By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
Chris Farrington, a 6-foot-1 freshman guard who averaged 15.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for the Napa Valley College men's basketball team, was named to the 2023-24 All-Bay Valley Conference team, Storm head coach Steve Ball announced on Monday.
Farrington, the Storm's point guard, was also named to the conference's All-Freshmen Team. It was Farrington's first season playing for Napa Valley, as he was out for two years due to injury. He has been in the program since 2021. He was unable to play for the Storm due to suffering stress fractures twice to the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. He had surgery in November of 2022 in his home state of Wisconsin.
"He's been chomping at the bit to get on the court. He's been poised and patient and mature and biding his time and waiting his turn," said Ball.
"I feel like, with everything that any of us do, we start off with the things that we're most comfortable with. And then we expand upon that as we get more and more adept at them. I feel like he's really good on screen and rolls. So, we did a lot of plays throughout the season, especially the second half, where we had him involved in a screen and roll. Because that was our most productive action, as far as points per possession, was having the ball in his hand, having him make decisions and other guys reading the decision that he makes and making plays off the backside of that.
"He was so quick with his screen and roll, that teams started to come underneath the screen and roll and then later in the season, he would just stop and pop on the backside of it."
Farrington, who is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, played in all 28 games for Napa Valley (3-25 overall, 3-13 Bay Valley Conference). He shot 39.3 percent from the field, 28.9 percent from the 3-point line, and 65.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Ball credited Nate Broome, a 6-6 freshman forward, and Jalen Moore, a 6-5 freshman guard, for their play in setting those screens for Farrington.
"I thought Nate Broome did a great job setting a lot of screen and rolls, to get him open, making reads on how the defender was defending him," said Ball.
Farrington scored 48 points, a season high, in a 107-98 overtime loss to Solano Community College in Fairfield on Feb. 16. He was 17-of-29 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from 3-point distance. He also had eight rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. It's one of the greatest performances by an NVC player in school history.
"He had a lot on his shoulders," said Ball. "Probably like 80 percent of the time the ball was in his hand. And he had to make decisions off that. Once we decided just to keep him with the ball more often, our turnover average per game dropped by about eight turnovers a game, just by having the ball in his hand."
Farrington was outstanding for NVC late in the season.
He scored 25 points and had five rebounds, six assists and five steals in the Stom's 81-80 win at home over College of Marin-Kentfield on Feb. 20. He scored the go-ahead basket on a layup with 10.8 seconds to go.
He scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds and eight assists in Napa Valley's 88-76 loss to Yuba College, the BVC champion, on Feb. 22 in Marysville.
This year's team had nine freshmen on it – a season that gave them the experience of everything that goes into the program.
"I was happy with the way our team came out and consistently gave maximum effort in conference play," said Ball. "I'm very excited about the kids that are coming back. I feel like they had a little bit of trial by fire. And now, they have a year under their belt to realize what this level is like and can spend the spring and summer prepping in the right way, in a college basketball way.
"We're out recruiting. We're looking to bring in some quality recruits. Hopefully we can start getting some commitments here soon, and we can have some guys that are used to winning and can make an impact." The focus during the spring and into the summer months, during the offseason, will be on skill development and also working in the weight room, said Ball.
"Our coaching staff never stops teaching, never stops coaching and never gives up. And so, in turn, I feel like our players, year in, year out, never give up on each other and never give up on us. So, that's what happens when you continue to progress," said Ball. "We're way better the last day of the season than we are at any other point in the season, because we continue to teach, our players continue to learn and give effort."
All-Bay Valley Conference team
Demarreya Lewis-Cooper, a sophomore at Yuba, was named as the Most Valuable Player.
Tochi Onyeafor, a freshman for Los Medanos-Pittsburg, was named as the Defensive Player of the Year.
Jamil Harris, a freshman for Contra Costa-Pittsburg, was named as the Freshman of the Year.
Doug Cornelius of Yuba was named as the Coach of the Year.
Named to the All-Bay Valley Conference team:
* Demarreya Lewis-Cooper, sophomore, Yuba
* Caden Flowers, sophomore, Yuba
* Devon Malcom, sophomore, Yuba
* Ramon Bailey, sophomore, Los Medanos
* Devin Carson, sophomore, Los Medanos
* Ahmad Artis, sophomore, Mendocino-Ukiah
* Darius Ford, sophomore, Mendocino
* Tre McPherson, sophomore, College of Marin
* Jamil Harris, freshman, Contra Costa
* Justiz Armstrong-Wilson, freshman, Solano
* Majer Sullivan, sophomore, Yuba
* Kymani Ladi, sophomore, Merritt-Oakland
* Chris Farrington, freshman, Napa Valley College
* Jordan Emory, sophomore, Mendocino
Named to the All-Defensive Team:
* Donte Henderson, freshman, College of Alameda
* Nathan Behr, sophomore, Mendocino
* AJ Dungo, sophomore, Los Medanos
* Jaques Jones, sophomore, Solano
* Demarreya Lewis-Cooper, sophomore, Yuba
Named to the All-Freshmen Team:
* Chris Farrington, Napa Valley College
* Devan Minouei, Yuba
* Justiz Armstrong-Wilson, Solano
* Mikey Pierce, Contra Costa
* Jalen Robertson, Los Medanos
* 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.