Size, depth, point guard play key Napa Valley College men's basketball
Photos: Steve Ball, head coach, Napa Valley College men's basketball
Photos by Marty James
By MARTY JAMES
When it comes to talking about what is new and exciting about this year's Napa Valley College men's basketball team, head coach Steve Ball focuses on three areas:
Size, depth, point guard play.
"We've got quite a bit more size, and we have quite a bit more depth," Ball said Tuesday.
"Our point guard play the last couple of years has kind of been reliant on one player. I feel like our point guard play has much more depth than that this year, each of them bringing something different."
Ball is certainly hoping that the size factor that Napa Valley takes into the 2025-26 season, which begins at home this weekend, can help the Storm with their rebounding and inside play.
"I'm hoping it will help us on the glass quite a bit," said Ball. "I'm hoping we can rebound the basketball a lot better than we have in the last couple years, when we're a little bit lighter down low. I think that will be our biggest impact, the size we'll have. We've got some guys that are pretty athletic and they can go rebound the basketball."
Last year's Napa Valley team averaged 38.0 rebounds per game, in 28 games. In addition, the Storm (4-24 overall, 3-13 Bay Valley Conference), which tied for eighth place in the Bay Valley Conference last year, averaged 68.9 points per game on 37.8 percent shooting from the field, 28.3 percent from the 3-point line, and 67.8 percent from the free-throw line. They also averaged 11.8 assists per game.
It's also a big team, with 17 players on the roster going into the season.
Napa Valley returns four players:
* Jayden Robinson, who averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last year.
* E'Jay Rogers, who averaged 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last year.
* Kieran Manion, who averaged 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds per game last year.
* Liam Kilroy, who averaged 1.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last year.
"I would say anybody that was in the program last year should definitely be willing and able to step up and understand what we're doing," said Ball. "I think that E'Jay and Jayden (Robinson) are very much in tune with the amount of effort that it takes, with both of them having played starter minutes and starting a number of games last season."
The Storm's roster includes 12 freshmen.
"I believe we have a stronger roster than we have had the last couple of years," said Ball. "It's not just only on the court. It's between the ears a little bit. And how do you handle being in that situation? I feel like if you respond to adversity – and I don't see any reason why we won't – I feel like we'll be able to win a lot more of those tighter games than lose a landslide of them and have an unsuccessful record in those six-point games."
Napa Valley had 12 single-digit losses last year. The Storm lost its last two games of the season.
"I think we're looking pretty good. We've had some success in our in our scrimmages and our Los Angeles trip," said Ball, who is assisted by Rae Hubbard. "I told them (Monday) in practice, 'I'm never going to be satisfied.' There's never going to be a day where we're going to come in and we're going to be like, 'OK, we're good. We don't need to work on anything.' There's always progress that needs to be made.
"I feel like we're getting to a point where we're swimming in the same direction. We've got a couple guys that are out with injuries, that will definitely make an impact for us. They need to get healthy. But it's a next-man up mentality, and it will be throughout the entire season. But I feel like we're on the right track."
Napa Valley opens its 2025-26 season at home, Saturday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Live Like Geno Foundation Tipoff. The two-day, six-team event is hosted by Napa Valley College and is sponsored by Live Like Geno Foundation.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, it's Los Medanos College-Pittsburg against College of the Redwoods-Eureka, at 2 p.m., Napa Valley against Monterey Peninsula College, at 4 p.m., and Mendocino College-Ukiah against Folsom Lake College, at 6 p.m.
On Sunday, Nov. 2, it's Los Medanos-Monterey Peninsula, at 2 p.m., Mendocino-Redwoods, at 4 p.m., and Napa Valley-Folsom Lake, at 6 p.m.
It's a 28-game regular-season schedule that the Storm will play.
"It's a great measuring stick, a really good format," Ball said of the two games NVC is hosting this weekend. "They're definitely chomping at the bit and want to get things started for real. I think everybody's excited to get this thing rolling."
NVC's nonconference schedule also includes games against Cabrillo College-Aptos, Santa Rosa Junior College, Las Positas College-Livermore, Reedley College, Ohlone College-Fremont, Skyline College-San Bruno, San Joaquin Delta College-Stockton, West Valley College-Saratoga, Hartnell College-Salinas and College of the Canyons-Santa Clarita.
The Live Like Geno Foundation, according to its website, livelikegeno.org, "is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a positive impact for underserved youth and their communities through mentorship, sports, facilities, and scholarships. Inspired by the vision and philosophy of Gene 'Geno' Cotter and his unwavering passion for youth development, we are proud to carry forward his legacy through Basketball Jones Hoop Camps – using the game of basketball as a powerful vehicle for growth, learning, and empowerment."
The organization adds:
"The Live Like Geno Foundation continues Geno's life passions and pursuits; from awarding college scholarships to improving community sports, while promoting his love of life and spirit of challenging yourself to be the best you can be."
The mission of the Live Like Geno Foundation, according to livelikegeno.org, was created to honor the memory of Gene "Geno" Cotter.
Gene "Geno" Cotter founded Basketball Jones Hoop Camps, "whose goal is to bring a passion and excitement for life and basketball into the lives of young people," according to livelikegeno.org.
Ball and Cotter are both from Redway (Humboldt County). Ball learned about the game from Cotter, who played at South Fork High School-Miranda, College of the Redwoods and Holy Names University-Oakland.
The Live Like Geno Foundation Tip Off is played in memory of Cotter.
"Along the way," the website, livelikegeno.org, points out, "Geno touched the lives of thousands of young basketball enthusiasts, as well as their families. He started his own family with his beautiful wife Tiffany; their children Bailey and Brody embody the same no-holds-barred attitude as their father. Following his tragic passing in July 2016, Geno's friends and family committed themselves to carrying on his passion for making the world a better place through the Live Like Geno Foundation."
The Live Like Geno Foundation means a lot to Ball.
"It means a lot to the roots of southern Humboldt County basketball. It means a lot to the Cotter family. It means a lot to a lot of people who have had their hands in the Live Like Geno Foundation. They do so many good things for so many people. Their basketball camps have been going strong since 1996," said Ball.
NVC played in the SoCal Jamboree, facing Chaffey College-Rancho Cucamonga and Bakersfield College, on Sept. 20 at Cerritos College-Norwalk. It's put on by the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association.
The Storm had scrimmages against Diablo Valley College-Pleasant Hill on Oct. 10 and Sierra College-Rocklin on Oct. 23.
"I feel like through the scrimmages … we're getting to that point where we're starting to understand who we can trust to play for longer (minutes), to give us more effort for longer (minutes). And that's what the whole preseason is for," said Ball.
New to the NVC team are four players who were with Golden State Prep: Jayden Russotti, AJ Loustau, Russell Gibson and Andrew Degirolamo.
"I'm looking for guys like Jayden Russotti, Russell Gibson, AJ Loustau and Andrew Degirolamo to really come in and step in and make a huge impact right away. Those guys should be leading the way," said Ball.
Players in the program have been at work since the spring. NVC offers a spring session. There is also a summer session, which had a focus on offensive concepts and skill development.
A look at this year's team:
* E'Jay Rogers, So., Vanden High-Fairfield.
* AJ McCoy, Cornerstone Christian High-Antioch.
* Vardhan Deverkonda, Fr., Venture Academy-San Ramon.
* Russell Gibson, Fr., Golden State Prep.
* Jayden Russotti, Fr., Golden State Prep.
* Devion Watts, Fr., Sacramento High.
* Kenneth Brown, Fr., Benicia High.
* Ryan Rice, Fr., Casa Grande High-Petaluma.
* Jayden Robinson, So., Vanden High-Fairfield.
* Jayden Quintana, Fr., Napa High.
* Liam Kilroy, So, Branson High-Ross.
* Kieran Mannion, So., Petaluma High.
* Abe Oushani, Fr., Elsie Allen High-Santa Rosa.
* AJ Loustau, Fr., Golden State Prep.
* Jomari Bean, Fr., Fremont High-Oakland.
* Andrew Degirolamo, Fr., Golden State Prep.
* Max Hernandez, Fr., Irvington High-Fremont.
* 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.