49ers look to repeat as BVC champs

Yuba (26-3, 16-0): Last season the 49ers had a sensational regular season, as Yuba College was one of the standout teams throughout the state of California. Yuba started the season winning their first six games of the season and proved early that they were going to be a team to beat in Northern California. After the hot start, Yuba suffered their first defeat of the season against San Diego and followed that up with a loss against San Jose as the 49ers had lost back to back games. Yuba finished non conference action winning three straight games and went into conference action with a 10-2 record. In Bay Valley Conference action, Yuba went on a tear and picked up sixteen straight conference wins and went undefeated in conference play. In the post season, the 49ers were rewarded with the fourth seed in the Norcal playoffs and faced off against 13th seeded Las Positas. In the match up, the Hawks upended the 49ers and ended Yuba College 20 game winning streak and their season on their home floor in the 2022-2023 season. Yuba ended the season with a 26-3 record but had to be disappointed in the way the post season turned out.

2023-2024 outlook: Coming into a new season, not a lot of teams can say they return a lot of players in general. Yuba did lose RJ Smith, Illyas Rafiq, the versatile Konner Baroni and Junior Sleezer as all of those players played key roles in their success last season, but the 49ers return two players that averaged in double figures and some more key pieces to their team that won 26 games last season. Leading the list of returnees is “6-5” Devon Malcolm who was named to the all state team a year ago after averaging 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds last season as a freshman. The swing player may be one of the most athletic players in the state and will be a player to watch this season for the 49ers. “6-1” Caden Flowers who was named MVP of the Bay Valley Conference returns as well after the point guard averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game a year ago. Flowers is an elite lead guard and will be one of the better guards in the state and should have a breakout sophomore season. “6-6” Cam Niles (9.3 points), “6-1” Demarreya Lewis-Cooper (7.2 points), “6-1” Casen Chaney (2.1 points), and “5-11” Nick Von Zobray (15 games) are all back for the 49ers for their second season. Niles and Cooper will be two more players for the 49ers that are expected to make an impact for Yuba College in the 23-24 season.

Newcomers: Yuba has plenty of pieces coming back, but that did not stop the coaching staff from improving for this upcoming season as the 49ers have an amazing class coming into the program. “6-8” Marley Gonzalez (Esconidido Charter) is going to be very good, “6-7” Logan Steuben (Inderkum) “6-6” Cab Odem (Antelope) will add depth and size to the front court. “6-4” Dylan Harms (Bella Vista) is a sharp shooter, “6-1” Devan Minoui (Will C Wood), “6-2” Jordan Hurtado (Whitney), are all set to contribute as well in the back court for the 49ers. Coach Cornelius and company brought in some size and some great pieces to compliment the returnees.

Projection: Yuba had a solid showing in Southern California and should be a team to beat in Northern California. We really like this team a lot and the 49ers have all the pieces to make a deep run into the post season. Yuba has great guard play, athleticism, shooting and a lot of size that puts them into the elite group of teams in the state. We project the 49ers will win the Bay Valley Conference and we expect them to have a chance to make a deep run into the post season and could see them playing down south at the Elite Eight come March.

Season Opener:

Contra Costa (19-11, 11-5): Last season Contra Costa came into the season with high expectations as the Comets returned plenty of pieces from their deep run from the year before. The Comets were a sophomore heavy team and had a very talented roster. Contra Costa started the season off winning three of their first four including wins against Cosumnes River and Los Medanos . The Comets then lost three of their next four games and went into conference play with a 6-5 record but Contra Costa played one of the tougher schedules in Norcal hands down in non conference action. As conference rolled around, the Comets won eight of their first ten games and picked up a win over Columbia as well in non coference action. Contra Costa seemed to catch their stride. In a crucial state of conference action, the Comets lost 3 of 4 games (Marin, Mendocino and Yuba) and fell into a tie for 3rd place and finished the regular season with a 18-10 record. In the post season the Comets were named a 9th seed picked up a home win against Skyline but their season was ended in the 2nd round against Columbia 65-54 and the Comets finished their 2022-2023 campaign with a 19-11 record.

2023-2024 outlook: As the 23-24 season comes into play, the Comets have established themselves as a premier program in Northern California as coach Johnson and company continue to pile up wins and put out talented players that move on to the four year level. The Comets won 19 games last season but lost a lot of pieces that helped them get to that win total from a year ago. The Comets lost Miles Lewis, Seneca Willoughby, Jordan Rosales, Jakarri Lindsey, and Jordan Stamps to name a few and only return two players in 6-9″ Kamron Robinson and “6-6” Christopher Sanders who played in 17 games from last seasons team. Robinson is a very talented big man that averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in his freshman year and looks like he is going to have a big season for the Comets. Contra Costa will have a lot of new pieces and it will be intriguing to see how the upcoming season turns out.

Newcomers: The Comets will welcome in a lot of new pieces for the upcoming season. “6-4” Jelani Clark is coming in from East Central CC, “5-11” Keon Henderson (Oakpark, MI), “6-2” Ashton Henderson (Oakpark, MI) “6-3” Prime Jaikhye Payton (Lincoln, NJ) and left handed shooter “6-2” Keith Allison will give Contra Costa valuable sophomore experience as all five are coming into the program. “6-4” Mikey Pierce (American Canyon) is going to be one of the best scoring freshman in the state coming into the program as the freshman can score it in a variety of ways. “6-3” Joseph Gould (Rodriguez HS), “6-3” Amari Robinson (Paraclete), “6-0” Kaleb Allison (Pinole Valley), “6-2” Zayn Kimbrough (Balboa HS), and “6-4” Alvin Watts (Oakland Tech) will all look to contribute as freshmen.

Projection: The Comets only return two players from last seasons team and have brought in a good mix of sophomores and freshmen for the upcoming season. How long will it take them to mesh as it is a brand new group for the most part. Contra Costa should be in the mix of things and will challenge Yuba at the top of the conference but will they have enough to knock off the experienced 49ers? We feel that the Comets will finish in 2nd place and get to the nod to make the post season coming into the 2023-2024 season.

Season Opener: 11/2 @ Las Poistas Tournament vs American River

Marin (15-13, 11-5) It was a tale of two seasons last year for the Mariners. College of Marin got off to a slow start in non conference, after winning their season opener against Skyline, the Mariners found it hard to find consistency in the win column. In their defense, the non conference schedule was a gauntlet and Marin was 4-8 in non conference action and all eight of those losses were against teams that made the post season. The non conference schedule help them prepare for the Bay Valley Conference later down the road. After starting conference play losing three out of their first four games, Marin caught fire and began to play solid basketball. The Mariners won their next four games, suffered a loss to Yuba but closed out the season winning five of their last six games and finished tied for third place in the Bay Valley Conference. It was a close call, but the Mariners missed the post season with a 15-13 record, but very deserving of a post season spot in our personal opinion.

2023-2024 outlook: The Mariners come into the season having to replace some key pieces from last seasons 15 win team. Leading scorer Daniel Fagan (15.2 points), Lukas Prongos (10.3 points), and Anton Williams (10.6 points) and Blake Murray (5.8 points) are all gone for the upcoming season. Fagan had a sensational season but the loss of Williams may hurt the most with his ability to rebound and he was a tough match up for many players around the conference. As for the players that remain, the Mariners return five players from last seasons team. “5-11” Tre McPherson leads the list of returnees coming back this season. McPherson averaged 8.9 points per game in his freshman season and has a very nice mid range game. “6-0” Logan Coverson (4.3 points), “6-4” Cobi Wilson (2.4 points), “6-4” Devin Mims (3.8 points), and “6-5” Ismael Ngom will also provide sophomore experience to the table.

Newcomers: The Mariners will look for some newcomers to step in and make an impact right away after losing some key pieces from a year ago. “6-7” Aadam Coliibably a transfer from Independence CC could be a very impactful player for the Mariners for the upcoming season. The athletic forward will provide athleticism and size to the team. “6-8” Jhaunte Helton (Mission HS) and “6-7” Denim Tuala-Fata (New Zeland) will also add some front court depth. “5-10” Justin Aquino (Lincoln HS), “6-4” Mohommad Al-Fahd (Fremont HS), “6-4” Jabez Worthington (North Carolina) and “6-5” Jared Williams (New Jersey) will all look to contribute this upcoming season.

Projection: Marin will look to build off last seasons late run of wins and make a post season run. The Mariners lost some key components from last seasons team and Marin has a lot of scoring to replace. McPherson, Mims and Coverson showed scoring ability at the jamboree and Colibably will provide plenty of athleticism. We project the Mariners will make a push in the upper half of the conference and have a shot at making the post season for the upcoming 23-24 season.

Season opener: 11/1 vs Santa Rosa

Los Medanos (22-8, 13-3): The Mustangs had a solid season after a slow start to the 22-23 season. AFter starting the season losing two of their first three games, Los Medanos College went 7-2 and headed into Bay Valley Conference action with plenty of confidence and a ended non conference action with an 8-4 record. Los Medanos has been one of the standout teams in Northern Caliofrnia and have been able to challenge in the top of the standings with plenty of offensive fire power. As conference rolled around, the Mustangs suffered a conference opening loss against Contra Costa but won seven straight games to put themselves in position for a conference championship. The Mustangs played well throughout conference action but could not get over the hump and lost to Yuba twice and finished conference action with a 13-3 record which was good enough to bring home 2nd place. Los Medanos earned the 10th seed in the post season picked up a home win against Siskiyous 90-80 but lost in the round of 16 against a very good Chabot team to end their season.

2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season, the Mustangs have to replace some key pieces from a year ago. At point guard they will miss D’Montay Warner who was a sparkplug and the Mustangs will miss his in your face mentality and his 13.8 points per game that he brought to the table. Los Medanos also lost Jason Zimmer (13.1 points), Jordan Mijas, Raymond Serna, Dubem Boardman but also the front court dominance of Adegoke Adeyemi who did more than what his stats show. Adegoke averaged 7.9 points and 12.3 rebounds but his rim protection was second to none for the Mustangs as he led the state in blocked shots.The Mustangs lost some key elements but do return three pieces from last seasons team that won 22 games. “6-2” Devin Carson returns for his sophomore season after averaging 18.6 points per game. Carson can flat out score the rock in a variety of ways as the guard shot 39% from downtown while shooting 39% from distance. “6-5” Ramon Bailey returns to the team as well after averaging 14.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in his freshman campaign. Bailey shot 44% from downtown while making 82 three pointers in his first season. A.J Dungo will be back as well after averaging 3.8 points and the guard is expected to play a bigger role this season.

Newcomers: N/A at the time of press

Projection: It is difficult to say without knowing newcomers but we will say that Carson and Bailey will be a solid duo that can score the basketball. Both players are coming off sensational freshman seasons so expectations for those two are very high to say the least. Carson will probably play on the ball more and it will be intersting to see how there front court pans out. The Mustangs can usualy score the ball at a high level but the one concern has usually been rebounding and size. Time will tell where they will be but at this time we expect them to be a fairly competitive team but without knowing about newcomers it is kind of hard to make a full projection.

Season Opener: 11/2 vs Cosumnes River @ Las Positas Tournament

Mendocino (9-19, 6-10): It was a tough season for the Eagles in the 2022-2023 season. Mendocino started off the season losing three straight games and never really found consistency throughout the season. After the early losses, Mendocino did find a way to pick up three non conference wins but as conference rolled around the Eagles were 3-9 and had victories over Ohlone and Feather River twice. Mendocino picked up a conference openening win against Merritt, the Ealges lost six straight and never really found a rhythm in Bay Valley Conference action. Mendocino finished conference action with a 6-10 record and in games decided by 6 points or less the Eagles were 4-6 in conference action.The Eagles finished with a 9-19 record and Mendocino missed the post season in the 22-23 season.

2023-2024 outlook: As the new season approaches the Eagles will look to have a competitivev 23-24 season. Mendocino lost leading scorer Jack Reardon (18.5 points), AJ Cuffie, Brandon Macharia, Isiah Garza, Donniel Johnson and Cheikh Gueve to graduation. Cuffie and Readron were two standouts in the back court and provided a quality scoring touch for the Eagles. “5-10” Indy Dosanjh (22 games), and “6-3” Darius Ford are the only two players that return for the Eagles for the upcoming season.

Newcomers: Mendocino will welcome in a lot of new faces into their program for the upcoming season. “6-6” Nathan Behr and “6-0” Nick Burns both return after redshirting this past season. Both players should make an impact as Behr adds size and stretches the floor and Burns gives the Eagles a scoring option in the back court. “6-3” Ahmad Artis and “6-2″ Jordan Emory are two back court transfers from Paris CC and both players will be impact players for Mendocino.”6-2” Tre’quan Scott (Darlington, SC), “6-3” Gavin Reid (Analy HS), “5-10” Omare Edwards (Fortune HS), and “6-5” Jaymaree Johnson (Washington Union HS) will all look to contribute as freshman for the Eagles.

Projection: Mendocino lost two key back court pieces but it seems that they have two incoming transfers in Artis and Emory who may be able to provide a scoring punch. Coach Offill and company are very well coached and always have a toughness to them. The Eagles may struggle on the glass against bigger teams which may be an issue when facing Yuba and Contra Costa but we see the Eagles being in the middle of the pack in the Bay Valley Conference with a chance of making the post season.

Season opener: 11/3 @ Cabrillo

Merritt (10-18, 5-11)

2023-2024 outlook: As the new season approaches, the Thunderbirds will look to have a successful season after winning 10 games a year ago and finishing in the bottom half of the Bay Valley Conference. The Thunderbirds lost DJ Leaks, Solomon Bland and Rashid Potter but Merritt returns five players back from last seasons team which is plenty to build off for the upcoming season. Leading the list of returnees back for the upcoming year, is “6-7” Chokri Bachta who averaged a double double in his freshman campaign. Bachta averaged 11.3 points and 10.1 rebounds and should have another standout season with his ability to stretch the floor and his rebounding ability. “6-4” Shamar Cook (9.0 points), “6-4” Josh Palmer (9.3 points) both will add depth to the wing position after having solid freshmen campaigns. “5-10” Tristan Ali (6.7 points, 2.3 assists) is back after holding down the point guard position last season. “6-6” Jude Rockafellow (2.3 points) returns as well for Merritt for his sophomore season. “6-7” Kymani Ladi returns after redshirting and is expected to provide some scoring punch and versatility on the offensive end. Merritt does welcome back a lot of pieces and with that being said they have a chance to have a solid upcoming season.

Newcomers: Coming into the new season, Coach Jones and the Thunderbirds looks like they made a point to get bigger as the Thunderburds have added a lot of size.”6-8″ Findlay Reid (Impact Academy), “6-8” Kaidon Sander (Willetton HS -Austraila), “6-7” Aziz Hantous (Loyalty Prep) and “6-9” Dan Smith (Impact Academy) are all listed on the roster and will add some front court size. “6-2” Will Comerford (Miami Prep), “6-3” Eli Hicks (Middle GA Prep) and “6-5” Lucas Thorgood (Impact Academy) will also add depth to the squad for the upcoming season.

Projection: The Thunderbirds have some pieces to say the least, Merritt returns three guys that averaged 9 or more points per game and also add Kymani Ladi who averaged 14.5 points in 21-22 back to the table as well. Merritt got bigger and that is huge within the Bay Valley Conference which is why I think they will catapult up the standings. We have the Thunderbirds finishing in the upper half of the conference with a good chance of making into the post season for the 23-24 season.

Alameda (7-21, 5-11): The Cougars had a solid start to the 22-23 season as Alameda picked up two straight victories to start the season. Following the hot start, Alameda struggled to find the win column and lost their remaining ten non conference games.The Cougars came into conference play with a 2-10 record and were looking to find the win column in BVC action. Alameda struggled in conference play and ended the regular season with a 5-11 record in conference play. The Cougars finished the season 7-21, finished in 6th place and missed the post season.

2023-2024 outlook: As the new season approaches, the Cougars will look to have a better 2023-20224 season. Alameda lost Jordan Jackson and Petar Mijatovic as both players averaged in double figures in points per game a year ago. Moving forward, the Cougars return five players from last seasons team that will provide experience throughout the season. “6-3” Davron Murrell leads the lilst of returners that is back as the sophomore averaged 7.0 points and 2.1 rebounds last season. Murrell numbers should go up as the wing will look to have a standout season. “6-3” Saji Muanza (6.9 points), “5-10” Dwayne Ealy Jr. (3.5 points), and “5-9” Jacques Williams (2.7 points) will also bring sophomore exprience to the table. “6-3” Michael Green who redshirted a year ago will look to contribute as well moving forward.

Newcomers: Alameda will welcome in many new faces to the program in the 2023-2024 season. “6-4” Justin Baylis who played at Las Positas College in 2017 will look to contribute this upcoming season. Baylis averaged 6.4 points at Las Positas. in the 2017-2018 season. “6-6” Isaiah Fortenberry (Castro Valley HS), “6-7” Jaylon King (Oakland HS), “6-0” Donte Henderson (Riordan HS), “6-3” Jayce Jones (San Joaquin Memorial HS), “6-6” Paul Diomande (Combine Academy) and “6-1” Barry Stewart (Hayward HS) were all listed on the roster at the Norcal Juco Jamboree.

Projection: The Cougars will look to have an improved season but have to replace two scorers that averaged in double figures. The lost to Mijatovic hurts a lot as he added size and the abillity to score the basketball. Alameda lacks size up front and have a lot of back court players, if the game slows down, the Cougars could struggle on the glass. We feel the Cougars will be a competitive team but front court depth and lack of size could keep them out of the upper half of the conference for the 23-24 season.

Solano (5-22, 3-13): The 2022-2023 season started off slow for the Falcons as Solano lost their first seven games to start the season. After two straight wins, the Falcons lost their remaining two non conference games and went into conference action with a 2-9 record. In confrence play, the Falcons could not much consistency in the win column, after Solano picked up an early conference win over Alameda which moved them to 1-1 in BVC action the Falcons lost five straight games. Solano struggled to find the win column the rest of conference and finished off conference action with a 3-13 record and Solano missed the post season after picking up five wins in the 22-23 campaign.

2023-2024 outlook: After struggling last season, the Falcons will look to have a better upcoming season. Solano lost two big time scorers in Jonathon Cobbs and Jacob Ebert as both players averaged over 17 points per game. The Falcons also lost Leon Fong and will look to replace two big time scorers in the upcoming season. Looking deeper into their roster, the Falcons return four players and a piece that redshirted a year ago for the upcoming season. “5-11” Jacques Jones leads the list of returners as the guard averaged 8.2 points last season. “6-0” Matthew Elliot (5.0 points), “5-10” Andre Nickel, and “6-1” Edwin Akpolki will all provide sophomore experience. “6-2” Samuel Lenjik returns after sitting out last season and will be a player that should have a standout season for the Falcons. The Falcons return some pieces but will it be enough to replace Cobbs and Ebert from a scoring standpoint.

Newcomers: The Falcons will welcome many new faces to the program as Solano will look to have an improved season. “6-4” Jeremiah Cardwell (Fairfield HS), “6-4” Isaac Sanchez (Wood HS), “6-6” Abram Bennett (Bear River HS), “6-1” Justiz Armstrong Wilson (Vanden HS), “6-2” Miles Gunter (St. Mary’s HS), and “6-6” Kameon Whitaker (Summit K2) will all look to contribute this upcoming season. The Falcons got bigger and have brought in players that will help the program move forward.

Projection: Losing Cobbs and Ebert are huge as both had big roles in the back court last year for the Falcons. With that being said, it will be interesting to see which of the newcomers or players coming back will be able to provide a scoring punch to the lineup. Solano added some size but it will the size be able to compete on the glass consistently. We project the Falcons will be a competitive finish in the lower half of the conference and miss the post season for the upcoming 2023-2024 season.

Season Opener: 11/1 @ West Valley

Napa Valley (7-21, 2-14) Last season was a tough year for the Napa Valley College Storm. The Storm struggled to find consistency in the win column and finished at the bottom of the conference in the 22-23 season. After splitting there first two games of the season, the Storm lost six of their next seven games and were heading into conference on a downward spiral. Before conference ended, Napa Valley went on a three game winning streak and finished non conference action with a 5-7 record. When conference started, the Storm picked up a conference opening victory over Solano but it was downhill from that point forward. Napa Valley lost 14 of thier last 15 games and the Storm finished conference action with a 2-14 record and a last place finish.

2023-2024 outlook: As the new season approaches Napa Valley will look to regroup and have a better 2023-2024 season. The Storm lost a ton of scoring from last seasons team and will look in other places this season to find it. Napa Valley lost Cameron Joseph, Albert Dennis, and Chris Thompson as all three players averaged in double figures last season for the Storm. Napa Valley have four players that return from a year ago and leading the list of returnees is “6-5” Antoine Thaxton who averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in his freshman season. “6-3” Raekwon Bell (6.1 points), “6-5” Ethan Williams (2.9 points) and “6-6” Keith Nyangena (1.9 points) all return for their sophomore campaigns. The Storm have a lot of scoring to replace and it may take some time to figure out where the scoring is going to come from.

Newcomers: The Storm will welcome in plenty of new faces for the upcoming season. Napa Valley will look to improve from a year ago and will turn to their youth to fill the void. Leading the list of newcomers is “6-1″ Chris Farrington (Shorline, WI) who will suit up for the Storm for the first time after being injured the last two seasons. Farrington will look to have a solid season for the Storm.”5-9” Jarard Jackson (San Jacinto) “5-10” Oliver Aandahl (American Canyon HS), left handers “5-11” Nico Franco (Napa) and “6-2” Cj Mitchell (Amerian Canyon HS) will also add depth to the back court. “6-3” Jaleel Turner (Pearce TX), “6-4” Hassan Flemming (American Canyon), “6-5” Jalen Moore (Armijo HS), “6-3” Ejay Rogers (Vanden HS) and “6-6” Nate Broome (Benicia HS) will all look to contribute for the upcoming season.

Projection: The Storm come into the new season with question marks about scoring the basketball. Losing Joseph, Dennis and Thompson hurt but at the end of the day Thaxton and Bells numbers should rise for the upcoming season. Farrington will give them experience and Moore and Rogers give them versatility and athleticism. We project the Storm will be an improved team and finish in the middle of the pack for the upcoming season.

Season Opener: 11/2 vs Folsom Lake

Signal The Light Basketball Bay Valley Conference Projection

1. Yuba

2. Contra Costa

3. Los Medanos

4. Merritt

5. Marin

6. Mendocino

7. Napa Valley

8. Alameda

9. Solano