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I distinctly recall when Scott McMillin called me seven years ago and asked if we could meet for lunch to talk about something he was thinking about taking on.
He explained that he was considering becoming the president of the Ballistic United Soccer Club. On the surface it may seem like a fairly benign question, but the reality is, to those of use that have worn the black and gold of BUSC, taking on that responsibility is serious – very serious.
If you never played for Ballistic or represented the club internationally and seen the level of respect the club has earned, it’s hard to understand.
After spending three years on the Ballistic board, McMillin assumed the job of board president and for the last six years he oversaw the already highly thought of club and took it to the next level.
Now, McMillin, who retired from his high-tech job in 2020, had decided to take on the next step of his life, stepping down as president and living the life of a retired person.
Daniel Montes is the next president for Ballistic.
“It was always my plan to step down from the board when my youngest son Brady graduated from high school,” McMillin explained. “Brady is off to SDSU in the fall and my oldest Casey is at CSU Monterey Bay, so now it’s my time to really enjoy the freedom that comes with retirement.”
It’s a huge loss for Ballistic.
“Like me, Scott was fortunate to grow up in town and play in Ballistic United,” said Ballistic Executive Director Kevin Crow. “For the past six years the club has been blessed by having Scott McMillin dedicate his time to help Ballistic continue to develop and progress our club while building culture and teaching life lessons.”
One thing I admired about what he wanted to do was make sure the BUSC recreation program continued going strong. McMillin helped the club get even stronger at the high comp levels but without compromising the rec program.
“We adopted MLS Next (formerly U.S. Soccer Development Academy) to give the outstanding players the opportunity to stay at BUSC and still play at the highest levels while never taking our eye off the ball with recreational soccer, which I believe is the foundation of the club,” McMillin said.
One unsung accomplishment is McMillin, along with former BUSC general manager Tim Ryerson, put in the time to make the club and the sport more accessible to all that wanted to play the game whether it was financially feasible.
Ryerson’s Get on the Bus program (www.gotbsoccer.org) that takes place across the nation, started up in 2021 at Valley View Elementary School in Pleasanton and will be entering year four this fall.
Another program BUSC is building in conjunction with the Pleasanton RAGE is the TOPSoccer program, which provides access to soccer for kids with special needs. Under guidance from Dane Shaffer and Lauren Candia, the program runs on Friday afternoons.
Finally, the newest project and a landmark one as well, the Tri-Valley Futsal Center, is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“We are targeting Sept. 1 to complete (the center),” McMillin said of the project that will be built on Lot L at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. “This is going to be a game-changer and provide us with a facility that we can control.”
Leprechauns picked for All-Star Game
The Dublin Leprechauns had eight players selected to the All-Star Game, which will be next Wednesday (July 16) at 6 p.m. at Albert Park in San Rafael.
Leading the pack is outfielder Damone Hale, who leads the Pacific Division in hitting with a .418 batting average, which includes six home runs and 43 RBI.
Sam Ott plays infield and pitcher and Carson Richter, who has started most of the Leprechauns’ games behind the plate at catcher, also were named.
Victor Ceniceros has started every game this season at shortstop. Ceniceros has delivered game-winning hits, rarely strikes out and has the dubious distinction of leading the Pecos League by being hit by a pitch nine times.
Four Dublin pitchers round out the All-Star list, with Gordon Wend sporting a perfect 3-0 record and a team-leading 44 strikeouts. Dante Hatchett, Brad Moreno and Makano Fo also made the team.
Hatchett has been solid in the middle relief role all season, appearing in 11 games, leading the league in wins with a 5-1 record. Moreno and Fo have been the team’s closers, each recording three saves.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
