Potpourri, Oct 6

News Bits

Maximus VanLaningham: "Excited to announce my commitment to LBSUMBB. Thank you to Coach Chris Aker and Coach Anthony Santos and the entire coaching staff for this opportunity. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. Every coach, scout, media outlet. The journey is just beginning. I’m headed to the beach. #GoBeach."

Thought the Woodcreek High big he would go with UC Santa Barbara but who knows what NIL amounts came into play.

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"Ranking NorCal Prospects from the All West Pangos Frosh/Soph Camp"

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Shams Charania: "Free agents Gary Payton II and De'Anthony Melton have committed to signing deals to return to the Golden State Warriors, sources tell ESPN. Payton, Melton and Al Horford are now locked in for the Warriors' 2025-26 roster."

AND

"Warriors-Jonathan Kuminga saga comes to an anticlimactic end"

AND

"Golden State Warriors sign Seth Curry to play alongside brother Stephen"

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CaliHoop: "6’10 Kenyon DeMuynck (CCSF) from Nor Cal Juco Jamboree at City College of San Francisco (9/27-9/28)."

So this is where he ended up. Host CCSF finished 4-0 at the Nor Cal Juco Jamboree.

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CaliHoop: "6'9 (7'2 Wingspan) 2026 Nico Wright (Bishop O'Dowd) has recently picked up two offers from San Jose State and Cal State Fullerton. Highlights from the CaliHoop Elite 80 Combine Aug 23rd in SF."

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Boss Mhoon: "Extremely honored to say that I have received an offer to Santa Clara University!!"

The 6-foot-5 2028 prospect receives his first offer.

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Caleb Asante: "Blessed to receive an offer from Cal State Dominguez Hills. Thank you to Coach Becker and the rest of the coaching staff for believing in me."

AND

Caleb Asante: "Blessed to receive an offer from Southern Nazarene University. Thank you to Coach Coleman and the rest of the coaching staff for believing in me."

He's a 6-foot-5 2024 wing out of Leigh High attending West Valley College. Last season as a freshman, he averaged 11.1 points on 64%, 39% and 78% shooting respectively, alongside 5.0 rebounds nightly.

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Verbal Commits: "2028 Melissa (TX) G Trey Edwards has received an offer from California".

Bear Coach Mark Madsen is compiling the 2028 offers, this one for a 6-foot-5 backcourter.

AND

Verbal Commits: "2027 Myers Park (NC) G Thomas Vickery has received an offer from California."

Vickery is a 6-foot-5 combo guard out of North Carolina.

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Verbal Commits: "2028 Folsom High (CA) G Parks Weaver has received an offer from TCU."

The 6-foot-3, 160 pound Weaver also holds offer from Green Bay, Northern Illinois, Northern Arizona, Pepperdine and Bakersfield.

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"Duke Men’s Basketball Adds Jayce McCain as Player Development Specialist"

McCain is out of Folsom High. Has has been taking graduate classes at Duke.

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Verbal Commits: "2026 Howard College (TX) G/F Oskar Wickström Stümer has received an offer from Pacific. Qualifier w/three years to play."

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Jack Shull: "Beyond blessed to announce my commitment to Southern Oregon University."

Shull is a 6-foot-4 guard attending Folsom High.

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"Former Denver Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun takes over at Sacred Heart Prep (CA)"

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Nathalio Gray Jr. (NJ): "After a great talk with coach Marc, I’m blessed to receive a Division 1 offer from Grand Canyon University! Huge thanks to the coaching staff for believing in me."

The 5-foot-10 Gray is a 2027 prospect attend The Branson School. He's likely a point in college. USF and Pacific plus others have already offered.

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Potpourri, Sep 29

News Bits

Simply Basketball: "Congratulations Elias Obenyah on his commitment to StanfordMB!!"

An Obenyah signing feature.

Wow! Deep down, I knew this was coming. Or maybe I just wanted it to happen. Coach Kyle Smith and Company are lining up a monster class, possibly Stanford's best ever, so it will be great hoops, great education and a great setting. That's a helluva three-pointer. From Bill Mellis to Kyle Smith, from Salesian Prep to The Farm. All this due to the hard work of a wonderful young man in the classroom and on the court.

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Alex Sarrett: "Congratulations to Will Corbett on his commitment to Chico State! Amazing to see all of the hard work pay off! #GoBells"

The 6-foot-3 Corbett led his Bellarmine Prep squad to a 17-11 record and played for the Jalen Green Elite AAU 17u squad. He also had an offer from Dominican University.

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"D2 DIRT: Merced set to hire Stevenson's Stewart as new Head Basketball Coach"

Stewart replaces Kevin Pham who departed on a 20-7, 10-0 plus entry into the NAIA national tournament high.

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Rodger Bohn: "6'6 '26 Elijah Hayeems out of BigTyme Prep Academy (TX)"> has committed to Bryant. 6'6 NorCal product is great get for Jamion Christian and staff due to size and ability to play anywhere from PG-SF in America East.Super solid shooter & utilizes size vs smaller guards."

Out of San Francisco, the 2026 6-foot-6 Hayeems is an International High/Stuart Hall High alum. Bryant University is located in Rhode Island.

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Tayshaun Williams: "After talking with Coach Gipson, I am blessed to announce that I have received my first Division 1 offer from San Jose State."

Williams is a 2026 6-foot-4 combo guard out of Montana who apparently is attending a prep school in Texas.

AND

Verbal Commits: "2026 SoCal Academy (CA) G Oliver Kullamäe has received an offer from San José State."

Murray State and UC Santa Barbara have also offered the 6-foot-3 backcourter who is a native of Estonia.

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"NCAA rules former G League player Thierry Darlan eligible"

The 6-foot-6 Darlan will be a junior at Santa Clara. He should be a big help.

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Randal Bessolo: "Bay Area Basketball Coaches Association and CCSF are hosting our 3rd Annual Coaches Clinic on 10/4. Great opportunity to learn and network." Sign-up here.

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Ahmere Carson: "I want to thank Coach Smart, Coach Cole, and the Pacific Men’s Basketball program for an amazing visit. I’m blessed and grateful to receive an offer from the University of the Pacific."

Carson is a 6-foot-3 sophomore point at Odessa College in Texas.

PLUS

JUCO Roundup: "Ahmere Carson has earned an offer from San Jose State. 6’3 So G Odessa."

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Trent Lincoln: "Blessed to receive an offer from San José State!"

Lincoln is a 6-foot-3 sophomore lefty point attending Gulf Coast State College in Florida but who was at Chipola College last season.

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"Rod Barnes to step away from CSUB men's basketball after 14 seasons"

Not surprising considering the major legal issues his now former assistant coach faces. Barnes did a helluva job considering the few resources in his favor at Bakersfield.

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Verbal Commits: "2028 Ridge View (SC) G R.J. Davis has received an offer from California."

Wake Forest also just offered him, his first. Davis is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard.

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Team Rampage Basketball: "Congrats to Tyler Bailey (2026) on receiving an offer from Cal State San Marcos‼️ Well deserved and a great program with a new coaching staff."

The 6-foot-5 Bailey attends Serra High.

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Carlton Perrilliat Jr.: "My first 3 games of the season. 7 tds ,14 rec ,257 yds."

So will he sign for football or basketball (as a shooting guard/wing)? Thus far, he has offers from Colorado State, Weber State and Cal Poly for football and Idaho in basketball.

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"Men's Basketball Announces Coaching Additions"

"The San Francisco State men's basketball team announces a pair of coaching additions prior to the start of the 2025-26 season. Former Gator Alex Gilat joins the staff as an assistant coach, while RJ Arciaga will serve as a volunteer assistant coach..."

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Boss Mhoon: "Had a great time watching practice and visiting Santa Clara. Excited to building new relationships with the staff!!"

The Broncos are getting in early on the 6-foot-5 2028 prospect.

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Here's the 2025-26 San Jose City College roster. Coach Devin Aye has plenty of talents out of northern California.

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The San Jose State University Spartan Recruiting Season

For something new, I attempted to track San Jose State University's 2025 recruiting season, an arduous task and one that admittedly stands incomplete because not every offer appears publicly.

As you'll see, lots of offers were extended, some with the hope of landing a prospect on the rebound from his original school. Some were simply long shots.

New 2025-26 San Jose State University Players

Transfer Portal Signees

• Colby Garwood 6-foot-0 190 junior guard (Longwood University) signed 4-17-25
• Adrien Meyers 6-foot-6, 205 redshirt sophomore (Mississippi State) signed 4-28-25
• JaVaughn Hannah 6-foot-3 200 senior guard (Western Michigan) signed 5-7-25
• Yaphet Moundi 6-foot-8, 205 senior forward (Iona) signed 5-12-25
• Marcus Overstreet 6-foot-9 230 junior forward (Mercer) signed 5-18-25
• Japhet Moupadele 6-foot-8 220 freshman forward (from France) signed 6-12-25
• Jaden Goodall 6-foot-6 175 redshirt freshman forward (Cal-Berkeley) signed 8-30-25 (possibly a walk-on)
• Eren Karakaya 6-foot-10 230 freshman center (from Turkey) signed 8-30-25

Other Signees

• Melvin Bell 6-foot-4 195 freshman guard (Indiana prep school) committed 9-17-24)
• Douglas Langford 6-foot-7 240 freshman (HS, southern California) committed 3-25-25)
• Damase Coley 6-foot-2 171 freshman guard (Dublin High, CA) (likely a walk-on)

Returnees

• Christian Wise 6-foot-6 205 forward redshirt sophomore (possibly still a walk-on)
• Sadraque Nganga 6-foot-10 220 forward senior
• Pasha Goodarzi 6-foot-3 190 guard redshirt sophomore
• Ben Roseborough 6-foot-4 205 redshirt freshman
• Jermaine Washington 6-foot-1 180 sophomore

Transfer Portal Players Pursued Who Signed Elsewhere

• 6-foot-3 190 guard Christian Henry (from Eastern Michigan, signed Fordham 5-3-25)
• 6-foot-8 220 forward Blake Barkley (Northwestern, signed East Tennessee State 4-13-24)
• 6-foot-8 Dillon Battie (Temple, signed Wichita State 4-17-25)
• 7-foot-2 280 center Anton Bonke (Providence, offered by SJSU in 2023, signed Charlotte 4-30-25)
• 6-foot-2 freshman guard Isaac Williams (Texas A&M Corpus Christi, signed Baylor 4-26-25)
• 6-foot-7, 230 sophomore forward Jaden Daughtry (Indiana State, signed with Richmond 4-12-24)
• 6-foot-4 Jomo Goings (D2 Slippery Rock, signed LIU 4-28-25)
• 6-foot-7 Blaise Vespe (Florida Gulf Coast, signed Nova Southeastern University 7-2-25)
• 6-foot-4 Amiri Stewart (Sacred Heart grad transfer, signed with Campbell University 5-21-25)
• 6-foot-10 KC Ibekwe (Washington/Oregon State, signed with Pacific 4-30-25)
• Britain Harris junior 6-foot-4, 170 (USC Upstate, signed with Florida International 5-20-25 after initially committing to Pacific)
• 6-foot-5 Ryan Richardson (Missouri State West Plains, signed with Binghamton 5-20-25)

.......... 2025 ..........

2025 Talents Offered By SJSU But Not Signed (by position)

There are a number of prospects below whose 2025-26 destination could not be determined.

PG

• Jalen St. Clair 5-foot-11 NV (offered July 10, 2023)
• Aaron Glass 6-foot-3 CA (offered Dec. 28, 2022) (signed with Texas A&M, released, signed with Washington State 5-15-25)
• Mason Brown 6-foot-3 NV (offered May 10, 2023)
• Semetri Carr 5-foot-11 CA (offered June 23, 2023) (committed to California 9-14-24)
• Cam Miles 6-foot-2 AZ Compass Prep (offered July 20, 2023) (committed to Temple 9-25-24) (re-opened April 1, 2025) (committed to Florida State 4-17-25)
• Kisean Robinson 6-foot-3 GA (offered September 18, 2023)
• Cameron Carroll 6-foot-3 TX (offered June 24, 2024) (committed to Rice 9-4-24)
• Elijah Perryman 6-foot-2 CA (offered July 22, 2024) (committed to Utah State 9-16-24)
• Jaylen Lawal 6-foot-3 (offered 8/18/24) (committed to Tulsa 9/19/24)
• Adriel 'AD' Nyorha 6-foot-5 NC/Ontario CAN (offered 9/24/24) (committed to Arkansas State 11-1-24)
• 6-foot-3 V'Elijah Miller Chatsworth High (offered)
• 5-foot-10 LJ Rush (signed with Drake 9-5-25)

SG

• Jaden Vance 6-foot-5 AZ (offered June 3, 2024) (committed UC San Diego 4-27-25)
• Dorian Hayes 6-foot-4 TX (offered summer 2023) (committed to Texas San Antonio 10-23-24)
• Gavin Sykes 6-foot-4 CA (offered September 12, 2023) (committed to Long Beach State 10-25-24)
• Cy Merret 6-foot-5 LA (offered May 7, 2024)
• Caleb Versher 6-foot-3 CA (offered July 12, 2024) (committed to UC Riverside 10-22-24)
• Ian Inman 6-foot-5 TX (offered July 18, 2024) (committed to Colorado 9/18/24)
• Kaden Powers 6-foot-5 WA (offered August 21, 2024) (committed to Rutgers 10/11/24)
• David Brown 6-foot-7 Salt Lake City CC (offered 9/19/24) (committed Maryland Eastern Shore 5-22-25)
• Ylan Esso-Essis 6-foot-8, 220 Modesto JC France (offered 2-01-25) (signed UC Davis 5-12-25)

SF

• Damarion Vann-Kelly 6-foot-7 (interest mid-November 2024) (signed Florida CC 5-11-25)
• EJ Vernon 6-foot-7 CA (offered April 18, 2023) (signed with SoCal Academy 5-1-25)
• Kade Bonham 6-foot-7 CA (offered June 27, 2023)
• Jasir Rencher 6-foot-5 CA (offered June 28, 2023) (committed to Texas A&M 10/04/24)
• Kenyon Aguino 6-foot-7 NM (offered May 7, 2024) (committed to Montana 10/8/24)
• Kellen Hampton 6-foot-7 CA (offered October 6, 2022) (committed to Pacific 9/27/24)
• Lance Carr 6-foot-7 TX (offered June 24, 2024) (committed to UAB 9/10/24)
• D.J. Hall 6-foot-7 TX (offered June 27, 2024) (committed to Texas State 12/12/24)
• Frances Folefac 6-foot-7 225 Maryland (offered June 28, 2024) (committed to Sienna 4-24-25)
• Tyrin Jones, 6-foot-8, Utah (offered July 28, 2024) (committed to UNLV 9/8/24)
• Peyton White, 6-foot-6 (offered July 16, 2024) (committed to Nevada 9/4/24)
• Jacob Ross, 6-foot-5 CA (offered September 16, 2024) (signed with Minnesota, released, signed with UConn 5-12-25)
• Da'Ron Hall 6-foot-8 NC (offered October 2, 2024)
• Timo George 6-foot-7 IMG-FL (offered December 9, 2024) (signed with Portland 5/21-25)
• Travis Torrain 6-foot-7 Panola CC Tracy, CA (offered by SJSU 9-6-23) (committed to Austin Peay 4-22-25)

PF

• Gevonte Ware 6-foot-9 235 NC (offered June 29, 2024) (committed to Rutgers 9/24/24)
• Lonnie Bass Jr. 6-foot-8 NV (offered May 24, 2024) (committed Independence CC 6-4-25)
• Marcus Jackson 6-foot-7 AZ Compass Prep (offered July 8, 2024) (committed to Maryland 9-9-24, decommitted 11-11-24) (committed to Arizona State 4-7-25)
• D.J. Smith 6-foot-10 190 TX (offered July 19, 2024)
• Kam Wylie 6-foot-9 225 MD (offered June 28, 2024)
• Moustapha Loum 6-foot-9 200 France Putnam Science Academy (offered August 26, 2024) (signed Northwestern State 5-12-25)
• Kaiden Rayfield 6-foot-8 180 PHH Prep (Phoenix AZ) (offered Sept 6, 2024) (signed with Texas-San Antonio)
• Preston Copeland 6-foot-8 NC (offered 10-3-24) (committed to Ball State 10-26-24)

C

• Jax Kerr 6-foot-11 OK (offered December 29, 2023) (committed to St. Louis 9-5-24)
• Andre Ngomabie 6-foot-10 FLA/Congo (offered August 21, 2024)
• Timothy Finau 7-foot TX Athletes In Action prep team (offered January 23, 2025) (signed Holy Cross 4-21-25)

Tariq Lofton Will Be Heading North

5-foot-11 point guard Tariq Lofton has gone from, in his own words, "not playing a lot last year" as a junior at Folsom High to earning a scholarship with the Ashland-based Southern Oregon University program. To his credit, it's a very rare accomplishment to move from intermittent high school court time to joining a four-year college basketball program.

Here's Brandon White, the coach of Lofton's Jaylen Wells Elite AAU squad, on his protégé: "Tariq was a joy to coach. Coming into the spring, I think he felt like he had a lot to prove and he really exceeded our expectations. Tariq sees the floor really well and he finished in the top 10 in assists on the circuit." White added, "He's a really high character kid and has a 4.0 grade point average. His parents were great and super supportive of our program. Tariq's going to do great things at Southern Oregon."

Watch here...

Summer 2025 Senior year loading….. pic.twitter.com/RTigrtgsNS

— sunn storm (@sunnstorm) August 6, 2025

The Southern Oregon coaching staff first witnessed Lofton at an AAU tournament in Redding, highlighting the importance of participating in AAU play.

NXTPRO hoops scout Camden Rine was impressed with Lofton's play this July during national tournament action, writing "he is a speedster down the court. Reminds me of Tyrese Maxey (76ers) with his quick twitch abilities and change of direction...he made winning plays all night playing at his own pace and controlling the tempo of the game.

Lofton and his family visited SOU the first week of this month and he obviously came away impressed. "I saw it as the best opportunity for me. I liked the coaching staff, the people (on campus) and the campus itself."

What will he be bringing when he arrives for the 2026-27 season? "I'm good at getting my teammates open with kick-out passes and drop-offs and I'm one of the better defenders." He called himself "an all-around player."

Lofton understands and appreciates what is required of someone playing at the point, the most critical position on the court. "I've always wanted to be a point guard. You have to be a leader and I'm vocal on the court." He also noted his unselfish approach saying "I'm not a scoring point," something proliferating in the National Basketball Association.

Southern Oregon's starting point guard will be graduating after this coming season so opportunity will be there for Lofton to earn playing time. "It will be me and another point guard recruit competing."

As for his best basketball moment, it was recent, coming "when we won Section last season."

Lofton participated in multiple sports growing up and that is playing out right now as he decided to go out for football in his last year of high school (he is now attending Casa Roble High). "I'm a slot wide receiver and a kick returner." He has also been involved in the 400, 200, 4x400 relay track events throughout high school.

Honoring his father who played basketball and football at the NAIA level, Lofton cited him as a major influence as "he's coached me a lot." Former Folsom High guard Malik Rose also received credit as a hoops mentor as did Coach White and Coach Brendan Erickson. Being inclusive, Lofton also credited his longtime basketball friends "for keeping me going since we were little."

He is looking to major in electrical engineering.

Lofton is headed to a winning program as the Raiders finished 23-11 overall, 14-8 in conference play in the 2024-25 season

But first comes Lofton's final prep basketball season.

Potpourri, Sep 22

News Bits

Adam Zagoria: "3 Star class of 2026 forward Vincent Osazee from ReasonPrepBB has committed to Pacific."

He's 6-foot-8, out of Massachusetts and recently re-classified. Georgia Tech had offered along with West Virginia, St. John's and Creighton among stronger programs. His reclassification may have aided the Pacific cause as most of the bigger offers came in 2024.

AND

Verbal Commits: "2026 Odessa College (TX) G Ahmere Carson has received an offer from Pacific."

Carson is a 6-foot-3 combo guard.

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"Stanford lands commitment from NBA Hall of Famer's son"

How did the son of Olajuwon not end up at Houston?

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Joven Dulay: "1000% Committed. Go Bengals."

The 6-foot-6 Dulay is a shooting guard and attends Folsom High. He plays AAU ball with the Jaylen Wells elite squad.

The ISU program is a member of the Big Sky Conference.

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Joe Tipton: "2026 Top-150 recruit Andrew Hillman has committed to San Francisco, his agent Paolo Zamorano of Prodigy Sports tells Rivals."

Not much of a surprise here for the 6-foot-3 Archbishop Riordan guard. A very good pickup.

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"Lakers 3 goals: Gabe Vincent needs to step up his game"

The pride of St. Mary's High in Stockton has one season remaining on his LA Lakers contract.

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Verbal Commits: "2026 Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ) G Melvin Stubbs, Jr. has received an offer from Sacramento State."

He is a 6-foot-5 guard/wing.

AND

Verbal Commits: "2029 Monterey Trail (CA) G Juleeyan Williams has received an offer from Sacramento State."

Soon to be a national prospect, Williams is a 6-foot-3 guard.

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"Jalen Williams on 'SLAM' Magazine cover after NBA championship"

The 6-foot-6 Williams is the pride and joy of Santa Clara University. This 'cover-age' will aid in rapidly reversing his still relative anonymity.

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A sophomore at Howard College, 6-foot-7 Jahki (Oakland High) Gupton has committed to St. Peter's in New Jersey.  In 25.6 minutes a game, he averaged 10.4 points an outing alongside 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He attended Gillette College In Wyoming as a freshman.

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"Golden State Valkyries’ dream season ends in heartbreak. And that’s good for them"

Not what I usually post but Marcus Thompson II's writing is so eloquent here it deserves as many eyeballs as possible. He doesn't get to the final score until the sixth paragraph but he first needed to—make that was required—to set the pairing up.

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Maximus VanLaningham: "Proud to announce an offer to UC Santa Barbara basketball. Thanks to Coach Derek Glasser and Coach Joe Pasternak for the opportunity. Go Gauchos!"

Could certainly see this pairing up coming to fruition. The Big West Conference would be appropriate for his 4/5 versatility. Adding 15 pounds of muscle could be a game-changer for him.

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Jordan Green: "Blessed to have received an offer from San Jose State."

Out of Georgia but playing this season at PHH in Phoenix, Green currently has 20+ offers and has taken officials to Stetson and Kennesaw State. He stands 6-foot-8, weighing 185 pounds.

AND

Verbal Commits: "San José State and Seattle offered 2026 CIA Bella Vista (AZ) G Rokiem Green."

The 6-foot-2 junior has a total of 10 offers, including Sacramento State.

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Tyler Bailey: "Excited for my campus visit & workout with Coach Bergeson and Cal State San Marcos MBB this Friday. 🏀🙌 Big thanks to Coach Cory for setting it up. Grateful for the chance to see their program up close and keep improving."

A combo guard, Bailey stands 6-foot-6 and attends Serra High. He plays AAU ball with Team Rampage.

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Blake Bastani: "Thank you PHNewEngland for naming me as a top 35 player in New England and the #6 ranked combo guard. More work to be done."

Formerly of Miramonte High, Bastani stands 6-foot-5. Out of sight but not out of mind.

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"Cal Men's Basketball: A 1:1 Conversation with Coach Mark Madsen"

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Boss Mhoon: "Honored to say that I have received an offer from Sacramento State!!!"

A 6-foot-5 2028 talent at The King's Academy, there a lot of time before any decision will be made so maybe Coach Henry Bibby will have Sac State in a position to land a prospect like Mhoon.

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Jayden Akuva: "Beyond excited and grateful to be going on an official visit. Thank you Coach Artaz."

Akuva is a 6-foot 2026 point attending Venture Academy in Stockton. He's tripping to Bethel College, an NAIA program located in Kansas.

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Moreau Coach Frank Knight talks with Damari Milstead and Aidan Mahaney.

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