Three team battle in Coast South
Last season, West Valley ran away with the Coast South Conference championship as the Vikings went 28-4 and lost in the state championship against San Francisco. San Jose and Cabrillo both made the post season as San Jose lost in the 2nd round and Cabrillo picked up a first round win but lost to San Francisco in the 2nd round. Monterey stumbled late and missed the post season and Gavilan was a team that was full of streaks. Overall the conference is better as a whole but we do not see a clear favorite winning the conference for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
2022-2023 Signal The Light Coast South Conference Projection
Cabrillo (18-12): Last season, Cabrillo struggled to start off the season as the Seahawks started the season off 4-5 in the month of November. As the season moved along, Cabrillo improved and the wins started adding up and by the end of the season, the school from Aptos had 18 victories and finished the Coast South Conference tied for 2nd place with a 8-4 record. Cabrillo made the post season as the 17th seed in Northern California picked up a road win over American River before losing in the 2nd round against top seeded San Francisco. As the new season nears, the Seahawks will return four players from last seasons team that made the post season. “6-1” Joe Rush returns for his sophomore season after averaging 12.9 points per game. “”6-2” Cam Noel (8.6 points), “6-8” Samy Buteau (5.3 points) and “6-7” Cainan Wright (4.0 points) are all back as well for the Seahawks. “6-6” Marco Beverly is a transfer from Ancilla College and will add sophomore experience to the team. “”6-5” Clarence Martin Jr. (Feltrim Prep), “6-8” Dylan Power, “6-2” Jalen Cunningham, “6-4” Amare Ames (Kearns HS), and “6-2” Darius Best is a redshirt but another player that will add depth to the squad after coming from North Carolina A&T.
Projection: Coming into the new season, the Seahawks will have to find replacements for Alfred, Aponte, James and Spencer. Cabrillo has solid back court players and have length in their front court and on the wing as well. We really like the potential of this team as we feel they have a chance to be one of the better teams in Northern California. We project the Seahawks have a chance to be one of the three teams that have a chance at the Coast South championship for the 2022-2023 season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-1” Joe Rush
West Valley (28-4): Last season the Vikings had a season to remember as West Valley had a standout 2021-2022 year. West Valley started off the season winning their first nine games of the year and continued to stack in victories throughout the year. After a January 8th loss against East Los Angeles, the Vikings went on to win 12 straight conference games and take home the Coast South Conference championship. Going into the post season, the Vikings earned a 2nd seed and went on to pick up wins against Chabot, Yuba, Citrus, and West Los Angeles before losing in the state championship against City College of San Francisco. Coming into the upcoming season, West Valley will have to replace five players that averaged in double figures from last season. The Vikings return four players from a year ago and all four players saw limited playing time in their first season in Saratoga. “6-8” Malik Patton returns to the squad after averaging 4.3 points per game. “6-5” Ignacio Bettinelli (3.5 points), “6-5” Noah Yang (2.9 points) and “6-8” Tyler Watters all return for their sophomore campaign. “6-3” Nick Attanasio a transfer from Southern Nevada CC will stretch the floor for the Vikings. “6-1” Yigit Arcan (Orange Lutheran), “6-4″ Jeremiah Dargan (Clayton Valley Charter),”6-4” Alex Perez (Independence HS) “6-4” Ryan MacArthur (Del Mar HS), “6-6” Elijah Mahi (Potters House) and “6-7” Harry Nauci (Santa Clara) will all contribute this season for the Vikings.
Projection: The 2022-2023 Vikings will have to replace a lot of production from last seasons team. West Valley will learn on the fly and figure out roles as the season moves along. Elijah Mahi and Harry Nauci are two freshmen that will impact the conference. Dargan showed some promise at the jamborees and Attanasio will open the floor with his shooting ability. West Valley could struggle early but Coach Yoshikawa and his team will improve as the season moves along. The Vikings lost a lot of players but coaching will play a big part and be a big reason why West Valley has another chance to win the Coast South Conference championship.
STLB best college prospect: “6-6” Elijah Mahi
San Jose (22-7): The Jaguars had a solid season a year ago as San Jose was one of the better teams in Northern California. San Jose went 14-2 in non conference action but struggled in Coast South Conference action going 8-4 and lost their final two games of the regular season. The Jaguars picked up an eleven seed going into the post season and suffered a 2nd round loss against Contra Costa to end their season. “6-6” David Galentine leads the list of returnees for the upcoming season as the sophomore averaged 13.4 points and 9.4 rebounds last year. “6-3” Mison Coilton (6.5 points) and “6-4” Lee Ridley (3.8 points) are two other standouts that return to the Jaguars for the upcoming season. “6-3” Gavin Wilburn, “6-5” Jordan Gill, “6-3” Jerry Jackson, “6-6” Nikola Milojevic will bring in sophomore experience to the team. “6-0” AB Gilchrists (Newark Memorial HS), “6-1” Jacob Harper (American HS), “6-6” Jurrien Sparks (Castro Valley HS), and “6-4” Dev Chatha (Fremont HS) will look to have solid freshmen seasons.
Projection: San Jose will look to have another season of success after posting a 20 win season a year ago. The Jaguars return two players and bring in a lot of talent for the upcoming year. San Jose has a ton of athleticism and potential for the year and it will be interesting to see how all of the newcomers will come together. Galentine is one a tough match up for bigs with his motor, and the Jags have plenty of athletes on the wing. We project San Jose to have a very good season and be in the race to battle for the Coast South Conference championship. It will be a race to watch and it would not surprise us if they finished at the top of the standings as we have them projected to be one of the three teams that could win the Coast South Conference.
STLB best college prospect: “6-4” David Galentine
Gavilan (13-15): Last year, the Rams were a inconsistent basketball team and floated around the .500 mark for most of the season. Gavilan struggled with injuries and never were able to get into full stride throughout the season. Gavilan was a streaky team and the Rams hit a six game losing streak in conference action that hurt their chances to get into the post season. Gavilan finished the season with 13 wins and went 4-8 in Coast South Conference action. Coming into the new season, Gavilan will return four players from last seasons team that won 13 games. “6-6” Caleb Onuonga (12.0 points), “6-9” Collin Williams (1.8 points), “6-6” Jaylin Williams (8.7 points) and “6-7” Jailen Daniel-Dalton (13.1 points) is the key piece for the Rams. “6-2” Alex Harris is transferring in from De Anza College and Cameran Thomas is coming over from Ohlone College. “6-7” Ryan Harris (Scotts Valley), “6-5” Isiah Lewis (Del Mar HS), “6-4” Isaiah Hinds (Herritage HS), “6-0” George Mena (Klein Cain HS), “6-7” Fabian Reichstadt (Capitol Christian) will add versatility and “6-6” Kashwell Pugh (Andrew Hill HS) will add depth to the lineup.
Projection: Gavilan is a very intriguing team for us as a lot will depend on Jailen Daniel Dalton. If the “6-7” wing is available then the Rams are a team that can play with anyone in the conference. The Rams have experience and some nice pieces that make them extremely competitive but we feel Daniel Dalton may be the best player within the conference. Harris and Thomas are two transfers that averaged in double figures last season and will add depth but the Rams have the core and a chance to be a team that could sneak into the top 3 but at this point we have them projected as the 4th best team in the Coast South Conference for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-7” Jailen Daniel-Dalton
Monterey (15-11): It was a tale of two halves for the Lobos last season as Monterey Peninsula ended non conference action with an 11-3 record. Once conference rolled around, it was a different story as the Lobos became a streaky team. After winning their first conference game, Monterey lost their next four, followed that up with three straight wins but ended the season with five straight losses and missed the postseason. As the new year is coming closer, the Lobos will return three players from last seasons team that won 15 games. “6-0” Kenny Garrard (7.4 points), “6-2” Chris Anderson (8.1 points) and “6-3” Tre Titus (6.6 points) all will provide depth to the back court for the upcoming season. “6-0” Nate Jean Pierre (Palma HS), “6-1” Malik Ross (Tualatin HS), “6-5” Suheil Ibrahim is coming over from Gavilan JC after averaging 12.1 points per game last season, “6-2” Jadan Adams, and “6-1” AJ Gbenator (Rocklin HS) will look to contribute for the 2022-2023 season.
Projection: Monterey is an interesting team from our standpoint for the upcoming season. The Lobos have a solid back court returning but one name that we are wondering about is Parker Hunt. With Hunt, this team becomes a team that could be a contender for the conference championship but without him we project them in the middle of the pack. Coach Spiering does a solid job each year and it will be interesting to see how this team looks when the ball is thrown up in early November. We are projecting them for a 5th place finish for the 2022-2023 season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-5” Suheil Ibrahim
Hartnell (10-17): The Panthers struggled to find the win column a lot in the 2021-2022 season as Hartnell finished the season with a 10-17 record. Hartnell finished in a tie for 3rd place in Coast South Conference action with a 4-8 record and will look to improve for the upcoming season. Hartnell returns six players from their team from a year ago. “6-2” Tyler Biddison who led the Panthers in scoring returns for his sophomore season after averaging 16.8 points per game in his freshman campaign. “6-4” Connor Brown returns back for his sophomore season after averaging 15.6 points and 7.7 rebounds last season. “5-11” Aaron Garibay (13.3 points), “6-4” Raleigh Shippen (7.8 points), “6-4” Jordan Orozco (7.2 points) and “5-10” Mikey Smith (2.9 points) will all add experience to the Panthers. “6-0” Abraham Rangel (Centennial HS), “6-4” James Ceavin (Taylorsville HS), “5-11” Tyson Driggs (Bingham HS), and “6-0” Joseph Paredes will all look to contribute this upcoming season.
Projection: Experience, experience, and more experience return to the Panthers for the upcoming season. We really like this team and love watching them as the Panthers play so well together which make them a very intriguing team. Coach Vasher and company are one of the most fun teams to watch with their five out offense andif you are not ready to defend slips, back cuts and other various actions then you might end up on the losing side. We really like what they are bringing back as three players return that averaged in double figures. The only area where they may struggle is against more athletic teams and on the glass which happens to be a trademark in the upper half of the conference. We project the Panthers to finish in 5th place but it would not surprise me if they picked up a couple of victories against teams that we have above them to make things interesting this upcoming season in the Coast South Conference.
STLB best college prospect: “6-4” Connor Brown
De Anza (6-21): The Dons had a long season a year ago as De Anza struggled and won six games throughout the 2021-2022 season. De Anza went 2-10 in conference action and finished in 7th place last season. Coming into the new year, the Dons will return one player from last seasons team. “5-10” Tobey Flores returns after averaging 10.2 point per game in his freshman season. “5-8” Alex Ma (Castro Valley HS), “6-1” Timothy Oldham, “6-1” Amari Maze (Venture Academy), “6-1” Luciano Caro (Independence HS), “6-7” Matthew Burger (transfer from Hawaii Pacific), “6-4” Aidan Pereirra (Palos Verdes HS), and “6-4” Gus Giba (Live Oak HS) will look to contribute this upcoming season.
Projection: The Dons will lack experience as one player returns from last years team. Flores returns as the guard averaged in double figures. Oldham gives the Dons another scoring option and Burger will add front line depth to the team. De Anza lacks height and experience which is why it could be a struggle this season for the Dons. Consistent scoring could be another problem and with that being said we project the Dons to finish in 7th place for the 2022-2023 season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-7” Matthew Burger
STLB Coast South preseason 2022-2023 All Conference Team
G: Joe Rush (Cabrillo)
F: Elijah Mahi (West Valley)
F: David Galentine (San Jose)
F: Jalen Daniel-Dalton (Gavilan)
G: Connor Brown (Hartnell)
F: Harry Nauci (West Valley)
Other standouts within the conference: Cam Noel (Cabrillo), Gavin Wilburne (San Jose), Caleb Onuonga (Gavilan), Jaylin Williams (Gavilan), Kenny Garrard (Monterey), Chris Anderson (Monterey), Jermiah Dargan (West Valley), Malik Patton (West Valley), Jordan Orozco (Hartnell), Taylor Bidelison (Hartnell),Timothy Oldham (De Anza).
STLB Projection
not one in this conference ….
