News Bits
Sac-Joquin MaxPreps: "Incredibly sad news shared by the Christian Brothers basketball program on Instagram. Jaden DeJesus-Eves, a talented 6'8" rising freshman, has passed away. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and teammates during this difficult time. RIP young man."
"Christian Brothers mourns death of freshman basketball star. ‘A gentle giant’"
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Damarion Vann-Kelly: "100% committed!! Thank you God!"
Out of Monterey Trail High and currently at a Florida JC, the 6-foot-5 wing is returning home, or homish, as there's 50 miles between Sacramento and Stockton. The Tigers need more talents who can shoot accurately which is Vann-Kelly's strength. Landing in the West Coast Conference appears appropriate. Welcome back Damarion.
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Verbal Commits :"Missouri State and Sacramento State offered 2026 Gaston College (NC) F/C Kaleb Siler."
Sac State is the 10th offer for the 6-foot-10, 245 sophomore center out of North Carolina who is averaging 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds. He has 35 blocked shots in 22 games thus far.
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Kodey Weary: "Blessed to receive an offer from Cal Poly Pomona."
The 6-foot-7, 210 Weary is a sophomore at Las Positas College and graduated from Weston Ranch High. He is currently averaging 14.9 points, 9.9 boards and 1.7 assists while shooting 46%, 35% and 62%.
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Braylen Smith: "ATGT! After a great conversation with CSUB_MBB, I am blessed to receive my first division 1 offer to Cal State Bakersfield! I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity. Go Road Runners!"
The 2028 Smith stands 6-foot-1 and is attending Bakersfield Christian High.
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Team Rampage Basketball: "Congrats to Jayson Powers (2026) on receiving an offer from Minnesota-Crookston (D2)."
The 6-foot-7 Powers attends Gregori High in Modesto and plays travel ball with Team Rampage.
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"6-foot-8 Tochi (Los Medanos College) Onyeador of Whittier College stood above his peers to earn Defensive Athlete of the Year honors atop the 2026 SCIAC Men's Basketball All-Conference teams. He blocked 73 shots in 25 games, was credited with 38 steals and pulled down 11.1 rebounds nightly. That dominance allowed the Poets to crowd the perimeter with defenders and limit opponents to just 32.5 percent from beyond the arc, ranking third in the league. The center also converted 69.6 percent of field goal attempts but at 4.4 made field goals per game was just below the threshold (5.0) to be eligible for that statistical title."
"In addition to earning the conference's top defensive honor, Onyeador garnered First Team All-SCIAC recognition after anchoring one of the SCIAC's most disruptive defensive units. The junior ranked sixth in NCAA Division III in blocks per game and set a new Whittier record for blocks in a SCIAC season."
Other Nor Cal-connected honorees:
- First team: Cahal (Bishop O'Dowd) Connolly CMS Sr. C Castro Valley, CA
- Second team: Reid (Jesuit High) Jones CMS Jr. G Carmichael, CA
- Second Team: Joey (University High) Kennedy CMS Jr. F San Francisco, CA
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"Salesian gets gritty with it, grinds out NCS Open semifinal win over De La Salle"
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"The 2026 All-Conference Coast-North Selections"
Wondering if CCSF 6-foot-9 freshman and Coast Conference-North Co-Player of the Year Kenyon DeMuynck is eligible to sign after this season?
CCSF Coach Justin Labagh has earned the Coast Conference-North Coach of the Year honor.
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Kort Jensen: "Congrats to my son, Derek, Head Coach at Feather River College (21-7) & Undefeated in league, for winning their League Championship! Congrats to my son, Dallas, Head Coach at College of Sequoias (22-6) & (13-1) in league, for winning their League Championship!"
Congrats to the entire Jensen family. Kort Jensen was a highly heralded coach himself and a wonderful human being. Has the above ever previously happened? Here's a 2018 feature on all three.
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6-foot sophomore Leo (De La Salle High/Sac State) Ricketts has been named the 2025-26 Western State Conference South Division Most Valuable Player. Thus far this season, he is averaging 19.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds, while shooting 50% 49% and 82%.
It will be fascinating to see where he lands next?
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6-foot-6 sophomore Garret (Sierra College/Green Bay/Placer High) Dutro has been named the 2025-26 Big 8 Conference Most Valuable Player. Thus far this season, he is averaging 21.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 48%, 40% and 88%. A lot of teams could use his skill set.
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Santa Rosa Junior College Coach Craig McMillan has been named the Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year.
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6-foot-2 San Jose City College sophomore Jeremiah (Inderkum High) Butler been named the Coast Conference-South Player of the Year. He is averaging 12.6 points, 3.4 boards and 1.9 assists while shooting 48%, 39% and 70%.
Nor-Cal-connected First Team Coast Conference-South members:
- 6-foot-3 West Valley College sophomore CJ (Capital Christian High) Willenborg
- 6-foot-5 West Valley College sophomore Caleb (Leigh High) Assante
- 6-foot-7 Foothill College sophomore Will (San Ramon Valley High) Ambidge
- 6-foot-9 Foothill College sophomore Gavin (Turlock High) Cox
- 6-foot-5 San Jose City College sophomore Savion (Inderkum High) Daniels
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In the Central Valley Conference post-season awards, Columbia College's Rob Hoyt and Dallas Jensen of College of the Sequoias shared Coach of the Year honors with 6-foot-7 Columbia College sophomore Ahsan (Vanden High) Huff earning Defensive Player of the Year honors and 5-foot-9 frosh Derron (Monterey Trail High) White co-owning the Freshman of the Year award.
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In the Bay Valley Conference post-season awards, Yuba College Coach Doug Cornelius earned the Coach of the Year honor with 6-foot-3 Yuba College sophomore Kanyon (Rocklin High) Rice snagging the Player of the Year honor.
The Nor Cal-connected First Team Bay Valley Conference members:
- 6-foot Merritt College sophomore Kaleb (Pinole Valley High) Allison
- 6-foot-2 Merritt College sophomor Lebrie (Moreau Catholic High) Goudy-Lee
- 6-foot-8 Yuba College sophomore Aidan (Woodcreek High) Triplett
- 6-foot-1 Yuba College sophomore Austin (Woodcreek High/Menlo College) Ito
- 6-foot-2 Los Medanos College sophomore Jeremiah (Pittsburgh High/College of the Siskiyous) Collins
- 6-foot-2 Los Medanos College sophomore Kay'Shawn (Pittsburgh High) Hunter
- 6-foot-6 Contra Costa College sophomore Bobby (Richmond High) Williams
- 6-foot-6 Contra Costa College freshman Julius (American Canyon High) Wade
- 6-foot-4 Napa Valley College freshman Jayden (Prolific Prep)Russotti
- 6-foot-8 Mendocino College Rob (Pitman High) Salmon.
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"UCSC's Thomas Conley Headlines C2C Honors as Rookie of the Year"
Conley is out of San Ramon Valley High.
Slug Joseph (Pleasant Grove High) Espy earned a First Team All Conference nod for the second straight season.
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"Donavan Yap: From Arbor View to Slovakia — A Las Vegas Guard Building His Professional Foundation"
He started out at UNLV, then headed to Fresno State but transferred to San Jose State University where he finally blossomed, averaging 10.1 points, 2.8 boards and 2.6 assists.
D1 Scores
In Maples Pavilion, Stanford downed Pittsburgh 75-67 as star freshman guard Ebuka Okorie enjoyed 34 points, six rebounds, six assists plus three steals, shooting 11-19, 3-6, 9-9. AJ (Marin Catholic) Rohosy grabbed a team best eight rebounds in just 20 minutes of court time. The Cardinal shot 29-58 overall. game report
Behind Benny Gealer's 30 points (8-12, 7-11, 7-8 shooting) and a 61-48 second half, host Stanford cruised by Southern Methodist 95-75. Adding to his seven treys, Gealer also nabbed six steals and pulled down four rebounds in an all-around performance. Star freshman guard Ebuka Okorie tallied 22 points as well as six assists and teammate Aidan Cammann concluded with 15 points (9-10 on free throws), six boards plus four assists. As a team, the Cardinal shot 51% overall, 52% on three-pointers and 29-32 at the charity stripe. game report
"Stanford grads Raynaud and Jones excel in NBA season"
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At Haas Pavilion, California welcomed SMU and it was a tight one before the Bears succeeded 73-69. Justin Pippen led with both 24 points and five assists and Chris Bell was close behind in scoring with 20 points. Cal was out shot 45% to 40%, out-rebounded by 11 but did manage to 'earn' eight less turnovers than the Mustangs. game report
The Bears produced a dud in falling at home to Pittsburgh 72-56 as indicated by their leading scorer being Dai Dai Ames with 11 points. California earned just seven free throws, making five, shot 5-22 on treys but was surprisingly fairly close to Pitt in overall accuracy at 43% and 46%. game report
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St. Mary's had it rather 'easy' against rival Santa Clara, extending a six-point halftime lead to double digits in most of the second 20 minutes before winning 86-67. The Gaels out-shot the Broncos 49% to 41% and were granted deeds to both backboards by a ferocious 49-21 difference. Guard Mikey (Prolific Prep) Lewis could have been elected mayor of Moraga with his performance due to is 21 points, seven assists (one turnover) and four steals, all team highs except for the assists as Joshua Dent tallied eight as well as 14 points. Paulius Murauskus finished with 16 points and 12 boards and Dillon Shaw scored 11 points and pulled down a team and personal best 14 rebounds. Allen Graves came off the bench to lead SC with 20 points but only one teammate managed double figures scoring. game report
In the game of the WCC season (thus far), St. Mary's was down 36-28 to Gonzaga after 20 minutes. However, the Gaels roared back with a 15-2 scoring run to eventually lead 54-46 with 7:30 remaining. Coach Randy Bennett's crew maintained that general margin til the end, winning 70-59. Mikey (Pacific Prep) Lewis clinched the Moraga mayoralty race with 31 points, shooting 7-13 on three-pointers. The Moraga-ites shot a dismal 35% in the victory yet went 16-33 on long distance attempts. The Zags finished at 39% overall, just 5-17 from beyond the arc. St. Marty's has now won four consecutive regular season West Coast Conference championships. game report
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Santa Clara bounced back from the St. Mary's loss to grab a 93-72 win over Oregon State at The Leavey Center where they finished 14-1 this season. Point Brenton Knapper led the Broncos with 19 points with fellow guard Jake Emsinger providing 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Getting up 21 more shot attempts as well as OSU shooting 4-20 on three-pointers, plus winning the boards battle 41-29 all poweredthe SC cause. game report
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Holding a 42-35 advantage after 20 minutes, USF downed Pacific 72-61 as forward David Fuchs exploded for 29 points and also a team-leading seven rebounds. It was a win even though point Ryan (Dougherty Valley High) Beasley produced a subpar line of six points, three assists and five turnovers in 34 minutes. For the Tigers, reliable Ralph Elias enjoyed a 19 point, 10 rebound afternoon but did shoot 0-6 from long distance. Teammate Jaden Clayton racked up 10 assists. The Dons shot Pacific 51% to 40%, finishing 10-23 on three-pointers, versus 2-17. game report
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Hawai'i departed paradise to challenge UC Davis on the mainland and, after leading 43-31 at halftime, came up a 77-73 winner on Senior Night. Four Aggies scored in double figures,led by Marcus Wilson's career high 25 points. But Davis was out-shot 51% to 43%, had six shots blocked and allowed four more steals than the islanders. UH starting point Aaron (Salesian Prep) Hunkin-Claytor is still out with a foot injury, unable to play before his family and fans. game report
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With both teams 'en fuego' and plenty of backup nets in stock, Cal Poly and visiting Long Beach State went at with the hosts coming out ahead 102-92. Hamad Mousa led the Mustangs with 29 points on 8-14, 4-7, 9-10 shooting and 6-foot-6 sophomore teammate Cayden (St. Mary's High-Stockton) Ward was right behind via 28 points as well as nine boards plus five assists. Freshman guard Gavin (Modesto Christian High) Sykes led the 49ers with 28 points. game report
Down on the border, UC San Diego turned away Cal Poly 80-64 despite Hamad Mousa going for 19 points and nine rebounds plus Cayden (St. Mary's High-Stockton) Ward's 12 and 10 although he shot 4-12 overall. San Diego jumped out to a 40-24 first half advantage. A 15-6 turnover disadvantage hindered the Mustang cause.
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In Missoula, under-manned Sacramento State was out-shot 51% to 40% in falling to Montana 81-73. Prophet Johnson did garner seven rebounds and six assists for the Hornets, but shot 6-17 overall on his way to a team high of just 14 points. Power forward teammate Mark (Rocklin High) Lavrenov grabbed 12 boards, seven offensive. For the Griz, Money (Oakland High) Williams led with 20 points and power forward teammate Te'Jon (Salesian Prep/CCSF) Sawyer stuffed the stats sheet with 12 caroms, 11 points, four assists and a pair of steals. game report
Up in Bozeman, Sacramento State fell 82-61 to Montana State, having thee players finish in double figures scoring: Prophet Johnson with 15 points, Jayden Teat with 15 points and Arman Madi totaling 14 points. Taking the court with eight players, the Hornets were out-shot 52% to 35% and topped on the boards 50-21. game report
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Behind 34 points (eight treys) from 6-foot-6 Adrian Myers (gotta believe he'll be back next season), San Jose State University downed host Air Force 86-80. He shot 11-18, 8-9, 4-5 and also led the Spartans with seven rebounds. Teammate Colby Garland was his usual self with 23 points (10-10 at the foul line) and a team high five assists. SJSU was actually out-shot 51% to 49% but made five more three-pointers plus three more free throws than the Falcons. game report
At home, San Jose State University fell to Colorado State 85-73 in spite of Colby Garland providing 28 points and seven assists. Backcourt teammate Melvin Bell Jr. totaled 15 points. CSU shot 62% overall, 9-17 on trey attempts plus 20-24 from the foul line. game report
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Gavin (Modesto Christian High) Sykes totaled 39 points (14-21, 4-6, 7-8 shooting) in Long Beach State's 88-87 victory over Cal State Bakersfield. Me and a gazillion others will be shocked in he has a 49ers uni on next season.
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Behind 24 points (10-13 overall shooting, 4-6 at the foul line), five blocked shots, five assists and four rebounds from 6-foot-7 sophomore Will (Archie Willliams High) Heimbrodt, Seattle bested Pepperdine 87-80 down in Malibu.
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During his 33 minutes of court time in Nashville, AK (Clovis North) Okereke produced 13 point, six rebounds, six assists and two shot rejections in Vanderbilt's 88-80 defeat of Georgia.
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6-foot-2 senior Myron (Vacaville High/San Jose State University) Amey Jr. tallied 31 points alongside six boards, five assists and five steals in the Loyola Marymount 67-66 homecourt success versus Washington State.
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In Montana's 74-68 homecourt success against Big Sky Conference leader Portland State, Money Williams totaled 24 points, seven assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals yet his turnover bugaboo surfaced with six. But the Griz don't win without him as he's their creator straw that stirs their team drink.
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Behind 21 points via Aidan Mahaney and 19 plus a team best 12 rebounds from Zion (Archbishop Riordan) Sensley, UC Santa Barbara handled 70-59 in The Thunderdome.
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Despite 19 points plus eight assists from Quinn (Bellarmine College Prep/West Valley College) Denker, Northern Colorado fell to host Eastern Washington 82-72.
Then, Quinn (Bellarmine College Prep/West Valley College) Denker exploded for 33 points (10-16, 4-5, 9-11 shooting), seven boards and three assists in Northern Colorado's 76-67 victory versus Idaho.
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Other Scores
Tyree Campbell served up a team high 16 points and a tied-for-team-best five rebounds as Cal State East Bay hosted and defeated Stanislaus State 77-70 to go to 27-0 this season. A classic example of how each Pioneer player contributes is demonstrated by the subtle but productive output of 6-foot-7 senior starter Jalen Foy as he produced six points on four shots taken, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 30 minutes. CSEB shot 56% overall to 45% for Stanislaus. game report
Then, Cal State East Bay hosted UC Merced and notched a 58-51 success to go 28-0. Tyree Campbell again led the charge with 21 points and seven boards. The Pioneers succeeded despite shooting 37% overall and going 0-16 on three-point attempts as their stout defense forced Merced into 36% overall shooting and 17% on treys. Finishing 11-22 at the charity stripe should have required they walk back to the San Joaquin Valley. game report
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6-foot-7 senior Nick (Foothill High/Sonoma State) High produced 31 points plus seven boards in Menlo College's 99-88 squeaker over Chaminade. He shot an extremely efficient 11-14, 3-3, 6-6.
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Guard Nick (St. Patrick St. Vincent/Sonoma State) Medeiros tallied 27 points, plus six assists and five boards as Dominican University edged visiting Chaminade University 85-84.
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Despite receiving 24 points plus 11 rebounds from 6-foot-3 sophomore Cayden McDaniel, William Jessup University fell 75-71 at home in overtime to Vanguard. He shot 5-9 2-3, 1-2.
It was Cayden McDaniel to the fore once again as he produced 22 points, 12 boards, five steals (all team highs) plus four assists in William Jessup University's 93-80 defeat of Chaminade. 6-foot-8 teammate Aleks Mitrovic was especially efficient with 19 points on 9-11 overall shooting plus he blocked two shots.
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Despite 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists courtesy of Joseph (Pleasant Grove High) Espy, UC Santa Cruz fell 77-74 in overtime at home to Christopher Newport. Teammate Ben (Branham High) Lim tallied 18 points. game report
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In spite of 17 points, nine rebounds plus seven assists via Chris (Jesuit High/Sac State/Santa Rosa JC/Sonoma State) Holley, Chico State fell 60-58 at home against Cal State San Marcos. game report
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6-foot-5 sophomore Damonte Duhart scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, adding five assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots during the host Feather River College 90-85 defeat of Merritt College in the opening round of the Nor Cal Regionals.
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In Round Two of the So Cal Regional, Leo (De La Salle High) Ricketts poured in 30 points (6-12 shooting on treys), adding four boards and four steals, in the 28-1 Citrus College 87-72 defeat of Allan Hancock College.
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Travis (Justin-Siena High/Chico State) Hightower stuffed the stat sheet via 27 points, 11 boards, four shot rejections and three assists as Santa Rosa Junior College moved on in the state playoffs with an 88-66 win over Cañada College.
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6-foot-9 Sophomore Gavin (Turlock High) Cox posted a 17 point, 15 rebound double-double in Foothill College's 1-3-79 defeat of Butte College.
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"Cabrillo basketball tops Los Medanos, advances to second round of NorCal playoffs."
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"Las Positas Star Jaden Woodard Shines On the Court and in the Classroom"
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