NorCal Open champion Salesian, the embodiment of a team, receives Bay Area News Group’s top basketball honor.
Salesian High School players pose with the first-place trophy after the Pride defeated Archbishop Riordan 49-44 for the CIF NorCal Open Division championship at Contra Costa College in San Pablo on March 5, 2024. RICHMOND — The Bay Area News Group player of the year usually recognizes the person who carries the heaviest lift for one of the top teams, generally the leading scorer or playmaker.
Instead of recognizing one player, we have honored 16. Instead of selecting the best player on the top team, we have chosen all of them. The players made a pact that the scoreboard was more important than the scoring column, that sharing the ball was more effective than isolation ball, that defense as a unit was as or more crucial than anything else.
After going winless in five previous appearances in the Open Division state playoffs, the elite classification the California Interscholastic Federation added in 2013, Salesian beat Modesto Christian and Archbishop Riordan to win the NorCal Open title. The fun included an overtime victory over Branson in the Gridley Invitational final, winning an elite tournament in Idaho, a third-place finish in the top division at a national tournament in Southern California, two wins over Riordan, one over Archbishop Mitty and victories over San Ramon Valley and De La Salle in the North Coast Section playoffs.
But with Loving, Obenyah, Davis and Perrilliat among the players expected back, Mellis was asked a question about the future, if he feels good about the culture carrying over to next season.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Harvard-Westlake boys basketball fights off Salesian to capture second straight Open Division state titleTrent Perry’s late-game heroics secure the CIF State championship for Harvard-Westlake.
Read more »
Harvard-Westlake rallies past Salesian in epic CIF Open state championship gameCIF Open boys basketball state championship: Harvard-Westlake takes down Salesian as Trent Perry scores final six points
Read more »
CIF NorCal basketball roundup: Granada boys beat St. Ignatius at buzzerOakland Tech, Oakland boys, Carondelet, Notre Dame-San Jose girls advance to NorCal semifinals on Saturday.
Read more »
Oakland ends Bellarmine’s run and sets up NorCal D-II title rematch with rival Oakland TechCIF NorCal Division II boys basketball semifinals: Oakland overcomes free throw shooting woes to punch ticket to NorCal final vs. crosstown rival
Read more »
Time Capsule: The Beach Boys, The Beach Boys Today!'Today!' was the Beach Boys' pre-'Pet Sounds' appetizer, a stunning collection of songs penned by Brian Wilson before he made his masterpiece.
Read more »
Boys' basketball roundup: Trent Perry leads Harvard-Westlake to another state Open Division titleTrent Perry finishes with 17 points to lead Harvard-Westlake to a 50-45 win over Salesian for the CIF Open Division state title in boys' basketball.
Read more »