By Brandon HENSLEY

While the dog days of August may conjure images of baseball under a blazing sun, at Rosemont Middle School it means gearing up for basketball season.

This week, both the boys and girls of Rosemont participated in tryouts in the gym. On Tuesday, eager parents watched from the sidelines as players wore different colored mesh shirts and scrimmaged against one another. During the scrimmage, Head Coach Brent Ballard and assistant John Peterson observed the action and substituted players in and out.

Ballard said there are around 70 kids trying out, and he will try to cut the roster to about 20. That number is still large for the average basketball team, but the school routinely sees high interest for this sport. Rosemont sports coordinator Mark Gang told several parents after the tryout just how competitive the team is this year and, if the roster goes to 20, some of the players may not be able to play many minutes in the games.

The girls’ roster, put together by Head Coach Bon Sam, has been finalized, and the first practice will be held today after school. The boys have another tryout today, and Ballard will make the final roster afterward and will hold the first practice on Tuesday. Games for both teams begin in mid-September.

The Spartan boys won the Glendale district league last season with a 6-0 record, and Coach Ballard said this year’s team is looking solid thanks to seven returners.

This will be the first year Ballard is without assistant Scott Alvarez, who left due to work constraints. Filling in is Peterson, who played for Crescenta Valley High School in the 1990s. Peterson competed against Ballard when Ballard was the point guard for La Cañada High.

In addition to basketball, Rosemont will also see action in lacrosse this fall. In the winter, it will be volleyball, as well cross-country, where the team competes the LA84 annual Run4Fun in downtown LA.

Other middle schools that compete in the Glendale district are Wilson, Toll and Roosevelt.

  Brandon Hensley