Coming to center court at Arco Arena to accept its section championship banner was a monumental moment for the Woodcreek High boys.

Two years ago, the Timberwolves were at the bottom of the Sierra Foothill League, and two of this year’s stars were there to experience both this high and that low. As they prepare for the Northern California tournament, Nik Milani and Ryan Milat know what it feels like at both ends of the spectrum of basketball success.

That 2007-08 team was 0-12 in the Sierra Foothill League and 7-20 overall, but it was clearly a team on the rise. Milani and Milat were part of the young foundation that was being laid for this season’s successes. 

Last season the team improved to 7-5 in the league and 21-8 overall.  Coach Pinkerton said the young team was one of the toughest coaching years of his life.

“The seniors were great great kids but none had any playing experience from the previous year because the year before we had played mostly seniors,” Pinkerton said. “The senior class of the winless SFL group had not had much success at the lower levels. We had a core group of talented juniors and the two talented sophomores. We didn’t get any breaks and lost two close games.”

That team two years ago consisted of four seniors, nine juniors and the two critical sophomores.  Milat and Milani were starters on the squad.

“It was really tough,” Milani said. “There were a lot of rough times during that season when I was kind of down, but coach kept telling me ‘You’re going to have bad games and you have to keep your head up at this level’ and that really helped me individually. I knew we had great talent coming up and we would be all right. It also gave Ryan Milat and myself great experience that has really helped both of us over the last two years.”

Now seniors on the best team in Division II of the Sac-Joaquin Section and one of the tops units in the state, the duo has the benefit of being joined by a familiar group of teammates. The spent that one season as the youngsters on an older team, but this is a more comfortable union.

“Our team has basically played together for years now,” Milat said.  “Not much has changed other than how we play as a team. We have an experienced team with five senior starters and we really are a family. Everybody likes each other and we have a great time with each other on and off the court.”

The signs of this level of play were there early last season, just one year removed from the winless campaign. Pinkerton’s team flew under the radar to a 12-0 start, but then forward Jordan Franks injured his knee at a tournament in San Diego. 

“He was having an awesome year.  With him out, our team totally changed,” said Pinkerton. 

“We had to adjust everything. We had other starters and players who missed league games because they were either sick or injured. There were many disappointed people.”

The Timberwolves received an 11^th seed in the playoffs and knocked off No. 6 Yuba City before dropping a close one on the road at No. 3 Bella Vista.  In one season, the program transformed from a 7-21 team to 21-7. 

Pinkerton considers the single-season improvement nothing less than fantastic considering all the time missed due to injury, illness, but most importantly how tough the SFL is.

“One of the best things to come out of that year was that this year’s players made a commitment to stay a team and not let the mistakes of years past affect this team,” Pinkerton said.  “The other development was the Black Mob student cheering section.”

Milani said with the group of senior starters and a strong core of juniors, the chemistry among the current team is ideal for success. He said this result has been the goal for most of the players starting as early as the fifth grade, through AAU play and facilitated by hard work. 

“We've felt all season long that we don't really get the respect we deserve but we use that as motivation for every single game,” Milani said.  “I think we didn't do as well as we could have (that first year) because we didn't really play as a team very well, a lack of experience and every team in the league was pretty good that year.”

The two Woodcreek stars agree that the main difference in recent years is how well players fill their roles as a team now. 

Different players step into a scoring role on any given night on a team that could go as deep as 14 players if it needed to.

Not that Milat or Milani need to prove anything at this point, but having past the test of the section tournament, they now turn their attention to the top teams throughout the state. One advantage they definitely have is the experience of having experienced the road from the bottom on the way up.

FYI:

Nikolas Phillip Milani
Age 18; 6-foot-3, 190 pounds   

Family: Father Robert, mother Keri, brother Tyler (14, freshman on the Woodcreek junior varsity), sister Kourtney (10) and two dogs
Favorite NBA player: Chris Webber
Favorite quote: " My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.”   Michael Jordan

Ryan Vincent Milat
Age 17; 6-foot, 180 pounds
Family: Father Vincent, mother Elaine, sister Kaley and a dog named Abbie.

Favorite NBA player: Kobe bryant
Favorite quite: "Live life to the fullest"

Info box two:

Last three years at Woodcreek High:

2007-08          7-20 overall, 0-12 in the SFL

2008-09   21-8, 7-5, reached second round of playoffs

2009-10    26-5, 10-2, section champion