“It was very technical and it was very strategic and you had coaches who were not satisfied with just winning a league or a coach satisfied with winning a CIF championship. But at the time, when you talk, when you’re 17 or 18, you really don’t know. The guys also comment on how well coached we were. “That’s what really pushed most of us, at least for me. “The other ingredient is that we were all extremely competitive and we thrive on being competitive. “I think the ’87 team was so successful because of the chemistry between everybody, whether it was making sure people got in the weight room, whether it was making sure people were running and practicing,” said Townsend. Townsend said it was easy to pinpoint why the team was successful. We put in the work together and put in the sacrifice together.” “We just worked hard together, day in and day out. You meet up 20 years later to talk about it, it’s a special day. “Being a part of the team, you sacrifice with a bunch of guys to accomplish a goal. “You practice together, you grow up together,” said Bryan, who now works at Costco in Fountain Valley and still lives in Irvine. Players talked about the togetherness that made the team special. “It was kind of a sweet deal, to say the least.” “Everyone was making shots, we were defending, and we just kind of blew them out, we knew we were going to win that game,” said Guard Derrick Odum, who now coaches the defensive backs at the University of Utah. Forward Vince Bryan added 24 points and 12 rebounds, starting forward Bill York had 12 points, junior guard Chris Deibert had 12 points and four rebounds off the bench and senior David Townsend had 10 points.Įveryone on the team played that night including two Warriors who had similar names but were not related: Robb Lee and Rob Lee. Adam Keefe, who later went on to play nine years in the NBA, scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. In the championship game, the Warriors were hitting on all cylinders. Shannon listened intently as his players reflected on their special memories. He and his wife, Vickie, who have two sons: Matt (18) and Michael (14), live in Durham, N.C. Shannon is senior vice president with Davita, a health care company in North Carolina. That’s what really makes you feel good about it.” “I’m just proud of the people they’ve become: poised, eloquent and they all reflect back on it (the state title) with such pride. “There’s such a successful group of people and you have to figure there is a connection,” said Shannon in an interview. Most were married and had families and appeared to have used their success on the court in 1987 as a springboard to success in their careers. The players have gone on to a wide variety of jobs, like the medical profession, coaching and real estate investment. They came from all across the country for the reunion. Some players had been in contact with their teammates, but some hadn’t seen each other in 20 years. Saturday night at a private reception in the Fox Sports Grill in the Irvine Spectrum, the players turned back the clock and recalled what made the team successful. Woodbridge also won the CIF IIA title that year. The win secured the CIF Division II title for Woodbridge, which went 28-5 and won its last 18 games. It culminated when the Warriors defeated DeAnza of Richmond, 89-63, before an estimated 6,000 fans at the Oakland Coliseum. Twelve of the 15 players on that team were on hand along with former principal Greg Cops and athletic director Dave Cowen to share moments about the special year, in which the Warriors went 28-5. “Because I keep the (state championship) ring right on my desk.” “I think of you guys every day,” the coach of that team, Bill Shannon, told the players. Members of Woodbridge High’s boys basketball team re-united Saturday night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first and only state basketball title by a high school boys basketball squad from Irvine.
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