Five new names will be inscribed in the Sweetwater High School Basketball Hall of Fame this Saturday as part of the annual Michael LeMaster Memorial Classic at the National City school.
Current SuHi boys coach Jesse Aguirre said inductions include two former boys players (Doumas Lambert, 1980 and Raven Middleton, 2015), two former girls players (Karen Taeatafa, 1987 and Carolyn Taeatafa, 1988) and former head coach David Ybarra.
The Hall of Fame Night features a girls game at 4:30 p.m. and a boys game at 6 p.m. All ceremonies will take place at halftime of the boys game.
Sweetwater will match up against Crawford (10-12) in the girls game and High Tech High Chula Vista (15-3) in the boys game.
The Lady Red Devils are 6-10 on the season, 2-1 in league play. The SuHi boys are 7-10 overall, 2-1 in league play.
HTC Chula Vista is 3-0 in Summit League play while Crawford is 1-3 in City League play.
Aguirre, a Sweetwater alumnus, is excited about Saturday’s upcoming event.
“This is our 13th year having the Michael LeMaster Memorial Classic,” he said. “We have now added the girls program to our event. This is the first year we have the girls teams playing before the boys. The two former girls players (Taeatafa sisters) were trailblazers for the sport at SuHi as they were all-league in three sports their junior and senior years.
“David Ybarra won the school’s second CIF championship in boys basketball and actually opted to move up to Division I for the playoffs as well. I learned most of my coaching from David, as he was the one to hire me as an assistant coach in 1987. He was named Coach of the Year 4 times. That is impressive in itself.
“This year’s inductees are all deserving of this honor. Sweetwater is still a community school and everyone comes back on this night to honor the past. Sweetwater is a special place and these are special people. I am blessed to be the head coach here.”
History remains on the walls of Sweetwater High School’s old gym. Photos by Phillip Brents
Hall of Fame
Ybarra coached from 1985 to 2003. He coached the 1990 team to a San Diego Section championship, winning four league titles during his tenure. He was the 1990 CIF Coach of the Year and Metro League Coach of the Year four times.
Ybarra’s 1990 team did not lose a game to any team in San Diego County, finishing the season 28-2. The team’s only losses were to Garfield High in Seattle Wash., and Lynnwood High School in Los Angeles in the state playoffs.
Middleton graduated in 2016. He helped lead the Devils to a perfect 28-0 regular season finish in 2013-14 and a berth in the 2014 Division III section championship game, a 73-58 loss to the Kearny Komets.
Middleton earned first team all-league honors his senior year. He was a four-year starter in football and basketball. He threw the winning touchdown in a 7-0 victory over Monte Vista in the 2013 San Diego Section Division IV football championship game.
Middleton later went on to play football at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on a full scholarship.
Lambert graduated in 1980 and was a member of the 1980 CIF championship team. He played varsity basketball his junior and senior years at Sweetwater. He was a defensive stopper and always took the best players on the other teams. He averaged 11.6 points per game six rebounds per game his senior year.
Karen Taeatafa De La Rosa graduated in 1987. A three-sport athlete (volleyball, basketball, soccer), she was named First team All-League in all three sports. She averaged 13 points per game and was on varsity basketball all three years at Sweetwater. She went on to play volleyball at Southwestern College.
Carolyn Taeatafa Hudson graduated in 1988. Like her sister Karen, Carolyn was a three-sport athlete, earning first team all-league honors in volleyball, basketball and softball. She was named Metro League Player of the Year her junior and senior season sin basketball and volleyball. She accepted a full volleyball scholarship to the University of Hawaii.
David Ybarra left a lasting impression on the Sweetwater High School boys basketball program. Courtesy photos
San Diego Section Basketball Rankings
MaxPreps through Jan. 20
Top 25 Boys Teams
1. Carlsbad (19-2)
2. St. Augustine (19-3)
3. Montgomery (19-2)
4. Torrey Pines (16-5)
5. La Jolla Country Day (16-5)
6. La Costa Canyon (13-5)
7. Santa Fe Christian (15-6)
8. Mission Hills (16-6)
9. Cathedral Catholic (15-6)
10. Olympian (20-0)
11. Mission Bay (14-8)
12. Rancho Buena Vista (16-6)
13. Hoover (15-8)
14. El Camino (12-10)
15. University City (15-7)
16. Mater Dei Catholic (12-10)
17. San Marcos (16-5)
18. Vista (13-9)
19. Victory Christian Academy (10-8)
20. Sage Creek (13-8)
21. Del Norte (12-10)
22. Francis Parker (10-10)
23. Southwest (20-2)
24. Christian (14-5)
25. Bonita Vista (12-11)
Division I: 2. Montgomery (19-2), 13. Mater Dei Catholic (12-10), 17. Bonita Vista (12-11), 21. Otay Ranch (7-16), 24. San Ysidro (4-17)
Division II: 4. Victory Christian Academy (10-8), 7. Eastlake (13-9)
Division III: 1. Olympian (20-0)
Division IV: 1. Southwest (20-2), 4. High Tech High Chula Vista (15-3), 9. Mar Vista (10-7), 15. Sweetwater (7-10), 20. Hilltop (1-18)
Division V: 6. Bayfront Charter (11-4), 8. Castle Park (7-11), 10. Chula Vista (6-14), 11. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter (6-7)
Division V-AA: 7. Ocean View Christian Academy (6-6), 12. San Diego Academy (5-6)
Top 25 GIRLS TEAMS
1. Mission Hills (14-8)
2. La Jolla Country Day (17-6)
3. Del Norte (17-4)
4. Francis Parker (12-7)
5. Poway (14-6)
6. Westview (12-9)
7. Rancho Bernardo (17-5)
8. Bishop’s (18-4)
9. Bonita Vista (8-11)
10. Victory Christian Academy (13-5)
11. Grossmont (15-5)
12. Morse (16-5)
13. Cathedral Catholic (11-8)
14. Scripps Ranch (12-8)
15. Torrey Pines (11-11)
16. Helix (14-4)
17. Oceanside (14-5)
18. Steele Canyon (14-7)
19. Fallbrook (15-7)
20. La Costa Canyon (10-12)
21. Rancho Buena Vista (13-11)
22. El Capitan (13-9)
23. San Marcos (11-11)
24. Olympian (10-8)
25. Carlsbad (12-9)
Division I: 7. Bonita Vista (8-11), 16. Olympian (10-8), 18. Mater Dei Catholic (7-10), 19. Eastlake (12-10)
Division II: 3. Victory Christian Academy (13-5), 9. Otay Ranch (12-7)
Division III: 2. Montgomery (12-11), 16. Chula Vista (10-12), 21. San Ysidro (0-15)
Division IV: 6. Hilltop (12-8), 7. Bayfront Charter (10-10), 14. Southwest (6-8), 17. Mar Vista (4-9)
Division V: 4. Sweetwater (5-9), 7. Castle Park (5-13), 14. High Tech High Chula Vista (3-9)
Division V-AA: 5. Ocean View Christian Academy (7-4), 10. San Diego Academy (2-10), 12. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter (0-11)
