SAMOHI — The Vikings’ dream season really has legs.
Santa Monica’s boys basketball team has capped a wildly successful playoff run with an armload of honors from both the Ocean League and California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section.
All five senior starters were given league honors this week with Soloman Singer taking home the 2010 Ocean League MVP. Corey Walker was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player. Fellow starters James Montgomery, Danilo Toskovic and Harry Horn were named to the league’s first team.
Samohi Head Coach James Hecht said that it was the first time in his 16 years as coach that all five starters from a given team were named to the league’s first team.
“I couldn’t be more proud of a group of individuals who came to work every day,” Hecht said.
In leading his team to a perfect 10-0 record in league play, Hecht was named the coach of the year.
Aside from the league selections, the All-CIF-SS Division 1A Team is studded with Vikings. The official announcement will be released Monday, but Hecht has already been given word that Singer, Walker and Montgomery have been named to the squad.
The awards come on the heels of a season that saw the Vikings make it to the final of the CIF-SS Division 1A Championships against Leuzinger. The team lost, but was invited to the CIF State Championships. The team progressed to the second round before falling to powerhouse Westchester.
“These guys were very proud to put on that uniform every day,” Hecht said. “Not only in games, but in practice, too.”
The team’s most successful run under the guidance of Hecht was made all the more sweeter by the level of community support the team received. As the season progressed and it appeared that the Vikings were in the midst of something special, crowds of students, faculty and area residents packed the school’s gym.
Hecht said that the family atmosphere that surrounded the team helped energize his players, giving them a true home court advantage. The high point came during the CIF-SS semi-finals against Colony at Santa Monica College. The gym was filled to capacity with a number of fans forced to stand.
“When you talk about representing your school and your community, they did an outstanding job,” Hecht said of a squad that was anchored by 10 graduating seniors. “They really took pride in representing our school.”
daniela@www.smdp.com
