After a season in which the league’s seventh-place team won the CCS Open Division title, there’s absolutely no questioning the quality of teams in the West Catholic Athletic League. As always, the league is an absolute gauntlet, with all teams looking formidable once again. The Bruce-Mahoney Game kicks off league play Friday night, and while some of the league’s questions were answered through nonleague results, there’s still plenty to be settled over the following seven weeks, which should feature some of the best basketball Northern California has to offer.
Speculation would have Mitty and Riordan as the two best teams in the league, with junior guard Mikey Mitchell leading a Monarchs team with too many 3-point shooters to count and Riordan’s backcourt tandem of Nevada commit Je’Lani Clark and Sam Houston State commit Bryce Monroe leading the way to impressive nonleague results. The Monarchs and Crusaders finished in the top two spots in the standings last year, with both winning tight head-to-head battles at home, and it would be no surprise if the two end up at the forefront again.
Bellarmine should also be right in the mix, a step behind Mitty and Riordan in raw talent at the guard positions but with tons of size and excellent fundamental play from a junior class that didn’t lose a single game as a JV team last year. Center Ryan Kiachian has continued to grow, now standing at 6-foot-9, and he combines with Ian Elam and Constantijn Cole to play stellar defense in the paint. Point guard Quinn Denker is a three-year varsity player and two-year starter who has plenty of experience against the likes of Clark, Mitchell and Monroe already, and with his father on the Bells’ coaching staff, he’s no stranger to the rigors of playing the point at a high level.
Serra is almost a universal consensus to finish fourth, having graduated two unbelievable players in Parker McDonald and Cade Rees but bringing back one of the deepest and most balanced teams around. At least ten different players can step up and score in double-figures on any given night, and the Padres can wear teams down with athleticism, speed and their signature defensive intensity.
It would be hard to see any of the remaining four teams factor into the league title race, but all of them are intriguing, with youth at the forefront across the board. St. Francis and St. Ignatius both have tons of young guards, with the Lancers launching constant 3-point barrages and the Wildcats finding chemistry through playing a tough December schedule. Sacred Heart Cathedral once again has a largely unproven roster, but nobody is sleeping on the Fightin’ Irish after last year’s Open Division crown. They’re smaller than last year after Oisin McCormack graduated and Oscar Cheng’s family moved, but sophomore guard Ray John Spears has absolutely exploded after finishing his freshman year strong. Valley Christian, like SI, relies on a freshman point guard, with Jaiden Paran running the ship. Senior guard Aleksa Jovanovic is making up for lost time after sitting out last year due to transfer and Jurrion Dickey has wowed with the jaw-dropping ability he already displayed on the gridiron during his freshman football campaign.
Bellarmine (10-0)
The Bells made a perfect run through nonleague play for the first time since their Boo Vermeer-led team went 10-0 to start the 2012-13 season, and unlike that season, there’s no Aaron Gordon looming in WCAL play. Still, there are some awfully good teams waiting to challenge the Bells, but they’ve made their way through a handful of tests already, including a blowout of Menlo-Atherton and wins over Arbor View-Las Vegas and Houston Memorial as they claimed the American Division title at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic.
Bellarmine may not have the athleticism or playmaking abilities of Mitty or Riordan, but the Bells are extremely methodical and efficient. Defensively, opponents will seldom get inside points as they have to deal with Ryan Kiachian, Ian Elam and Constantijn Cole defending the rim. Kiachian was a massive boost off the bench as a sophomore and hasn’t missed a beat as a junior, with 20 points in the win over Houston Memorial. Quinn Denker starts at the point for a second straight year after coming off the bench as a sophomore, while Jackson Dupree and Kyle Lewis have expanded their roles as seniors. Josiah Ajiake, who saw only a few minutes off the bench as a junior, became a favorite of head coach Patrick Schneider for his work ethic and has been in a much more prominent spot as a junior, scoring 12 in a win over Leigh.
Bellarmine’s biggest advantage over the rest, though, is the junior class. Kiachian played on the varsity squad as a sophomore while the JV unit went a perfect 24-0. The talent on that JV squad was tested right away as a group called into action in the playoffs by injuries shone, with Josh Wolf-Bloom getting key minutes in a CCS Open Division semifinal win over Riordan as a significant portion of the varsity roster was forced out of action, a performance that helped the Bells to a fourth consecutive Open Division championship appearance. He’s joined on the varsity team this year by a group that also includes Cole Despie and will hope to not only keep Bellarmine’s regular presence in the title game but expand upon it. Though the Bells have played in four straight Open Division championship games, they’ve taken home the crown just once.
Nonleague highlight: Not only did the Bells win their own DJ Frandsen Memorial Tournament for a fifth year in a row, they did so in style, downing Menlo-Atherton 80-54 in the championship game. Quinn Denker scored 16 en route to being named tournament MVP while Ryan Kiachian posted a double-double.
Players to watch: F Contantijn Cole (Sr.), G Quinn Denker (Sr.), F Ian Elam (Sr.), C Ryan Kiachian (Jr.)
Notable streaks: The Bells have won eight straight meetings against St. Francis over the last three years, last losing to the Lancers in the 2016 CCS Open Division Championship. Last year, the Bells lost at home to both Riordan and Serra, their first home losses of any sort since 2016.
Mitty (9-1)
The defending WCAL champions suffered a blow when reigning league MVP Devan Sapp transferred to First Love Christian Academy, a Pittsburgh-area prep school, but got a boost when Nigel Burris transferred in from Stuart Hall. Burris’ offers thus far include Montana and UC Santa Barbara, and as he was eligible to play right away thanks to a change of address, he’s found his footing in a bench role through nonleague play, scoring 17 in a win over Oak Cliff at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, where the Monarchs won the consolation title in the National Division, the top bracket at the event.
For all the star power that Mitchell, who already committed to Pepperdine as a sophomore, and Burris bring, Mitty’s balance and depth is outstanding. The Monarchs have had four double-digit scorers in five games already, with Owen Browne and Mason Ryan developing their abilities as outside shooters on a team that features lightning-quick ball movement. Aidan Burke, who comes off the bench, is merely a footnote with so many talented players on the Monarchs’ roster. With how many great shooters the Monarchs have, it’s no surprise they’re hitting clutch late shots to win games like they did a year ago, when they made four double-digit comebacks to win the league championship. Marcus Greene hit three of those go-ahead shots and Ryan hit the fourth as Mitty seems to never run out of shooters, even if one goes cold.
Last year, the lack of a true center never seemed to hold the Monarchs back, and they’ve found success this year even when they run out small lineups, defending larger opponent by rotating defenders and denying the ball. Arrish Bhandal, a 6-foot-9 junior, gets occasional minutes off the bench after missing his sophomore year following ankle surgery, but he typically plays less than half the game. Though Mitty can match up smaller lineups with larger opponents, it is nice to have Bhandal available for matchups with centers like Bellarmine’s Ryan Kiachian, Riordan’s Mor Seck and Serra’s Muti Shuman.
Nonleague highlight: The Monarchs took home the crown at Jesuit’s Father Barry Classic, beating Central Catholic in the semifinals on a Mikey Mitchell three at the buzzer.
Players to watch: W Nigel Burris (Jr.), W Marcus Greene (Sr.), G Mikey Mitchell (Jr.), W Mason Ryan (Sr.)
Notable streaks: The Monarchs have won 32 straight meetings with Valley Christian and have a 20-game home winning streak against Riordan, with 17 regular season victories and three playoff wins in that stretch. However, they haven’t won at Bellarmine since 2015.
Riordan (9-1)
The last three years have been a steady climb for the Crusaders, from 1-13 in league to 4-10 and then 10-4 with a stellar junior class as Je’Lani Clark started for a third year and Bryce Monroe entered the fold after transferring from Sacred Heart Cathedral. For their senior seasons, the pair have their sights set squarely on league and section championships and don’t plan to settle for anything less. Thus far, the lone major accolade for Riordan over three years is a CCS Division III title, which they won in 2018 when Monroe was still wearing green.
“I want us to be a unit,” Monroe said at his signing ceremony in November. “I feel like all the other accolades, like WCAL Player of the Year, which I do want, will come if we play as a team first.”
That league MVP award has been a major focus for Monroe, but for the last three years, the Player of the Year has also been on a league championship team. The last exception was Jake Killingsworth, whose Serra team finished second in 2016.
“My play has backed me being WCAL Player of the Year the last two years,” the Sam Houston State commit said. “I’ve led the league in points, assists and efficiency the last two years. The missing component is being the best team, and to be the best team you have to be a family first.”
Clark and Monroe won’t be the only Riordan players with lots of eyes on them this year. 7-foot-1 sophomore Mor Seck, a native of Senegal who spent his freshman year at DME Sports Academy in Florida, has already been offered by Oklahoma State. In a win over Modesto Christian at Valley Christian’s Lyn Basa-Merza Classic, he showed off both his talent and room to grow in the future, missing eight free throws but still scoring eight points and racking up 17 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end, all while neutralizing Cal State Northridge commit Alex Merkviladze. He’s already got three double-doubles on the year.
Seck isn’t the only African player on Riordan’s roster as South Sudanese cousins Chan Ngot and Riiny Riiny come off the bench, offering size and length on a team that often had nobody over 6-foot-5 on the floor last year. Unless Riiny was on the floor, the Crusaders’ largest player last year was Dominic Wilson, who’s been able to expand his game to defend the perimeter this year. Defense was a major concern last year as Riordan allowed five league opponents over 60 points, but with Wilson and junior Lee Hubbard III, who’s started almost every game, the defense has looked far better this year, highlighted by allowing just 41 to Modesto Christian.
Rounding out Riordan’s exciting and talented roster is Robert Vaihola, who transferred from St. Ignatius to Hillsdale and is now at his third school. He sets some of the nastiest screens the WCAL has seen since Isaiah Strong played for Serra, and he’s also a smooth finisher around the post who defends the rim well.
Nonleague highlight: The Crusaders won the 3rd Place Game at the Gridley Invitational, throttling Campolindo 76-62. Bryce Monroe scored 30 in the first half and finished the game with a career-high 44.
Players to watch: G Je’Lani Clark (Sr.), G Lee Hubbard III (Jr.), G Bryce Monroe (Sr.), C Mor Seck (So.)
Notable streaks: Riordan hasn’t won at Serra since 2009, squandering a 12-point fourth quarter lead in last year’s trip. However, the Crusaders did end a nine-game skid at St. Ignatius last year, emerging victorious at McCullough Gymnasium for the first time since 2010.
Sacred Heart Cathedral (4-5)
Just like last year, the Fightin’ Irish are taking the floor with a largely unproven crew. Unlike last year, nobody will be overlooking them. The defending Open Division champions graduated Elijah Flowers, Oisin McCormack and Cedric Reed Jr., and they lost Oscar Cheng when his family moved to Hawaii, but after winning the Open title as an eighth seed last year despite losing Bryce Monroe to transfer, SHC isn’t going to have the advantage of sneaking up on anyone.
What the Irish do have is speed, and lots of it. They can run the floor and create open shots, with Kyle Crawford and sophomore Ray John Spears (known as Ray John Jackson last year) leading the offensive charge. McCormack’s graduation and Cheng’s departure leave SHC without a player over 6-foot-3, but Tyrice Ivy Jr. is all over the glass, with three 13-rebound games so far this year. A standout wide receiver on the football field, Ivy’s also one of the fastest players on the floor at any time, giving him a unique combination of skills that most teams lack.
Kori McCoy, who transferred from El Cerrito last year and became not only a leader on the floor but an emotional rallying point during last year’s playoff run after his uncle’s death, is the lone returning starter for the Irish, but his experience has been valuable. Injuries have slowed both him and Herbert Rivas in nonleague play, but both are expected to be a go for the Bruce-Mahoney Game on Jan. 3. Rivas, like McCormack last year, didn’t play basketball the prior year, but has been called the team’s best player by head coach Sean MacKay. In a win over Mission where Crawford was out and McCoy hardly played, he led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Nonleague highlight: Two nights after San Leandro beat Dougherty Valley by 20, the Fightin’ Irish held a second-half lead over the Pirates in a well-played 76-65 loss. They also beat Mission with Kori McCoy limited and Kyle Crawford out, both due to illness.
Players to watch: W Tyrice Ivy Jr. (Jr.), G Miles Jones (Sr.), G Herbert Rivas (Jr.), G Ray John Spears (So.)
Notable streaks: The Fightin’ Irish have lost 10 straight meetings to St. Francis, head coach Sean MacKay’s alma mater. Two of those games were decided on buzzer-beaters, including a 3-pointer by Oscar Pedraza last season to ruin SHC’s Senior Night.
Serra (8-2)
The Padres graduated Cade Rees and three-year starter Parker McDonald off of a team that made a bid for the WCAL title, and while the talent they departed is irreplaceable, they may be even tougher to prepare for this year. Ten different players can serve as Serra’s high scorer on any given night, and if football standout Nusi Malani gets worked into the fold, he could be an 11th. The Padres have had at least 15 assists in all 10 of their games so far this year, all while subbing out their entire starting rotation for a second unit in the first quarter of most games before employing a more traditional lineup.
That starting lineup is headed by Antonio Abeyta, the lone returning starter from last year’s squad, while three other starters have entered the nightly lineup after holding bench roles as juniors. Ryan Wilson has gone from a catch-and-shoot role to an all-around one, finding ways to make himself useful even if shots aren’t falling. He was ice-cold throughout Marin Catholic’s Bambauer Classic, and even though he went scoreless in a championship win over the tournament hosts, he managed to dish out six assists. Julius Alcantara, a defensive stalwart who makes use of his long arms and runs the floor well, has become a much better offensive player, with a pair of 18-point games so far. 6-foot-9 senior center Muti Shuman dominates the glass and towers over the competition, using his height and girth to his advantage by posting up and rarely putting the ball on the floor. The one new starter who came up from the JV team is Dimitri Koutsogeorgas, a scrappy 5-8 defender who scored 28 points over the course of the Bambauer semifinals and championship en route to being named tournament MVP.
Serra’s second unit may be as good as the starters, headed by Damon Lewis, who’s fit in easily after coming over from a football team that won a NorCal title for the third time in four years. His 10 points were crucial in a come-from-behind rivalry win over Burlingame, and he typically gets the most minutes out of the reserves. He’s joined by Luke Bidinost, Justus Fields, Jevon Jesus and sophomore Brady Smith, who’s already had four games in double figures. While the Padres can’t rely on someone like McDonald or Rees when they’re in desperate need of a big play, anyone can get going and deliver two or three baskets in a row, and their speed has allowed them to wear opponents down late in games.
Nonleague highlight: A night after an exhausting win over Burlingame in which the Panthers gave them all they could handle, the Padres won at Dougherty Valley behind 23 points from Antonio Abeyta and 13 off the bench from Jevon Jesus.
Players to watch: G Antonio Abeyta (Sr.) F Julius Alcantara (Sr.), G Dimitri Koutsogeorgas (Jr.), G Damon Lewis (Sr.)
Notable streaks: Serra has won 29 straight meetings with Valley Christian, grinding out a three-point road win last year to prolong the run. However, Bellarmine and Mitty have each come away with wins in their last three trips to San Mateo.
St. Francis (7-2)
The Lancers are young, and they’re going to shoot nonstop 3-pointers. After graduating a wave of great senior classes and getting paltry results from JV and freshman teams in recent years, it would have been fair to expect a major decline for St. Francis this year, but early results suggest otherwise. No, this team doesn’t have the individual talents of Logan Johnson or players like Oscar Pedraza or Maurice Wilmer, but this group seems to be Mike Motil’s most cohesive in years. Without a deep football playoff run keeping players away from the hardwood, the Lancers were finally able to get substantial practice time early in the season for their full roster for the first time in three years, and the accompanying results have proven the substantial benefits. Selfless play and willingness to pass to the open teammate has helped the St. Francis offense click, and while the Lancers may lack a behemoth in the post, every player on the roster has enough size and length to make an impact defensively, no matter who they’re guarding.
The current senior class doesn’t have the buzz surrounding it that others have had, but the combination of Ryan Daly, Trevor Leon, Nolan Nepumoceno and Kyle Rosecrans offer both talent and leadership to guide the four sophomores on the roster. Vince Barringer, John Frazier and Isaiah Kerr have all impressed in their first nine games, with Kerr scoring 14 in his debut. Sacred Heart Prep transfer Harlan Banks will be eligible for league play after sitting out to start the season, and even without him in the fold, opposing defenses have had their hands full with the Lancers’ wide array of shooters.
That there will be challenges in WCAL play is no secret to Motil or his team.
“We know there are going to be ups and downs and peaks and valleys and we’re just going to keep fighting hard,” he said after a Dec. 21 win over Central Catholic.
Results may not always be pretty for this young core, but they’ve already exceeded some of their expectations and, as a team that lives by the three and dies by the three, will be capable of pulling off an upset on any given night. If shots don’t fall, the Lancers could be in for a lopsided defeat as the 3-pointer seems to be their only means of consistent scoring, but when those shots go in, even the league’s heavyweights will be on notice.
Nonleague highlight: With Ryan Daly out after having his wisdom teeth removed, the Lancers grinded out a 48-46 road win over Mountain View in what’s gained steam as an exciting local rivalry. Less than 16 hours later, they took the floor again and knocked down 12 3-pointers for a 62-52 win over Central Catholic as Trevor Leon scored 25.
Players to watch: F Vince Barringer (So.), C Ryan Daly (Sr.), G Trevor Leon (Sr.), F Kyle Rosecrans (Sr.)
Notable streaks: A 59-52 upset win over Riordan last year marked the fifth straight year the Lancers have topped the Crusaders at home.
St. Ignatius (5-5)
Much like they did in the 2015-16 season, the St. Ignatius Wildcats are taking to the court with a sophomore-heavy group. While that team was led by the emerging group of Brandon Beckman, Matt Redmond and Darrion Trammell, the 2019-20 ‘Cats are headlined by GC Toledo Rivera and Rory Keanneally, along with reserve guard Ryan Conroy. They also have a freshman in the starting lineup for the first time in more than a decade with highly-touted point guard King-Jhsanni Wilhite, considered a blue-chip Division I prospect among the best freshmen in the entire state.
A typical team led by so many underclassmen would likely ease into its schedule to get the kids confident before the seven-week ordeal of the WCAL, but head coach Rob Marcaletti knows that a weak nonleague slate would leave his team unprepared for league play. Aside from an early cakewalk against Fremont-Oakland, the Wildcats have cut their teeth against strong competition. They lost to Sacred Heart Prep, a likely Open Division candidate, by just one, and pushed Loyola to the brink in the championship of their own Leo LaRocca Sand Dune Classic. Five of SI’s first ten games have been within five points, giving the fresh faces plenty of chances to dive into Marcaletti’s wide array of plans for end-of-clock situations. Joining the youngsters are a group of seniors that didn’t score a ton last year on a team that ran its offense through Neal Begovich and Wrenn Robinson but did show tons of ability as defenders and rebounders. Malcolm McCray-Hill is a monster on the boards and has compensated for past shooting struggles by throwing down dunk after dunk, Kourosh Kahn-Adle is a gritty senior who can shoot it from the outside and Daniel Webster, one of the only returning starters from last year, brings a sense of calm and a great 3-point stroke. Jackson Canady and Zach Taylor-Smith have seen minimal time so far, but both bring excellent athletic ability over from the football field, and junior center Ethan Jew has become a stable presence after a feast-or-famine sophomore year.
As promising as the coming years are for St. Ignatius, there’s certainly some urgency to win now. The last group of three-year starters finished with just one Open Division quarterfinal win, and in Marcaletti’s first five years as head coach, the Wildcats have appeared in just one section championship game, losing to Leland in 2016 for the Division II Championship. At a program with such a tremendous history of success, results are needed to satisfy longtime supporters. Fortunately, SI will have a chance to do so rather quickly, opening league play with the Bruce-Mahoney Game and Jungle Game. The Wildcats have beaten Sacred Heart Cathedral on San Francisco’s biggest stage for four consecutive years, and against Serra, the last three trips to the Jungle have been thrillers, though two have ended in heartbreak.
Nonleague highlight: Though the Wildcats ultimately lost the championship of their own tournament to Loyola, they got out to a 10-point lead against a team with multiple Division I recruits and showed tremendous maturity after surrendering a 14-0 run, with King-Jhsanni Wilhite willing SI back into the game.
Players to watch: C Ethan Jew (Jr.), G Kourosh Kahn-Adle (Sr.), G GC Toledo Rivera (So.), G King-Jhsanni Wilhite (Fr.)
Notable streaks: Bellarmine has been SI’s Achilles heel in recent years, with last year’s CCS Open Division quarterfinal marking the eighth straight time the Bells have topped the Wildcats. On a more positive note, the ‘Cats have won five straight years at Riordan, including a 62-49 upset last year to make up for a 16-point home loss.
Valley Christian (8-2)
The Warriors’ days as the whipping boys of the WCAL seem to be headed to an end, led by a powerful freshman tandem of point guard Jaiden Paran and football standout Jurrion Dickey. In a league where four-year starters are seldom seen, Paran has the chance to follow in some big footsteps. Both Je’Lani Clark and Bryce Monroe started as freshmen, and the two are about to complete their senior seasons at Riordan before playing for Division I programs. In his first game, Paran scored 24 in a rout of Gunderson. Dickey is known for his prowess on the football field, standing out at wide receiver even in a program that loves to run the ball, but he has the potential to be just as good on the basketball court. Unfortunately, he’s expected to miss another week or two with a sprained ligament in his knee, an injury he sustained in a Dec. 20 win over Kennedy-Fremont.
Only one senior, Aleksa Jovanovic, sees regular playing time for Valley Christian. A native of Serbia who had to sit out his junior year after transferring, Jovanovic dropped 26 in his first varsity game and is among the best 3-point shooters in the Bay Area. Junior guard Kainoa Mayo was the lone bright spot in a stinker of a loss to Palo Alto, scoring 16, and fellow junior Frain Rivera is one of the only players to have seen major minutes on last year’s team. There are also three sophomores on the roster, highlighted by Sam Roush, who, like Dickey, is also a standout football player. Will Hook and Chidi Onu also represent the class of 2022, while 6-foot-9 junior Chinese forward Jack Cheng comes off the bench and joins Jovanovic in adding some international flavor to the roster.
Arguably the most intriguing piece of the Warriors’ program may not even see the court until next year, though. Tichyque Musaka, a 6-foot-11 sophomore center with a Georgetown offer and interest from Kansas, has yet to be declared eligible by the section after moving to San Jose. He spent his freshman year at St. Louis Christian in Missouri and played on the Nike EYBL circuit over the summer. When he does see the floor, his battles with Riordan’s Mor Seck will draw tons of eyes from college coaches around the nation.
Nonleague highlight: Jurrion Dickey’s first career play was a steal and thunderous dunk in a blowout win over San Jose. The Warriors also won the Don & Martha Price Christmas Classic at Monte Vista Christian, allowing just 107 total points over three games.
Players to watch: G Jurrion Dickey (Fr.), G Aleksa Jovanovic (Sr.), G Kainoa Mayo (Jr.), G Jaiden Paran (Fr.)
Notable streaks: The Warriors have lost 17 straight league road games, with their last win coming on Jan. 18, 2017 at Sacred Heart Cathedral.
