Make no mistake, Placer High basketball coach Mark Lee and his counterpart at Del Oro Geoff Broyles are rooting for their respective football teams.

They can wait their turn to get some of their top athletes on the hardwood. And it could be weeks before guys like Josh Klem and Spencer Butterfield are putting on their shorts.

Lee and the Hillmen will miss Klem for at least five more days. As a junior, the 6-4 forward averaged a double-double and he is likely to put up even bigger numbers this year, after he gets his basketball legs under him.

Del Oro could be one of the top teams in the section, at least once the football season is over. Broyles will wait for three starters from last year’s section runner-up squad to finish up their outstanding football campaigns before hitting the floor. Forwards Jon Root and Nico Ruiz are still in pads and helmets along with Butterfield.

Expect many new faces on the floor for Del Oro on Monday in a Foundation Game at Colfax, which is loaded with experience.

Placer will travel to Roseville for its Foundation Game. All proceeds from the games – which do not count in official standings – go toward the Sac-Joaquin Section’s scholarship fund.

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Paul Robles found a couple of diamonds in the rough, polished them up and shipped them off to the big time just last week.

The owner of Robles Baseball Instruction in Loomis was proud to report that two of his pitchers signed with Division I schools during the early signing period.

Robles’ team, made up of players from all over the region, plays about 60 games over the summer, a schedule that he said helps weed out the players who may not be ready for the college ranks. The RBI squad competes in a highly competitive Connie Mack League with wooden bats and pitchers regularly throwing in the 90s.

“The schedule is basically like a college season and it really gives me an idea of what they can handle,” Robles said.

Tyler Linehan, Powell Fansler and Brian Porter all measured up last summer, helping them earn Division I rides. Linehan, a Sheldon High senior, is headed to Fresno State. Fansler, from Bella Vista, will play for Santa Clara and Porter, a standout from Galena, Nev., will play at Oregon State.