By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
Monday was a big day for basketball.
It was NBA Media Day 2023.
It was also 2023-2024 Media Day for the Napa Valley College men's team, with players getting their photos taken and also doing interviews in advance of the season.
"Today's a great day for us," Storm head coach Steve Ball said. "It's an enjoyable day – to celebrate the progress that they've already made, and hopefully celebrate the progress that they're going to continue to make."
Photo equipment was set up at one end of the floor of the NVC gymnasium, with Mario Cendejas, a marketing assistant with Napa Valley College District Auxiliary Services, and John Encinas, who is with InsanenessMedia, a Media & News Company, getting photos of the players, who were wearing their home uniforms.
"In this day and age, we have to promote our players in order for them to matriculate to the next level," said Ball. "And that's one of the two major goals here: celebrate the progress that we've had, and assist with the next step in the progress, because that's kind of the level that we're at.
"I, by no means, see myself as an end-point. I enjoy the fact that I'm a conduit for them to continue their education and continue their playing career."
The Storm did not have an on-court practice on Monday, but they did get a workout in earlier in the day in the weight room.
Antoine Thaxton, a returning sophomore, said Media Day helps for team-bonding purposes, as the 28-game regular season schedule for NVC starts in early November.
"Today has been great," said Thaxton. "It brings the team a lot closer. We're all having fun with Media Day."
Thaxton played in 28 games last year, with 15 starts. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game.
"Bonding at this point, it's critical, especially right before the season," said Thaxton. "We all get a feel for each other and getting to know one another. It's going to be crucial down the stretch, having that team bonding experience."
Napa Valley's fall schedule featured a trip to Southern California for the SoCal Fall JUCO Jamboree, Sept. 16-17, where the Storm played four games over the two days. The event, put on by the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association, had 75 teams.
Napa Valley had games against West Hills College Lemoore and Los Angeles Harbor College on Sept. 16 at Cerritos College-Norwalk.
The Storm had games against Cypress College and Ventura College on Sept. 17 at Cypress College.
Players in the NVC program have been working in preparation for the upcoming season since this past spring, a combination of time and work in the weight room and individual skill work.
"They deserve to be celebrated for their resiliency and the effort that they've done and the positive influence they have on the community," said Ball. "They're young men doing positive things."
NVC will play two exhibition games this month.
The Storm will be at home to face California State University, Maritime Academy (Vallejo), on Oct. 18.
They will also be at Sierra College-Rocklin on Oct. 25.
Napa Valley begins the 2023-24 season at home with its Storm Classic, Nov. 3-4. The four-team event also has Sacramento City College, Folsom Lake College and College of the Redwoods-Eureka.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley
Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.