Villanova basketball coach had impact on East Union’s Agostini

Of the millions who sat in shock after Villanova captured the national championship with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, Jim Agostini was not one.

The East Union High School girls basketball coach doesn’t bet against Wildcats coach Jay Wright in end-of-game situations. He understands the time Wright has invested into winning those final seconds.

Agostini met Wright at a coaching clinic in Las Vegas five years ago. After listening to him speak, the two ran into one another at breakfast the next morning. Over coffee, they spoke candidly about the art of the inbound play.

Wright won his first national title on an inbound play that produced a clean look for Kris Jenkins, whose three-pointer will be replayed for years.

The Wildcats ran Ryan Arcidiacono off a screen near midcourt and created action elsewhere on the floor. It was enough to distract North Carolina, which failed to pick up Jenkins, the inbounding player.

Jenkins stepped into his shot, triggering a confetti rain.

“How he breaks down those end-of-game situations, based upon time and clock, I’ve learned from him,” said Agostini, who led the Lancers to a district-best 27-2 record and the Valley Oak League crown. “He really has those situations broken down well.”

If imitation is the best form of flattery, consider Agostini Jay Wright’s biggest fan west of Pennsylvania. He has adopted many of Wright’s plays and late-game philosophies.

In the Elite Eight, Villanova salted away No. 1 Kansas with an inbound play Agostini has called for guards Olivia Vezaldenos and Ruby Daube.

“There’s that play,” he said at the time. “We’ve seen that play before.

“There are a number of things I use with our team now, (like) inbound plays and situations late in the game when the other team has to foul. There are a couple of plays I’ve used for years, plays I got from him. It’s a copycat business. You use whatever is working.”

Ripon Christian star keepin’ it 100 – Abby Buitrago tallied her 100th career goal in a 4-1 victory over Waterford on Tuesday. The milestone came on a deep drive in the 60th minute. Buitrago collected a pass from Jessica Van Vliet in the midfield, and with a couple of dribbles, set up a shot from beyond the penalty box that beat goalie Alex Munguia high.

“It was special for the team to recognize Abby’s significant milestone,” Ripon Christian coach Kevin Tameling said. “It is a testament to her creativity and precision near the opposing team’s goal.”

Buitrago reached 100 goals in fewer than three seasons.

She has ranked among the state’s leading scorers the last two seasons. She burst onto the scene with 52 goals as a freshman, then tied former Oakdale star and All-District Player of the Year Ashley Arnett for the state lead with 42 goals as a sophomore.

Though she missed the first nine games this season because of a knee injury, Buitrago has regained her form. She has six goals in the last three games for the Knights, now 7-5 and alone atop the Southern League at 4-0.

Parade for Manteca basketball – A parade for the state champion Manteca boys basketball team will travel through the heart of downtown Manteca on Friday.

The parade will begin at noon at Library Park and travel east along Yosemite Avenue, finishing at the school. A net-cutting ceremony will take place inside Winter Gym, completing a dream season for the Buffaloes.

Despite finishing second in the Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament, Manteca blasted Bishop O’Dowd in the Northern California Regional final and then pulled away from Ayala in the state championship.

The state championship is the third in a calendar year for the Manteca Unified School District. Last spring, East Union softball won a mythical state championship. In the fall, Sierra won the inaugural CIF Division IV-A State Bowl.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Villanova basketball coach had impact on East Union’s Agostini."