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