Something new enters the Central Section basketball playoff picture in 2020: An Open Division for boys and girls basketball.
During the 2019 off-season, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) approved a two-year pilot program for an Open Division bracket in the Central Section. As planned, the bracket consists of four boys and girls teams selected regardless of division. These eight teams, upon selection, automatically qualify for their respective State tournament in March.
This past Saturday, the CIF released the first-ever Central Section Open Division boys and girls basketball bracket.
On the boys’ side:
No. 4 Arroyo Grande at No.1 Clovis West
No. 3 San Joaquin Memorial at No. 2 Clovis North
And on the girls’ side:
No. 4 Buchanan at No. 1 Clovis West
No. 3 Clovis at No. 2 Clovis North
The semifinal matchups take place this Saturday at the school of the higher seed. In this case, Clovis West and Clovis North host both a girls and boys basketball semifinal.
In this preview of the Open Division boys’ semifinals, the Clovis Roundup has compiled a preview of each boys team, an overview of their season and what to expect from each squad.
Boys Bracket:
No. 4 seed Arroyo Grande Eagles (23-5 record)
Head Coach: Ryan Glanville (16th year as head coach)
Signature win: 65-56 over St. Joseph on Jan. 14
Next game: at No. 1 seed Clovis West, 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Season Overview: The Central Coast Mountain League champions edged St Joseph for the league title – and likely for the No. 4 seed in Open Division. The Eagles visited Clovis West already this season, on Dec. 20 when they lost to West 75-67. Arroyo Grande plays West again for a spot in the Open Division finals, and Glanville’s squad will rely on stingy defense to reach Selland. The Eagles kept opponents to 52.5 points per game in Central Coast play. A big part of its tough defense is Arroyo Grande’s strong frontcourt and athletic two-way players.
Matchup X-Factor: Arroyo Grande’s size can overwhelm opponents on both sides of the ball. Eight of 12 players on Arroyo Grande’s roster register at 6 feet or taller. This can spell trouble for a Clovis West team who has struggled against teams with solid size inside and on the perimeter. Arroyo Grande presents both with 6-foot-3 senior guard Gage Gomez, 6-foot-4 guard/forward Robert Hutchens and 6-4 guard/forward Tyler Armstrong. The size and versatility of Arroyo Grande’s roster allows Glanville to mix and match pieces in his lineup, keeping opponents mismatched on the court.
No. 3 seed San Joaquin Memorial (22-6 record)
Head Coach: Brad Roznovsky (8th year as head coach)
Signature Win: 57-55 over Santa Fe Christian on Dec. 27
Next Game: at No. 2 seed Clovis North, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Season Overview: No Jalen Green, no problem for the San Joaquin Memorial Panthers, who enter playoffs with an 11-game winning streak after sweeping CMAC play. Facing a non-conference schedule stacked with basketball powers from in and out of the state, the Panthers emerged relatively unscathed. By far, their biggest non-conference win came at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, where they defeated eventual San Diego No. 1 seed Santa Fe Christian, 57-55. The Panthers finished the regular season scoring 70.8 points per game, the mark of an explosive offense led by the talented trio of Stephon Young, Joseph Hunter and Jadon Geron.
Matchup X-Factor: Memorial’s Big Three can take over a ball game. Geron checks in at 6-foot-7 and can play at point guard effortlessly. Hunter can shoot it well from beyond the arc and finish the fast break with a slam dunk. Young is a scrappy on-ball defender who can rack up steals and blocks in the stat sheet. Together, the Panthers’ trio can hang with the best in the Valley with their sheer talent. Whether Clovis North can keep up with Memorial in transition and on the fast break will determine the outcome of the game.
No. 2 seed Clovis North Broncos (21-7)
Head Coach: Tony Amundsen (7th year as head coach)
Signature Win: 63-62 over Clovis West on Dec. 14
Next Game: vs. No. 3 San Joaquin Memorial, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Season Overview: Clovis North started the year red-hot with a 10-0 record and three preseason tournament wins to their name. The Broncos struggled with uneven offensive production midseason during a 2-6 stretch, including a tough overtime loss at home to Clovis West on Jan. 10. The next game brought an overtime victory over Clovis East, which kicked off a 9-1 stretch to finish the regular season for the Broncos. It’s been a streaky type of season for Clovis North, who look like an entirely different squad when they spread the basketball around on offense.
Matchup X-Factor: If Clovis North gives the ball to the frontcourt early, it opens the entire offense. The Broncos are another boys team in the Open Division with a solid frontcourt, but size isn’t the lone threat for the Broncos. Clovis North’s Terri Miller and David Opoku-Ababio can score inside, sure, but they are adept at passing. Once they draw a double team, the frontcourt pair are keen on passing to the perimeter and giving seniors Malachi Henry or Sammy Al-Saber free reign to knock down three-pointers.
Clovis North is truly an inside-out threat this season and opponents will keep careful from focusing too much on a single aspect of the Broncos’ game. One more name to watch: AK Okereke, a junior forward who has performed well in close games for the Broncos this season. Memorial will need to keep its head on a swivel on defense when the Broncos are rolling offensively.
No. 1 seed Clovis West Golden Eagles (25-4)
Head coach Vance Walberg (4th year as head coach in second stint)
Signature Win: 75-67 in OT over Clovis North, 1/10/20
Next Game: vs No. 4 Arroyo Grande, 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Season Overview: Clovis West has dominated much of the season, never suffering a losing streak or losing games by a wide margin. In fact, the Golden Eagles have dropped two games this year (vs. Modesto Christian and Clovis North) on the game’s final play. They’ve lost four games total this season by a combined margin of 10 points. Clovis West stays competitive in each game with a passing offense featuring off-ball motion and drives towards the basket. Vance Walberg’s dribble-drive motion offense has been especially effective with knocking down three-pointers; the heavy usage of screens leaves guard Cole Anderson and others plenty of space to sink three-pointers.
Matchup X-Factor: Cole Anderson will score a bunch – but his teammates need to as well. Coming out of TRAC play, where he stood taller than most opponents besides Clovis North, Cole Anderson used all of his 6-foot-3 self to get open shots and drive into the lane. Against a tall, athletic team like Arroyo Grande, the task becomes more difficult for Anderson and Clovis West, which overall stands as the smallest team of the four.
Anderson will likely face double teams and need to defer to teammates. So far this season, the Golden Eagles have lost games where Cole Anderson is the defensive focus and the supporting cast cannot pick up the rest of the slack. Starters Jarren Carr and Max Phillips stepped up this season as go-to second options for scoring. Now, the senior pair will be relied upon by Walberg in the situation when Anderson is double-teamed with Arroyo Grande’s best defenders.