Chuck Hayes Basketball gears up for Oakland Soldiers, national tourneys

Seventeen years ago, Chuck Hayes lined up next to four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, each wearing an Oakland Soldiers basketball jersey.

The Soldiers, then as they are now, are one of the premier AAU basketball programs in the nation. They run with only the elite high school players – James would jump straight to the NBA, while Hayes would carve out a Hall-of-Fame career at the University of Kentucky – which makes this weekend’s tournament stop even more significant.

Chuck Hayes will take the court with the host Soldiers at the Spring Hoops Festival, but only in name. Chuck Hayes Basketball, a second-year program that draws on Central Valley talent, will send eight teams to the Spring Hoops Festival, ranging from 11-year-olds to the fast-rising 17-and-unders.

The 13s have been ranked as high as No. 3 in Northern California, while the 14s are No. 1 in Northern California and No. 16 on the west coast.

Coached by Modesto Christian’s Brice Fantazia, the 14s won the EBC Tournament, an invite-only event, and face arguably the toughest road at the Spring Hoops Festival.

Comprised mostly of eighth-graders, the 14-year-old bracket features five of the top-20 teams on the west coast, including Earl Watson Elite, a team powered by St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett’s son.

The 16s surge into the Spring Hoops Festival following a championship at the Oakland Rebels Tournament last weekend. The 16s are led by two of the top young guards in the Stanislaus District, Modesto Christian freshman Michael Pearson Jr. and Beyer’s Dominic Dancer.

The most intriguing of the Chuck Hayes Basketball programs, though, is the 17-and-under circuit team.

“This is a big weekend,” Hayes said by phone from Houston on Wednesday. The former Modesto Christian High star is a scout with the Denver Nuggets, a team locked in a playoff race. “Not just for the exposure, but for the preparation when the 17s go to Dallas and Atlanta later this month” for Adidas circuit tournaments during NCAA evaluation periods, April 21-23 and 28-30, respectively.

“We’re going to play against top competition in the Soldiers’ tournament. It’s going to get us ready for what we’ll see during the first two live periods.”

In February, the team received a sponsorship from Adidas, signifying its place among the elite in AAU basketball.

Along with shoes, swag and a nationwide calendar, the sponsorship qualified the 17s to play the very best teams in the nation, which will put the biggest names in the college game. Think blue bloods, like Mike Kryszewski, John Calipari and Roy Williams, and the most influential scouting services and media outlets.

“We got the invitation based on last year’s performance by the 17-and-under program,” Hayes said. “Now it’s up to this 17u team to showcase their talents in the south and let them know CHB has a nice crop of talent out in the valley. I know there is talent in the Bay, Sacramento and Los Angeles, but somewhere in the middle there’s a hidden gem. That’s what we want to do – get those hidden gems some exposure.”

The sidelines should be teeming with scouts this weekend, as the CHB 17s prepare for a showdown with the Soldiers. As of Wednesday, the two were scheduled to meet Saturday evening at The Ultimate Fieldhouse in Walnut Creek. Tip: 8:30 p.m.

The Soldiers, a Nike EYBL team, are anchored by four players familiar to regional basketball fans. Kyree Walker is a highly touted freshman out of Moreau Catholic in Hayward. Walker had 20 points and seven rebounds as the Mariners knocked Beyer out of the CIF State Regional Division II Tournament.

The starting point guard for the Soldiers is James Akinjo, a junior at Salesian Prep, the reigning Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic champion.

Mason Forbes is a power forward at Folsom, a regular playoff combatant for the Crusaders, while Bishop O’Dowd’s 6-foot-8 forward Raymond Hawkins played against Manteca in the 2016 CIF State Regional Division III finals.

Program coordinator Greg Rosenbaum said the opportunity to play top talent drives the 17s.

The team is built mostly of Stanislaus District talent, including Modesto Christian’s Tyler Williams and Gabe Murphy, Central Catholic’s Josh Hamilton, Enochs’ Wesley Williams-Burse and Ripon Christian’s Andrew Vander Weide.

“The whole point is to get the kids in front of college coaches,” Rosenbaum said. “When you go up against the Soldiers, one of the top EYBL teams in the nation, the kids will benefit from that. They’ll be the beneficiaries of playing top teams. ... If you’re on the circuit, you’re going up against the best in front of 20 college coaches. The boys get it.”

Hayes has been impressed by the rapid development of the program. In Year One, CHB competed with 10 teams and the 17s turned heads on the court and in the conference room of a major shoe company.

This season, CHB attacks with eight teams, many of them highly ranked, and a 17-and-under team pointed toward big draws in Dallas (April 21-23), Atlanta (April 28-30) and Compton (May 27-29).

“I get inspired watching these kids,” Hayes said. “These kids are from the valley and we’re not that far off from everybody else. It’s not like we’re a step behind. We belong in the gym with anybody. Watching guys like Tyler Williams and Wesley Burse compete against guys four to five inches taller than them and still have a chance to win the game? It’s inspirational, and we got 12-, 13-, 14-, 15- and 16-year-old kids watching and being inspired, too.”

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Chuck Hayes Basketball gears up for Oakland Soldiers, national tourneys."