Potpourri, Mar 16

News Bits

Coach Bryan Rooney and his guys keep working it.

"Cal State East bay roars back to beat Dominguez Hills, is one step from Division II Elite Eight"

and

"Cal State East Bay 31-0 after beating Cal Poly Humboldt in NCAA D-II opener"

and

"The East Bay’s unsung, undefeated team is about to hit the NCAA Tournament"

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Ronnie Flores: NorCal Open Final - Final Score OT: No. 4 Salesian 59, No. 5 Riordan 54. The Pride will represent NorCal in open final for 2nd time in three years."

and

Ethan Kassel: "Andrew Hilman fouled out on a HIGHLY questionable call with 2:15 left in the third. salesianprep held ARHSBasketball from the field for almost 12 full minutes and Elias Obenyah came to life in the fourth quarter."

and

"CIF State Basketball Tournament: NorCal finals roundup; Salesian tops Riordan; State title schedule (3-10-26)" Mitch Stephens

then, for the state championship:

Ethan Kassell: "Final: Sierra Canyon 78, Salesian 70 "A 15-0 third-quarter run turned the game to Sierra Canyon. Sophomore point guard JJ Sati-Grier was tremendous, both as a passer and defender. No NorCal boys team has won the Open Division since 2015. Sierra Canyon starts three NorCal kids."

Elias Obenyah scored 27 points and teammate Carlton Perrilliat Jr was close behind with 21 points.

plus

Ethan Kassel: "Final: Sacred Heart Prep 47, San Juan Hills 45 Alex Osterloh makes two of three free throws with 0.3 left for the ultimate storybook ending. Sacred Heart Prep athletics wins a state championship in Jeff Wilbrun's first season as head coach."

Ostereloh finished with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. The 6-foot-3 senior is headed to Claremont McKenna College in southern California.

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Mitch Stephens: "Simply remarkable. Well done brothers Kassel. Not just attending nearly 300 games. But truly covering and breaking it down. Celebrating kids. Their efforts and expertise. And of course coaches also. Not to mention referees! Bravo Kassel Brothers!"

Yes, Ethan and Benjamin Kassel are Misters Bay Area Prep Basketball.

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"Ricketts, DeMuynck Named State Players of the Year Labagh, Lauer, Webster honored by the Association as coaches of the year"

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Big Dance News: Santa Clara is an 10-seed in the Midwest Region and will face Kentucky ... Santa Clara is ranked 37th in the Field of 68...St. Mary's is a 7-seed in the South Region and will challenge Texas A&M ... St. Mary's is ranked 26th in the Field of 68

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"Oregon State hires U-M assistant Justin Joyner as new head coach"

He's a De La Salle grad. Will he come hard after UC Santa Barbara's Zion Sensley since the Joyner-Sensley connection was the reason he first was heading to St. Mary's and then, when Joyner moved to Michigan, Sensley de-committed to the Gaels and wanted to go to Michigan. But Randy Bennett blocked that by not releasing him.

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"Dave Newhouse, longtime Bay Area sports columnist and author, dies at 87"

"East Bay loses Newhouse and Steward, longtime forces of sports writing"

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Kingsmen Basketball: "First up for our 2026 class is, Dante Ventura! A Pleasanton native, who attended Amador Valley High School. Welcome to Cal Lutheran, Dante!"

Ventura is a 6-foot-3 guard and Cal Lutheran is located in Thousand Oaks.

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Verbal Commits: "2027 Bakersfield Christian (CA) F Taiwo Daramola has received an offer from San Francisco."

Daramola is a 6-foot-8 power forward. UC Santa Barbara has offered as has UMKC (but Coach Marvin Menzies has been let go) and New Mexico State.

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Verbal Commits: "2027 JSerra Catholic (CA) G Earl Bryson has received an offer from Pacific."

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Verbal Commits: "Stanislaus State (DII) F Malachi Johnson has received an offer from UC Riverside."

Coach Gus (De La Salle High/UC Davis) Argenal is pursuing a promising if currently inconsistent big (6-foot-10), one who needs a weight program (205 pounds) and possibly a redshirt year. Besides his stats above, Johnson blocked 32 shots in 28 games and at 27 minutes a contest. He was credited with an assist per outing. Johnson is out of Inderkum High.

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Verbal Commits: "Fordham G Ryan Pettis has entered the transfer portal."

The 6-foot-3 guard out of Serra High played in 24 games as a freshman at 1.0 minutes a contest and participated in just six games this season for a total of 70 minutes. He posted an 11/2 assist-to-turnover ratio and swiped eight steals. Does he land at another D1 or go JUCO and get a lot of display time? His coach at Fordham was fired.

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Verbal Commits D2 :"2026 Las Positas College (CA) F Kodey Weary has received an offer from Montana State Billings."

Weary is a 6-foot-7, 210 forward who averaged 14.3 points and 9.9 rebounds, shooting 45% 35% and 62% this season.

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Verbal Commits D2: "Cal State Monterey Bay G Jaden (Kennedy High-Sacto) Tengan has entered the transfer portal."

Tengan averaged 17.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists this season, making 74 treys on the season, shooting 37%. He was named to the All-CCCA first team. He shot 40% overall but some of that may due to having to create points so much.

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Verbal Commits D2: "Cal State Monterey Bay G/F Michael Mora has entered the transfer portal."

Mora is a 6-foot-6, 210 sophomore wing out of Palo Alto High. He averaged 17.2 points plus 6.2 rebounds, shooting 43%, 38% and 76% this season in 29 games and starts plus 30.0 minutes an outing. He nabbed 36 steals.

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Verbal Commits D2: "Colorado-Colorado Springs G Mario Williams, Jr. has received an offer from Coker."

The 6-foot-5 Williams is a sophomore shooting guard out of Venture Academy in Stockton. He also has an offer from New Mexico Highlands. In 26 games, 23 starts and 24 minutes a contest, Williams averaged 10.3 points nightly shooting 40%, 29% and 76% plus 3.1 rebounds. He enjoyed a game high of 35 points this past season.

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2025-26 Big West Men's Basketball All-Conference Team & Awards

• Player of the Year Josiah Davis, CSUN
• Newcomer of the Year Josiah Davis, CSUN
• Freshman of the Year Gavin Sykes, Long Beach State

Long Beach State guard Gavin Sykes was picked as the Freshman of the Year. The Beach rookie was second in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest. Sykes ranks sixth nationally among freshman in scoring.

• Coach of the Year Dedrique Taylor, Cal State Fullerton

Specialty Awards

• Best Defensive Player Kyle Evans, UC Irvine
• Best Hustle Player Mahmoud Fofana, CSUN

CSUN senior forward Mahmoud Fofana got the votes for Best Hustle Player. Fofana started all 32 games for the Matadors, led the conference in field goal percentage with a 63.2 percent clip, averaging 11.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

• Best Sixth Player Andre Henry, UC Irvine

All-Big West First Team

Josiah Davis	Sr.	G	CSUN	Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Jurian Dixon	R-So.	G	UC Irvine	San Diego, Calif.
Kyle Evans	Sr.	F	UC Irvine	Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Isaac Johnson	Sr.	C	Hawai'i	American Fork, Utah
Aidan Mahaney	Sr.	G	UC Santa Barbara	Lafayette, Calif.
Hamad Mousa	So.	G	Cal Poly	Doha, Qatar

All-Big West Second Team

Dre Bullock	Fr.	G	Hawai'i	Franklinton, N.C.
Andrew Henderson	Sr.	G	UC Riverside	Los Angeles, Calif.
Larry Hughes II	Sr.	G	CSUN	St. Louis, Mo.
Gavin Sykes	Fr.	G	Long Beach State	Sacramento, Calif.
Josh Ward	Sr.	G	Cal State Fullerton	Memphis, Tenn.

Honorable Mention: Peter Bandelj (Cal Poly), Leo Beath (UC San Diego), Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (Cal State Fullerton), Bol Dengdit (UC San Diego), Hunter Erickson (Hawai‘i), Mahmoud Fofana (CSUN), Andre Henry (UC Irvine), Ronald Jessamy (Cal State Bakersfield), Petar Majstorovic (Long Beach State), Hudson Mayes (UC San Diego), Joshua O’Garro (CSUN), Niko Rocak (UC Davis), Derin Saran (UC Irvine), Connor Sevilla (UC Davis), CJ Shaw (UC Santa Barbara), Cayden Ward (Cal Poly), Marcus Wilson (UC Davis), Marquis Worthy Jr. (UC Riverside)

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"The melting pot: How international players are reshaping Cal Poly Basketball"

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"‘He had to shoulder tragedy alone’: how Larry Bird’s rise almost ended before it began"

Excellent article. A telling photo accompanies the article -- Magic shining and Bird is looking uncomfortable.

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"La Laguna Tenerife sign Patty Mills for the rest of the season"

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"College hoops coach sends warning to rivals who target his players early in portal: ‘I will find you’"

This guy could moonlight as a Mafia enforcer.

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North Bay Basketball Academy

MARIN & SONOMA SUMMER CAMPS!

We’re excited to offer multiple summer camp sessions in Marin for players in K–2nd grade and 3rd–8th grade.

Important Note: All Redwood camps will be held at Terra Linda High School this summer due to the Redwood Gym renovation project.

K–2nd Grade Camps, Location: Hamilton School

• June 15–18
• June 29–July 2
• July 6–9

3rd–8th Grade Camps, Location: Terra Linda High School

• June 15–18
• June 29–July 2
• July 6–9
• July 20–23

Location: Hamilton School

• June 22–25
• July 13–16

Click Here for Marin County Camps

SONOMA COUNTY — SUMMER CAMPS

Join us this summer for our Sonoma County basketball camps, with sessions available in both Petaluma & Santa Rosa!

3rd–8th Grade Camps @ St. Vincent de Paul College Prep

• June 8–11
• June 15–18
• July 13–16
• July 20–23
• August 3–6

K-8th Grade Camps @ Santa Rosa High School

• June 8–11
• June 15–18
• June 22–25
• June 29–July 2
• July 13–16
• July 20–23
• July 27–30
• August 3–6

Click Here for Sonoma County Camps

MARIN COUNTY SPRING WEEKDAY SKILL SESSIONS

K–2 Skills @ Hamilton School

• March 9–May 21 — Mon. 4:30–5:15 PM
• March 9–May 21 — Tues. 4:30–5:15 PM

3rd–5th Skills @ Kent MS & Hamilton School

• March 9–May 21 — Mon. 4:30–5:30 PM — Hamilto
• March 9–May 21 — Wed. 5:00–6:00 PM — Ken
• March 9–May 21 — Thurs. 5:00–6:00 PM — Kent

6th–8th Skills @ Kent MS & Hamilton School/p>

• March 9–May 21 — Mon. 5:00–6:00 PM — Kent
• March 9–May 21 — Tues. 5:00–6:00 PM — Kent
• March 9–May 21 — Thurs. 4:30–5:30 PM — Hamilton

Edna Maguire K–2 Skills (Late Registration Available)

• March 2–April 16 — Mon.–Thurs. 4:00–4:45 PM

Edna Maguire 3rd–8th Skills (Late Registration Available)

• March 2–April 16 — Mon.–Thurs. 4:45–5:30 PM

Click Here for Marin Spring Weekday Skill Sessions

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St. Mary's and Santa Clara dueled it out in Las Vegas with the former enjoying a three-point halftime lead. It stayed close -- 47-46 at the 13:24 mark in the second half. The Broncos finally went ahead 68-67 with 2:56 remaining. St. Mary's went back on top at 69-68 but Santa Clara' Elijah Mahi nailed a trey to make it 71-69 with 1:38 on the clock. Then 73-69 Broncos on a Mahi layup before Gael Joshua Dent hit a basket at the 0:40 mark. However, a three-pointer from Sash Gavalyugov pushed the SC lead to five, and 76-71 was the final score. A 6-foot-3 Bulgarian freshman, Gavalyugov's 23 points (five treys) in 29 minutes plus a team best six assists led the Silicon Valley-ites. Elijah (West Valley College) Mahi with 19 points was next in line. Paulius Marauskas was Mr. Big yet again for the Moragans -- 26 points alongside eight boards with Mikey (Prolific Prep) Lewis as his sidekick providing 23 points. Andrew McKeever posted an 11 point, 11 rebound double-double in the middle. The statistical differences? The Broncos out-shot Saint Mary's 48% to 44%, buried 11 3-pointers versus six, committed just four turnovers against one of the best defenses in the country and outscored the Gaels by 10, 32-22, in the paint. game report

Video of Gavalyugov's game winner

But the well-earned high unfortunately morphed into an alternate universe the next night as a matchup in Las Vegas with Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference tournament championship turned out to be a 79-68 loss for Santa Clara. The Silicon Valley residents led 33-29 after 20 minutes but the Zags turned it up and posted a 50-35 second half. Only Christian Hammond rose to the occasion with 24 points as the Broncos were out-shot 53% to 38% and earned but eight free throw attempts. Santa Clara now sports a 26-8 record. game report The Santa Clara student newspaper game report

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In the ACC tourney held in Charlotte, Stanford laid an egg and fell in the quarterfinals to now 13-19, 5-13 Pittsburgh 64-63. The Cardinal shot 48% but got up just 52 shots, earned just 6 foul shots and got out-rebounded 41-28, as Pitt grabbed 20 offensive boards. With 14 points, Ebuka Okorie per usual led his team but he got up just 10 shot attempts. Teammate AJ (Marin Catholic) Rohosy scored 10 points and led Stanford with seven boards. Stanford now stands at 20-12. game report

"ACC Tournament: Pittsburgh defeats Stanford after wild final sequence, officials fix clock error"

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California was down 46-32 at the half against Florida State in the second round of the ACC tourney. The Bears eventually drew closer but it was too little, too late and eventually fell 95-89. Shooting 51% overall is generally going to propel a team to success but Cal allowed FSU to shoot 57%. But do credit the Berkeley-ites for winning the battle of the boards 38-26. Dai Dai Ames led the Bear effort with 27 points, Chris Bell added 17 points and Lee Dort in the middle hauled in 18 rebounds, six offensive. Also worthy of mention is Justin Pippen's 15 points plus six boards. California finishes 21-11 overall, 9-9 in Atlantic Coast Conference action. Bear Insider game report Daily Cal game report

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Cal Poly tangled in the first round of the Big West Conference tourney with UC San Diego in Henderson, NV, with CP ahead by nine, 35-26 at the completion of the first half. But the second 20 minutes unfortunately proved different as the Border Patrol made adjustments and enjoyed a 12-point advantage, winning 72-69. UCSD ended up shooting 45% overall to 38% for the Mustangs, who attempted half their shots from beyond the arc and made 6-32. Season long star Hamad Mousa led with 21 points (shooting 8-22 overall, 0-6 on trey attempts) and added six rebounds plus three assists. Teammate Cayden (St. Mary's High-Stockton) Ward finished with 13 points (3-9 over shooting, 1-5 on three-pointers) plus a team best nine boards as well as four assists. game report Mustang News game report

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Also in Henderson in an initial round Big West Conference pairing, UC Davis dueled for supremacy with always challenging UC Santa Barbara. The Aggies compiled a 34-31 lead after 20 minutes. With just 10 minutes remaining in the game, UCD owned a six-point lead at 52-46. The score was 65-58 with 3:40 left, then 72-66 and finally 79-73 Aggies. It was unofficially Carl Daugherty Jr. Night as the 6-foot-3 guard paced his squad with 24 points (shooting 9-15, 5-9, 1-2) plus eight boards. Teammates Marcus Wilson provided 17 points while Connor (Dougherty Valley High) Sevilla shot 8-8 at the free throw line, almost all in the last few minutes. Davis shot 48% overall. Aidan (Campolindo High/St. Mary's) Mahaney shot 3-15 overall for the Gauchos, finishing with nine points. game report

Then in a Big West Conference quarterfinal also in Henderson, UC Davis challenged the Titans of Cal State Fullerton. The latter enjoyed a comfortable 38-26 margin after 20 minutes. The lead stretched to 49-33 by the 15:30 mark. At the 1:36 mark,it was down to 74-68 with the final score being 82-70. The two largest differences between the production of the teams: Fullerton enjoying a rebounding differential of 52-30 plus a dramatic difference at the foul line of 38-45 versus 17-22. Connor (Dougherty Valley High) Sevilla scored 20 points on 6-13, 3-8, 5-6 shooting and teammate Marcus Wilson was next in line with 15 points. game report

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In Las Vegas, San Jose State University faced off with Boise State (a team they lost to 89-58 at home in January, then 84-69 in Boise in February) and SJSU led 41-39 at halftime. The score was 55-47 at the 14:00 mark with the Spartans still in the lead. San Jose led 64-56 with 9:45 remaining on the clock. Then 72-58 with 6:40 showing, 76-65 at the 3:00 mark. The final score: 84-74 in a remarkable upset. Per usual, Colby Garland led with 22 points, Jermaine Washington enjoyed 18 points plus a team high six assists and Adrian Myers posted a 14 point, 10 rebound double-double in just 25 minutes. SJSU shot a surprising 49% overall and held Boise to a remarkable 38%. game report The Spear game report

Then San Jose State University mixed it up with another hard-to-match-up-with program in New Mexico (but at least it wasn't taking place in The Pit), and the Spartans found themselves down 43-36 and being out-shot 52% to 39% and out-rebounded 24-11. It didn't get better in the second 20 minutes as a final look at the scoreboard showed 93-77. Colby Garland produced 20 points plus seven assists but also seven turnovers and teammate Adrian Myers close behind with 19 points and also a team high six boards. SJSU shot a solid 45% but allowed the Lobos to shot 58% and were beaten on the boards 38-24. But San Jose was a +8 on made free throws. Only seven Spartans played, one for just two minutes. game report

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Money (Oakland High) Williams lived up to his first name via 40 points as Montana topped Northern Colorado 95-89 in the third round of the Big Sky Conference tourney. Williams finished a quite remarkable 18-19 at the foul line and also grabbed seven rebounds. The Griz jumped out to a 49-32 lead after 20 minutes. For UNC, Quinn (Bellarmine College Prep/West Valley College) Denker scored 29 points and added seven assists. game report

Rolling at the right time, Montana took over top-ranked favorite Portland State in the Big Sky Conference tournament and won 75-72 in a semifinal pairing as Money (Oakland High) Williams again carried the Griz with 32 points in 30 minutes on 11-19, 4-9, 6-8 shooting. Montana shot 51% to 31% for PSU. game report

Going up against Alex (Drake High/UC Berkeley) Pribble-coached Idaho for the Big Sky Conference tournament championship, Money (Oakland High) Williams was slowed by a virus and it was Te'Jon (Salesian Prep/CCSF) Sawyer who carried the Griz in the initial half as Montana led 31-30 after 20 minutes. But by the 7:45 mark, Idaho had made a run and led 53-45 before winning 77-66. Williams, who won tourney Most Valuable Player honors, and Sawyer each tallied 19 points for Montana. Coach Pribble is going to the Big Dance. game report

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In the initial round of the Big 12 tourney, Oklahoma State got by Colorado 92-83 primarily powered by Anthony (Dublin High/USF) Roy's 24 points on 6-9, 2-5, 10-11 shooting.

The next night, Oklahoma State went up against Texas Christian and fell 95-88 but Anthony (Dublin High/USF) Roy provided 25 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He shot 7-15, 2-5, 9-10.

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In Las Vegas, Colorado State defeated Fresno State 67-63 with 6-foot-4 sophomore Jase (The Branson School) Butler totaling 20 points (shooting 6-9 on three-pointers) plus nine rebounds. The game was a first-round pairing in the Mountain West Conference.

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JC Scores

March 15 Final

College of the Sequoias in Visalia

"Bench Play Propels Fullerton to Another 3C2A State Championship Banner"

The top two teams -- City College San Francisco and Fullerton College -- matched up and the championship trophy is heading to Orange County thanks to a come from behind 67-64 victory. CCSF led 33-24 at the half. Jaqari Miles missed the second half of his set of two free throws just before the buzzer with the score 67-64 but CCSF missed a last-second trey attempt. With both coming off the bench, the 6-foot-3 sophomore Myles topped the Hornets with 25 points in 24 minutes on 7-11, 3-7, 8-13 shooting and 6-foot-2 freshman teammate Trey Thompson tallied 17 points (4-8, 2-3, 7-9 shooting) plus four steals. Tourney Most Valuable Player 6-foot-7 sophomore Yoda Oke contributed 14 points plus 10 rebounds for a double-double. Fullerton finished 22-31 at the foul line to 6-13 for CCSF but both teams didn't display a collective hot hand effect overall -- 41% for the victors to 40% for San Francisco. The Rams took the boards battle 41-36. In 27 minutes for the City by the Bay, Kenyon DeMuynck provided 13 points plus three blocked shots with teammates Shane Lincoln, Jaylen Wheeler and Vitor Oliveira contributing 12 points apiece. Lincoln led his team with eight boards and Oliveira's five assists did likewise.

CCCMBCA: "All-Tournament Team:

• MVP - Yoke Ode, Fullerton
• Travis Hightower, Santa Rosa
• Leo Ricketts, Citrus
• James Moore, City College of San Francisco
• Donovan Pitts, Fullerton
• Kenyon DeMuynck, City College of San Francisco

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March 14 Semifinals

College of the Sequoias in Visalia

"Fullerton Dismisses Santa Rosa; Hornets to Play in its Fourth State Championship Game Since 2019"

Santa Rosa Junior College took on the responsibility of going up against perennial state champion challenger Fullerton College and it wasn't close by the end. FC won its 27th straight game 90-65 after leading 40-27 at the half. 6-foot-3 freshman Gavin (San Dominico High) Early was the sole Bear Cub finishing in double figures scoring with 12 points and he also grabbed five boards. SRJC was out-shot 62% to 41%.

"San Francisco City Holds off Citrus; Rams will Defend its State Title Against Fullerton"

The City College San Francisco and Citrus College pairing featured programs displaying the skill to press opponents into multiple errors with the SoCal squad also being the top scoring team in the state this season. Both teams owned 30-1 records entering the fray. How did all these factors play out? San Francisco led 34-33 after 20 minutes. Then, with CCSF leading 73-71 and seven seconds remaining, Fullerton inbounded the ball and Leo Ricketts missed a three-pointer off the back rim at the buzzer. San Francisco's Kenyon (San Leandro High) DeMuynyck tallied 24 points on 10-11 overall shooting alongside 10 rebounds plus five blocked shots. Ricketts scored 12 points but attempted 14 shots.

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March 13 Quarterfinals

College of the Sequoias in Visalia

"Santa Rosa Rallies, Holds Off Cerritos in the Final Moments to Advance to Semifinals"

Cerritos led by four at the half but fell 89-81. Santa Rosa Junior College star Travis (Justin-Sienna High/Chico State) Hightower led with 26 points plus six rebounds and three steals, shooting 10-13, 2-4, 3-5 and teammate Spencer Granada High) Langowski contributed 21 points. Cerritos shot 55% overall but SRJC finished at 61% accuracy.

"Fullerton Pulls Away Late to Beat San Jose City in the 3C2A State Championship Tournament"

San Jose City College led by one point after 20 minutes but ended up losing 74-63. 6-foot-1 Jag freshman Muhammad Singleton topped SJCC with 18 points but needed 18 shot attempts to do so. The Jaguars shot 7-14 on three-pointers to 2-16 for the victors but conversely Fullerton went 24-28 at the foul line to 6-11 for the Silicon Valley-ites.

"San Francisco City Struggles, but Outlasts San Diego City"

6-foot-1 sophomore James (Clayton Valley High) Moore provided 24 points plus six boards in 26 minutes off the bench and the Rams came from behind a few times before landing on top at the final buzzer by a comfortable 78-67 score. 6-foot-5 backcourt teammate Shane Lincoln led in rebounding with eight.

"Citrus Starts Fast; Advances to the State Tournament Semifinals"

The setup was the Citrus College 'offense' versus the West Valley College 'defense' and the final score was 84-54 as the SoCal crew shot 52% to 32.4% for WVC. CJ Willenborg led the Vikings with 16 points and the next highest was David Manea with 11 whereas CC had three starters finishing with 16 points. The victory came with Southland Most Valuable Player 6-1 Leo (De La Salle High/Sacto State) Ricketts totaling just 11 points for the victors.

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March 7

6-foot-1 sophomore Spencer (Granada High) Langowski tallied 25 points, Travis (Justin-Sienna High/Chico State) Hightower posted a 20 point, 14 rebound double-double and 6-foot-4 freshman Tatum (Cardinal Newman High) Kurpinsky contributed 18 points as host Santa Rosa Junior College handled Sierra College 88-69 in a Norcal Regional Final. Cerritos College is next in Visalia

City College San Francisco defeated visiting Columbia College 84-59 in a Norcal Regional Final and here's the game recap. 6-foot-5 City College freshman guard Shane Lincoln tallied a tied-for-team-high 12 points alongside five rebounds, four assists, two steals and zero turnovers. Ahsan (Vanden High) Huff enjoyed an 18 point, 18 rebound (10 offensive) double-double for Columbia. San Diego City College is next in Visalia for the Rams who are enjoying an 18 game winning streak.

Host San Jose City College faced off with Modesto Junior College and the former won out 75-65 in a Norcal Regional Final. 6-foot-1 Jag freshman Muhammad Singleton led the victors with 16 points while 6-foot-9 freshman teammate Taj Royster posted a 14 point, 12 board double-double plus four shot rejections. 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Daniel (St. Mary's High-Stockton) Huerta paced MJC with 19 points and teammate 6-foot-3 freshman Chadwick (Sheldon High) Johnson provided 16 points plus nine boards. Fullerton College is next in Visalia for the Jaguars. game report

West Valley College welcomed Yuba College to Saratoga and grabbed a 75-58 win, utilizing a 37-22 second half to pull away. For WVC, William Maoha enjoyed a 20 point, 11 rebound double-double in the middle and 6-foot-5 sophomore Caleb (Leigh High) Asante shot an efficient 8-12 on his way to 18 points as well as five boards and three assists. Citrus College is next in Visalia for the Vikings. game report

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Potpourri, Mar 9

News Bits

Matt Lively: "Cal State East Bay basketball just capped off a perfect 28-0 regular season. Two of their stars have dreamed of a year like this for as long as they can remember."

Hit this link for Matt Lively's video.

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"Michigan assistant emerges in Oregon State men’s basketball coaching search, per source"

Justin Joyner MAY be coming back to the West Coast. Where's John Canzano on this?

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"Boys BB All-State Nominees (NorCal)"

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"West Coast Conference Announces 2025-26 Men's Basketball All-Conference Awards"

Santa Clara's Herb Sendek won Coach of the Year ... Will (Archie Williams High) Heimbrodt from Seattle U won Defensive Player of the Year ... USF's David Fuchs won Newcomer of the Year ...Allen Graves of Santa Clara won both Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year...

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"2025-26 All-CCAA Men's Basketball Team Announced; Cal State East Bay's Tyree Campbell named Player of the Year"

"...Cal State East Bay earned three of the five individual awards, with Tyree Campbell being voted the 2025-26 CCAA Player of the Year, Josh Ijeh earning Defensive Player of the Year, and Bryan Rooney collecting the Coach of the Year. Newcomer of the Year honors went to Cal State Dominguez Hills' Jalen Modesto Christian High) Brown. Stanislaus State's Malachi (Inderkum High) Johnson was named the Freshman of the Year..."

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Verbal Commits: "2026 CATS Academy (MA) F Nicolas Mitrović has committed to California."

Big time news for Bear fans as the 7-foot Mitrović is re-classifying to 2026.

A Mitrović feature on his commit.

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Verbal Commits: "2026 Fishers (IN) F Kai McGrew has received an offer from Sacramento State."

Hornet Coach Henry Bibby is really needing a productive talent especially as a shotblocker in the middle but McGrew stands 6-foot-8 and is coming out of high school. USF has also offered McGrew however that was back in 2023 so it may or may not still be valid.

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Verbal Commits: "2027 Riviera Prep (FL) G Quincy Douby, Jr. has received an offer from California."

The 6-foot-5 point has 10 offers to date, four from Florida schools.

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Verbal Commits: "2026 Sierra College (CA) G Garret Dutro has received an offer from Pacific."

The 6-foot-6 guard/wing is an outside sharpshooter and would fit well with Pacific's offensive designs. He graduated from Placer High and redshirted one year at Green Bay. Idaho, Arkansas Pine Bluff and Dominican University have also offered.

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San Lorenzo Basketball: "Congratulations to our star guard Ronnie Selleaze on getting an offer from Pepperdine! He has proved that he's one of the best players in NorCal this season, all the hard work is paying off."

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"JAKE SALINERO HAS A NEW CHALLENGE IN LUXEMBURG WITH NORTH FOX AFTER COMING FROM LICH WHERE AT THE END HE WAS LIVING OFF RICE AND AVOCADOS

The 6-foot-1 Salinaro is out of Half Moon Bay High, Skyline College and Sonoma State.

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"Jeremy Lin Gave Up $7 Million For $30K G League Contract To Prove Himself To NBA Teams, But Didn’t Get Another Chance"

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"With proud family in stands, Bay Area native McMillian stars on Warriors’ court Santa Cruz Warriors guard Chance McMillian, born and raised in Vallejo, grew up a diehard Golden State and Baron Davis fan"

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Shams Charania: "The Phoenix Suns are signing two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea on a new two-year contract, sources tell ESPN. After two-ways and 10-day deals with six teams in 3+ years, Bouyea earns a standard contract, averaging 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in rotation role for the Suns."

Persistence paid off! It is his first standard contract. Bouyea is a guard out of Palma High and USF.

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"Bigg upset: Hawks wither late without center in heartbreaking loss to Sierra"

A terrifically-written article by Annie Moore in the Las Positas College student newspaper about the 76-70 LPC loss to Sierra College in the NorCal Regionals.

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"California school hired a coach, but police say he moonlighted as a pimp"

This goes to show no matter how much you think you know someone, some decisions will come back to bite and badly. I try not to say this about anyone but Kevin Mays is a bad, bad dude.

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D1 Scores

In the regular season finale, Prophet Johnson didn't forecast his production but he scored 20 points, grabbed 10 boards and dished out four assists while freshman forward teammate Mark (Rocklin High) Lavrenov tallied 19 points and guard teammate Arman Madi stuffed the stat sheet the most with 13 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two shot rejections as Sacramento State hosted Idaho State and won 83-65. A 46-29 first 20 minutes put the game into the comfortable range for the Hornets. game report

Up in Boise in the initial round of the Big Sky championship, Sacramento State hit the wall after losing a number of talents, let alone starters, due to injury. The score was 27-13 after 20 minutes and although point production picked up in the second half, neither team was exactly sharp and the final scoreboard reading showed Idaho taking a 68-45 victory. Idaho shot 35% to 25% for the Hornets who had one player score in double figures. The Vandals took down 51 rebounds to 34 for Sacto. game report

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Played in South Bend, Stanford took down Notre Dame 86-79 as freshman phenom Ebuka Okorie led the offensive charge with 27 points and also seven assists, as well as teammate Jeremy Dent-Smith providing 21 points in 21 minutes on an incredibly efficient 6-7, 5-6, 44 shooting accuracy. The Cardinal out-shot the not-so-Fightin'-Irish 57% to 43%. The win was achieved despite ND making 15 more free throws than the inhabitants of The Farm. game report

Stanford nabbed another ACC road win powered by Ebuka Okorie's 33 points, this time 85-84 against host North Carolina State. Okorie added five rebounds, three assists and two steals while teammates Jaylen Thompson added 15 points plus six boards and AJ (Marin Catholic) Rohosy contributed 14 and seven. The Cardinal succeeded in spite of the Wolf Pack burying 25 free throws to eight for the visitors. game report

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California used a 44-29 second half to overcome a four-point halftime deficit and defeat Georgia Tech 76-65 in Atlanta. Dai Dai Ames paced the Bears with 18 points, Lee Dort supplied 16 points, John Camden grabbed 10 rebounds and Justin Pippen paced the team with eight assists although he went scoreless on 0-7 overall shooting. Also worthy of mention is the efficient production of freshman guard Semetri Carr who enjoyed eight points in 14 minutes on 2-2, 1-1, 3-5 shooting plus four rebounds, one assist and zero turnovers. game report

The Bears succumbed to the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem 80-73 in spite of guard Dai Dai Ames exploding for 33 points on 9-18, 3-8, 10-10 shooting. Fellow backcourter Justin Pippen added 17 points but the pair were the only ones to finish in double figures scoring. California led 37-29 at the half. The Bears shot just 36% and were beaten on the boards 45-29. game report

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In Orange County, Cal Poly fell 107-85 to UC Irvine as 6-foot-5 sophomore Cayden (St. Mary's High-Stockton) Ward provided 16 points and six boards with teammate Hasan Mousa contributing similarly with 15 and eight. The biggest negative for the Mustangs was allowing UCI to shoot 56% overall while finishing at 39% accuracy. That's never a winning combination. Irvine also was credited with committing just five turnovers and owned the scoring in the paint at 64-38. game report

In San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly blasted Cal State Bakersfield 108-76 as all five starters plus two reserves finished in double figures with, as usual, Hamad Mousa leading the pack via 23 points alongside six rebounds and three assists. Sophomore teammate Cayden (St. Mary's High-Stockton)Ward provided 16 points, a team-best nine boards, three assists plus three steals. 6-foot-4 sophomore out of Uruguay, Guzman Vasilic, also enjoyed 16 points with 6-8, 3-5, 1-1 shooting efficiency. game report

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In overtime in the Southland, UC Davis pulled out a 76-70 overtime victory versus Long Beach State. 24 made free throws by the visitors compared to eight for the hosts made the difference as Davis' Marcus Wilson shot 13-18 on his way to 30 points. Nico Rocak pulled down 13 boards and rejected four shots attempted by the 49ers. game report

UC Davis hung tough until overtime on the road against UC Irvine, finally falling 79-69. Shooting 6-13 from three-point range, Nico Rocak finished with 20 points and teammate Brayden Fagbemi totaled 15 points, and team bests with five assists and five steals. Three keys statistics, 1) UCI shot 51% to 38% for Davis, 2) Irvine made 19 free throws to six for the Aggies and the Anteaters owned the boards 48-24. In UCD's favor  was committing just 10 turnovers to 19 for the victors. game report

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In Las Vegas at the West Coast Conference tourney and tied at 29 at the half, USF forged ahead in the second 20 minutes to drop Portland 82-65. Forward David Fuchs exploded once again, finishing with 23 points and 16 rebounds, six offensive and teammate Tyrone Riley IV contributed 18 points. Ryan (Dougherty Valley High) Beasley also aided the cause, shooting 3-5 from long distance in scoring 12 points plus he added a second-on-the-team seven boards plus four assists. 19 made free throws fir the Dons versus seven for the Pilots proved to be the major difference. That San Francisco received just six points from its bench didn't matter here. game report

Then, Oregon State and USF tangled (I'll never get used to OSU being a member of the WCC) and he Oregon-ites finished on top 78-77. Gotta give the Beavers credit for not mailing it in after having their head coach fired (although he is finishing out the season). Tyrone Riley paced the Dons with 23 points, Ryan Beasley was extra large via 19 points, seven assists, four boards and four steals and Legend Smiley shot 6-8 on three-pointers to conclude with 18 points. Smiley buried two three-pointers in the 35 seconds and Riley hit one at the buzzer. Also notable was David Fuchs posting a 12 rebound, 11 point double-double. game report

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Santa Clara and Pacific met in a West Coast Conference tourney quarterfinal with the former holding a 45-38 halftime margin. SC continued to maintain the lead and the game concluded with the Broncos winning 76-68. Allen Graves came off the bench to lead the victors in scoring with 19 points, Christian Hammond tallied 14 points and Elijah (West Valley College) Mahi grabbed a team best 11 rebounds to go with his 13 points but he shot 3-12 overall. Jake Emsinger scored eight points on just five shots taken and added a second-on the team six rebounds as well as a squad high six assists. The Broncos earned 21 assists on 27 baskets. Ralph Elias led Pacific with 25 points on 10-18 overall shooting, 5-9 on three-pointers, Justin Clayton put up 12 points and a tops-on-the-team nine assists and Justin Rochelin paced the Tigers in rebounds with eight. The Tigers were credited with 20 assists on 24 baskets. game report

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Also in Vegas as part of the WCC tourney, Pacific led Seattle 32-29 after 20 minutes. After 40 minutes, the Tigers still held a three-point lead at 61-58. Ralph Elias provided seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two shot rejections as well as being the sole Stockton-ite scoring in double figures with 15 but he shot 4-15 overall. Teammate Justin Rochelin led with 10 boards. Pacific shot 38% for the game but did achieve 16 assists on 22 baskets. Seattle finished at 34% overall accuracy. Will (Archie Williams High) Heimbrodt scored 12 points (5-14 overall shooting) but filled the stat sheet with six boards, four assists, four blocked shots and two steals for the Redhawks. game report

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San Jose State University matched up with rival Fresno State down in the San Joaquin and fell 82-68 to the Bulldogs. It was Colby Garland Time once more with 26 points in 40 minutes of PT and teammate Adrian Myers enjoying 17 points and 16 boards also in 40 minutes. Fresno connected on six more treys plus 10 more free throws than the Spartans. game report

In the final regular season game, Wyoming rode into town and snatched an 88-78 victory versus San Jose State University. Per usual, guard Colby Garland (who was ill) paced the Spartans with 24 points as well as seven assists and teammate Adrian Myers added 17 points. Minus their most productive big due to an injury, a trio of frontcourt subs totaled 30 minutes of playing time and grabbed one rebound. Of course, Wyoming shot 57% overall and went 15-15 at the foul line. SJSU shot 54% for the game. Only one player, guard Mevlin Bell Jr, in every game this season. game report another game report

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Quinn (Bellarmine College Prep/West Valley College) Denker provided 16 points plus seven rebounds (both tied for high on his team) as well as a team best four assists, in the Northern Colorado 85-57 defeat of Montana as part of a first round Big Sky Conference tournament pairing in Greeley, CO.

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6-foot-7 junior Andrej (Jesuit High/Stanford/California Stojakovic finished with 21 points and 12 boards in 21 minutes as Illinois bopped Oregon 80-54 at home.

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Down In Oil City, Cal State Northridge edged Cal State Bakersfield 86-84 aided by 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists via 6-foot-6 Mamoud (Santa Teresa High/West Valley College) Fofana. He added a steal plus a blocked shot and zero turnovers.

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Forward AK (Clovis North High) Okereke produced 16 points, five rebounds plus five assists in Vanderbilt's 89-86 overtime squeaker over Mississippi.

Then, AK (Clovis North High) Okereke tallied 17 points, four rebounds and three assists as Vanderbilt topped state rival Tennessee 86-82, in Knoxville at that.

Here's a January 2026 feature on Okereke.

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Down near the southern border, guard BJ (Modesto Christian High) Davis finished with 30 points in 26 minutes, shooting 11-17, 4-8, 4-4, as San Diego State edged UNLV 89-86, the same three-point advantage the Aztecs held at halftime.

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Freshman guard Gavin (Modesto Christian High) Sykes totaled 34 points as Long Beach State hit the islands and enjoyed an 84-75 success versus Hawai'i. Sykes shot 10-17, 5-8, 9-14.

Other Scores

Make it 30-0 as Cal State East Bay captured the CCAA tourney down in Pomona, facing Cal Poly Humboldt and taking an 80-63 victory to qualify for the DII West Regionals as seemingly the #1 seed and host. Jaayden (Dominican University) Bush buried 23 points, Josh Ijeh corralled 15 boards (plus 13 points and a pair of blocked shots) and Amare (Pacific) Campbell led with six assists. For Humboldt, Shakir (West Valley College) Odenewu posted a double-double of 18 points plus 11 rebounds. game report

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"Chris Holley's Standout Season Earns Him Another First-Team All-CCAA Nod"

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In the CCAA quarterfinal tourney, Jaden (Kennedy High-Sacto)Tengan tallied 27 points and teammate Mezziah (CCSF) Oakman almost doubled up with 13 points plus 14 rebounds in just 24 minutes but Cal State Monterey Bay still fell 74-67 to host Cal Poly Pomona. game report

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Lubbock Christian's 6-foot-7 junior Antonio (Riordan High/CCSF) Pusateri went for 20 points plus 13 rebounds, his 21st double-double of the season, in LC's 79-77 defeat of St. Edward's in the quarterfinals of the Lonestar Conference tourney. Pusateri's rebound and putback at the buzzer was the game winner.game report

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Back in Wisconsin as part of the DIII regional tourney finals, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps downed Aurora 84-60 behind a masterful 24 point, 16 rebound outing from Joey (University High) Kennedy. He shot 11-15 from the floor. game report

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