Denny Aye and his 3 sons – the first family of MJC Tournament

Christmas parties with the Ayes don’t vary much from other families. There’s food, fun, catching up with relatives and gifts.

But eventually, Denny Aye and his sons Tyson, Dion and Devin will huddle around a laptop and do what comes second nature to them: They’ll talk basketball.

“Usually it’s about recruiting. It’s like we’re holding trading cards,” Denny said. “I’ve had a lot of good players. I figured that out a long time ago.”

Aye, 63, and his wife Wendy, Iowa natives, have been married 41 years. He’s been a basketball coach for 39 years and logged more than 800 wins at dusty JCs in Oklahoma, Central Valley schools and tree-studded landscapes in Tuolumne County.

His latest stop is Chabot of Hayward, but his legacy extends to his sons – Tyson, the coach at Allan Hancock of Santa Maria; Devin, the coach at Lassen of Susanville; and Dion, his father’s volunteer assistant at Chabot.

The family will gather next week in Susanville, but their personal hoops celebration always is the Modesto Junior College Tournament. The Ayes cover the event like hardwood covers the court.

Denny, who’s guided teams at Columbia College and Fresno to MJC titles, is trying to become the first coach to win three championships here at three different schools. He nearly did it last year as his Gladiators fell to Fresno in the finals. Devin’s Lassen team reached the MJC title game in 2012.

Which means the Ayes treat the MJC tournament like an annual reunion, a week-long chance to meet, compare notes and win more games.

“The women ask us, ‘Is there anything else to talk about?’” Denny said. “And we say, ‘What else is there?’ ”

Denny made his mark locally at Columbia, where he built the Claim Jumpers into a state powerhouse from 1985-94. His team advanced to the state final in 1988 and, in ‘93, the Claim Jumpers upset Ventura for the state title. His sons served as ballboys for those great teams.

“I grew up in the gym. It was home. (My father’s players) were like my bigger brothers,” said Tyson, the oldest of the sons and an All-Valley Oak League star at Sonora High. “I see a lot of my father’s former assistant coaches, and I still call them, ‘Coach.’”

Clearly, Denny has passed on his passion for basketball to his sons. Though their sideline demeanor lacks the animation of their father’s, their love for the game is no different.

“I would love to surpass what he’s done, but I might not have the time,” said Devin, the youngest of the trio. “He started to coach in his early 20s. My first job wasn’t until I was 28. I’ll have to stay in the business for a long time.”

Longevity doesn’t appear to be a roadblock in this clan. Denny’s career has brought him, in order, to Palmer CC (Iowa), Murray State College (Okla.), Panhandle State (Okla.), Western New Mexico, Columbia, Cal State San Bernardino, Fresno City, Marshalltown CC (Iowa) and Chabot.

“The hardest part was moving back to Iowa after we spent 17 years in California,” Denny said. “You forget about the cold in Iowa until you come back.”

Unlike his brothers, Dion did not become a coach. Though he played the game at a high level – he finished his career on scholarship at Southern University in New Orleans – he could not land a graduate assistant’s job.

He turned to private business, a good move given his smarts. He graduated No. 1 in his class at Southern. Today, he lives in Manteca and works as a financial advisor. But giving up basketball is a non-starter.

“I’ve seen the good and the bad sides of coaching with my dad and brothers bouncing around,” Dion said. “I just can’t get away from it. I still can’t sleep at night after a game.”

The father-and-son matchups can’t be avoided. To no one’s surprise, Wendy is conflicted when that happens.

“The first time we played Devin, I was rooting for both teams for a while,” she said. “But when Lassen took the lead, I had to go for Chabot. I never thought we would have to go against the boys.”

Amazingly, Denny’s base at Chabot forms the midpoint of a neat triangle – Tyson 41/2 hours to the south at Hancock, and Devin 41/2 hours to the north at Lassen. Tyson, in his second season at Hancock, likes his new address after his eight seasons in the desert at Imperial Valley.

The Ayes still own their home in Sonora. An 85-year-old woman rents there. Denny said they could return to one of their favorite stops after his retirement. One problem: Denny is not comfortable with the idea of retirement.

“Who knows what’s ahead?” he said. “As long as I stay healthy and enjoy it, I’ll keep going. It’s still enjoyable, even though the kids drive me a little more crazy than before. When I retire, I’ll still go to games. Why not keep getting paid for it?”

In the Aye household, there’s always another recruit to find, another game to win, and another Christmas party chat about hoops.

This story was originally published December 18, 2014 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Denny Aye and his 3 sons – the first family of MJC Tournament."