Frosh Steps Into the Fire for Tam Hoops

Losing your co-captain and best rebounder in the middle of a grueling stretch of league play is never a good thing.

To  boys hoops coach Michael Coffino, the broken left wrist and right elbow junior forward Jackson Floum sustained in a terrible fall in the squad’s 54-48 loss to Branson Tuesday night is a major blow.

“His absence has affected us, no doubt about it,” Coffino said.

But as the Red-tailed Hawks (6-10 overall, 1-3 MCAL) head into tonight’s MCAL battle with first place Drake High (9-6, 4-0), Coffino said the void created by Floum’s injury will test two of the team’s key strengths this season: youth and depth.

Coffino said the latter is a fact, with a roster full of interchangeable players capable of playing multiple positions.

“I can look down the bench at any point of the game and put anyone in,” he said.

As for the former, Tam’s lineup has just three seniors, including leading scorer Clay Thorpe, and is loaded with juniors. But two sophomores and one freshman have made major contributions in a season that is laying the foundation for a bright future, Coffino said.

That freshman might be ready for his coming out party.

Malik Huff, a standout multi-sport star in Mill Valley as a youngster, has emerged as a major force for Tam despite his youth.

“He has been an absolute force for us,” Coffino said of the 6-foot guard who, despite his lack of major size and spending most of his time on the wing still trails only Floum on the team in rebounding and blocked shots. “He’s going to be a very special player.”

Coffino has brought Huff along relatively slowly, but as the season has worn on, Huff has been finishing games even though he hasn’t been starting them.

“He’s getting significant minutes,” Coffino said. “We just didn’t know if he could handle a major contribution and responsibility at his age. But now we know he can.”

In a season in which the Hawks have already surpassed their win total from a year ago, Huff has been at the center of some of the biggest victories.

In a 44-42 win over South San Francisco on Dec. 28 in the South City Classic, Thorpe paced the Hawks with 20 points and seven rebounds. But Huff proved his mettle down the stretch, nailing a three pointer and hitting all four of his free throws.

In Tam’s 58-46 win over Terra Linda last week – perhaps the team’s best win of the season – Huff had 11 points and six rebounds and was a key in what Coffino said was the Hawks’ best 32 minutes of basketball of the season.

“It was our high point,” Coffino said. “Not just because of the win but the kids played absolutely inspired basketball. They implemented and executed our game plan to near precision.”

Though the wins haven’t come as much as he would like, Coffino said his team is definitely heading in the right direction.

“I told the team at the beginning of the year that teams either get better or worse through the course of the season – they don’t stay the same,” he said. “This team is definitely improving. This is a journey, and we feel very strongly that we can compete with every team in MCAL. But we haven’t yet fulfilled our full potential.”

The 411: Tam High plays tonight at Drake High, 1327 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in San Anselmo, at 7:30 p.m.