovich put Ward back in with 7:37 to play, and he finished off the Warriors. His basket with 3:13 left gave Santa Clara a 69-64 advantage. Calvary Temple (32-6) never recovered.

“They were good,” Jones said of the Warriors. “They made us work all the way. We kept it together with our composure and patience. We had to match them point for point. Once we started doing that, we knew we weren’t going to lose the lead.”

Ward, the Saints’ All-Southern Section point guard, scored 19 points. Dotsy, a 6-4 senior center, had 14 rebounds and 11 points. Angell made crucial defensive contributions in the second half after a verbal lashing at halftime from his coach.

“They had no recourse,” Cvijanovich said. “They were given a few words of wisdom.”

Junior guards Nick Tabari and Eric Leong scored 20 points apiece for Cavalry Temple.