Goffredo Sinks Teeth Into Backcourt Role

No one should ever doubt the toughness of freshman guard Jimmy Goffredo of Crescenta Valley High.

Goffredo took an elbow to the mouth last week that broke his two front teeth and left him looking like a boxer ready to hit the floor in a knockout.

Except Goffredo refused to go down for the count. He picked up one tooth off the court, spit out another tooth he briefly swallowed, went to the bench to stop his lip from bleeding and eventually came back into the game with a mouthpiece. Crescenta Valley (13-3) defeated Downey to win the Anaheim Canyon tournament.

A dentist worked on Goffredo until 2 a.m. bonding his teeth temporarily with glue.

He’ll be ready to go Friday when the Falcons play their Pacific League opener at Muir.

Goffredo, son of former Crescenta Valley coach John Goffredo, has been an important player for the Falcons. He has made 40 three-pointers while guarding the opposing team’s best shooter.

Whether the Falcons can defeat Muir (10-4) and Pasadena (8-5) in league play remains to be seen.

“The key is we have to play as hard as we can for 32 minutes,” Coach Jim Smiley said.

Glendale (6-8) can’t be counted out as being a league playoff threat. The Dynamiters have some good shooters capable of causing trouble for the three league favorites.