The "Glove" Gary Payton leading Alameda JC
📸 Eric Taylor
He could be anywhere in the basketball world perhaps coaching at the NBA level. Gary Payton, NBA All Star and Hall of Famer is coaching at the JC level.
The Cougars finished 16-15 overall but 11-5 in league play 3rd behind Yuba City and Contra Costa College in the Bay Valley Conference.
GP's coaching abilities were on full display this past season. His leadership improved the teams defense which helped the offense get better shots.
Jalen Scott and Isaiah Hill led the team in scoring with just over 16pts a game each. That was good enough for 2nd and 3rd in the league in scoring behind Solano's Justiz Wilson who lit it up for 25 a night in 2024-25.
Coach Payton has led the team thru several one point wins and losses and has improved a last place team that won just 7 games a year ago into a state playoff team.
Alameda traveled all the way up to Eureka (5hrs) and beat College of the Redwoods 76-74 in the first round of the 2025 California State JC Playoffs but lost to San Jose City in round two.
Florida wins 3rd mens hoop title
📸 Eric Taylor
It was fitting that the team which won the national title had to erase a second half deficit and come back to win.
Florida did just that using great defense to whittle away at Houston's lead before finally winning 65-63 for the programs 3rd title.
Both Florida and Houston had turned the trick just to make the final game. This time it was a 12pt second half hole the Gators climbed out of with their main man, Walter Clayton Jr being hemmed up it didn't look good.
In reality Florida had Houston right where they wanted them. By the time Clayton Jr tied the game at 60 with a 3 the Cougars were reeling and in the end couldn't even get a shot off with the game on the line.
Houston's last four possessions of the game ended in turnovers without one shot getting put up. Defense shined on the big stage.
Walter Clayton Jr was a big reason why. He was scoreless in the first half and didn't make his first field goal until there was 7 minutes left in the game finishing with 11pts in the game.
2024 CIF State Championships
2023 STATE FINALS
Story and photo by Eric Taylor
Oakland Ca public high schools sports programs are getting a bad rap. The OAL ( Oakland Athletic League) is quietly becoming a league of champions again.
Some much for the grand migration out of Oakland. There is still plenty of athletic talent left in "The Town". We have heard of West Oakland's McClymonds football program and its winning ways.
The OAL's basketball programs are starting to show their strength as well. Oakland Tech's girls team has become one of the best in California having won the CIF State title in D3, D2 and now in 2023 D1 beating Corona's Santiago.
That's 3 state titles in four years. Corona (the virus) stopped the Tech class of 2023 (six have played at Tech since they were freshman from winning four state Championships in four years.
The Oakland High Boys were making their very first appearance in a state championship game. In order to make the state finals Oakland High embarked on a scenic tour of Northern California.
From Ponderosa in the Sierra Foothills down to Sunnyvale in Silicon Valley the O High Wildcats were making it happen.
The final hurdle was an Oakland Tech team that had beaten them three times this season by a total of seven points.
Playing a cross town rival with state on the line brought out the best in Oakland High and theybeat Tech when it mattered most before knocking off Buena (Huntington Beach) in the D3 State Finals.
Giving back
He never forgot where he came from. NBA superstar Damian Lillard has been a positive example to the undeserved youth of not only his home town of Oakland, but also the city of Portland Oregon where he played for so many years.
He never forgot where he came from. NBA superstar Damian Lillard has been a positive example to the undeserved youth of not only his home town of Oakland, but also the city of Portland Oregon where he played for so many
IVAN RABB LOOKING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Basketball has been good to Oakland's Ivan Rabb. After a successful career that saw him win a state title and play in the NBA. Now he wants to share is vast knowledge of the game to future generations of aspiring young basketball players.