49ers look to bring home BVC title

Looking back at last season, the Bay Valley Conference was a three team race a year ago. Contra Costa, Yuba and Los Medanos won 20 games and made post season appearances in the 2021-2022 season. The Comets made a post season bang and picked up a win before losing to College of the Sequoias in the sweet 16. Los Medanos picked up a win over Santa Rosa before losing in the sweet 16 to City College of San Francisco. Yuba was another team that picked up a victory over San Mateo in the 2nd round and lost to West Valley in the sweet 16. Merritt and Mendocino floated around .500 and missed the post season and will look to have an improved season. Overall we think this conference is a two team race for the Bay Valley Conference championship for the 2022-2023 season.

2022-2023 Signal The Light Basketball Bay Valley Conference Projection

Yuba (20-10): The 2021-2022 Yuba 49ers got off to a slow start in the first month of the season. After losing their first three games of the season, Yuba played solid basketball and went on to win their next four games. Yuba had trouble finding consistency against teams that had winning records as the 49ers went 2-6 against teams that had winning records in non conference action. As conference rolled around, the 49ers found themselves in usual manner dominating play in Bay Valley Conference action. A late loss in conference action against Merritt dimmed their chances of a conference championship as the 49ers finished conference play 13-3 and a 2nd place finish behind Contra Costa. Yuba earned a 10 seed picked up a road victory over San Mateo in the post season before losing to West Valley in the sweet 16. Coming into the new season, the 49ers will return five players from last seasons team. “6-8” RJ Smith returns to the team after averaging 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds a year ago. “6-9” Konner Baroni (6.8 points) adds depth to the front line, “6-0” Illyas Rafiq (5.5 points), “6-1” Jagir Johal (1.6 points) and “6-5” Daniel Andreyev (2.0 points) will all return for the upcoming season. “6-0” Demarreya Lewis-Cooper (Enterprise HS), “6-4” Devon Malcolm (South Medford), “6-6” Cam Niles (Del Campo HS), “6-8” Majer Sullivan (Antelope), “6-5” Brandon Carleton (Bella Vista) will all be freshman that will look to contribute.

Projection: The 49ers will be one of the bigger teams in the state and have solid pieces that spell the word success. The loss of Jacob Henry will hurt but Yuba has a lot of pieces in store to make this a very good possibility of having a standout season. We expect Yuba to win the Bay Valley Conference and make a deep post season run as coach Cornelius and company are usually around late in the season each year.

STLB best college prospect: “6-4” Devon Malcolm

Contra Costa (23-5): Last season was a season to remember for Contra Costa College. The Comets had a freshmen heavy team and started off the season winning nine of their first ten games. Contra Costa continued to roll and finished the regular season with a 22-4 record. The Comets went 14-2 in conference action and brought home the Bay Valley Conference championship. Contra Costa went into the post season as a six seed, picked up a 2nd round victory over San Jose but lost in the sweet 16 to Sequoias on the road. Coming into the new season, the Comets will return our Signal The Light Basketball Norcal freshman of the year “6-4” Seneca Willoughby. The guard averaged 14.4 points and 6.4 assists in his freshman season. “5-11” Miles Lewis (15.9 points), “6-2” Landen Manuel (3.2 points), and “6-5” Jordan Lilley (6.2 points), “6-4” Jakarri Lindsey (8.1 points), and “6-0” Jordan Rosales (6.0 points) all retrun for their sophomore seasons. “6-0” Central Arizona transfer Brahjon Thompson, “6-8” Shaquan Horsey (Chester HS), “6-9” Kameron Robinson (Garfield HS), “6-6” Jermiah Stamps, “6-3” Darren Bracey, “6-6” Omari Pretson-Jordan will all look to contribute for the upcoming season.

Projection: The Comets have some key pieces coming back this season after winning 23 games a year ago. The loss of John Wade hurts, but Willoughby and Lewis are a solid 1-2 punch in the back court. Contra Costa has a lot of experience and Coach Miguel Johnson and company will be back in the mix of things for the upcoming year. We expect the Comets have a good chance to have another successful campaign as we project Contra Costa to finish in 2nd place in the Bay Valley Conference for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.

STLB best college prospect: “6-4” Seneca Willoughby

Mendocino (14-14): Last season was a disappointing season for the Eagles as Mendocino struggled to find consistency in the win column. The Eagles were a very streaky team and finished the season with 14 wins and a 9-7 5th place finish in the Bay Valley Conference. This upcoming season, the Eagles will look to replace two 20 point scorers (Neal and Hallums), Trey Conrad, and a solid front court player in Shafee Mumin. One positive is Mendocino is returning five players from a year ago, but not a lot of scoring comes back from a season ago. “6-4” Brandon Macharia (4.2 points), “6-5” Isiah Garza (3.3 points), “6-0” Nik Burns (2.2 points), “5-11” Donniell Johnson (2.8 points) and “6-6” Nathan Behr all will be sophomores for the upcoming season. “6-1” AJ Cuffie, “6-2” Jack Reardon, “6-8” Cheikh Gueye (transfer from Santa Rosa JC), “6-3” Darius Ford and “6-5” Saben Atteberry (Analy HS) will all look to contribute for the upcoming season.

Projection: The Eagles will figure out on the fly on how to replace to 20 point scorers but if there is anyone in the junior college game that can do it is head coach Billy Offill. Mendocino continues to win games and coach Offill and his staff get the best out of their players year in and year out. This upcoming season, Mendocino returns experience but who will be that guy and step up in the scoring role. We like the experience for sure which will be vital and Mendocino is another one of those teams that seem to get better as the year moves along. We project the Eagles to finish in the upper half of the conference and finish in 3rd place for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.

STLB best college prospect: “6-8” Cheikh Gueye

Los Medanos (24-6): What a season it was for the Mustangs a year ago as Los Medanos was a standout team in Northern California. Los Medanos started off the season winning 10 straight, won 24 games and finished Bay Valley Conference action with a 12-4 record and a third place finish. The Mustangs earned a 9 seed in the post season picked up a second round victory over Santa Rosa before losing in the sweet 16 against San Francisco. Coming into the new season, the Mustangs will lose a ton of scoring from last seasons lineup as Martinez, Holman Vixon and Maggard all graduated. Los Medanos will return one player from last seasons team as “5-8” D’Monty Warner returns for his sophomore season after averaging 9.5 points. “6-5” Jordan Mijas (Transfer DVC), “6-2” Dubem Boardman (Transfer Santa Rosa), “6-6” Jacob Rubin and “6-5” Adegoke Adeyemi will all add sophomore experience to the team. “5-8” Phillip Dungo (Hercules HS), “6-1” Devin Carson (Deer Valley HS), “6-4” Jason Zimmer (Clayton Valley Charter), “6-5” Ramon Bailey (Clayton Valley Charter), and “6-6” Tochi Ouyeador (Pittsburg) are all freshmen that will look to contribute.

Projection: Los Medanos lost a lot of pieces from last seasons squad that was one of the highest scoring offenses in the state. The Mustangs return one player off last seasons 24 win team but looked solid at the jamboree at American River Junior College. Los Medanos lacks experience and will learn on the fly, Adeyemi is a rim protector, Bailey is a solid defender and the Mustangs will still have to find ways to score the basketball. We project that the Mustangs will have a slip from last season and fall a little bit in the standings. We project that the Mustangs will finish in 4th place in the Bay Valley Conference for the upcoming season.

STLB best college prospect: “6-5” Adegoke Adeyemi

Marin (4-22): Last season College of the Marin had a forgetful season as the Mariners struggled and only managed four wins. Marin finished with two wins in Bay Valley Conference action and gained valuable experience for the upcoming season. Looking into the upcoming season, the Mariners return four players from last seasons team. Leading the list of returners is “6-2” Daniel Fagan, the guard comes back to the team after averaging 18.6 points per game and the guard shot 47% from downtown in his first season. “6-3” Blake Murray (8.3 points), “6-3” Luke Vrcelj (5.9 points) and “6-6″ Lukas Prongos (13.7 points) return for their sophomore season.”6-0” Kori McCoy is transferring from San Mateo and averaged 6.3 points per contest last season. “6-9” Anton Williams (De Anza HS), “6-6” Ray-Love Alondre (El Cerrito HS), “6-4” Cobi Wilson (Aloha HS), “6-4” Ismael Ngom (Prestige Prep), and “6-0” Logan Coverson (Salesian College Prep) will all be freshman looking to contribute to the program.

Projection: The Mariners will be a much improved team for the upcoming season. Fagan is a standout guard that will provide scoring and is capable of getting other players involved within the offense. Prongos is another scoring threat along with Blake Murray within the squad. Mccoy is a solid transfer that will add depth to the back court as he comes from a solid program. Bottom line is Marin will challenge teams within the conference and it would not surprise us if they shoot up the standings and finish in the upper half. We project Marin to finish 5th place in the Bay Valley Conference but could see them jump as high as 3rd place for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.

STLB best college prospect: “6-2” Daniel Fagan

Merritt (15-13): The 2021-2022 Merritt Thunderbirds team had trouble finding consistency throughout the whole year. After starting the season 1-5, Merritt could not put together a lot of momentum and finished the season with 15 wins. In conference action, the Thunderbirds went 10-6 and finished in 4th place but missed the post season after a struggle in non conference action. As the season approaches, the Thunderbirds return four players from a year ago. “6-1” DJ Leaks returns after averaging 12.6 points per contest and will be a standout for Merritt this season. “6-0” Iniko Mcneil, “6-5” Djahi Walker (3.7 points) and “6-9” Kaden Pierce (9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds) will be a solid front court player for the Thunderbirds. “6-2” Solomon Bland returns back to the team after playing back in 2018-2019. “6-4” Shamar Cook (Alameda HS), “6-5” Abel Ketema (Oakland Tech HS), “6-4” Josh Palmer (Alhambra HS) and “5-9” Tristan Ali (College Park HS) and “6-7” Chokri Bachta (Tunisia) will look to have solid seasons for the Thunderbirds.

Projection: This upcoming season the Thunderbirds will be a team that will try and be consistent. Merritt struggled at times putting consecutive good games together. We like Mcneil and Leaks in the back court but will lack wing depth from a scoring stand point. Kaden Pierce gives Merritt a front court option but he will have to do more at the scoring end for the Thunderbirds to be more successful. Overall, we think the Thunderbirds took a step backwards and will finish in the lower half of the conference for the 2022-2023 and finish in 6th place for the upcoming season.

STLB best college prospect: “6-9” Kaden Pierce

Alameda (4-24): Last season it was a tough season for Alameda College as the Cougars struggled and won four games. First year head coach Ravi Bhambhra got the job really late and was not able to bring in a solid recruiting class to put on the floor. The Cougars picked up three conference wins and finished in 7th place in the Bay Valley Conference. Looking into the 2022-2023 season, Alameda will return one player from last seasons team as “6-2” Humza Alqublani returns for his sophomore season after averaging 3.6 points per season. There will be a lot of new faces this upcoming season as “6-0” Jordan Jackson will bring a scoring punch to the Cougars. “6-0” Amantu Diop (Encincal HS), “6-4” Paul Diomande (Combine HS), “6-2” Bryce Wells (Mt. Eden HS) “6-4” Shaquille opkins (Douglass HS), “6-4” Saji Muanza (McClymonds HS), and “6-8” Petar Mijatovic (Gateway Legacy) will look to contribute as freshman for the upcoming season.

Projection: Alameda will have a lot of newcomers and will be a fairly young team. A lot of roles will be defined as the season moves along but lack experience for the upcoming season. We like Wells, and Jackson and Mijatovic is a solid front court player that shown he can do a lot of things at the offensive end of the floor. We project that Alameda will be an improved team but still finish in the lower half of the conference finishing in 7th place in the Bay Valley Conference for the 2022-2023 season.

STLB best college prospect: “6-8” Petar Mijatovic

Solano (3-24): In the 2021-2022 season, the Solano Falcons struggled to find the win column. The Falcons picked up two wins in non conference action but failed to see a consistent win total in Bay Valley action as Solano finished 1-15. This upcoming season the Falcons will return four players that will bring sophomore experience to the team. Leading the list of those four sophomores is “6-2” Jonathon Cobbs as the guard averaged 16.3 points per game last season. “5-11” Jacob Ebert returns and will add depth to the back court as the sophomore averaged 13.3 points per contest. “6-0” Leon Fong (1.3 points) and “6-2” Samuel Lenjik (8.0 points) will come back to the team and add more depth to the back court. “5-10” Dwayne Crosse (Freedom HS), “6-5” Ajani Monroe, “5-11” Jacques Jones (Vanden HS), “6-2” Troy Dawkins (John Finney HS), and “6-2” Jordan Fleming (Vallejo HS) will be freshmen looking to standout this season for the Falcons.

Projection: This season could be a struggle for the Falcons as Solano lacks front court depth. Solano returns two players that averaged in double figures and Lenjik has a great skill set that fits the college game. The Falcons will try and figure out on the fly who will help out rebounding and guard bigger teams. At the end of the day, Solano has some nice pieces in the back court but we project it will not be enough to finish in the upper half of the conference. We project that the Falcons will finish in 8th place in the Bay Valley Conference in the 2022-2023 season.

STLB best college prospect: “6-2” Samuel Lenjik

Napa Valley (9-19): Last season Napa Valley struggled in non conference action as the Storm started off the 2021-2022 campaign with 10 straight losses. The Storm settled in and finished off the rest of the season with a 9-10 record as the season moved forward. Napa Valley finished off the regular season winning three of their last four and finished conference play with a 8-8 record which was good for a 6th place finish. Looking into the new season, the Storm lost Shakir Howard and Jaivon Harris two high caliber scorers and will look to replace them with new players across the board. The Storm return six players from last season team and leading the list of players returning is “6-4” Cameron Joseph. The shooting guard showed a good level of scoring the basketball after averaging 12.7 points per game in his freshman season. “5-11” Chris Thompson (8.7 points), “6-1” Albert Dennis (7.0 points), “5-7” Deontae Jenkins (2.1 points), “6-5” Saige Vasser-Rich (2.4 points) and “6-0” Clay Coyle (1.7 points) are all sophomores that will look to step up this season. “5-10” Andrew Navarro (White Oak, NC), “6-5” Ethan Williams (Rio Lindo Academy), “6-6” Arthur Larry (Oak Hills HS), and “Keith Nyangena (JJ Pierce HS) will look to step up as freshmen for the upcoming season.

Projection: The Storm will have to replace a lot of scoring from last season and will look to have a quality 2022-2023 season. We really like Cameron Joseph, but the guard will need to be aggressive and be that number one guard that we expect him to be within the lineup. Thompson and Dennis showed that they have scoring ability but a thin front line could hurt the Storm. We expect Napa to have a drop from last season and finishing at the bottom of the Bay Valley Conference for the 2022-2023 season.

STLB best college prospect: “6-4” Cameron Joseph

STLB Bay Valley Conference preseason 2022-2023 All Conference team

G: Seneca Willoughby (Contra Costa)

G: Daniel Fagan (Marin)

G: Devon Malcolm (Yuba)

F: RJ Smith (Yuba)

F: Adegoke Adeyemi (Los Medanos)

Other standouts within the conference: D’Monty Warner (Los Medanos), Cameron Joseph (Napa), Lukas Prongos (Marin), Miles Lewis (Contra Costa), Jakarri Lindsey (Contra Costa), Samuel Lenjik (Solano), Jordan Jackson (Alameda), DJ Leaks (Merritt),

Signal The Light Basketball Bay Valley Conference Projection

1. Yuba

2. Contra Costa

3. Mendocino

4. Los Medanos

5. Marin

6. Merritt

7. Alameda

8. Solano

9. Napa