Jan 17, 2019 3 min read

Aaron Balla admitted even he is a little surprised.

Not that he was hired at the young age of 28 to coach high school boys basketball at his alma mater, California High School, this season.

He wasn’t shocked that his old-school approach, defined by accountability, would be a change for the Trojans.

Balla just can’t quite believe how quickly, and successfully, it has all come together.

California has won four consecutive games to improve its record to 9-3, including a 4-2 record in Class 2A Section 2, and is chasing Serra Catholic for first place.

“It may sound bad but I’m saying it with the utmost respect. I learned so much about what not to do from my past, whether I was personally involved or something I’ve witnessed,” Balla said about coaching.

“It’s about learning the players. You can teach all the Xs and Os but if you can’t understand your players, you aren’t getting anywhere with them.”

What Balla also understands is that he has a special talent in Malik Ramsey, who transferred into the district from Laurel Highlands before the school year. Ramsey played football for the Trojans in the fall and has shined on the court, averaging 26 points and 14 rebounds per game.

Behind Ramsey and other offensive threats in Austin Grillo and Cochise Ryan, the Trojans are scoring at a much better rate than last year. Their average points per game are more than nine points better than in 2017-18.

“He is just a natural leader on the court,” Balla said of Ramsey. “He can drive to the basket. He isn’t picky on how he scores. It’s about simplifying the offensive approach, not getting too detailed and letting athleticism take over. Having a kid who can do what he can is fantastic. The other kids naturally look up to him, and he also holds them to a higher standard.”

Balla is hopeful that evolving and adapting – six of California’s final eight games are rematches against section teams – will make for a better ending than his senior season in 2008-09 for the Trojans. They started that year 6-5 before losing nine of their last 12 to miss the playoffs.

“One thing I’ve learned, especially watching at this level, making a simple, quick change in the second half of the season is big,” Balla said. “Going forward, we have to make fine-tune adjustments. When we play these teams, we want to make them say, ‘Oh crap, what offense is this.’

“Our players believe in what we are doing. I trust them. I believe in them. I can’t let them down.”