Vikings are team to beat in Coast South

West Valley (26-5, 10-2): Last season West Valley continued to move in the right direction as the Vikings were one of the standout teams in the state of California. After making an appearance in the state championship game in 2022, the Vikings were expected to take a little bit of a drop but once the season started it was evident West Valley was going to be a top team in the state. West Valley started the 22-23 season winning their first eleven games before losing their first game against San Francisco. The Vikings went 3-1 the rest of the non conference schedule and finished 14-2 going into Coast South Conference play. In conference play, the Vikings split their first two games and after losing against San Jose, West Valley won their next four games and set up a huge match up with San Jose for the conference championship. The Vikings came up short but finished out the regular season strong and finished in 2nd place in the Coast South Conference with a 10-2 record in conference and finished the regular season with a 24-4 record. As the post season began the Vikings picked up a 5th seed and had a first round bye. In the second round West Valley picked up a win over Porterville 67-60 and followed that up with a win over Las Positas to get to the Elite Eight for the 2nd straight season. In Lemoore, the Vikings lost to Fullerton 71-40 and finished the season with a 26-5 record.

Head Coach: Danny Yoshikawa

2023-2024 Outlook: As the new season approaches it appears the Vikings will be a standout team. West Valley lost Malik Patton, Ignacio Bettinelli, Nick Attanasio, and Tyler Waters but the Vikings have plenty of pieces that are back for the sophomore campaign. West Valley returns five players back from their 26 win team and appear to have the pieces in place for a stellar season. “6-6” Elijah Mahi returns for his sophomore season after averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds last season. Mahi is considered by many to be the best player in the state and is expected to have another big season. “6-4” Jeremiah Dargan should have another standout season as the guard had a sensational freshman season averaging 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in his first season for the Vikings. “6-1″ Baron Bracey (7.7 points)”6-1” Ariya Briscoe (7.3 points), “6-2” Aaron Ragen (3.5 points) are all back as well for the Vikings for the 23-24 season.

Newcomers: The Vikings welcome some new faces to the program for the upcoming season. West Valley has a lot of key pieces that are coming back but the Vikings have some talented players coming into the program for the upcoming season. “6-10” Shakiru Odunewu a transfer from New Mexico State will be a player that will impact the Vikings. The sophomore is expected to have a big season for the Vikings as Odeunewu averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds last season for the Aggies. “5-8” Darrius Kendall is transferring into the program and comes from Yuba College. “6-3” Jake Davis (Las Lomas) can shoot it with the best of them, “6-7” Moulaye Soumare (Bard High), “6-5” Donny Washingto n (Independence), “6-7” Ben Gullatz (Germany) and “6-4” Joe Brown (Mountain View) are expected to contribute in their freshmen season.

Projection: As the 2023-2024 season approaches, the Vikings look to be one of the standout teams in the state. West Valley has size, athleticism, outside shooting and depth and return some very good players from a year ago. We project the Vikings will win the Coast South Conference and make a deep run in the post season as the talented bunch could make a run towards the state championship. West Valley continues to make strides and are becoming one of the elite programs in the state. Time will tell how good this team is but at the end of the day, the Vikings are a very good team and our favorites to win this conference for the upcoming season.

Season Opener: 11/1 vs Solano

San Jose (26-5, 11-1): What a year it was for the Jaguars last season as coach Devin Aye and company had a season to remember. After a slow start to the 22-23 season in which the Jaguars started off 4-3, San Jose quickly turned the corner and became one of the best teams within the state. After their third loss of the season against San Diego, the Jags went on a nine game winning streak and finished non conference action with a 13-3 record going into conference action. The win streak did not stop there as the Jags continued to pile on wins and won their first three games in conference before slipping up against Monterey. Following that loss, the Jags would not lose another regular season game and finished conference action with an 11-1 record and a conference championship on their resume as well. San Jose played a standout season and were exceptional in close games as the Jags were 8-2 in the regular season in games that were decided by five points or less. San Jose picked up a second seed in the post season and knocked off a very good Fresno team 79-76 to advanced to the sweet 16. In the following round, the Jags continued their season and booked a trip to the elite eight with a win over Chabot. San Jose made the trip to Lemoore but suffered a loss against East Los Angeles in a very winnable game but ended the season with a 26-5 record.

Head Coach: Devin Aye

2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season, the Jaguars will look to have another standout season. San Jose will have a lot to replace from last years elite eight team as the Jags lost three players that averaged in double figures in Gavin Wilburn, Jerry Jackson and Mison Coilton. San Jose also lost Jordan Gill and Nikola Milojevic as both were sophomores last season. The Jags will look to replace five pieces of a team that was fairly balanced at the scoring end. San Jose will return two players from last season as “6-2” Jake Harper is back for his sophomore season. Harper averaged 10.8 points per contest and hit so many big shots for the Jags last season. Harper is expected to have another standout season after a very good freshman year. “6-7” Jurrien Sparks is back for the Jags after averaging 6.6 points last season. Sparks will be another player that should have a breakout season for the Jags but San Jose will miss the services of AB Gilchrest this season which is a big blow to the Jaguars.

Newcomers: The Jags have some solid pieces coming into the new season as San Jose has a lot of pieces to replace. “6-4” Isaiah Saams Hoy and “5-11” Justice Owens are coming back after sitting out last season. San Jose will also welcome in four transfers that will provide sophomore exprience “6-7” Malcolm Steadman (Lee College) should have a solid season as the versatile wing can do a lot of things at the offensive end and should provide some scoring for the Jags. “6-7” Goodwyn Dickson (Foothill JC) and “6-6” Kameron Bailey (Trinidad State CC), and “6-3” King Calhoun (William Jessup) will look to contribute. “6-3” Tariq Weister (Bellarmine Prep), “6-3” Apollo Eugene (Silver Creek), “6-6” Davis Crilly (Kelly Walsh), and “6-6” Chinedu Nwankwo (Kimball) are all freshman that could contribute this season for the Jags.

Projection: The Jaguars look to stay in the upper half of the conference for the upcoming season. San Jose lost a lot of pieces for the upcoming year but still have pieces in place to be a pretty good team this season. San Jose has brought in some talented players but will they be able to sustain being at the top of the conference? The Jags have plenty of talent but will that be enough to sustain a back to back championship season in the Coast South Conference? We project the Jaguars to finish in 3rd place this season in the Coast South Conference for the 23-24 season but lets be clear, it wont surprise us if the Jags make a run for the top spot in the conference as well.

Season Opener: 11/2 vs Palo Verde

Cabrillo (13-14, 5-7): Last season was an inconsistent season for the Seahawks as Cabrillo missed the postseason and the school from Aptos finished 5-7 in conference action and tied for 4th place in the Coast South Conference. After starting the season 4-1, the Seahawks struggled to find consistency, at the end of the season, Cabrillo was 1-7 in games that were decided by five points or less but could not put together a string of wins. In conference action, the Seahawks were 0-6 against the top 3 teams within conference play. Cabrillo ended the 2022-2023 season with a 13-14 record and will look to have a better upcoming 23-24 campaign after missing the post season last season.

Head Coach: James Page

2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season, the Seahawks will return plenty of firepower from last seasons team. Despite losing all conference guard Joe Rush and front court standout Samy Buteau, the Seahawks return some solid pieces coming into the new season. “6-2” sophomore guard Darius Best returns to the line up after having a stellar freshman campaign. Best led the Seahawks in scoring a year ago as the lead guard averaged 16.8 points per contest and is expected to be one of the better guards in Northern California. Best scored over 20 or more points eight times and had a season high of 30 points against American River in his freshman campaign. The wing position will be another area where the Seahawks have players in place to contribute this upcoming season as “6-5” Clarence Martin returns to team after averaging 9.7 points per game, the wing is expected to have a breakthrough season and will draw interest from universities across the nation. “6-4” Amare Ames returns to the line up and will bring a long range threat after shooting 47% from downtown his freshman season and “5-8” Taray Winfrey will provide experience to the backcourt. “6-7” Solomon Tucker returns for his sophomore season after averaging 9.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. The former University of Army committ will look to impact the front court this season for the Seahawks.

Newcomers: The Seahawks will welcome some talented newcomers into the program for the upcoming season. “6-7” Quentin Henry a transfer from Alcorn State leads the list of newcomers for Cabrillo. “6-7” Cullen Cleaves, “6-7” Christian Rodriguez, “6-2” sharp shooter Christian Quintero (Pajaro Valley), “6-1” Max Parmigiani (American Canyon), “6-5” Isaiah Lafond (Vancouver) and “6-2” Jalen Cunningham (Coronado) will all look to contribute this upcoming season for Cabrillo

Projection: Despite losing Rush, the Seahawks will look to make a playoff push for the upcoming 23-24 season. Cabrillo returns three players that have the ability to average in double figures which will provide the Seahawks key experience in a tough Coast South Conference. Darius Best should have a standout season and will be a player that teams will game plan around to stop. The Seahawks are athletic, talented and have pieces in store to make a push for a conference championship. We expect Cabrillo to have a solid season and make a push towards challenging for the conference championship and making the post season as the Seahawks have a very talented team for the 23-24 season.

Foothill (15-14, 7-7) : The Owls will come into the Coast South Conference after putting together a 15 win season in the Coast North Conference a year ago. Last season it was a streaky season for the Owls, and after a 2-0 start Foothill followed with two straight losses and could not get any type of rhythm going in non conference action. Foothill finished non conference action with an 8-6 record and would be challenged in the Coast North Conference. In conference play, the Owls started 3-1 but suffered five straight losses and fell to 2 games under .500. In their final six games the Owls went 4-2 and finished conference action with a 7-7 record in the Coast North Conference. Foothill picked up an 18th seed in the post season but suffered a 1st round loss against Fresno and ended their 22-23 season with a 15-14 overall record.

Head Coach: Mike Reynoso

2023-2024 outlook: Foothill comes into the season moving into a new conference as the Owls move into the Coast South Conference for the 23-24 season. After winning 15 games last season the Owls will have to replace three players that averaged in double figures (Durrell Laury, Jamal Frenchwood and Jalen Williams). Foothill also has to replace Malcolm McCray as he was another scoring option for the Owls. Foothill does return two playeres from last seasons team as “6-4” Alijah Washington (12.4 points) and “6-4” Jaylin Leslie (8.3 points) per game return to the team after having solid freshmen season. Both players are expected to have an impact for the Owls.

Newcomers: Foothill will welcome in many newcomers to the team for the upcoming season. “6-4” Chase Durkee and “5-11” DJ Miranda both return to the team after sitting out last season. Durkee averaged 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in the 2021-2022 season. “6-4” Alex Perez (West Valley JC), “6-5” Levi Basurta (Willamette University), “6-8” Matthew Burger (Hawaii Pacific University), and “6-2” Kendall Winston (Walters State in 18-19), “6-4” Tino Stemberga (College of San Mateo) will all be sophomores and should contribute this season. “6-5” Shaunak Ayalasomayajula (Cupertino) can flat out shoot the rock “6-3” Fernando Coronado Moreno (East Palo Alto Academy) and “6-5” Isiah Lewis (Del Mar) will look to contribute as freshmen.

Projection: The Owls come into the conference as the new kids on the block and bring in a lot of sophomore experience for the upcoming season. Foothill could very well be a dark horse in this conference and may surprise some teams this season within the conference. Foothill has 10 sophomores listed on their roster and that could be huge on the experience side. We do project the Owls to finish fourth place in the Coast South Conference but it would not shock us if they finished higher and made the post season as this is a very talented team that adds depth to a very good and maybe the best conference from top to bottom in Northern California.

Season Opener: 11/10 @ Marin

Monterey (11-16, 5-7): The 2022-2023 season was an up and down season for the Lobos. After starting the season off with a 3-2 record , Monterey found themselves on the side of two different streaks and it seemed that way for the rest of the season. After losing two straight, the Lobos won three straight and followed that up with a four game losing streak and finished non conference play with a 6-9 record. Monterey played some tight games as the Lobos were 4-3 in games decided by 5 points or less in non conference action. In conference action, Monterey opened up conference with a big win over Cabrillo, but could not put together a string of wins. The Lobos finished the first half of conference with a 3-3 record but ended the regular season losing three of their last four games. Monterey finished the season with an 11-16 record and finished Coast South Conference action tied for fourth place with a 5-7 record. The Lobos received a bid into the post season as the 21st seed but suffered a first round loss against Porterville 69-47.

Head Coach: Blake Spiering

2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season, Monterey will have to replace three players that averaged in double figrues from a year ago. The Lobos lost Tre Titus, Suheil Ibrahim and Jadan Adams and also Kenny Garrard who played a key role for Monterey. The four players accounted for 50 points but the Lobos do return five players from last seasons team that made the playoffs. Leading the list of returners is “6-2” Malik Ross as the guard averaged 9.6 points and 4.0 rebounds last season. “6-1” AJ Gbeintor (6.0 points), “6-6” sharp shooting Jordan Lopez (6.0 points), “6-8” Noah Semple (3.9 points) and “5-7” Jamey Paull who played in 12 games will also bring experience to the Lobos. Monterey has a solid core of pieces for the upcoming season to be a very competitive team.

Newcomers: Monterey will come into the new season with some very talented newcomers that will contribute this upcoming season. Leading the list of players returning is “6-7” Parker Hunt who returns after sitting out last season. Hunt averaged 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds in the 2021-2022 season and will provide a huge front court impact. Hunt is one of the best passing bigs in the state and will provide rebound and scoring in the front court. “6-2” Matt Gallagher (Monterey), “6-1” Charlie Kosta (Palma), “6-2” Chase Titus (Colorado Prep), “6-4” Kenneth Brown (Oak Hills) are all pieces in the back court that have a really good opportunity to produce this upcoming season for the Lobos.

Projection: The Lobos appear to be a team that has improved for the upcoming season. The Coast South is a much improved conference and Monterey is a team that could surprise a lot of people. We dont want to call them a sleeper, but with the addition of Hunt and a talented pool of freshmen in the back court, Monterey has a chance to finish in the upper half of the conference. This is a team that has a chance to play with a lot of teams and should be a team that will make a push to make the post season. We project the Lobos to finish in 5th place but it would not surprise us if they finish higher as we may possibly see five teams make the post season from this conference.

Season Opener: 11/2 vs Lassen

Gavilan (19-10, 8-4): The Rams had a solid season a year ago but it was a year of streaks for the school from Gilroy. Gavilan opened up the season with three straight wins but followed that up with two straight losses and went 3-2 in their first five games of the season. Gavilan then found its way and went 7-1 in their next eight games and seemed to find a nice stride as conference approached. In their last three non conference games, Gavilan suffered two losses against Columbia and Sequoias and finished non conference action with a 11-5 record and was one of the three teams that would compete for the Coast South Conference championship. In conference action, the Rams played solid basketball and won their first three games before losing back to back games against San Jose and West Valley by a combined total of 8 points. Gavilan went on to make another four game winning streak but could not get over the hump against West Valley and San Jose and closed out conference with a win over Monterey and finished the regular season with a 19-10 overall record and a 3rd place finish in Coast South Conference play with an 8-4 record. The 19 wins earned the Rams a post season bid as the 14th seed but Gavilan suffered a 52-50 home loss against San Mateo to end their 22-23 season.

Head Coach: Henry Aniyam

2023-2024 outlook: As the new season approaches, Gavilan comes into the season with new leadership and tons of scoring to replace. Former head coach Derek Jensen accepted a new position at Feather River College and Henry Anyiam was hired to take over the program. Aniyam comes to Gilroy with four year experience as the new head man in charge was an assitant coach at San Francisco State University. The Rams also have 47 points to replace within four players that played a huge role in the teams success last season. Cameron Thomas, Caleb Onuonga and Alex Harris will be missed and the very talented Jailen Daniel-Dalton who led the team in scoring from a year ago averaging 16.4 points per game.The Rams will look to four players that are back for their sophomore season moving forward. Leading the list of players returning for the Rams is “6-8” Fabian Reichstadt, as the skilled big man who averaged 10.3 points and 9.5 rebounds returns for his sophomore season. “6-4” Isaiah Hinds (6.6 points) should take on more of an offensive role, “6-0” Cameron Saldana (2.8 points) and “6-7” Kashwell Pugh (2.7 points) all should see their numbers increase after limited roles a year ago. Gavilan has some solid pieces coming in but plenty of questions on where the scoring will come from as the Rams enter the new season.

Newcomers: Gavilan will have plenty of new faces coming into the program for the 23-24 season. We already mentioned head coach Henry Anyiam, but from a player standpoint there will be a lot of new pieces brought to the team. “6-5” Bricen Buciak (Christopher), “6-3” CJ Toppin (Heritage), “6-3” Gabe Arroyo (Independence), “6-6” Xaiver Batista (Hayward), “6-1” Jayden Fowler (Ann Sobrato), Kenny Harper Jr (Valley Christian) and John Millistein (Juan Morel Campos) will all be freshman looking to contribute this upcoming season. Time will tell what the newcomers bring to the table but if the Rams want to stay in playoff contention and battle in the upper half of the conference, the freshmen will have to make their mark.

Projection: As the 2023-2024 season gets close, it appears that Gavilan will be a competitive team coming into the new season. A lot of turnover and a coaching change is always difficult when coming into the first season as establishing a culture is going to take some time. The Rams lost a lot of key pieces and we expect them to have a drop from last seasons 19 win season. We project the Rams to finish in the lower half of the conference for the upcoming season as there are a lot of changes within the team in the upcoming year.

Season Opener: 11/3 vs San Joaquin Delta

Hartnell (4-24, 2-10): Last season was a tough season for the Panthers as Hartnell struggled to find the win column throughout the 22-23 season. The Panthers started the season losing four of their first five games and in non conference play, Hartnell finished with a 2-14 record with wins coming against Folsom Lake and Reedley. As conference rolled around, not much changed as Hartnell found the win column twice and finished conference play with a 2-10 record with wins coming against De Anza and Monterey. Hartnell finished the season 4-24 and missed the post season and in conference action the Panthers finished in 6th place with a 2-10 record.

Head Coach: Andrew Vasher

2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season the Panthers will look to have an improved 23-24 season. Hartnell lost four players that averaged in double figures and will look to replace Raleigh Shippen, Tyler Biddison, Conner Brown and Aaron Garibay which all averaged in double figures. As the season approaches, the Panthers return one player from last seasons team in “5-11” guard Joe Paredes who played in six games last season. Hartnell will be very inexperienced and will field a brand new team and look for success with the newcomers coming into the program for the upcoming season.

Newcomers: The Panthers welcome a boat load of newcomers and will have three sophomore transfers that will look to provide immediate help to the roster. “6-0” Myles Shield is a transfer from Wheaton College and really looked like he will be the go to guy at the Norcal Juco jamboree. Shield showed he could score the ball in a lot of ways and is expected to have a standout season for the Panthers. “6-4” Marc Difroncesco and “6-4” Owen Gallegos are both coming in from De Anza College but both players saw limited playing time for the Dons last season. “6-0” Eddie Sims (Brook Point), “6-0” Jackson Shippen (Cedar Valley), “6-5” Brandon Medina (Highland), “6-5” Rebel Woodbury (Morro Bay), “6-4” Jason Mendoza (Soledad), and “6-3” Jacob Taylor (Trivium Prep) will all look to contribute this season for the Panthers.

Projection: Hartnell will look to be more competitive this upcoming season as the Panthers have a lot of new faces coming into the program. The Panthers are fun to watch on the offensive end but lack athleticism and height but still will have defenses on their toes. Hartnell could struggle rebounding as they lack size in a much improved conference. We project the Panthers will finish in the lower half of the conference as we have them picked for 7th place for the upcoming season.

Season Opener: 11/2 vs Reedley

2023-2024 Signal The Light Basketball Coast South Conference Projection