AAU Mean Green preparing for upcoming MCHS season

It may be summertime but many local youth athletes are continuing to put in the work to up their game for the upcoming season.

The Mean Green is newly formed AAU travel basketball program organized by Bill Flarida, who has recently been hired to be the Mariposa County High School boys varsity basketball head coach this year, with Shane Marlin assisting.

“We have a varsity team and a JV team,” Flarida explained.

“Some players cross over and play both at times.”

Playing for the JV team this summer are Brenton Chase, Eli Martin, Keenen Johnson, Nathanuel Godinez, Cayden Jacobs, Weston Beery, Milo Harrison, Woods Ketron and Echo Solis White.

On the varsity team are Hunter Marlin, James Marlin, Brady Martin, Cooper Deglomine, CJ Jacobs, Fabian Soto, Peyton Getty, Ronan Davenport and Da’Markus Johnson.

Flarida has organized this AAU program for the boys basketball players at Mariposa County High School to continue working on their skills through the summer.

“This was put together pretty quickly because I wasn’t already here to establish the summer routine,” Flarida said.

“Numbers were a little low because families make plans, kids work and there’s just a lot going on.”

With rosters a little smaller than other teams, the Mean Green players were able to record a lot of playing time.

“The kids would play back-to-back games,” Flarida explained.

“Most other teams have about 15 kids so it was a good challenge. These other teams are very aggressive and they’re good athletes.”

In the beginning the Mean Green would win one and lose one, usually the second game.

“They’d be tired and a little beat up,” said Flarida.

“Something clicked in the middle of it and they decided they weren’t going to lose anymore.”

The varsity went on an eight game winning streak while the JV group had a seven game winning streak.

With about 16 games under their belts, the varsity team finished 12-4.

“We beat teams including Firebaugh, Dos Palos, Minarets, Mendota, Madera, Garza, Livingston and Hilmar.

During their final tournament, both the varsity and JV team advanced to the championship but lost.

“It was a great experience and the improvement from the first game to the last game was phenomenal,” said Flarida.

“They’ve really been working the man to man and we’ll implement more as we go. They’re buying into it and I’m really happy with it.”

Flarida expressed thanks to the parents and families as he has knows AAU basketball is a huge time commitment with travel involved.

“When we first started we had maybe two parents in the stands. Each parent helped by driving the kids. By the end I had maybe 15 parents in the stands. It was really fun to see their enthusiasm,” the coach said.

“Groups of people were coming to watch, they all wanted to see what was going on.”

With a special class of freshmen coming in at MCHS, Flarida gave a shout out to middle school and youth basketball coach Bob Jaekle.

“I have to give thanks to Bob for his program at the middle school,” Flarida said.

“Thanks to their foundation because of the great job that Bob is doing at the junior high, this is a really special class moving up. He’s given them a foundation that is a recipe for success.”

As the program takes a break through July, the group is currently planning for their upcoming fundraiser.

The Mean Green will host a fundraising dinner on Saturday, Aug.1, at 6 p.m. at Van Ness Ranch (5260 Carleton Road, Mariposa).

The event features a ribeye steak and shrimp dinner, with soda and water included (BYOB).

Tickets are $60 each, $600 for a table of 10 and $350 for a half table of five. Proceeds will fund three years of summer AAU basketball for local players. Payment can be made by cash or check to Mean Green Basketball.

Players in the Mean Green program only pay the $22 AAU membership fee, making participation accessible for all.

For more information about the team, fundraiser tickets or sponsorships, contact Flarida at (209) 347-5523.