Crusaders rush into Classic semifinal thanks to football lineup

Off to another ragged start, Modesto Christian High boys basketball coach Brice Fantazia channeled his inner Mike Parsons.

Parsons coaches football on campus and guided the Crusaders to a Sac-Joaquin Section Division V postseason berth in the fall. The pillars in that success were wide receiver Emoni Karriem, running back/quarterback Chris Brown and center Joseph Yanez.

What worked for Parsons worked wonders for Fantazia in a 72-47 victory over Turlock in the quarterfinal round of the 17th annual Holiday Hoop Classic.

The first-year coach went to his “football lineup” in the second quarter, plugging in Karriem, Brown and Yanez. The senior trio brought instant energy to the Crusaders (4-4), who trailed Turlock 13-11 after the first period.

“I never thought I’d use that. Never thought I would have to,” Fantazia said. “My assistants were actually the ones who said ‘Get your best five defenders in there; guys who will play their hardest.

“Chris and Emoni are two of our best defenders and Yanez is super physical. So that ended up being our lineup.”

The Crusaders have won back-to-back games and will face the winner of Central (Fresno)-El Cerrito in Thursday’s semifinal. Manteca will play Salesian of Richmond on the opposite side of the champion’s bracket.

Making it this far has been a struggle and a test of Fantazia’s patience. The Crusaders have looked their age over the last six games, including choppy performances to start their Classic title defense.

Football proved to be king once again, though, rescuing the basketball powerhouse from another lackluster effort.

“It’s hard for the football players in our program because we’re year-round program,” Fantazia said, “but the football guys bring toughness and energy.”

Yanez became a crowd favorite last season for his deep 3-point attempts in garbage times of blowout.

However, Fantazia has trusted him with an even a greater role: mentoring the young players, while helping develop post players like Gabe Murphy, a rising 6-foot-7 junior.

Fantazia approached the All-District offensive lineman about taking on a leadership role before the season. Modesto Christian has nine underclassmen on its varsity roster.

“Before the season I told him he’d be a leader even without a lot of playing time,” Fantazia said. “The freshmen look up to him and listen to him. He’s a natural leader.”

Yanez relieved Murphy, who found himself in early foul trouble for the second straight game. The 6-foot, 230-pound senior tussled with Turlock’s Mustafa Noel-Johnson and Everett Johnson.

“He’s our hardest worker in practice,” Fantazia said of Yanez, who missed his only shot, a 3 from the corner. “Even if he goes three games without playing he’s still making Gabe better.”

Brown started in place of freshman Baljot Sahi, who struggled mightily from beyond the 3-point line in a narrow victory over Ceres on Tuesday, and Karriem made his Classic debut off the bench.

The move worked.

Sahi rediscovered his stroke, connecting on four 3-pointers. He finished with 14 points. Brown, who topped 1,000 yards rushing in each of his three varsity seasons, had three rebounds.

“Every game Baljot has started, he hasn’t shot well. When he comes off bench, he hits four or five 3s, so we decided to go with the switch,” Fantazia said. “Baljot understood that. We have preach ‘Love each other no matter what you do,’ and they’re taking that to heart.”

Fantazia didn’t play Karriem in the opener against Ceres because the active 6-1 guard missed a practice.

Karriem made up for lost time, scoring five points. He was a part of Modesto Christian’s decisive 19-3 run in the second quarter, rising high for a steal and finishing on the fast-break.

“Me coming back, I was just trying to do the right things,” said Karriem, who had 30 catches for 535 yards and six touchdowns in the fall. “Just trying to do what coach teaches us to do.”

He later closed the third quarter with a buzzer-beating layup. He stopped short of dunking the ball, he said, “because I could see the seconds and didn’t want to mess anything up.”

“Usually at MC, (football players) don’t get to play a whole lot,” he added. “To get that opportunity, I’m thankful for that.”

Karriem has interest from Azusa Pacific and Weber State for football, but his focus is on helping the basketball program defend its Holiday Hoops Classic title.

“I bring that energy to the team. I don’t get tired; I’m pretty well-conditioned and don’t slow down for anything,” Karriem said. “So I want to play defense, bring that energy and get everyone hyped.

“We (the football players) bring that toughness and the mindset that you’re not going to get outworked.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 8:58 PM with the headline "Crusaders rush into Classic semifinal thanks to football lineup."