Jeremy Silver Makes His Call

Call 6-foot-3 combo guard Jeremy Silver's hoops life one driven by hard work and intentionality, alongside dashes of serendipity. Yes, he established a specific goal, put in extra effort to achieve it and now he is headed to Doane University in Nebraska to study and play college hoops. But it's not a just a question of why the choice of Doane but how did he end up at his chosen school/basketball program and what role did his own promotional efforts pave such a path?

After earning honors at various exposure camps, Silver sent out video of his hoops highlights to a number of schools that piqued his interest. Doane was one of his selected group. Among others, the Doane coaching staff responded positively to what they witnessed and Silver followed up with an unofficial visit. It might as well been an official since its thoroughness included meeting the coaching staff and learning about the program plus touring the campus and the school.

Driven by enchantment, Silver committed two weeks later. "I loved the school and the atmosphere of the basketball program and its player development component. It was all what I've worked for my whole life."

Silver will be playing his senior season at Monte Vista Christian High in Watsonville, having transferred over from Palma High in Salinas. His top on-the-court attributes are "I shoot the ball really well and create for others. I make things happen but, best of all, I play the right way." For him, that means practicing hard, playing hard, taking no shortcuts and displaying zero selfishness. Asked for any goals in his initial season in Nebraska, Silver offered, "I want to contribute to winning."

Asked for his best basketball moments, Silver said, "I had a lot of good ones, like a 30-point game when we were down by 15 and came back to win but what I remember the most is just being in the gym, practicing with my teammates." Words spoken by someone who appreciates the game as well as the camaraderie and resulting relationships that often come with it.

Besides his basketball plaudits, Silver sports a 4.3 grade point average, meaning he has earned only A's during his high school education which includes AP honors classes. This achievement is an example of his making it happen because his impressive GPA both grabs the attention of college coaches and immediately assures them that there will be no academic/eligibility issues once Silver is in college.

To the next to impossible to fully answer query of who he would like to thank for assistance on his basketball journey, he said, "my Mom and Dad. My Mom drove me to so many practices and games and my Dad, who played at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, taught me to shoot a basketball. We would shoot in parks and under streetlights, anywhere there was a hoop." Silver also offered thanks to Joseph Lampkin, Monte Viste Christian's first-year boys basketball who is coming over from Oakwood School in Morgan Hill. "He'll open the gym at 6:00 a.m.when I want to get in extra pratice."

Silver will be a business administration major but isn't sure what direction he will take within that spectrum.

So why basketball for Silver, who participated in most sports as a youth? "I loved basketball but honestly didn't know why." It eventually came to him. "This is where I am happiest."

Potpourri, Nov 10

News Bits

At uber academic Claremont McKenna (Claremont Mudd Scripps), 6-foot-4 junior Reid (Jesuit High) Jones returns after averaging 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a contest. His 85 assists and 65 steals led his squad and he also rejected 16 opponent shots.

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Verbal Commits: "2027 Chaparral (CO) G Christian Williams has received an offer from California."

He's a 6-foot-2 combo guard.

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Damarion Vann-Kelly: "Blessed to receive an offer from Monmouth University!!"

The former Monterey Trail High shooting guard is now at Northwest Florida State College and has a total of nine offers now.

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"Jensens teach game of life" Emanuel Lee

Kort Jensen has enjoyed a wonderful basketball life and his two sons, Dallas and Derek, remarkably are head coaches at College of the Sequoias in Visalia and Feather River College in Quincy respectively.

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"Men’s college basketball: Previewing the Bay Area schools for the 2025-26 season What's new and what to watch at Cal, Stanford, San Jose State, Santa Clara and Saint Mary's"

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Chance McMillian is a member of the opening day Santa Cruz Warriors roster. The 6-foot-3 sharpshooter out of Texas Tech graduated from Jesse Bethel High and played one season with Golden State College Prep.

Also on the SCW roster is 6-foot-6 Riley Grigsby out of Archbishop Mitty High. He played at Seattle University and overseas. His father, Al, played for California.

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EARLY SEASON GAMES

UC Santa Barbara welcomed San Francisco State to the Thunderdome and the Gauchos had no difficulty in a 98-67 victory. Sophomore Zion (Archbishop Riordan) Sensley played 35 minutes and led UCSB with 23 points and 14 rebounds. He shot 8-12, 3-5 and 4-6 respectively with his boardwork split evenly at 7 and 7. For State, 6-foot-7 sophomore Diego (Valley Christian High) Martinez led with 17 points, shooting 3-4 from long distance, 7-11 overall.

St. Mary's Hoops: "SMC 84 - ST. THOMAS (MN) 58 The Gaels started hot and never looked back 🔥Sophomore guard Mikey (Prolific Prep) Lewis led the Gaels with 23 points, tying his career high, shooting 100% from the free throw line and going 4-7 behind the arc! Joshua Dent: 18 PTS, 5-11 FG. Paulius Murauskas: 17 PTS, 3-4 3FG."

AND

St. Mary's then choo-chooed Chattanooga back to Tennessee 87-66 led by 28 points via sophomore Mikey Lewis who added five assists.

"Aggies Roll Past Menlo 96-69 in Season Opener"

6-foot junior Connor (Dougherty Valley High) Sevilla provided 14 points powered by a quartet of 3-pointers. In 17 minutes, freshman Jalen (Dougherty Valley High) Stokes totaled eight points and six boards while fellow frosh Chase (Folsom High) Rawlins finished with four assists (tied for team high) in 18 minutes.

AND

Connor (Dougherty Valley High) Sevilla was 'en fuego' to the tune of 26 points (shooting 8-10, 6-7, 4-4) as host UC Davis topped North Dakota State 80-68. The game was tied at 26 after the first 20 minutes but the Davis-ites owned the second half 54-42. Coach Jim Les' squad shot 30-53 overall, 8-16 from three-point range.

AND

UC Davis visited The Rose City, didn't lose anyone to an ICE raid but fell 67-63 to now 3-0 Portland. Connor (Dougherty Valley High) Sevilla scored 13 points or the Aggies who didn't score in the last 2+ minutes until a tip-in with one second remaining.

Still breaking in their brand new basketball arena, Sacramento State defeated nearby William Jessup University 86-76. 6-foot-11 Hornet newcomer Jeremiah Cherry stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 12 boards, five blocked shots and three assists. 6-foot-3 junior Varick (Monterey Trail High) Lewis paced WJU with 19 points, adding four boards plus three assists.

"Dons Handle Banana Slugs in Season Opener"

AND

On the road, USF fell 76-70 to Memphis State. For the Dons, Mookie Cook tallied 18 points and Tyrone Riley IV added 15 points but USF received very little production from its starters, save Riley.

Pacific fell 78-77 to host Nevada despite the Tigers receiving 21 points, eight boards and three blocked shots from Ralph Elias. The Tigers shot an extremeyt solid 15-33 from three-point range.

Behind 19 points from returnee Elijah (West Valley College) Mahi, Santa Clara bested McNeese State 79-67 at home. 6-foot-3 freshman Sash Gavalyogov also scored 19 points (in 22 minutes) for the Broncos, shooting 5-8 from long distance.

"GARLAND AND MOUNDI IMPRESS IN SPARTANS' LOSS AT UTAH"

Freshman guard Ben (Monterey Trail High) Roseborough scored eight points in 18 minutes for SJSU.

AND

"GARLAND SETS NEW CAREER-HIGH IN LOSS TO UC SANTA BARBARA"

Colby Garland scored 30 points in the 85-74 defeat. Ben Roseborough started, contributing 12 points on 3-5 three-point shooting. For the Gauchos, Aidan (Campolindo High/St. Mary's) Mahaney enjoyed 17 points, shooting 5-9 from long distance. He also passed out six assists.

"The Golden Bears Dominate CSU-Bakersfield in Decisive 87-60 Victory"

Stanford treated visiting Montana rudely to the tune of 91-68 led by Ebuka Okorie's 29 points. In a return to very close to home, Money (Oakland High) Williams provided 19 points, seven boards and five assists but did suffer seven turnovers.

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6-foot-7 redshirt sophomore Will (Archie Williams High) Heimbrodt exploded with 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots in 34 minutes of court time as Seattle bopped Denver 84-73.

AND

Will Heimbrodt produced 20 points in 28 minutes and also blocked five shots but Cal Poly edged Seattle 73-71 giving the Mustangs a solid road win. CP newcomer guard Jake (Las Lomas High/West Valley College) Davis buried a contested trey at the buzzer for the victory. Cal Poly as down by four points with 25 seconds remaining. Here's the game-winning shot.

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6-foot-4 freshman Gavin (Modesto Christian High) Sykes was a bright spot in Long Beach State 82-62 loss to Fresno State. He scored 11 points and pulled down five boards in 25 minutes of court time.

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In Loyola Marymount's 137-54 defeat of Lincoln University, 6-foot-2 redshirt senior Myron (Vacaville High) Amey Jr. scored 15 points in 15 minutes of action.

Amey followed up with 22 points in LMU's 70-62 takedown of Eastern Washington.

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Cal Poly got handled by host USC 94-64 although the score at halftime was just 37-31 Trojans.

6-foot-5 graduate student EJ (Sacred Heart Cathedral/CCSF/Sacramento State) Neal played but a minute and a half for USC (not sure why the limited time).

AND

Behind Cayden (St. Mary's High) Ward's 26 points, Cal Poly topped Pacific Lutheran 101-79. Ward also provided eight rebounds.

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In the biggest upset of the season, Hawaii Pacific downed host Boise State 79-78 as the Broncos missed a pair of jumpers near the buzzer. 6-foot-5 grad student Josh (Alameda High/Ohlone College) Niusulu tallied 12 points and a tied for team high four assists in aiding the victors.

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"Ohlone College Men's Basketball Goes 2-0 to Start the 2025-26 Season"

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John Bynum Jr.: "Aiden (Liberty High) Dunne (Los Medanos College) had 28 points and made six three pointers in the win over Monterey Peninsula College."

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Sophomore Zion (Salesian Prep) Yeargin tallied 28 points in 30 minutes during the Chabot College 81-62 downing of College of Alameda.

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The Welchy Report: "Wallace State (AL) Sophomore Guard Trey (Moreau Catholic High) Knight finished with 21pts 2 Reb 2ast 8/12 FG 3/4 3pt performance in a 77-71 win over Albany Tech." Offers; Clark Atlanta.

Men’s Basketball Transfer Portal Changes

• "The transfer portal window has been reduced from 45 days to 30 days.
• The window opens after the second round of the NCAA Tournament. At this point, around 90% of teams are done for the season.
• There is a separate 30-day window for athletes whose head coach departs.
• Starting in the 2025–26 season, men’s basketball will move to a 22-week playing season, replacing the old day-count system. This change gives teams more flexibility with practice and game scheduling throughout the year."

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"Simply Basketball 2025-26 Norcal HS Transfer Portal"

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Cal Poly's Sam Walters

Cal Poly Assistant Coach Sam Walters was likely predestined to become a basketball coach at some level. That thought being predicated on the fact that his father Stu coached hoops for decades at Soquel High (Santa Cruz County), is currently the Soquel High athletic director (since 2009) and is a local sports icon. Overall, Stu Walters has mentored prep basketball players for over 40 years.

Another nourishing factor is Walters was strongly invested especially in college basketball, making positive impressions playing at UC Santa Barbara and Colorado Mesa. The latter turned out to be a key transfer move in his post-playing career direction.

But there was no come to Jesus 'I know what I want to do with my life and it's coaching' moment for the youthful Walters. He progressed step-by-step before coming to that conclusion.

"Growing up, my family valued coaches and coaching and I watched my Dad be impactful in changing lives as a coach," Walters explained. "But I didn't think I'd become a college coach." After twice being named a Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Co-Most Valuable Player (at Soquel High), "I went on to play for Bob Williams at UC Santa Barbara (Williams began his coaching career in Santa Cruz County) and then Mike DeGeorge at Colorado Mesa (DeGeorge is the current head coach at Cal Poly). I was thinking about other careers even though I always knew that coaching was personally rewarding."

With a master's degree in Sports Management in hand after finishing at Colorado Mesa in 2019, Walters returned home with coaching still a optional lure yet not a fully concrete one. He landed a position assisting Ron DuBois at UC Santa Cruz in 2019, a D3 program. (DuBois is now also currently on DeGeorge's staff, after they first paired up when DuBois assisted DeGeorge at Rhodes College in Memphis back in 2010). Walters stayed at UCSC through the 2022 season while also serving as the interim head coach for a six-month span in 2021.

He then moved on to work under the well-regarded Danny Yoshikawa at West Valley College  (Yoshikawa assisted successful college basketball programs at St. Mary's, USF and UC Santa Barbara). WVC is a community college located nearby in Saratoga and, with Walters aboard, the Vikings finished 33-0 in the 2023-24 season, capturing the state championship.

Joining Up With Cal Poly

Walters moved south for the 2024-25 season, rejoining DeGeorge as an assistant coach. Not coincidentally, Cal Poly moved from a 4-28 pre-DeGeorge season to 16-19 in just one season, averaging 18.4 points better than the previous one while burying 11.5 three-pointers per game and scoring 82.1 points an outing. The mid-major Mustangs enjoyed the greatest improvement of any team in the country last season in the KenPom rankings (345 to 182).

One extremely remarkable item about DeGeorge is just one player has ever transferred from his programs. The reasons why are multiple (individual player development and learning to play multiple positions in order to make the jump to professional status much more likely being foremost), and elements Walters wants to emulate once he is heading a program.

Earning a promotion

This year, Walters earned a promotion to recruiting director. As DeGeorge offered in an earlier article: “Sam has done a remarkable job helping our international student-athletes navigate the process...His intelligence and attention to detail have made it clear he’s ready to coordinate our recruiting efforts.”

The recruitment of student athletes from outside the United State usually require much greater documentation during the admissions and visa proceedings and involve working with educational and government entities. However as Walters explained, "We value international players because of their experiences and commitment to the game, but we are committed to recruiting the players in our backyard as well." Eight members of this year's Cal Poly team are international student-athletes.

The Cal Poly Secret Sauce

So what does Walters tell prospective Cal Poly recruits, national and international? "We're very honest with players and we provide a clear vision of that player's development program. Our style of play is attractive because it's comparable to the pro game and lends to player development (as players also learn how to be effective at multiple positions). We also get analytics in front of each player. It also helps that I played for Coach DeGeorge (a concrete credibility when answering questions about the head coach and his playing style). We also talk about packing the Mott (the 3,000+ seat Athletics Center) and it being a great environment for basketball."

"We stress Cal Poly and its strong academics and that 95% of our players graduate which is above the student body rate. Also, that San Luis Obispo is a college town and a community that cares about the school. We love to recruit California and are doing that 100% right now."

Getting Foreign Student-Athletes Enrolled

As his team's head recruiter, what does pursuing a talent require? "First, we have to check high school transcripts which are eventually evaluated by Admissions and what prospective major CP candidates can study are determined. It's also critical to check an overseas player's professional status" (as some have been paid but can often still meet NCAA amateur guidelines)."

"It's all about putting in the work and going the extra mile to make it work. (As he offered with a laugh) I have learned a lot about our own government and foreign governments."

Yes, Walters is a coaching newbie but anyone in the profession wants to eventually head his or her own program. "Yes but it's all about fit and each school's situation. I'm glad I have playing and coaching experience at all four levels and that I've had great mentors."

Being an important component on a coaching staff that revives the Cal Poly program into one of annual success would also create a tremendous career boost. Walters is preparing.

Rokiem Green Chooses San Jose State University

By way of Toronto, 6-foot-2, 180 pound backcourter Rokiem Green will be signing with San Jose State University come November 10. He announced his commitment on October 6 soon after taking an official visit on September 28. The Spartans extended an offer on September 18.

Green also officially visited Coach Henry Bibby's Sacramento State program on September 14.

He attends Bella Vista Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona and plays on the nationally-ranked BVP men's basketball team. Green's nationally heralded teammates include 5-foot-11 point Miles Sadler, ranked #2 in Arizona's 2026 class by PrepHoops, 6-foot-3 Jelani McKoy, fellow Canadian 6-foot-9 Nnamdi Ogali, 6-foot-7 Lucas Toukam and 6-foot-10 Aliou Dioum, all promising talents being pursued by multiple schools. Green is also a member of the Arizona Unity travel team.

Bella Vista Prep School Director Matt Gordon recently had this to say about his young guard: "Rokiem is a fantastic scorer and an elite on-the-ball defender. He competes and is a tough shotmaker. He is a very good get for San Jose."

The Northway, a Canadian basketball scouting service, described Green in June: "Rokiem Green is a 6'3" two-way force with game-changing defense and elite scoring ability. On defense, he picks up full court, locks up top guards, and wears them down with his relentless motor. Offensively, he models his game after Lou Williams—scoring at all three levels with ease. One of the top 5 prospects in the 2026 class, Rokiem has real NBA upside."

About Green, NBA Draftpoint wrote in April: "Watching him live at the ACG, he stood out to me one of the best long term prospects out of all the players in attendance. Tough shot maker who’s great at creating space, while becoming a real threat from far beyond the 3-point line. Heavily under recruited."

In an unusual occurrence for SJSU hoops, the Spartans will be landing a freshman talent able to help starting with his first game.

Meet UC Irvine-bound Parker Spees

Call Parker Spees 'Mr. Multi-Dimensional' as there isn't anything he cannot do on the court. Shoot, shoot from 3, pass, rebound, defend, run the court, lead and make his teammates more effective headline his multitude of talents. The 6-foot-9 2026 San Joaquin Memorial High (Fresno) talent recently decided on his college and he's headed to UC Irvine in Orange County. Led by Coach Russell Turner, the Anteaters are members of the Big West Conference and were recently picked to win league this coming season.

As longtime scout Paul Hernandez of Central Coast High School Hoops wrote in December 2024 of Spees in his most recent rankings of 2026 players: "Coming in at #2, and moving up two spots from the last round of these player rankings is the lengthy, tall, and skilled wing/forward Parker Spees of San Joaquin Memorial. Spees played with Jalen Green Elite’s 16u 3SSB team this past Spring and Summer, which helped his stock rise beyond California, and put his name on the radar of 4-year coaches, with high-academic programs at all levels in serious contention, as Spees is also a 4.0+ student in the classroom. Spees had a dominant performance at the 4th Annual Central Cali Prospects Junior/Senior Showcase in early October, scoring an event high 39 points in his second showcase game en route to earning Most Outstanding Player honors. Spees impacts both ends of the court, protects the rim in the paint and contests perimeter shots on closeouts, has good hands around the basket, can score the ball from 3-levels, is accurate with the 3-ball especially off the catch and shoot, has the handles to attack from the top of the key, and is playing above the rim more frequently to showcase his athleticism. Good court vision to find open teammates, can push the ball off the glass, and does all the little things to impact winning."

Dinos Trigonis succinctly posted this on June 27 of this year on X: "...6-8 2026 Parker Spees is one of the West's most underrated skilled Fs."

Former San Jose State University player and current coach and trainer Mike Moore offered "Parker Spees went off at Section 7! and Cali Live! A 6’10” unicorn! Does it all, can handle it, facilitate it, blocks shots, elite  Rebounder, great passer, Ambidextrous dunker, and can score and shoot it!"

With his bonafides established, why the choice of the Anteaters for college ball?

"Overall, UC Irvine is the best fit for the player I am. It's a high academic school with a high basketball culture. Coach Turner has a great track record of developing players at my position. He once coached Tim Duncan at Wake Forest (the San Antonio Spur great and NBA Haller-of-Famer)."

The winningest coach in Irvine history, Turner sports a 63% winning percentage (321-187) and has bagged seven regular season conference championships.

Besides the Anteaters, with other offers from Fresno State, Montana, Pepperdine, UC Riverside, Long Beach State, Utah Tech, Northeastern and Boston University, Spees noted a timing to his visits. With a maximum of five official recruiting visits available per the NCAA, "last weekend was my final visit and it was to Irvine. I did that on purpose." He wanted to fresh experience UC Irvine in comparison with his other options. Luckily for Turner and Company, Spees was most impressed with what Irvine had to offer.

In his conversations with the Irvine coaching staff, "they see me as a stretch forward with a lot of ball touches and a quarterback of the team offensively."

Spees' initial hoops goals are "I want to develop early on because I want to shoot for Freshman of the Year honors or as close to that as possible."

Asked to detail what he views as his best basketball attributes, Spees offered "my versatility, like putting the ball on the floor, attacking on the perimeter, my IQ with ball reads and blocking shots." With an eye always on maximizing his potential, he said, "but I always want to get better."

Two other Spees elements are also must mentions. Regarding leadership, he offered, "Yes, I'm definitely a leader on my high school team." Previously a by example leader, "This season, I'm definitely more vocal in guiding my teammates." The other worthy component is his uber excellence in the classroom. "Last semester, I finished with a 4.4 grade point average and I have a cumulative 4.2 grade point average." Not just a one trick pony only as a basketball prospect, Spees demonstrably works just as hard to be his best in the classroom. His life 'mantra" is "how you do anything is how you do everything." Consistency of character is important to him.

By the way, his father stands 6-foot-5, his mother 6-foot-1 and his Dad played volleyball at UC Santa Barbara. Spees participated in basketball, soccer and volleyball growing up, beginning organized hoops "when I was around six years old."

He cited "my parents" as his biggest basketball influences because "they helped me stay the course" and also lauded "the good coaches I had growing up." Spees also offered thanks to "my family, teammates, trainers, those who helped me with my recruitment and to God for helping with my mental state and in staying humble.

Spees selected a fairly recent achievement in detailing his best hoops moment. Ultimately enjoying 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 62-60 victory, he said "I hit a game-winning three when we were down by two against Sunnyslope (Phoenix)." That's Spees.

He will be a business major in college.