Ismail Ali honored

To say the least, Antelope Valley College's Ismail (San Leandro High) Ali enjoyed a productive series of games at the Chabot College tournament. He began with 11 assists and seven points in a victory over Solano College. Then he garnered 10 assists and eight points versus Cosumnes River College. In the title game, it was 12 points and 10 assists for a double-double as AVC finished first. Fittingly, he was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. All this in front of numerous family, friends and fans.

More on the Max Preps Holiday Classic

Steve Hu/Nor Cal Preps is all over the final day of the Max Preps Holiday Classic with results and analysis on the northern California teams who were on the court.

Biola 71, UC Merced 50

Down south last night, Biola took it to UC Merced 71-50 with Mike (Woodcreek High) Kurtz providing 13 rebounds, nine points, four blocked shots and three assists for the victors.

JC scores from Tuesday

Below are the scores involving north California junior college based team in action yesterday:

* Cañada College 74 - Modesto Junior College 52 box

For CC, Israel (Palo Alto) Hakim led with 18 points including 8-8 from the foul line while teammate Kenny (St. Ignatius High) Hatch totaled 15.

++++++++++

* Monterey Peninsula College 78 - Las Positas College 64 box

Four Lobos finished in double figures: Isaac (Independence High) Clark with 18 points, Will (St. Francis High) Burkett and Ty Peacock at 15 apiece and Deondre (Sacred Heart Cathedral High) Otis double-doubled via 14 points plus 10 assists. It was a total of 20 assists on 29 buckets for MPC.

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* Ohlone College 81 - Gavilan College 47 box

Taylor (Willow Glen High) Meeker's 15 points led Ohlone and Kamar (Dougherty Valley High) Reese added 13. A 37-19 first half created too big a hole for MJC.

++++++++++

* Santa Rosa Junior College 78 - College of the Redwoods 51

SRJC scoring: Corey Hammell 14, Davone Oliver 10, Markel Leonard 10, Malafi Thompson 10, Jacob Wilson 8, Daniel Cresta 7, Siaan Rojas 6, Parker Farris 5, Mike Simanek 3, Jordan Hickman 3, Arnold Silva 2.

College of the Redwoods Athletics game reports.

++++++++++

*San Joaquin Delta College 67 - Columbia College 59 box

Sophomore guard Jordan (Lodi High) Belasco had a gigantic game with 23 points and seven assists, shooting 4-6 from long distance. Fellow sophomore backcourter Dwayne (Bear Creek High) Lee tallied 15 points and also seven assists. SJDC notched a remarkable 19 assists on 21 baskets.

++++++++++

@ the Hancock tourney:

* San Jose City College 70 - Cuesta College 67 box

Stevenaire (Mt. Eden High) Young and Josue (Hanford West High) Salaam each led the Jags with 14 points while teammate Maurice Joiner posted a 13 point, eight rebound double-double. For Cuesta, Tayler (Sonora High) Thompson scored 15 points and grabbed a team-leading six boards while teammate and freshman guard Daniel (Concord High) Solis contributed 13 points.

* Fresno City College 82 - Rio Hondo College 63 box

Dejon (San Leandro High) Burdeaux paced the Rams with 13 points followed by Nick (Jesuit High) Hilton's 12 (4-8 from long distance) and James (Freedom High) O'Neal with 10 points and a team best eight boards.

++++++++++

@ the Chabot tourney:

* Antelope Valley College 84 - Sierra College 73

* Cosumnes River College 67 - Chabot College 63 box

Guard Trenton Anthony was in the lead for CRC with both 20 points and five assists. In the middle, Donald (Center High) Mims enjoyed a 12 point, eight rebound, seven blocked shot line.

* Porterville College 68 - Solano College 55

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@ the Siskiyous tourney:

* Umpqua College 77 - Butte College 74

* Lane College 63 - College of the Siskiyous 44

Ford drives Folsom to victory

In an odd situation, Jordan Ford scored all of his 33 points in the second 20 minutes as Folsom High turned back Archbishop Mitty 62-59.

From the Mercury News:

"Seeking to finish the MaxPreps Holiday Classic with consecutive victories after losing its first two games, Mitty surged to a 33-12 halftime lead against an opponent that won a Northern California Division II championship last season.

But Folsom (11-2) stormed back in the third quarter, outscoring the Monarchs by 20 points to pull within one, and went on to hand Mitty (6-3) its third loss in four games at the Palm Springs event."

Folsom: Jordan Ford 33, Colin Russell 13

AM: Ben Kone 21, Sebastian Much 15

The players honored at the Modesto Christian Holiday Classic

Below are the players who received honors after participating in the Modesto Christian Holiday Classic:

Tournament MVP
* Chris Hansen - Campolindo

All Tournament Team
* Marquese Chriss - Pleasant Grove
* Colin Slater II - Immanuel
* Sayeed Pridgett - El Cerrito
* Carlos Johnson - El Cerrito
* Christian Ellis - Modesto Christian
* Anthony Townes - Modesto Christian
* Austin Clarke - Campolindo
* Sean Yamamoto - Campolindo

Tuesday's scores from the Modesto Christian Holiday Classic

Below are some of the game scores and more from northern California-involved teams in the Modesto Christian Holiday Classic tourney:

* Campolindo High 72, Modesto Christian High 63 OT (championship game)

Brian VanderBeek has the scoop and also provides writeups on each matchup. He also offers video of the Jeff Wu shot that tied the game for MCH and sent it into overtime.

* El Cerrito High 78 - Immanuel High 61

* San Leandro High 72 - Colony High 52

* Salesian High 58 - Turlock High 55

* Pleasant Grove High 65 - Freedom High 51

* Inglewood High 68 - Weston Ranch High 51

The Master's College 77, Menlo College 69

Menlo College traveled down south and played The Master's College in a close game on Tuesday before falling 77-69. For the local MC, 6-foot-5 junior Dylan (Sonoma Valley High) Severson just missed a double-double with 14 points (4-6 shooting) and nine boards while freshman teammate Daniel (Granite Bay High) Romero scored 12 points (4-5 shooting) in 10 minutes and also grabbed four rebounds.

Eastern Kentucky 66, Coppin State 63

Coppin State fell by three to visiting Eastern Kentucky last night 66-63. For CS, Sterling (Chico High) Smith completed the evening with 10 points (4-7 shooting), five rebounds and three assists.

Oregon State 76, UC Santa Barbara 64

Oregon State fell behind early before taking a one point halftime lead on its way to defeating UC Santa Barbara 76-64 on Tuesday. For the Beavers, Gary Payton II finished with 14 points nine boards, five steals and a pair of assists. Langston (Berkeley High) Morris-Walker tallied 11 points. Michael (Foothill High) Bryson completed the night tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 for the Gauchos.

Seattle 76, UC Davis 67

Up in the Northwest on Tuesday, Seattle bested UC Davis 76-67 despite Josh (Forest Lakes Christian High) Ritchart going for 21 points plus six rebounds. He shot 5-8 from beyond the arc.

UC Riverside 68, Morgan State 63

Host UC Riverside proved to be five points better than Morgan State last night, winning 68-63 behind a 31 point (12-18 shooting), 13 rebound explosion from Taylor (Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) Johns. He also contributed three assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.

Michigan 73, Illinois 65

Michigan righted its ship with a solid home win over Illinois 73-65 last night and received a major boost from a somewhat unexpected source as freshman guard Aubrey (Palo Alto High) Dawkins scored 20 points and corralled five boards in 20 minutes of play. He shot 6-7 from three-point range.

Utah 85, Carroll College 49

As expected, Utah had zero, zip, nada trouble in beating Carroll College 85-49 on Tuesday. In 23 minutes, Delon (CCSF) Wright totaled nine points, seven assists, three rebounds and a trio of steals.

Meet Rocky Brown

Danny Penza features Humboldt State forward Rocky Brown who is returning from injury.

A change to allow "I Can't Breathe" shirts

Lisa Leff reports on the change of mind that is allowing Mendocino High basketball players to wear "I Can't Breathe" shirts in warmups.

Marysville & River Valley nab victories

From the Appeal-Democrat:

"LINDHURST BLAZER HOLIDAY CLASSIC

Marysville 70, Mira Loma 62

Erik Scheive played just two scoreless minutes in the first half due to foul trouble before erupting for 23 points in the second to guide the Indians to a victory over the Matadors in the semifinals of the 11th annual Lindhurst Blazer Holiday Classic.

Scheive added 10 rebounds and three blocks, Danny Lewis netted 10 points, seven assists and four steals, and Cornell Greenwood dropped in 12 points and came away with five steals for Marysville.

The Indians are a perfect 13-0 on the year and will play Highlands for the tournament title at 5:30 p.m today."

Also:

"Parker Lowe's monstrous output led the River Valley High boys basketball team to a 81-76 victory over host Rio Linda in the Tri-County Conference opener on Tuesday night.

The Falcons' senior guard shredded the Knights to the tune of 34 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals as River Valley improved to 8-7 overall and 1-0 in TCC play..."

Arizona Christian 104, Menlo 83

Arizona Christian had no trouble downing Menlo College last night, winning 104-83. For the Oaks, sophomore guard Austen (Sacramento High) Brooks tallied 24 points on 9-16 overall shooting, 4-6 from long distance, in 25 minutes. Teammate Tyler (Bret Harte High) Evans saw 19 minutes of court time and produced 14 points. He shot 4-5 from long distance.

Simpson 81, West Coast Baptist 59

Up in Redding on Monday, Simpson University handled West Coast Baptist 81-59. The northern California names of note: Anthony (Enterprise High) Williams finished with 13 points, seven boards and four assists while Justin (Bear River High) Beskeen added 10 points plus five boards in just over 13 minutes of play.

Nor Cal teams in action Monday at the Max Preps Holiday Classic

Steve Hu/Nor Cal Preps catches readers up on the third day of action (Archbishop Mitty, Folsom, Sacramento and Moreau Catholic) at the Max Prep Holiday Classic.

Your humor for the day

Via Tony Tone Latora:

"What are you wearing, "Jim from Ann Arbor"?

Uh, khakis.

She sounds hideous.

Well she's a football coach so..."

St. Katherine 95, Fresno Pacific 88

Fresno Pacific fell to St. Katherine Monday night 95-88 in overtime despite Bobby  (Sacramento City College/Pleasant Grove High) Barnes contributing 21 points (9-12 shooting), five boards, two assists and a pair of blocked shots.

The latest from the Bambauer Memorial Holiday Classic

Tim Menicutch reports on play in the Bambauer Memorial Holiday Classic, including Drake topping Marin Academy 68-59.

Games from yesterday's Modesto Christian Holiday Classic

Below are the outcomes and high scorers from some of the Monday matchups in the Modesto Christian Holiday Classic. First off, Brian VanderBeek game reports primarily on the Modesto Christian High victory over Immanuel but also includes brief writeups on each matchup.

Then:

* Turlock High 66 - Gregori High 56

Senior guard Devan Baines scored 19 points to lead Turlock.

+++++++

* Pleasant Grove High 70 - Colony High 56

It was 31 points for Washington bound Marquese Chriss.

+++++++

* Freedom High 69 - San Leandro High 64

FH Senior backcourter Kameron Smith led all scorers with 17.

+++++++

* Weston Ranch High 80 - Caesar Chavez High 51

Jaelen Ragsdale, a 5-foot-150 pound junior, paced WRH with 31 points.

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* Modesto Christian High 56 - Immanuel High 54

For the victors, Pacific signee Anthony Townes tallied 23 points, Colin Slater, a 6-foot junior, was big with 27 points in the losing cause.

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* Campolindo High 67 - El Cerrito High 63

UC San Diego signee Chris Hansen's 20 points was in front for Campo and 6-foot-4 senior Sean Smith contributed 18. Tyrell Alcorn, a 6-foot-1 senior, was tops for ECH with 20 points.

JC Nor Cal game scores from Monday

Below are the scores for Monday games featuring northern California junior college teams:

@ the Hancock tourney:

* San Jose City College 75 - Allan Hancock College 61 box

For the Jags, Junior Anderson led with 18 points followed by Chris (Delano High) Sterling's 17

* Fresno City College 62 - Cerritos College 53 box

Dejon (San Leandro High) Burdeaux tied for the team lead in scoring with 14 and his eight boards were tops for the Rams.

++++++++++

@ the Chabot tourney:

* Sierra College 64 - Chabot College 54

It was double-double time for SC's Isaiah (Placer High) Pineiro with 21 points and 16 boards

* Antelope Valley College 75 - Cosumnes River College 68 box

For CRC, Donald (Center High) Mims played 24 minutes and stuffed the stats sheet with 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots.,

* Solano College 77 - Palomar College 70

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@ the Siskiyous tourney:

* Butte College 69 - Sacramento City College 57

From the ChicoER:

Michael Shoemaker scored 24 points, and Jud Sailsbery had 21 points and made five 3-pointers as part of the Butte College men’s basketball team’s 69-54 victory over Sacramento City on Monday in the College of the Siskiyous Exchange.

The Roadrunners bounced back from a 73-68 setback to Lane on Sunday when the Titans made 10 3-pointers.

Butte (8-6) had another challenge from the outside as Sacramento City included Derek Rhodes, who had 10 3s by himself in an 84-54 victory over host Siskiyous on Sunday in the three-day event. Rhodes’ outside proficiency set a school record for 3s in a game as he finished with 36 points. But Butte’s defense held him to five points and one 3 on Monday.

The Roadrunners were in a tight contest through the first half with several ties, but Nikolas Petruk hit a 3 shortly before halftime for a 34-31 lead.

Butte expanded the advantage to double-digits early in the second half and led by as much as 17.

* Umpqua College 67 - College of the Siskiyous 63

* Lane College 83 - Shasta College 80 OT

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* Cabrillo College 64 - Foothill College 56

From Cabrillo College Men's Basketball:

After an early season loss to Foothill in the Consolation Championship at the Shasta College Tournament, Cabrillo got a second shot at Foothill and made it count. Cabrillo Jumped out to a 15-0 lead before Foothill began to chip away at the lead. With 30 seconds left before the half a Foothill 3 from the top of the key would give the Owl's a 30-29 lead into the break.

A few quick buckets by Zavon Jackson and Allen Wilcher to start the second half gave the Seahawks a lead they would never relinquish. Foothill never went away, kept the game close and continued to answer every Cabrillo run. Back to back 3's by Latrell Wilson late in the game pushed the lead to double digits for the Seahawks who would then hold on for the 64-56 victory. Jackson led the way with 23 points, Wilcher finished with 16 and Wilson added 11 to help improve the Cabrillo record to 7-7.

This Weeks Community College Coaches Poll

In this week's Community College Coaches Poll, Fresno City College owns the third spot overall with San Jose City College fourth. Here's the link.

St. Mary's 69, USF 56

If ever there was an opportunity for USF to grab a game against fellow West Coast Conference member St. Mary's then last night was it but the Gaels prevailed in Moraga 69-56. 52% overall shooting by Randy Bennett's guys helped carry the cause which also featured 20 assists on 27 baskets. Brad (Ponderosa High) Waldow earned another double-double with an efficient 21 points (10-15 shooting) and 10 rebounds. Desmond (Washington) Simmons came close with his 13 points and nine boards. box

Pepperdine 69, LMU 56

Pepperdine traveled 20 miles across town on Monday (but it probably took three hours) to take on host and fellow West Coast Conference member Loyola Marymount and made it a successful sojourn 69-56.The key Bay Area connection was Amadi (De La Salle High) Udenyi supplying 11 points, four assists and a pair of steals for the Waves in 25 minutes. box

Northern Illinois 83, Hampton 51

Northern Illinois turned away Hampton 83-51 yesterday with Chuks (CCSF) Iroegbu contributing eight points and two rebounds in just 12 minutes.

BYU 97, Portland 88

In Provo, BYU prevailed on Monday against Portland 97-88. For the Pilots, Bryce (Jesuit High) Pressley finished with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds while Bobby (Santa Rosa Junior College) Sharp contributed nine points. box

Oregon 69, UC Irvine 67

Oregon and UC Irvine battled it out Monday night in Eugene and it took an overtime period before the Ducks grabbed a 69-67 victory over the Anteaters. For the Orange County crew, Will (Sacramento High) Davis tallied 10 points, five boards, three blocked shots and three steals while teammate Travis (Turlock High) Souza scored 11 points. box

Santa Clara 57, Pacific 40

In a strange offensive display up in Stockton, Santa Clara shut down Pactic 57-40 last night. The Broncos went to the foul line just eight times (making six) but shot 49% from the floor to 29% by the Tigers. Alec (Santa Rosa Junior College) Kobre's 11 points (3-5 from beyond the arc) paced Pacific. Teammate and leading scorer scorer for the season T.J. (Modesto Christian High) Wallace played just 19 minutes due to a toe injury and produced two points. box 

A Malik Thames update

From Brad Winton:

"Monroe and Central AZ up next for the 3rd place game followed by San Bernardino & Mesa in the championship game of the Fiesta Bowl Shootout"

and

"Final: Central Arizona 68 Monroe 64. Malik Thames led Central AZ with 27 points,  7 rebs & 5 assists..."

More on MLee

Jonathan Wasserman on Marcus Lee after the Kentucky - Louisville matchup:

"Marcus Lee only needed 10 minutes to make an impact. He blocked three shots in that span, including a big one on Montrezl Harrell. 

He also pulled in two offensive boards, including a putback slam.

Lee essentially has three jobs to focus on when entering a game, and they all fall under the same umbrella—finishing, shot blocking and crashing the offensive glass.

He offers tremendous interior activity, and given his athleticism, nose for the ball and motor, you get the feeling it could translate to the NBA level in a specialist role that allows him to stick to his strengths.

Without much of a post game or jumper, I'd imagine Lee might stay in school for his junior year, where he'll have more touches to show off his ball skills. Either way, he's established himself as a draftable prospect for any team looking to inject some above-the-rim bounce and electricity to its frontcourt..."

JC scores from Sunday

Below are the scores from Sunday games involving northern California junior colleges:

@ the Chabot tourney:

* Cosumnes River College 94 - Palomar College 55 box

Ty'Quan (Edison High) Neal led CRC with 18 points, Will (Roseville High) White scored 14, Donald (Center High) Mims produced 11 points, six boards and five blocked shots in 17 minutes and Josh (Cosumnes Oaks High) Johnson contributed 10 points and a team-leading five assists. All are freshmen.

* Chabot College 72 - Porterville College 53

Kellen Sweetwyne led Chabot with 18 points and Raymond Baldwin finished with 15.

* Sierra College 60 - Fullerton College 39 box

Isaiah (Placer High) Pineiro led the victors with 15 points.

* Antelope Valley College 94 - Solano College 61

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@ the Allan Hancock tourney:

* Fresno City College 85 - Santa Barbara City College 49

* Rio Hondo College 83 - San Jose City College 80 box

Chris (Delano High) Sterling led the Jags with 20 points, Maurice Joiner posted an 18 point, 12 rebound double-double and Josue (Hanford West High) Salaam totaled 16.

++++++++++

@ the Siskiyous tourney:

* Lane College 73 - Butte College 68

From the ChicoER:

"The Butte College men’s basketball team led 43-35 at halftime. The margin wasn’t enough.

Lane hit 10 3-pointers in the game and beat Butte 73-68 on Sunday in the first day of the College of the Siskiyous Exchange event in Weed.

Jud Sailsbery had 16 points, Arthur Caldwell had 15 and Michael Shoemaker and Nikolas Petruk both scored 10 points for the Roadrunners. Matt McGregor added eight as Butte (7-6) led by as much as 13 in the first half..."

* Sacramento City College 86 - College of the Siskiyous 54 box

* Shasta College 107 - Umpqua College 69

CSU Bakersfield 55, California 52

California was 10-2 overall and 7-1 at home prior to hosting Cal State Bakersfield Sunday night -- now make it 10-3 and 7-2 after a 55-52 loss for the Bears. It probably shouldn't be needed to beat the Roadrunners but Coach Cuonzo Martin has no bench this season and there are games where that deficit proves deadly.

Evansville 85, Coppin State 80

Visiting Coppin State fell to Evansville 85-80 yesterday despite getting a big game from Sterling Smith: a team high 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Evansville owned the first 20 minutes 45-30 but Coppin State regrouped to take the second half 50-40.

Washington State 90, UC Davis 83

Despite 10 points, on 5-5 shooting, plus five boards from Josh Fox, UC Davis fell by seven to host Washington State on Sunday. None of the three WSU players with northern California connections produced mentionable stats.

Stony Brook 62, Washington 57

Host Washington fell 62-57 to Stony Brook on Sunday (yes, you read that correctly). Sophomore guard Darin (Sheldon High) Johnson finished with nine points, shooting 2-3 from beyond the arc, alongside a couple of rebounds. Stony Brook, out of New York, received $100,000 for coming to the West Coast so call this a two-fer.

More on Malik Pope's recent game

From Mark Ziegler after San Diego State's win over San Diego Christian:

You heard about Malik Pope’s five-star recruiting status, heard about the sublime physical gifts, saw the occasional snippet in games. But Saturday was the first time the picture began to crystalize, the first time potential began to morph into performance.

Yes, it was against a 5-5 NAIA team. But here’s what the 6-foot-10 freshman did in a scintillating 2½ minutes late in the first half as the Aztecs extended a two-point lead to 20:

--Grabbed a rebound above the rim, dribbled coast-to-coast, crossed over twice, took off a good 10-12 feet from the basket, threw down a thunderous dunk, then raced to the other end and grabbed another rebound.

--Poked away a pass with his endless arms at midcourt, took a couple dribbles, then whipped a diagonal pass through traffic to Kevin Zabo for a layup.

--Moved his feet on defense and, when Christian’s Prince Arceneaux decided to launch a 3, blocked the shot of the 6-7 forward. That started a break which nearly ended in a dunk off a no-look, over-the-head lob from Zabo.

His stat line: 15 minutes, seven points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, one steal, no turnovers.

“You like to watch a guy like that do some of the things he can do with his size,” coach Steve Fisher said. “He took one defensive rebound and pushed it (up court) like a point guard who was 5-9 and gave a bullet pass for an assist. He came down later on and shot an air ball from the wing, and that’s also a little bit typical of how he’s played.

“We’re going to need Malik. We want Malik to grow and feel confidence, and we saw more of that tonight than we have. That was good to see.”

Vernon on Bird's status

A Mike Vernon tweet: "Cal has called Bird day-to-day for 28 days. He has not practiced during that time span. That's how you build trust with fans."

Pro scouts don't talk pretty

Adam Zagoria talked with a couple of NBA scouts after the Kentucky - Louisville game and, while not in depth (which shouldn't be expected), they spoke bluntly. A snippet:

"[Willie] Cauley-Stein was just OK. Scored only on offensive rebound putbacks. Was not nearly the presence he has been lately at the defensive end. [Karl-Anthony] Towns is still their most talented player. Had a decent game but nothing spectacular stood out this afternoon. [Devin] Booker made a 3-pointer late but for the most part he was neutralized. Dakari Johnson rebounded well but was mostly a non factor throughout the game..."

Anderson to check out the Titans

Via Jeff Depelteau: "Juwan Anderson '15 will visit Cal St Fullerton on Saturday!"

It's an unofficial for the former Bishop O'Dowd backcourter who made the Suffield Academy honor roll for the first semester.

2015 Team Select Youth Basketball Tryouts

2015 Team Select Youth Basketball Tryouts

All tryouts will be held @ Antioch Community Center: 4703 Lone Tree Way / Antioch, CA / 94531

$15 Registration Fee & "Parent Permission Form" CLICK HERE (covers facility rental & insurance):

* Pre-register for tryouts online @ our new website TeamSelectBasketball

* Please have "Parent Permission Form" filled out prior to arriving at tryouts.

Grade School Teams:

* BOYS: 8u~2nd grd thru 11u~5th grd | Sun Jan 4th (1030am-1230pm) | Registration 930am-1030am

* BOYS: 12u~6th grd thru 13u~7th grd | Sun Jan 4th (5pm-7pm) | Registration 4pm-5pm

* BOYS: 14u~8th grd | Sun Jan 4th (830am-1030am) | Registration 745am-830am

* SEASON TRIPS TO PORTLAND & VEGAS 

High School Teams: 

* BOYS: High School | Sunday March 8th (4pm-7pm) | Registration 3pm-4pm

* High School players cannot tryout until their high school season has officially ended *

3 NCAA LIVE EVENTS / 5 MEDIA VIEWING EVENTS

If you are selected to participate on one of our travel teams the season will run from early February to end of July (depending on age group) & consist of:

* 2 practices & training sessions per week   

* Grade School Teams: Approximately 40 games

* High School Teams: Approximately 30 games

Our members compete on the top circuit against top level competition; while receiving top level instruction & training; preparing them for high school, college & life.  Basketball simply being the vehicle we use to catapult our members in other areas of their lives.

* 11 members moved on last year to play inter-collegiate athletics

* 4 of them on full athletic scholarship

Contact:

Ruben Garcia / 925) 367-3912

info@TeamSelectBasketball.com

TeamSelectBasketball

 "Striving For Excellence; On the Court, In the Class Room & In Life"

Marysville wins Twin-Cities Shootout

Kirk Barron reports on Marysville taking the Twin-Cities Shootout with a 69-55 victory over Yuba City High. Erik Scheive went for a 23 point, 13 rebound double-double to lead the way.

Pope emerges

Matthew Bain labels it a coming out party yesterday for Malik Pope. It's Air Force on New Year's Eve as MWC plays begins so let's see if there is a carryover.

Some Saturday scores from the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic tourney

Here are some scores and more from various matchups in Saturday's Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic tourney:

* Immanuel over Weston Ranch 76-67 despite 31 points from 5-foot-10 junior Jaelen Ragsdale.

* Campolindo 73-60 versus Inglewood with senior forward Chris Hansen totaling 22 points.

* El Cerrito topped Oakland Tech 97-54 as 6-foot-4 junior Carlos Johnson scored 26 and 6-foot-4 junior Sayeed Pridgett was close behind with 25.

* Pleasant Grove was eight points better than Salesian 74-66 with both 6-foot-8 senior Marquese Chriss and 6-foot-2 senior Johann Tate concluding with 28 points.

* San Leandro doubled up on Turlock 66-33 via 6-foot-4 senior Osi Nwachukwi's 21 points.

From the Sand Dune Classic

At the Sand Dune Classic in San Francisco: St. Ignatius 45, Santa Cruz 39.

Via Andrew Matheson: "Santa Cruz boys lose to SI 45-39. Kaijae Yee-Stephens w/14 points, Kiree Hutchings w/ 12. SC plays Jesuit of Sac Monday for 3rd."

Huff at the controls

Ed Yevelev profiles Drake High point Malik Huff who is piloting the new dribble-drive offense installed by Coach Doug Donnelan.

Saturday's results from the Don Bambauer Memorial Holiday Classic

The Marin Independent Journal covers the outcomes with game reports of Saturday's play in the Don Bambauer Memorial Holiday Classic.

Scores and more from the Max Preps Holiday Classic Saturday contests

At the Max Preps Holiday Classic in Palm Springs on Saturday:

Ronnie Flores tweeted: "Mater Dei 70, Moreau Catholic 51 FINAL...."

Also, from Earl Allen: "Folsom comes up short 68-62, this tournament is ridiculous,  teams in consolation brackets with 2-3 D1 Players." 

Folsom won the second, third and fourth quarters by two points apiece but lost the initial one 19-11.

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And, via Manny Alvarez: "Final. Max Preps Open Division consolation bracket. #7 Saddleback Valley Christian 52 Sacramento 60."

A 23-16 fourth quarter put it away for Sacramento. Solomon Young led with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

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King 62 (Milwaukee), Archbishop Mitty 57

Ben Kone shined with 24 points and 10 boards.

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Mitch Stephens has Saturday's results and more.

For those who missed it, Stephens covered Friday's action.

Bouyea lead Palma

A John Devine tweet: "Jamaree Bouyea has 17 points as Palma knocks Piedmont Hills from the unbeaten ranks with a 67-61 win." He's a sophomore guard.

Jacksonville 75, Jacksonville 61

Kori Babineaux finished with 26 points (9-13 shooting) in leading Jacksonville to a victory over Jacksonville State yesterday. One item marred his big day: seven turnovers. Also, the victors reside in Florida, the vanquished in Alabama in case you face that subject on Jeopardy.

IUPUI 55, Pepperdine 53

IUPUI outscored the Waves by a single point in each 20-minute session to grab a 55-53 victory in Malibu on Saturday. In 23 minutes, Khufu Najee produced nine points, three assists and a pair of rebounds.

Western Kentucky 89, Brescia 42

In Western Kentucky's 89-42 victory over Brescia, freshman guard D.J. (Castro Valley High) Clayton scored a team best 14 points in 22 minutes. He shot 6-9 overall, 2-4 from long distance. Clayton's seven rebounds tied for tops on the team.

Sacramento 74, Utah Valley 49

Visiting Sacramento State had no trouble with Utah Valley yesterday, taking a 74-49 win as Dylan Garrity just missed a perfect night of shooting on his way to 28 points. He went 8-9 overall, 6-7 from beyond the arc and 6-6 at the foul line. Backcourt teammate Mikh McKinney provided 13 points, eight assists and four steals.

Portland 61, San Diego 58

It was Portland 61-58 over San Diego on Saturday aided by eight points from Bobby Sharp. He shot 2-3 from three-point range. How does SD expect to be victorious playing in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, a namesake famous for loss?

Utah State 75, Wayland 63

In Logan, Utah State tussled with Wayland (Madame was mysteriously absent) before emerging victorious 75-63. For the victors, JoJo McGlaston scored 12 points (6-6 at the foul line) and Sean Harris, in 18 minutes, came close to a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds plus two blocked shots. He shot 5-5 and his rebounds were evenly split on the offensive and defensive ends. Chris Smith totaled nine points alongside five assists and four boards.

St. Mary's 73, Santa Clara 60

The Gaels welcomed fellow West Coast Conference member Santa Clara to Moraga on Saturday and captured a 73-60 success. Brad Waldow's 20 points (7-10 shooting) and nine boards just missed him garnering yet another double-double.

USF 77, Pacific 71

Up in Stockton, USF handled Pacific 77-71 on Saturday as Mark Tollefsen's 24 points led the Dons. T.J. Wallace's 26 points paced the Tigers

Kentucky 58, Louisville 50

Kentucky went on the road but still in-state yesterday and downed Louisville 58-50. In 10 minutes, Marcus Lee totaled three points, three blocked shots and two points.

At the end of the season, he needs to determine who is returning to the Wildcat frontline, who is coming in and whether 30 minutes on the court for him will be a strong possibility. Practicing against other NBA-bound bigs is beneficial but it's getting to the point where he needs the opportunity to play major minutes when it's real.

Poorsina interviewed

Rob Werner has a video interview with 6-foot-9 junior Arash Poorsina of St. Ignatius.

College of the Redwoods playing fast

Dante Geoffrey looks at Coach Justin Mora's College of the Redwood's Corsairs who want to push it, thus making them a candidate for a GEICO commercial.

The Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic results

Brian VanderBeek reports on Modesto Christian High's 82-54 turning back of Paterson High as well as other matchups from yesterday.

Results from the Max Preps Holiday Classic in Palm Springs

Being outscored by seven points in the second quarter proved to be the difference as Sierra Canyon topped Sacramento yesterday 62-55

Sayvon Hines scored 14 points on 6-14 shooting for Sacto and teammates Christian Terrell shot 5-11 for 13 points plus four assists and Andrew Williams went 5-8 to finish with 11 points. Solomon Young led with 11 boards but shot 1-9.

+++++++

Also yesterday, Etiwanda handled Mitty 68-49, winning every quarter.

Plus, Moreau Catholic topped Issaquah (WA) 67-56, also winning each quarter. The scoring for Moreau: Frayer 10 2-2 22, Milstead 7 3-3 17, Lawrence 4 1-2 10, Brown 2 1-3 5, Simmons 2 1-1 5, Molden 2 1-2 5, Klingenbeck 1 0-0 3.

Prestonwood Christian out of Texas, turned back Folsom 76-51. The scoring for Folsom: Ford 17, Finch 9, Hendricks 9, Andrews 5, Boone 3, Deguara 3, Wall 2, Forbes 2, Russell 1.

Who are the Gaels in 2014-15

Steve Kroner reports on St. Mary's identity as a basketball team this season.

The Twin-Cities Shootout

Kirk Barron previews the Twin-Cities Shootout which features Marysville High, .Lindjurst High, Yuba City High and River Valley High.

In opening night play, Yuba City topped Lindhurst. Kirk Barron game reports the Marysville overtime victory over River Valley.

The Bambauer tourney

Ed Yevelev provides a preview of the Don Bambauer Classic tournament.

Yevelev also recounts the opening night games. Do note the 50 points for Kyle Roach in Marin Academy's win over Heritage.

Hutchings posts triple-double

Kiree Hutchings totaled 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists plus four steals in Santa Cruz High's 82-42 win against Skyline High in the Sand Dune Classic opener for each. Teammate Kaijae-Yee Stephens enjoyed a line of 24 points, 10 boards and five assists.

Utah State coach on Chris (Yuba College) Smith

Utah State Coach Stew Morrill quoted recently:

...That leaves junior transfer Chris Smith.

Smith’s performance has mirrored his team’s roller-coaster ride through the nonconference portion of the season.

He followed an eye-popping 25-point performance against BYU by going without a field goal at USC. He went 4 for 16 and wasn’t a factor in World Vision Classic games against Idaho State and South Dakota State after scoring 15 in the opener against Cal State Bakersfield.

"Chris is a good player," Morrill said earlier this season. "He just has to — like a lot of guys — really focus on being good every game. And I have talked to him about that. He’s just such a laid-back kid. He floats sometimes, and he just can’t float."

Wilner on the WCC

With league play approaching, Jon Wilner previews the West Coast Conference and also selects those who will be earning individual awards.

A very early NBA draft mockup

Sam Vecenie lays out his two-round NBA mock draft, an exercise which is always fun to read yet needs to be looked at in the context of how early it is in the season, it's unknown which underclassmen will actually declare and the season finishing positions for each pro team has a long way to go before being determined.

Delon Wright appears at #19, Cal's Tyrone Wallace is #31 and Brandon Ashley has the 55th spot.

They can't breathe in Fort Bragg

Up in Fort Bragg, the wearing of t-shirts bearing the words "I Can't Breathe" by basketball players in pre-game warmups has generated controversy

Shooting (in)accuracy

In Doug Potter's article "Lessons Learned" thus far this basketball season, this appears:

"Stat of the Week: 42.8% – Scoring is somewhat down this season.  Nationwide, men’s college basketball teams are shooting a collective 42.8% from the field. The lowest rate of any season in the last 20 years."

Let's not get all knee-jerk about this but some rules were recently changed favoring offensive players but what's up?

Royce White's column

Maybe this column by basketball player Royce White shouldn't be placed here but what he writes about are so many of the components that need to be part of a national discussion and then action. That is, if we desire a healthy look and bettering this country, not just greater fear-mongering.

Facial coding

The Milwaukee Bucks are employing another tool in determining who to draft and more -- here's a snippet:

"...It was not enough to increase the franchise’s sales force or beef up the team’s analytics department — the Bucks were looking for a more elusive edge. So in May, the team hired Dan Hill, a facial coding expert who reads the faces of college prospects and N.B.A. players to determine if they have the right emotional attributes to help the Bucks..."

Graham & Hilliard pointing the way

Bill Paterson takes a look at UC Davis point Darius (Sacramento High) Graham and Sacramento State point Fantasia (Sacramento High) Hilliard.

Toronto as a basketball hotbed

You think Toronto and hockey comes to mind, right? Pro basketball too and maybe even baseball. Scott Cacciola covers the booming prep hoops scene in Canada's most populated city.

Musselman quoting Kevin McHale

An Eric Musselman tweet quoting Kevin McHale

"If you're going to be a good NBA player, you improve in your first 2/3 yrs. Otherwise you are who u r."

Seems mostly that way in college too.

Curry to the Warriors wasn't a lock

In one of those intriguing behind the scenes looks, Harvey Araton writes about how Golden State almost missed the opportunity to draft Stephen Curry.

NBA Legion posted: "ESPNs' Doug Gottlieb on Steph Curry in 2009: "He doesn't have the upside of Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, Johnny Flynn & Patty Mills."

But then again, a lot of college coaches also missed on Curry when he was coming out of high school.

Checking in on Jamir Andrews and Kyi Thomas

Both Jamir (Dublin High) Andrews and Kyi (Sacramento State/Sheldon High) Thomas are sophomores at Sheridan College this season and there numbers to date are:

The 6-foot-4 Andrews who has signed with Bowling Green: 15 games, 26 minutes, 16.5 points, 3.5 boards, 2.9 assists per contest, shooting 43%, 35, 77% respectively.

The 6-foot-3 Thomas: 15 games, 21 minutes, 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists a contest, shooting 53%, 40% and 83% respectively.

Matt Donlan's season to date

Matt (South Dakota State/Capital Christian High) Donlan is at Iowa Western Community College this season and his numbers to date are: 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. He's shooting 44%, 44% and 91% respectively.

Dom Lee in his senior season

In 11 games thus far for Northern Colorado, 6-foot-4 senior Dominique (St. Mary's High) Lee is producing 10.2 points and 7.5 boards a contest, shooting 63%, 67% and 57% respectively.

Catching up with Matt Mareno

6-foot-5 freshman Matt (Assumption/Redwood High) Mareno is at Post University (Connecticut) and his numbers to date: 10 games, 32 minutes, 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, shooting 42%, 25% and 74% respectively.

Mareno was just named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Rookie of the Week, the third time this season he has earned such an honor.

Parsons leads Salt Lake

On Tuesday evening, Salt Lake Community College topped Snow College 90-83 as DeSean (Grant High) Parsons led with 22 points and his seven rebounds also tied for tops on the team. In 18 minutes, Zerrion (Modesto Christian High) Payton totaled seven boards, six points and four assists.

Walter Bateast's season to date

At the break, 6-foot-3 freshman Walter (Piedmont Hills High) Bateast is putting up these numbers for Otero Junior College in Colorado: 16 games, 16 minutes, 6.1 points, 4.8 rebounds a contest, shooting 39%, 36% and 72%.

Shastri in double figures as a sophomore

For Chaminade in his sophomore year, 6-foot-5 Kiran (Miramonte High) Shastri is averaging 28 minutes, 12.6 point and 4.6 rebounds  an outing while shooting 39%, 37% and 88% respectively.

Curry's art of the shot

All basketball fans will enjoy: Stephen Curry’s Science of Sweet Shooting -
How a Nearly Perfect Shot Changes Every Golden State Warriors Game.

An excerpt: "...The real key, Kerr believes, is neither the physics of Curry’s shot nor the practice he put into it. It is the way Curry’s brain interacts with the rest of his body—his eye-hand coordination..."

Regarding the latter, some of us are simply limited.

Someone always has it tougher

Whenever we think we have it hard or life gets difficult -- read this.

Checking out the West Coast Conference

Bob Highfill/Stockton Record looks at the West Coast Conference as league play is about to begin.

“...I like this team. We got something to us,” [Pacific Coach Ron] Verlin said. “We have to figure out how it hits on all cylinders. It seems like one night three guys play really well and then four guys play awful. So, consistency of who I can count on every night has been a struggle, so we’re working on getting consistency...”

Padecky on the Callan tourney

Bob Padecky movingly writes about the why behind the Brett Callan Memorial Tournament.

Big Marin Catholic victory

Missed this one:

...Marin Catholic notched a tremendous statement victory in Monday's semifinals of the Mission Prep Christmas Classic in San Luis Obispo, pulling off a 61-60 upset of defending Division IV state champion Bishop Montgomery of Torrance — the third-ranked team in California by MaxPreps.com, and 13th in the state.

MC (4-3) finished as runner-up after losing to JW North 57-39 in the final, without forward Frankie Calcaterra.

Calcaterra was a driving force behind the big upset win the semis, which saw the Wildcats outscore Bishop 24-16 in the final period.

Playing in his first tournament after missing a month with an ankle injury, he led the Wildcats with 20 points and seven rebounds, making a basket to put MC up four late. Joey Calcaterra had 14 points and four rebounds, and Charlie Duysen had a double-double: 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals...

Tom Witzel profiled

Danny Penza profiles Tom (Arcata High) Witzel who is back playing at Humboldt State this season.

Popovich on the return of Mills

Interesting take by Gregg Popovich on holding out Patty Mills who has been cleared to return to action.

Meet Andrew Papenfus

Steve Kroner writes about Santa Clara Bronco Andrew Papenfus who was faced with a choice of finally getting on the court or having a medical condition resolved (don't want to give anything away).

That looks like it until Friday

Be kind. Back on Friday.

Young named MVP

From West Coast Hoops: "Sacramento HS 2016 6'7 PF Solomon Young was Named the MVP of the St Hope Elite Classic." Sac High won the tourney.

The Modesto Christian Classic begins Friday

Brian VanderBeek previews the Modesto Christian High Holiday Hoop Classic.

Davidson on hoops in the Sacto area

Joe Davidson leads off his latest 'notes' column with three basketball items.

Belasco named PoW

San Joaquin Delta College guard Jordan Belasco is the Signal The Light Basketball Player of the Week. Other players who performed well are also noted.

Bird has stress fracture

Former Salesian High guard Jabari Bird, now at California, has a foot stress fracture.

Injury prevention

Chris Ballard writes about how Dr. Marcus Elliott down in Santa Barbara is studying injury prevention with dual applications: becoming better and playing longer..

Titus' Top 12

Mark Titus is out with his Top 12 Power Rankings -- the team rankings are solid but it's his writing style that all will enjoy.

Mosher honored

The Marin Independent Journal has selected San Rafael High's Garrett Mosher as its Boys Prep of the Week based on his exploits aiming and firing the three ball.

Martinez lauded

The Times Herald Athlete of the Week is Gabe Martinez of Bethel High.

Hernandez selected

Angel Hernandez of Yuba City High is the Appeal-Democrat's Athlete of the Week.

Wow, wow, wow - UNLV tops Arizona

Didn't see this coming: UNLV 71, Arizona 67.

Yes, it was played at the Thomas & Mack venue but Vegas point Cody Doolin went scoreless with five TOs.

However, an astounding 33-46 board deficit for Arizona was a key factor.

Brandon Ashley just missed a double-double with 13 points plus nine board and he added three assists.

Bruce Pascoe game reports.

Here's more.

Utah 80, South Dakota State 66

Utah has no trouble with South Dakota State on Tuesday winning 80-66. Delon (CCSF) Wright totaled 17 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals in 30 minutes. He shot 7-8 overall, missing his only three-point attempt.

Wichita St. 80, Hawaii 79

Over in the islands, Wichita State required overtime to get by Hawaii 80-79 Tuesday night. Roderick (Indian Hills College/El Cerrito High) Bobbitt dished out 10 assists, scored eight points plus grabbed five rebounds for UH. The Shocker backcourt shot 3-9, 2-9 and 5-19 respectively so Bobbitt must have had a hand in that aspect too.

Cal Poly 69, Santa Clara 58

As part of the Cable Car Tournament, Cal Poly bested host Santa Clara 69-58 on Tuesday. Kevin (Foothill College/Army/Archbishop Mitty) Toth shot 2-2 from beyond the arc for six points for the Mustangs.

Marquette 67, North Dakota State 54

Juan (Castro Valley High) Anderson provided 13 rebounds, eight points and the blocked shots in Marquette's Monday night victory over North Dakota State.,

Portland 71, L & C 49

On Monday, Portland had no trouble with Lewis & Clark 71-49 as Pilot guard Bobby (Santa Rosa JC/Cardinal Newman High) Sharp finished with 12 points on 4-7 shooting from long distance, four rebounds and three assists.

Dulani Robinson honored

WEST COAST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK - DULANI ROBINSON, JR., G - PACIFIC

Junior guard Dulani Robinson hit the game-winning shot against Fresno State on Saturday and closed out both wins for the Tigers last week. After FSU tied the game at 68-68, he dribbled up the court and a hit a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to win it for Pacific. He had 12 points, including seven of the final nine Tiger points and the last five points for Pacific.

He scored 12 points against Nevada on Thursday, including the final eight points for the Tigers in the four-point win. He hit six straight free throws in the final moments, missed his last two attempts, but grabbed the rebound and laid it in for the final four point separation.

For the week he averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 assists per game.

Hawaii 66, Nebraska 58

Hawaii downed Nebraska last night over in the islands 66-58 with Roderick (Indian Hills College/Castro Valley High) Bobbitt providing seven points (just six shot attempts), four assists, four boards and a pair of steals for the victors.

Davis 73, Northern Colorado 63

In Greeley, UC Davis topped Northern Colorado 73-63 Monday night with Josh (Forest Lakes Christian High) Ritchart producing 20 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.

Fullerton 82, Texas A&M CC 77

Cal State Fullerton hosted Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Monday and came away on top, 82-77. It was informally Alex (El Cerrito High) Harris Night as the senior guard compiled 29 points, including 9-10 at the foul line.

Oregon 82, Santa Barbara 78

UC Santa Barbara gave it a go before falling by four, 82-78, to host Oregon. The Ducks were ahead by six at halftime but the Gauchos outscored Team Nike by that same amount in the second 20 minutes, forcing an overtime. For SB, Michael  (Foothill High) Bryson totaled 21 points, including 4-6 from long distance, John (Castlemont High) Green tallied 18 and five boards with Gabe (St. Mary's High) Vincent .contributing nine on 3-5 from beyond the arc.

St. Mary's 72, Northeastern 68

St. Mary's, at home on Monday, got by Northeastern 72-68 in overtime. It was Brad (Ponderosa High) Waldow with another strong game -- 18 points, 10 boards, four assists -- with teammate Desmond (Salesian High) Simmons providing nine points, seven rebounds and a trio of steals.

SD State 61, Riverside 33

Host San Diego State nearly doubled up on UC Riverside 61-33 on Monday evening. Both Malik (Laguna Creek High) Pope and Dakarai (Sheldon High) Allen finished with five point and three rebounds with D'Erryl (Sheldon High) Williams tallying four and  two. For the Highlanders, Taylor (Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) Johns provided 11 boards, seven points and three blocked shots but also seven turnovers.

UC Irvine 72, Green Bay 70

In Sin City on Monday , UC Irvine bested Green Bay by two, 72-70. Will (Sacramento High) Davis shot 7-11 (in Vegas baby!!!) on his way to scoring 16 points and grabbing five boards. Teammates Travis (Turlock High) Souza went for seven points and three rebounds while Mike (Terra Linda High) Best totaled four points and four caroms.

UCSC 65, George Fox 62

On Sunday, UC Santa Cruz turned back George Fox out of Oregon 65-62 at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz. James (Sacramento High) Townsend led the Slugs with both 17 points and seven boards in 21 minutes of action.

Cañada numero uno

Signal The Light Basketball's northern California junior college team rankings for this week are out and it's Cañada in the lead.

Somogyi with a new team

Via David Pick: "Hearing that footer Greg Somogyi penned an offer sheet from Hungarian club Szolnoki of the Adriatic League." He prepped at Woodside Priory and then played at UC Santa Barbara.

Brad Rogers with a new coaching gig

From Jeff Bussell: Northern California native, Coach Brad Rogers, played at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills. Then, he went on to play two years at Monterey Peninsula College before transferring to San Diego Christian College.  After his playing career, he coached at Sierra College, William Jessup University and Arizona Christian University.

UAV Pioneers Name Brad Rogers As First Ever Head Men's Basketball Coach

LANCASTER, CA – DECEMBER 22, 2014 - – University of Antelope Valley Director of Athletics Jeff Bussell has announced the hiring of Brad Rogers as the first ever head men's basketball coach for UAV. Rogers comes to the Pioneers after spending the last three years working as an assistant men's basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Arizona Christian University.

"Brad's success in helping build ACU into a top NAIA program made him a fantastic fit to become the University of Antelope Valley's first ever head coach," said Jeff Bussell. "Coach Rogers has a strong record of success on the court, in the classroom and in the community. He brings great enthusiasm and commitment to developing his student-athletes into men of strong character. With three trips in the last five years to the NAIA National Tournament, Brad understands what it takes to compete on a national level and has a great vision for the UAV basketball program. We are very fortunate to have Brad and his wife Alyce join the UAV family and Antelope Valley community."

A native of Cameron Park, California, Rogers has been instrumental in helping the Firestorm build a nationally recognized program in the GSAC and the NAIA. In his first season and the programs first season in the highly competitive GSAC conference and NAIA DI, the Firestorm finished with 20 wins and reached the conference championship game, only to be outlasted by defending NAIA National Champion Concordia University 112-111 in 2OT's. ACU earned an at-large bid to the program's first ever NAIA DI National Tournament. The 2012-13 brought a number of accomplishments to the program. The Firestorm started the season with a 10-1 record. They beat defending NAIA National Champion Concordia University in their first ever GSAC conference game, and they earned their first ever NAIA DI National ranking (ranked as high as #19 in 2012-13).

The 2013-14 season would bring on more excitement, as ACU started their season with a win over NCAA DI Northern Arizona University (the program's first ever NCAA DI victory). ACU would start the season 14-1, on their way to a school record 23 wins and a back to back trip to the NAIA National Tournament. The Firestorm would knock off eight nationally ranked opponents (including at Vanguard University, who won the NAIA National Championship in 2013-14). ACU earned their highest ever ranking in NAIA DI with a #6 ranking the week of December 10th. The Firestorm have won 51 games while Coach Rogers has been an assistant. The accolades don't stop there as ACU recorded back to back 20+win seasons, defeated 13 ranked opponents in three years. Coach Rogers recruited and coached three GSAC All-Conference players and one NAIA All-American. ACU is currently ranked 19th in the country with an 8-3 record.

Prior to coaching at ACU, Rogers spent three seasons on staff at William Jessup University (CA). During his time as an assistant at William Jessup, Rogers helped guide the Warriors to their first ever California Pacific Conference Championship and a trip to the 2009-10 NAIA DII National Tournament. Coach Rogers was a part of 46 wins in his three seasons at WJU as they made at least the conference semi-finals in each of his three seasons. He was also instrumental in the development of the eight Cal-Pac All-Conference players, one Conference Newcomer of the Year, and the one Conference Defensive Player of the Year. 

Coach Rogers started his coaching career at Sierra Community College (CA) where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach. He helped guide the Wolverines to a Northern California playoff berth in 2006-07 and helped move numerous players to the D1, D2 and NAIA level. He was also responsible for recruiting the eight players who were named Big 8 All-Conference during his time there and he takes special pride in the fact that 98% of players in the program earned their AA degrees and transferred on to 4-year schools.

Coach Rogers is no stranger to the NAIA or to West Coast basketball as he played at San Diego Christian College from 2002-04 after transferring from Monterey Peninsula College. Brad was a team captain and a 2nd Team All-American for a team who won the 2003-04 NCCAA DI National Championship. Brad was the team's leading scorer (18ppg, 3rd in GSAC) and leading 3pt shooter in the GSAC Conference, making 125 3pt field goals while shooting at 44% during his senior year. Rogers made 214 3pt field goals during his 2-year GSAC career.

Coach Rogers stated: "I am thrilled and blessed to be a part of the excitement surrounding The University of Antelope Valley and to direct the men's basketball program in its inaugural season. I am thankful that Jeff Bussell and President Marco Johnson have given me a unique and challenging opportunity to build the foundation for a competitive and successful program in the Cal Pac and NAIA D2. While I leave behind a great coaching staff and team of players at Arizona Christian University, I fully embrace the opportunity to join UAV. My wife and I are excited about the move to the Lancaster area and I look forward to recruiting young men who are ready to work and earn a degree, eager to grow on and off the court, and committed to representing the university with excellence."

After completing his degree at San Diego Christian College (B.A., 2004), Rogers went on to pursue his Master's Degree in Physical Education (M.S., 2008) from Azusa Pacific University. With the inaugural season set to begin next fall, Coach Rogers will transition from Arizona to the Antelope Valley to begin his tenure at UAV in January. 

The Pioneers are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and will enter the California Pacific Conference (CALPAC) for the 2015-16 season of play.

Belasco honored

Sophomore point Jordan (Lodi High) Belasco was named the Most Valuable Player in this past weekend's tournament at San Joaquin Delta College.

The Top 25 from HS Sports Daily

Chris Jackson/HS Sports Daily offers his Top 25 prep teams in the Bay Area. It's strange not to see Newark Memorial High in there.

LPC to host future JC Basketball Final Fours

The headline says it all: "Las Positas to Host 2016/17 Basketball State Championships."

Nor Cal JC scores from Sunday

Below are scores from the northern California-connected teams in action on Sunday:

@ the SJ Delta tourney - SJDC won the championship:

* San Joaquin Delta College 69 - City College of San Francisco 65 box

6-foot-5 Troy (Armijo High) Anderson owned this game with a double-double-double of 26 points plus 20 boards. He shot 11-16 overall and grabbed nine offensive rebounds. Teammate Jordan (Lodi High) Belasco tallied 20 points plus six assists. He went 4-8 from beyond the arc.

Kevin Niendorf game reports, plus covers the two other matchups.


* Butte College 74 - Reedley College 56

From the ChicoER:

Nikolas Petruk led the Butte College men’s basketball team with 19 points in a 74-56 victory over Reedley on Sunday at the San Joaquin Delta tournament. Jud Sailsbery scored 17 points and earned all-tournament honors for the Roadrunners (7-5).

Butte led 32-27 at halftime after an 18-2 run helped the Roadrunners recover from an early deficit to take a 26-16 advantage. Then Butte broke the game open early in the second half with another run.

Arthur Caldwell added 12 points and Michael Shoemaker had 10 as the Roadrunners won for the second day in a row after a 69-52 victory against Merced on Saturday...

* Sierra College 73 - Cabrillo College 46

++++++++

* Cerritos College 67 - Contra Costa College 55

Sonoma St. 55, San Francisco State 51

Host Sonoma State fell behind 13-0 at the beginning of the matchup with San Francisco State before roaring back to make it a game and eventually winning 55-51. It was a backcourt driven effort as David (Portland/Marin Catholic High) Ahern paced the Seawolves with 18 points followed by 15 from James (Northern Colorado/Arroyo High) Davis. Udun (Fresno City College/Roosevelt High) Osakue's 17 points and seven rebounds led the Gators. He tied for tops in assists with four.

Sonoma State athletics game reports.

San Francisco State athletics game reports.

Seattle 66, Sac St. 47

Sacramento State started slow and eventually fell to host Seattle 66-47 on Sunday. Mikh (Ohlone College/Washington High) McKinney led the Hornets with 16 points on 6-12 overall shooting, 4-8 from long distance.

UC Irvine 55, Bradley 47

Sunday in Las Vegas brought Bradley and UC Irvine to the court and the Orange County crew grabbed a 55-47 victory. Travis (Turlock High) Souza shot 4-7 from beyond the arc and led the Anteaters with 12 points. Will (Sacramento High) Davis posted a six rebound, five point line.

Cleveland St. 69, USF 65

In a Sunday matchup back in Cleveland that required overtime, Cleveland State got by USF 69-65. Mark (San Ramon Valley High) Tollefson's 17 points and five assists paced the Dons.

WSU 82, SJSU 53

In Pullman tonight, Washington State downed San Jose State University 82-53. It was a very similar set of 20 minutes sessions with the Cougars winning both, 42-27 and then 40-26 although the Spartans did lead 11-6 before the onslaught. As expected, Coach Dave Wojcik has just seven players at his disposal, one a tight end from the football squad.

Ivo (Monterey Peninsula College) Basor led SJSU with nine rebounds.

For WSU, freshman Trevor (St. Ignatius High) Dunbar played 30 minutes and totaled five points, three assists, two rebounds and a pair of steals.

Rowland playing well

From John Devine:

Former Palma High and Hartnell College point (and St. Mary's) guard E.J. Rowland is tearing up the EuroCup Tournament for Banvit, averaging a team high 16.1 points and 5.3 assists a game.

Rowland’s scoring numbers in the EuroCup are nearly double his total in the regular season for Banvit in the Turkish League, as the 6-foot-2 playmaker is averaging 8.5 points a game.

The 31-year-old Rowland, who led St. Mary’s to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004, is a former Euro MVP.

This week's HS team rankings

CalHiSports has a northerner as the #1 team in the state high school ranks with a few more scattered throughout the Top 20:

#1 Bishop O'Dowd

#8 Archbishop Mitty

#11 Folsom

#14 El Cerrito

#19 Moreau Catholic

#20 Modesto Christian

Teasley's play wins MVP

Dante Geoffrey reports that Fortuna High's Daniel Teasley won Most Valuable Players Honors of the Logger Classic.

Zach Lowe on the Golden State Warriors.

As usual, Zach Lowe nails it. Every article of his results in the reader gaining knowledge and this one features the Golden State Warriors.

Dueck on scholarship

UC Davis athletics presents 75 seconds with Justin (Leland High) Dueck who earned his way into being scholarshipped this year on Coach Jim Les' team.

The three CCSF transfers at Pacific

John Crumpacker profiles the players, two bigs and a small, involved in the City College of San Francisco - Pacific so-called connection.

Meet Kameron Jackson

Chris Jackson profiles Kameron Johnson of Granada High whose off the court life received quite a jolt back in July.

CSUMB 91, CSUEB83

The Otters of Cal State Monterey Bay turned back visiting Cal State East Bay 93-81 last night despite Pioneer guard Jacari (St. Joseph Notre Dame) Whitfield leading all scorers with 23 points. He also was tops on his team with four assists. box

Nor Cal JC scores from Saturday

Below are the scores from the Nor Cal-connected JC teams in action yesterday:

@ the Modesto tourney:
* Fresno City College 86 - Cosumnes River College 73 (championship game)

FCC scoring: Ryan Swain 16, James O'Neal 14, Kyle Ingram 12,Nick Hilton 11, Dejon Burdeaux 10, Brandon Shelton 10.

CRC scoring: Trenton Anthony 24, Mitchell Love 16 (four treys), Ty'Quan Neal 10.


* Diablo Valley College 57 - Napa Valley College 50

DVC scoring: Olawajon Garner 15, Damion Banford 15

NVC scoring: Jalen Dupree 11, Ben Jazuk 10

* Ohlone College 70 - Columbia College 57

OC scoring: Guru Sanghera 16, Ryo Tawatari 12, Taylor Meckor 12 (four treys)

COL scoring: Marquell Hubbard 19, Rafe King 15


* Chabot College 65 - Foothill College 50

CHA scoring: Raymond Baldwin 10

FH scoring: Seth Turner 17, J.J. Espanola 12, Janvier Alaby 10

++++++++

@ the Santa Rosa tourney:
* College of the Canyons 69 - Santa Rosa Junior College 59 (championship game)

SRJC scoring: Parker Farris 16, Davone Oliver 14

* College of Marin 66 - Shasta College 54

From the Marin Independent Journal:

Former Drake High standout Luke Chavez scored a team-high 22 points to lead the College of Marin men's basketball team to the consolation championship at the Kris Kringle Invitational and the team's best preseason start in a number of years. The Mariners (9-2) closed the three-day tournament with a 66-54 victory over Los Medanos on Saturday.

"We were a little fatigued at the start of the tournament, the first game," COM coach Dave Granucci said. "As the tourney wore on, we fought through that fatigue and we got better.

"Our guys were resilient. To finish off the preseason at 9-2 is a great start for this team and this program."

Brandon Kenilvort, Willie Rooks and George Johnson all scored eights points for COM.


* American River College 80 - Shasta College 76

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@ the San Joaquin Delta tourney:

* San Joaquin Delta College 76 - Cabrillo College 63

* City College of San Francisco 76 - Sierra College 60

* Butte College 69 - Merced College 52

* Reedley College 88 - College of Alameda 73

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* Las Positas College 67 - West Valley College 64

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* Contra Costa College 61 - Porterville College 53

High school results from Saturday

Below are a handful of yesterday's prep scores from throughout northern California:

Lester Diaz: "PHPS stand out freshman Jordan Brown leads Woodcreek to Curry tournament and MVP honors."

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Andrew Matheson: "Kaijae Yee-Stephens drops 21 points, pulls down 11 boards to lead Santa Cruz past Palma 65-52 in Scattini final. Yee-Stephens MVP."

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Jordan Roberson continued his prolific scoring with 27 points for Cordova High but Sacramento was just too talented in a 104-72 success.

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A pair of Chip Miller tweets: 

"FINAL: Oak Hill defeats Bishop O'Dowd, 58-49, to win the 2014 Iolani Prep Classic Championship."

and

"Unofficially: Ivan Rabb (@YoungIvee) - 27 pts, 6 rebs, 5 blks."

Kalani Takase game reports.

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Ed Yevelev reports on Marin Academy's victory over Branson, and more.

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Howard Senzell reports on Cardinal Newman defeating Washington of San Francisco in overtime and winning the Brett Callan Memorial tournament.

Results from the Catholic Winter Classic

Below are the scores from yesterday's Catholic Winter Classic:

* St. Francis High (Mountain View) 59 - Clayton Valley Charter 38

* James Logan High 74 - Stellar Prep 32

* St. Patrick St. Vincent 59 - Bishop Manogue (Reno) 53

* Archbishop Mitty 70 - El Cerrito High 61 OT Darren Sabedra game reports.

* Moreau Catholic High 59 - Modesto Christian High 51

Josh Jackson's coming out party

For some time, Prolific Prep's Josh Jackson hasn't been a silent assassin by any stretch of the imagination. But the national prep basketball analysts haven't enjoyed the level of exposure to him as many in the Bay Area and North Bay have. Well, that changed this weekend.

Josh Gershon is now a believer. The tagline to his most recent article is "The play of 2016 small forward Josh Jackson was once again the biggest storyline at the Tarkanian Classic on Friday." Hit the link.

Here's Philippe Doherty talking about Prolific Prep and the players:

Manley leads Kent State

On Friday, Kent State downed North Carolina A&T 71-57 as Dev (Castlemont High) Manley led with 24 points. He shot 7-10 from long distance.

Hooper from three -- repeat, repeat, repeat...

Max (Valley Christian High) Hooper finished with 12 points plus five boards in Oakland's 81-77 loss to Pittsburg yesterday. Remarkably, 76 of Hooper's 80 shots this season have been taken from beyond the arc.

Cal Baptist 83, Notre Dame de Namur 56

Homecourt didn't help as Notre Dame de Namur faced off with Cal Baptist in Belmont on Saturday and fell 83-56. For the Southlanders, Michael (El Camino High) Smith just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. Jordan (St. Mary's/San Ramon Valley High) Giusti added nine points plus three assists with Eric (Merritt College/El Cerrito High) Nelson totaling eight points plus six boards.

AP 100, Academy of Art 75

LyDell (Mid-Peninsula High) Cardwell contributed 11 points and four boards in Azuza Pacific's 100-75 victory over Academy of Art on Saturday afternoon.

For the Urban Knights, Herman (Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) Pratt led with 20 points and added five boards in 27 minutes. He shot 8-12 overall.

Dixie State 95, Holy Names 60

It wasn't close as host Dixie State pummeled Holy Names 95-60 yesterday but HNU's Dorian (Heritage High) Hardy deserves mention for his 19 points, powered by 5-9 shooting from beyond the arc.