The truth was these Eagles were far too talented and “connected,” to lose any game in any of the four-team 44 pools that made up the 176 teams which were evaluated by more than 150 college coaches in the three-day scholastic tournament at three different sites.
And behind the rugged, skilled all-around play by Pool 7-8 MVP Ethan Hill, and prolific guard play by Akachi “AJ” Okoh and Robert “RJ” Ball, Brentwood rolled over three other Northern California powers and Pool 9 squads, Oakland Tech (66-40) and Salesian-Richmond (76-67) to reach the Sunday’s pseudo championship game against Pool 10 winner Riordan-San Francisco.
Hill, a skilled 6-foot-7, 265-pound forward/post, had 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, leading the Eagles to a wire-to-wire 62-50 victory at Whitney High School.
“We didn’t play connected (Friday),” said Bailey, the former UCLA player and brother of former NBA guard and current agent Toby Bailey. “I think the film session turned us all around. I think the next three games we were much more connected and interested and I am really proud of the guys for bouncing back.”
Said Hill: “We were super frustrated on Friday and had so much energy after that. We just ramped up everything the rest of the way.”
Riordan, the 2025 Northern California Open Division champions and 2026 NorCal Open finalists, were quite familiar with Hill’s game because many of them play with him on the Oakland Soldiers AAU squad.
He is the nephew of Oakland Soldiers 30-year executive director Mark Olivier.
Salesian, which won the pseudo third-place Sunday over Moreau Catholic-Kentfield, had a tough time slowing Hill during Saturday’s semifinal game.
“We just had a hard time guarding him,” Salesian coach Bill Mellis said. “He’s very tough and they’re well coached. It was a close game and down the stretch they hit a few more shots, made a few more plays and made their free throws.”
On Sunday, Riordan, a deep and athletic squad led by highly energetic 6-9 Emmanuel Ahamefule, and guards Cole White and incoming sophomore Judah Van Ewijk, fought back from a double-digit deficit to close to 46-42 on two free throws and a tough interior bucket by White with 5:36 remaining.
But Ball drilled a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 run and this one was essentially over. Max Katz added a three-pointer down the stretch and Hill contributed three free throws and a putback. Riordan, which played without highly-touted transfer Boss Mhoon (broken hand), never got within 11 down the stretch.
“We played really well yesterday to win a couple games, but today against a great team for some reason our energy was a little low,” Ahamefule said.
Which was Brentwood’s problem on Friday. Bailey offered no excuses, especially on the long trip, credited Lincoln with an excellent game plan and win.
But Bailey said when this team plays inside out and connected, it may be one of the best teams he’s coached.
“(Hill) draws so much attention and he’s such a willing passer, he’s going to make the right play,” Bailey said. “With so many good three-point shooters around him it makes it tough. And our guards are really good too. We have a lot of good pieces so you can’t just focus on one player to stop.”
Third-place game
Like Riordan the day before, Salesian got a measure of revenge on Moreau Catholic which beat both teams earlier this month at the St. Mary’s College camp. On Sunday, Salesian, behind the all-around play of NJ Gray, Asante Johnson and Juelz Richo, defeated the Mariners, 61-43.
Salesian, the defending NorCal Open champion which lost to Sierra Canyon in the state finals, lost seven seniors off that 29-4 squad including Stanford-bound Elias Obenyah, but have loads of depth and the winningest active coach in Northern California in Mellis.
Gray, a 6-2 guard who averaged more than 25 points per game at Branson-Ross last year, was terrific throughout the weekend, averaging more than 20 points per game.
“(Gray) has really done a good job fitting in with his new teammates, and they with him,” Mellis said. “On the court, he really took command of the games this weekend and showed good leadership and a desire to get everyone involved.
“Asante has really come into his own as well. He’s playing great defense, playing hard and hitting tough percentage three-pointers. He’s going to have a great year.”
More Red on Green
In the Pool 43-44 title game at the Hardwood Palace, highly-athletic 6-8 incoming senior Tommy Ambidge zigged left, drove right and flew in for a two-handed dunk just before the halftime buzzer giving his San Ramon Valley a 33-28 lead over Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills.
It set the tone for a 20-point, 10-rebound performance en route to Pool MVP honors for the red head as the Wolves won their fourth straight game with a tough 60-57 victory. Point guard Mike Rizkalli and 6-4 off guard Brett Sadur also made big plays for a San Ramon Valley team that took its lumps last year at 10-14 after winning 77 games the previous three seasons.
“I was very pleased with how the boys performed all weekend,” San Ramon Valley coach Brian Botteen said. “We felt Oak Ridge would be a good opponent and they had good offensive sets and a lot of size. Our guys are just scrappy and relentless. They continue to get better with each day and I’m very optimistic about the upcoming year with them.”
Locals make good
Christian Brothers out of Sacramento won the Pool 23-24 title with a 66-52 win over Burlingame, getting big efforts from Pool MVP Najee Banks, a 6-2 senior guard, along with fellow seniors Lewis “Joaquin” Lucero-Mattis and 6-4 wing Braeden Hennelly.
“We really moved the ball,” said Christian Brothers sixth-year coach Jermaine Brown. “Moving the ball has been the point of contention all summer so it’s important we do that and get contributions by committee.”
Having players perform big is vital because the Falcons aren’t very tall, especially after losing 6-8 freshman Jaden DeJesus-Eves, who died unexpectedly in his sleep in February. He was only 15.
His passing came exactly a year to the day after Brown suffered a stroke.
“The boys have been through a lot,” Brown said. “They’ve fought through so much adversity.”
The players and staff are still grieving, but they never hesitate to talk about Jaden, who was the team’s leading rebounder last season and fourth-leading scorer. Brown said his players often call Jaden’s mother and she attends many games and even practices. She attended Sunday’s title game.
“We break every huddle with ‘Brothers on 3 and Jaden on 6,’ “ Brown said. “His name will forever live on and be in our hearts.”
The team is planning a tournament in his honor next season.
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Pool championship game results
Pool 1-2: Southridge 88, St. Ignatius 86
Pool 3-4: Centennial 59, St. Mary’s-Albany 50
Pool 5-6: Santa Barbara 80, San Marcos 76
Pool 7-8: Bakersfield Christian 47, Monte Vista 45
Pool 9-10: Brentwood 62, Riordan 50
Pool 11-12: Liberty-Brentwood 59, Jesuit-Carmichael 41
Pool 13-14: Chaminade 70, Whitney 49
Pool 15-16: Campbell Hall 84, Mira Costa 50
Pool 17-18: Victory Christian 79, Hanford 58
Pool 19-20: Palos Verde 82, Aliso Niguel 71
Pool 21-22: Benicia 61, Edison 44
Pool 23-24: Christian Brothers 66, Burlingame 52
Pool 25-26: Carlmont 56, Casa Roble 45
Pool 27-28: California-San Ramon 70, Damonte Ranch 60
Pool 29-30: Foothill-SS 70, Freedom-Oakley 64
Pool 31-32: Merced 60, Glendor 59
Pool 33-34: Palo Alto 58, Placer 57
Pool 35-36: Murrieta Valley 67, Pleasant Valley 63
Pool 37-38: St. Francis-Mountain View 50, Campolindo 34
Pool 39-40: University Prep 58, Sacred Heart Cathedral 45
Pools 41-42: James Logan 63, Will C. Wood 48
Pool 43-44: San Ramon Valley 60, Oakridge 57
