At 2-0, Napa Valley College men's basketball off to super start
Photos: Napa Valley College is shown in Sunday's game against Folsom Lake College at the Live Like Geno Foundation Tipoff.
Photos by Marty James
By MARTY JAMES
At 2-0, Napa Valley College is off to a super start.
But there was a point in the lead-up to the 2025-26 men's basketball season where all was not well for the Storm. Jayden Robinson, one of the team's four returning players, remembers it well, with the Storm struggling in a scrimmage against Sierra College-Rocklin last month.
"We all sat down and it was like, you buy in or you don't," said Robinson. "We said, if we really want to do this, we're going to have to make changes. We all made changes in our routine. We all agreed to make sacrifices in our daily routine, giving up some of the things that we like to do. Guys bought in. Guys played hard, absolutely busted our butts during practice, and it really showed.
"What I really appreciate about these guys is that they really want to play hard and they just really love the grind. They embrace the grind. And so that makes me very grateful that I'm with them."
Napa Valley started out its season by winning both of its games as the host of the Live Like Geno Foundation Tipoff. The two-day, six-team event is sponsored by the Live Like Geno Foundation. After a season-opening 69-51 win over Monterey Peninsula College on Saturday, the Storm returned on Sunday and beat Folsom Lake College, 67-61.
"We hit shots, we played really hard defense, we communicated, and even though we made mistakes, we still prevented shots and we still did our jobs," said Robinson.
The team's turnaround goes back to the week that the Storm spent preparing for the Live Like Geno Foundation Tipoff. The mission of the Live Like Geno Foundation, according to the organization's website, livelikegeno.org, was created to honor the memory of Gene "Geno" Cotter.
"That was an absolute chin check," Robinson said, looking back on the scrimmage against Sierra, No. 14 in the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association's North Preseason Rankings, announced at www.cccmbca.org. "We really embraced the hard part of JUCO basketball. We're going home exhausted, hurt, sore, and yet we're still coming into games and we're still playing hard and we're still making shots. We still have the mental toughness to withstand exhaustion, and to just win.
"I'm really excited for what this season brings."
There is a lot of excitement that Napa Valley brings into the season, with its overall size, depth and stellar defense.
"I'm really pleased at the way that they responded to a tough week of practice and a challenge that we set forth for them," said coach Steve Ball.
AJ Loustau scored 18 points with two 3-pointers, Russell Gibson had 11 points with two 3-pointers, and Andrew Degirolamo had 10 points to lead Napa Valley in its nonconference game against Folsom Lake. Eight players scored for the Storm, which had a 38-32 lead at halftime.
Robinson and Kieran Mannion each scored seven points, E'Jay Rogers had six points, and Kenneth Brown and Abe Oushani each had four points.
"Starting out 2-0 is great, but to start out 2-0 starting with the Live Like Geno Foundation Tipoff, it really hits home a lot more," said Ball. "And so, it's a great feeling to have success, but to have success in the name of Geno is even better."
Ball and Cotter are both from Redway, located in Humboldt County. Ball learned about the game of basketball from Cotter, who played at South Fork High School-Miranda, College of the Redwoods-Eureka and Holy Names University-Oakland.
"I feel like Geno would be proud that the two teams that went 2-0 in this Tipoff are his alma mater, College of the Redwoods, and our team, Napa Valley," said Ball.
The play of the Storm's defense has been a bright spot early on.
"I feel like with this group, when we tighten the screws defensively, we can be a really good defensive team. We limit second chances. These past couple games, the best thing that I've seen is that we're able to hold teams to one shot, and we're really good on that point of attack, on that first shot," Ball explained.
According to its website, livelikegeno.org, the Live Like Geno Foundation 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."
Gene "Geno" Cotter founded Basketball Jones Hoop Camps.
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.
"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."
In other games on Sunday:
* Los Medanos College-Pittsburg beat Monterey Peninsula, 81-80.
* College of the Redwoods beat Mendocino College-Ukiah, 78-66.
For Napa Valley, Rogers, Robinson and Loustau were named to the All-Tournament team.
"This program hasn't gone 2-0 in a long time. It's a testament to the work that we have put in since the middle of July," said Loustau. "We've been working hard, and it's good to have it all culminate in the place that we've been working so hard at.
"Right now, our identity is maximum effort, especially on defense. We're trying to play as hard as you can while you're out there, and when you come off, we know that the next guy has put in his work and he's ready to step up.
"A lot of the work has been showing off on offense. We've been learning how to share the ball with each other. It's not a one-man show; it's everybody. That's a testament to (Coach) Ball's philosophy, to keep everybody moving. It's great."
Napa Valley shot the ball well at the free-throw line, going 21-of-29, including 15-of-19 in the second half.
The Storm got up on Folsom Lake, leading 24-15 and 28-16, in the first half.
Loustau is one of five former Golden State Prep players on the NVC team. The others are Jayden Russotti, Andrew Degirolamo, Russell Gibson and Vardhan Deverkonda.
Folsom Lake made a run in the second half, tying it at 38-38 and 45-45.
Napa Valley went up by 10 points, 59-49 with two minutes to play.
"I think it really just speaks to our resilience, and I think our mental strength and our emotional maturity to not get flustered," said Robinson. "I'm really proud of our guys. Just proud of the whole team, that we were able to make our runs and keep the lead.
"We're just taking it a day at a time. We're really buying in. We're really going to grind."
Starting for the Storm was E'Jay Rogers, Russell Gibson, Jayden Robinson, AJ Loustau and Andrew Degirolamo.
Also named All-Tournament:
* Mendocino: Jaymaree Johnson, Rob Salmon.
* Redwoods: Marcos Rosales, Alfonso Medina, Cody Whitmer.
* Los Medanos: Aiden Dunne, Trevon O'Neal.
* Monterey Peninsula: Corvell Simmons.
* Folsom Lake: Dylan Sayer.
NVC's next game is at home on Saturday, Nov. 8 against Cabrillo College-Aptos at 5 p.m.
* 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.