Preps Plus: The weekly report

Leading off: Kale Transfer adds to already deep Rocklin hoops squad

Rocklin High School boys basketball coach Steve Taylor says his school rarely gets high-profile athletic transfers, so he was surprised when Whitney standout Cody Kale enrolled in March.

"It's caused a little bit of an uproar around Rocklin," Taylor said. "But it was a total surprise from my standpoint. I really didn't know much about him because he played in a different league."

Kale, a 6-foot-2 guard, was Whitney's team captain and an All-Pioneer Valley League selection as a sophomore. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists for a team that finished with a 16-9 record.

Taylor said transfers are rare in a community where housing is so expensive. Under California Interscholastic Federation rules, a varsity player who moves from one school to another is only eligible for the next school year if there is a bona fide residential move.

"We've never had a transfer move in and be a contributor," Taylor said. "He's a good player, an old-school gym rat."

But he said Kale will have to earn his minutes on a deep team that returns Bee All-Metro first-team selection Brendan Lane, a junior, and All-Sierra Foothill League point guard Jackson Cummings, a sophomore.

Hitting second: Area's hoop stars battle Bay Area standouts this weekend

Organizer Phil Handy hopes the attraction of seeing some of the area's top boys and girls basketball players will lure area fans to the Bay Area on Saturday and Sunday for the Sac vs. Bay Showdown at Newark Memorial High School.

The third annual event, which was held the first two years in Sacramento, will feature many of Northern California's top high school players.

"We'll see how we do in the Bay Area," Handy said. "The Sacramento events did well, but we need to be fair to both sides."

Handy has worked hard to land many of the biggest names in Northern California for the boys and girls senior and underclass games, which will be played Sunday.

Among athletes participating are The Bee's Player of the Year, Chase Tapley of Sacramento High, and UCLA recruit Reeves Nelson of Modesto Christian for the Sac underclass boys team. Brittany Woodard, The Bee Girls Player of the Year out of Christian Brothers, is on the Sac senior girls team.

Handy has coaxed former Kings coach Eric Musselman into directing the Bay senior boys stars, a team including SMU-bound Frank Otis of McClymonds and UCLA recruit Drew Gordon of Mitty. Bee All-Metro first-teamers Kyle Baxter of El Camino and Julian Welch of Franklin are among the Sac stars.

On Saturday night, there will be a boys and girls three-point shooting contest and a boys slam dunk contest with the Sac vs. Bay Area freshmen boys and girls games. Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton of Sheldon are competing for the Sac boys, Handy said.

Tickets are $5 for Saturday and $12 for Sunday at the door.

For more information, visit the event's Web site, www.sacvsbayshowdown.com.

On third: Optimist game brimming with D-I signees

A load of Division I players are expected to compete in Saturday's Optimist All-Star baseball games at American River College.

Bella Vista High School's Charlie Robertson (Fresno State), Jesuit's Justin Parker (Loyola Marymount), Rocklin's Chris Garrison (Oregon), Roseville's Derek Benny (Fresno State), Woodcreek's Ryan Rieger (Santa Clara) and Yuba City's Justin Lamb (Sacramento State) and Aaron Crouch (Sac State) will play for the North large-school team, coached by Roseville's Hank DeMello.

Ponderosa's Matt Foat (Pacific), Galt's Brent Harrison (Sacramento State), Franklin's Josh Silver (San Jose State), Oak Ridge's Ty Tostenson (Sacramento State), Folsom's Michael Quesada (Arizona) and Davis' Mike Turay (Nevada) will represent the South large-school team coached by Cordova's Guy Anderson.

The small-school game starts at 4:30 p.m., followed by the large-school contest starting 30 minutes after the first game ends.

Tickets are $8 adults, $5 for students and $3 for children younger than 12.

End game: Sheldon softball gets state honor

Sheldon High School became the second Sacramento-area girls softball team to be named Cal-Hi Sports' State Team of the Year since the popular prep publication/Web site started choosing in 1974.

The Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion Huskies finished 32-2, with the losses to Elk Grove in the third round of the double-elimination playoffs and to Pembroke Pines of Florida in the championship game of the Nike Faster to First tourney.

Coach Paul Gonzalez's 1990 Roseville team that went 37-2 was the only other area team to receive state honors.