Time Out with Matt Knight -- 2001 Vintage High graduate

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Matt Knight: There were many aspects that I enjoyed about competing in different athletic endeavors throughout my life. I enjoyed the comradery amongst teammates, working hard to achieve a goal that was set by coaches and players, and just how sports kept me determined to always work to get better. I feel like it is important to always try to be the best person that you can be in whatever field you enter. Competing in athletics gave me the work ethic and drive that is needed to meet goals in life.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Knight: After graduating from high school in 2001, I went to college at Oregon State University where I earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science. My studies and passions ended up taking me to become a teacher. I knew that I wanted to be around the sport of basketball still and get into coaching. I loved being in Oregon so I decided to look for jobs in this state after graduating college. In 2007 I got hired as a Physical Education teacher at a small high school in southern Oregon called Illinois Valley High School, I have now been teaching and coaching there for 10 years. I was married in 2012 to my wife Jessica. This past December we just had our first child, her name is Whitney, and we have had so much fun being parents and taking this next step in our lives.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Vintage High?

Knight: My favorite class at Vintage was probably 6th period PE. We just got to be with our basketball team working on getting better. I enjoyed being in the weight room with the guys and going through conditioning drills together getting ready for our season. I learned a lot in that class time that I still use in my daily life today being in the same working environment.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Vintage High?

Knight: My favorite moment was in 2000, I was a junior, when our basketball team won the MEL for the first time in 23 years. From day one of that season all of our team members were on the same page. We knew that we had a great opportunity to win and do well with the group of players that we had. We all kept each other focused on that one goal of winning the league title. One of the best parts about that season was the competitiveness of our practices. From top to bottom of the roster guys worked as hard as they could in practice to give each other the best competition that we could get. The absolute best part about that season was beating Napa High School in the league title game. As it came down we needed to win our last game against our crosstown rivals to win the league, if we would have lost, it would have been a co-champions situation. With amazing performances by a few players we were able to pull out the victory.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Knight: I feel like I have grown alot since graduating high school. I have had many influences in my life that have gotten me to where I am today. My high school coaches (Bob Hauck, Joe Densberger, and Mike Flohr) were amazing people that taught me a lot more than just basketball. From an athletics standpoint, I feel that playing sports has taught me a lot about teamwork, communication and work ethic. Those three aspects of life I need everyday in my job and family life so I guess I could say that sports has helped me grow immensely throughout life.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Knight: My parents would have to be the biggest influence that I have had in my life, they have always supported everything I have done and gave me great guidance in life. I would not be where I am today without their help and support. Also, my older brother Russ, has been a great influence in my life. I would give him a lot of credit for my work ethic in sports and in life. Russ is three years older than me so he was always bigger than me and I wanted so bad to beat him whenever we would compete in anything from video games to sports. I give him the credit for making me tougher and striving to be better than my opponents.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Knight: I would most likely like to meet all of the 1992 USA basketball dream team. That would be awesome to be able to be in the same room with all of those great players.

Time Out with Kaine Gish -- 2000 Vintage High graduate

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Kaine Gish: The team atmosphere.  I liked being relied on and being able to rely on the person next to me.  I enjoy celebrating a teammates success as much or more than I enjoy celebrating my own.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Gish: I got into restaurants shortly after I graduated  high school. When I moved to Washington DC I really found my stride in restaurant management . I find the qualities in a successful restaurant and a successful baseball team are very similar - it's all about coordination and communication.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Vintage High?

Gish: My favorite class was Rich Andersons 11th grade English Class. We read some really great novels and I truly learned how to interpret subtext.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Vintage High?

Gish: I feel truly lucky to have had several great experiences while at VIntage but the trip to the playoffs in my junior year was amazing. I didn't play much but I think about something that happened in that '99 season almost every day. I remember when we clinched the MEL title and we barely celebrated because we expected to succeed. That was the mindset everyday in practice and in games.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Gish: I have grown tremendously. The thing I attribute most to my growth is the idea that you come to the park/work and get better every day. Continuous improvement is my mantra.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Gish: This one's tough because so many people in my family have had great impacts on my life. Both my grandfathers, which I've lost in the last few years come to the top of my mind though. One played for the Cubs in the minors and really fostered my love for baseball and the Cubs and the other took me all over the country and instilled a true love for nature and the outdoors.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Gish: Cal Ripken Jr. I have always admired his dedication and perseverance. I'd love to just sit and pick his brain.

Sr. Peggy's kindness and humility were second to none

There are farewells that you know are coming but when they arrive, numerous emotions cross your mind.

That feeling would describe my thoughts, and most likely those of several more people, on the retirement of Sr. Margaret Cruise, who is affectionately known as “Sr. Peggy,” from St. Apollinaris Catholic Church in Napa, CA. Sr. Peggy has called St. A’s her home for 35 years. While St. A’s was already a good place when she arrived, Sr. Peggy made it even better.

For yours truly, St. A’s is a return trip. I graduated from there in 1987 and have been fortunate enough to return as a parent. My oldest, Juliette, will be a fifth grader this fall while twins, Thomas and Danielle will enter third grade. It blows their mind that clergy members were actually once teachers but I digress.

Sr. Peggy’s retirement has been common knowledge for quite some time but on Saturday she will board a plane to return to her native country of Ireland. The preceding weeks have been filled with goodbyes, luncheons and tributes.

The biggest thing I keep processing about Sr. Peggy’s time at St. A’s is this: “I was not only blessed to be part of the first class she taught at St. A’s, I was even more blessed that she stayed there long enough to meet my children.” All three of our kids made First Communion in her presence and for that, i am even more awed. For that matter, I could say the same thing for long-time St. A’s teacher Virginia Reilly, who will always be Miss Reilly to me.

Sr. Peggy retired in 2015 as director of Religious Education in 2015 but the term “retired” was a loose definition in her case. Her footprints remained on every square inch of St. A’s in whichever role she was needed and she filled it selflessly. Sr. Peggy taught for four years before moving to the aforementioned role as director of Religious Education.  

We have teachers and coaches in our lives that we deem influential. For me, the teachers have always been the likes of Dan Clark and Bob Morrish at Justin-Siena along with Mary Clark at St. A’s. On the coaches side, I frequently point to the likes of Frank Defilippis along with my youth baseball coaches Wayne Plath and Ray Sisemore.

Though I remember her most as a teacher, I don’t think I could lump Sr. Peggy solely into that role. She did much more than teach you the Our Father and Hail Mary. She taught you how to establish a relationship with the Lord. When teaching English, it was not limited to nouns, verbs and pronouns. I remember her teaching us that every sentence had a purpose, including a diagram that broke down every sentence by subject, verb, and object. That skill came in handy when I was a sports reporter for 18 years.  

Every teacher has their own style. Some are the disciplinarian types. Others exude tenderness and kindness. Sr. Peggy was the latter as her soft spoken Irish brogue carried a tender and caring heart. That description, however, can be misleading. You’ve heard the phrase, “don’t mistake my kindness for weakness.” That would be Sr. Peggy. She carried a certain reverence and humility. If you misbehaved, she didn’t have to say anything. You knew you were in the wrong. The unspoken message was “you know better,” and you felt bad letting her down because she taught you better.

I frequently find myself rewinding the clock to 1982, when Sr. Peggy arrived at St. A’s known as Sr. Gabrielle. The school had an established base on nuns that included Sr. Philomena, Sr. Olive Murphy and Sr. Mary Corcoran. That situation is never easy for a newcomer but Sr. Peggy transition into the St. A’s family seamlessly.

For many years, I was out of contact with St. A’s between living out of state in college, receiving my Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska. When moving back to California, Napa specifically, in 1998, the contact remained minimal for another nine years. I married my wonderful wife, Jacqueline, in 2003.

When Juliette was born in 2007, we decided that we wanted to send her and any ensuing children to St. A’s. Slowly but surely, we re-established roots in the St. A’s circle. Whether it was a Sunday mass, the 50th anniversary dinner in 2009, the annual crab feed, or First Holy Communion parents meetings, Sr. Peggy was the go-to person to re-acquaint.

St. A’s has had many identifiable faces throughout the years from Fr. Michael Cleary to Mary Clark to Barbara Collins and the aforementioned Miss Reilly to name a few.

However, I say without any further equivocation, there’s only one Sr. Peggy.

Time Out with Michael Savino -- 2002 Justin-Siena High graduate

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Michael Savino: There were so many things that played into my love of sports over the years. Early on, it was about having a built-in, exciting activity to look forward to every day, and having the chance to emulate my idols that I watched on TV (I loved replicating the batting stances). But what grew to be a stronger element as time went on, which is true for most athletes I think, are the fun friendships that are made by being part of team. Teammates get to know each other very well – strengths, weaknesses, habits, and quirks. So the dynamic that forms between teammates, good ones at least, is in large part built on ultimate support. You celebrate everyone’s successes and pick each other up when one fails. But on the other hand, no one is ever safe from being made fun of, endlessly ribbed, and given some embarrassing nickname. That balance made for such a fun environment to be a part of every day, while working toward a common goal.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Savino: It’s pretty shocking to think about how many years have passed since that graduation day. I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel around the country and live in some fantastic places…but I had to endure many more years of school to do that! I attended the University of Notre Dame for college, and from there went on to medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. After med school, the required period of time during which you gain on-the- job, specialized experience in hospitals and clinics is called residency. I spent the first year of my residency at the University of Pittsburgh, and then the last three years at NYU in New York City. Lastly, for the final year of training (which is called fellowship), I headed to Northwestern in Chicago. When it was finally time to get a job, I was fortunate to be hired as a radiologist with the Napa-Solano branch of Kaiser Permanente. So, after 14 years away, I finally returned to the Bay Area, and soon I will be getting some company. My fiancée, Marissa, is moving here in less than a week and we will set up shop in Walnut Creek.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High School?

Savino: Biology with Mr. O’Connor. Obviously, it was a subject that proved to be something I was very interested in. But, I was a younger than most of the kids in the class so I was nervous going into it.

Something about the way Mr. O’Connor conducted the class and treated me individually turned him into both a mentor and a friend in my eyes. It was one of the happiest I can remember being in a classroom, and it gave me a lot of confidence moving forward in high school. Now, if I were to be completely honest, leadership class senior year when Andrew Bettencourt and I would sneak a basketball out of the locker room when setting up assemblies in Dan Clark Gym wasn’t too shabby either.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?

Savino: It was a varsity baseball playoff game at home, I think against Salesian. We were down going into the home half of the final inning, but put together a rally. My spot in the order came up with the tying run on third, and Coach Rossi called a suicide squeeze. I gave my signal to acknowledge it, stepped into the box, and was able to get it down for the tying run. I beat out the throw to first, so I was on base when Steve Andres hit a bloop base hit over my head into shallow right, which scored Travis Aspegren for the walkoff win. The tension turned into absolute elation, and I just remember flying around second and third base to give coach a huge high five and join the team for the celebration at home.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Savino: I have grown immensely since high school, I think primarily as a result of exposure to people from innumerable cultures, places, and walks of life. Napa is a great, safe place to grow up, but there is a relatively narrow demographic. Living in Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago, all the while interacting with patients in hospitals and clinics, allowed me to meet so many different kinds of people and expand my degree of open mindedness and empathy.

But I realized that there are a lot of common veins that connect people no matter where they are from, and sports is a huge one. I forged many of my strongest friendships through a love for sports and continuing to play on intramural teams throughout my post-high school life. Plus, sports is almost always a topic that you can get to chatting with a stranger about, and gets those lines of communication going. And having been an athlete growing up always gives you credibility.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Savino: This is a pretty easy one – my parents. The things in life that are important to them have been passed down to me by both direct teaching and them leading by example. The list is long, but treating other people with kindness, being unselfish, placing a value on education, and worshipping homemade Italian food are a handful of the major principles that have carried forward with me. I went through a lot of school and needed a lot of help along the way, and they were always there to support me when I needed it. Moreover, my dad was my coach for the majority of my childhood, with the two of us spending countless hours between the lines with one another. From the days of him mowing a baseball diamond in the grass of our back field for my 7-year- old birthday party, to sitting and analyzing the final round of a Sunday golf tournament in the current day, the sports connection has been, and always will be there.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Savino: I figure, if I get this magical, once-in- a-lifetime chance, I might has well have some fun with it and meet Jerry Seinfeld. Walking around New York City for a day with him making fun of people and pointing out the oddities and absurdities of life sounds like a plan I could get behind.

Time Out with Grant Wright -- 2013 Justin-Siena High graduate

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Grant Wright: Competing in athletics changed my life to say the least. I have been competing in athletics since third grade when I joined Napa Little League. Being able to compete in athletics has been one of the greatest blessings throughout my whole life. Every sport I have played I have taken something from it. Learning how to compete at a young age has given me the opportunity to keep a competitive edge throughout life in everything I do. Whether it be with sports or a job, I will always compete.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Wright: I attended Justin-Siena High School in Napa, CA from 2009-2013 where I participated in football (four years), basketball (one year), and baseball (four years.) Since graduating in 2013 I went on to attend Napa Valley College where I played two years of baseball while completing my GEs. While at Napa Valley College I also worked at Browns Valley Market for three years. I then attended Chico State University where I continued to play two years of baseball and received a scholarship my senior year. We won back to back CCAA tournaments and went on to regionals both years. I now have one more year of schooling at Chico State where I am majoring in agriculture business and am currently working at Robert Biale Vineyards for the summer of 2017.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?

Wright: My favorite class at Justin-Siena High School was most likely English or U.S. Government.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?

Wright: My favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena was winning the section championship for football in 2013 (senior year). Also being able to play under my dad (Scott Wright) when he was coaching varsity baseball during my sophomore year was without a doubt one of the most memorable experiences.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Wright: I feel that I can personally trace most of my growth in life back to sports because it has molded me into the person I am today. The coaches who I have had the pleasure of playing under have also had a big role in molding me into who I am today.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Wright: My dad, Scott Wright, has been the most influential person in my family. He has pushed me to always work hard and give it my all. He has shown me how to always be competing in life and has helped me and guided me to be the man I am today. Seeing how hard my dad has worked his whole life makes me want to be like the man he is today.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Wright: I would love to have the opportunity to meet Madison Bumgarner, Rich Froning, or Barry Bonds.

Time Out with Andrew Bettencourt -- Justin-Siena High girls basketball head coach

Vince D’Adamo: What is the No. 1 thing that keeps you coming back to coaching every season?

Andrew Bettencourt: It’s tough to single out just one. I would say there are three things that rise above the rest in terms of bringing me back. Relationships with the players is definitely one. Anytime you spend that much time with a group and sacrifice so much as a group, you develop strong bonds that last over time. One of my favorite things is the amount of former players that are still around our program. Also, the competitive aspect of being involved in sports, working hard with a group of players to achieve a goal is very rewarding. Anyone who is a competitor understands the joy of winning and the agony of defeat, and working hard for that joy is a major factor. Lastly, I would say that every day, week, season, and year is different. There are always new challenges to face and more to learn. The more I do this, the more I feel like I have so much more to learn and so much room to grow. It’s a very humbling and yet rewarding feeling.

D’Adamo: Beyond win-loss records, what is your continued vision for Justin-Siena High basketball?

Bettencourt: The continued vision is to continue the focus on getting better everyday.  Some years we are going to have more talent than others, but the experience is truly about working hard to get better, learning to work together as a team, and understanding that everyone has a role and must star in that role to be successful.  We are never going to say that we don't value winning, because we do, but we value the process of getting better, of learning how to handle adversity, and of learning the value of hard work even more.

D’Adamo: From Marsha Niemann to Frank Bozzini to Bruce Halverson to Mark Dunn to Mike Boles, the Braves have a strong tradition in girls basketball, how much of coaching here is a matter of emphasizing to the girls to carve out their own niche?

Bettencourt: We do have a very strong tradition of coaching here and I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from and watch many of the coaches you mentioned, most specifically Mike Boles. The players definitely have a sense of the history and while we want to make sure we live up to the standards of teams that came before us, we work very hard to communicate that our goal is to do the best that our current team can do. We want to make sure that we are putting forth the effort needed to get better every day, and competing at the highest level possible.  If we are doing those things, we believe that we will have our own legacy.

D’Adamo: Besides the Xs and Os of coaching, how important is it to be able to relate to kids?

Bettencourt: I think it becomes more important every day. I have been coaching at Justin for 12 years, and in those 12 years kids and the world around them have changed dramatically. We are constantly talking about, learning about, and trying to figure out how to relate our message to the players. From little things such as trying to show more video and draw on the board less, to playing music at practice, and everything in between, we constantly look at how we are trying to relate to the players.  Being able to effectively communicate the message we are trying to is the most important thing we can do.  

D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?

Bettencourt: My parents, first and foremost. They have been incredibly supportive of my coaching. They are both a fixture at many of our teams games, and have always encouraged me to do what I love. They are both incredible examples of what hard work and perseverance can do for you.  Definitely my sisters have been influential and supportive, my extended family, I have been fortunate to have a lot of support and love, and feel truly blessed. Someone I consider family, Mike Boles, has been incredibly influential. He has been there for me since day one of my coaching career at Justin, and even though he has moved on to coaching at Sonoma High, we still talk almost every day and I owe a lot of any success I've had to him.  Others who have helped me and been incredible mentors and sounding boards include Tim Malloy and Ken Savino. I am so blessed to have so many positive influences that I can call family, people that have given me their time, expertise, and advice and have never been afraid to tell me the truth.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Bettencourt: There are so many. I'm gonna cheat and give more than one.

D’Adamo (chuckling): More than one is allowed.

Bettencourt (chuckling): George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for starters.  To be the first President of the United States and to lead the United States out of the Civil War, wow. I would love to talk to them about leadership. More recently, Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Coach K., and Tom Izzo. Four coaches who I think have done such a great job of establishing programs. I would love to pick their brains and learn anything I could from them.

Warriors right to consider White House visit if invited

Since winning their second NBA title in three years, it has been generally assumed that the Golden State Warriors as an organization will decline their visit to the White House.

As long as I can remember, and perhaps long before, college and professional sports teams have visited the White House in Washington D.C. and subsequently honored by the United States president to celebrate the success of winning that championship.

Except here, you have a unique situation. I’m not going to turn this into any more of a political post than necessary or this conversation will really turn into a hot mess. For openers, the 2016 presidential election between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton is viewed by many as the most toxic in our country’s history. Though I’m only 44 years old, I’d be hardpressed to argue. Secondly, when it comes to public figures, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr along with San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich have been two outspoken critics of Trump.

Though the Warriors have not yet received an invitation, some Warrior players, most notably Steph Curry and Andre Iguodola have said they will decline going to the White House if invited. In November, Kerr said the organization would decline such a visit but he has relented to the point whether the organization will consider visiting. Please note, that is not the same as declaratively saying they will go.

Kerr said: “It’s important to me that there’s a respect for the office and for the institution, and that’s why I would consider going. But I will be perfectly blunt — and I know I’ll anger people by saying this — but I want the man who’s sitting in the office to respect that office, too, and that means being above the tweeting and the nasty personal insults and trying to unify the country instead of trying to divide us, and I feel like he’s trying to divide us.”

Though I do not like the Warriors because my team (San Antonio Spurs) is trying to catch them, I respect what they have achieved on the court. Kerr and the Warriors are also showing pragmatism in their leadership.

Individual players on championship teams have not accompanied their organization to the White House for many years but it was not rampantly reported then like it is now. There are many factors that include but are not limited social media giving people more of a platform to express their views voluntarily.

I have no problem at all with celebrities expressing their views as long as they can accept the ramifications that come with it. They call it Freedom of Speech for a reason. The problem with people expressing their opinions is that too many often think they are speaking for everyone. Instead, you are only speaking for how you feel and others that share your opinion. Also, people get so fixated on the freedom aspect of speech that they forget the responsibility part.

Though I have never visited the White House, I would be intrigued despite my cynical views on politics. Honestly, politics would have nothing to do with my intrigue. My parents and I visited Washington D.C. in 1989 as two of my sisters were living there at the time working for a California Congressman. They worked in the United States Capital building. I remember being 17 years old having the opportunity to meet Kansas Senator Robert Dole. My parents and I were walking down the hall and the name Robert Dole on the door placard. He graciously invited us into his office and we had a picture taken with him. It felt great because it showed a human side not seen in the public eye.

I did not vote for Clinton or Trump, I voted for someone else entirely but that is another matter entirely. You can have an opinion on whether or not they should visit the White House but it’s for anyone to make rules to decide if a team or person should visit the White House. I believe it should be up to the individual person and nor should they be disparaged for their choice. Regardless of that choice, they have the right to make it.