College notebook: Modesto JC men’s basketball set to host 87th annual tournament
The best teams and biggest names in California junior college basketball convene in Modesto this week for the 87th Modesto Junior College Basketball Tournament.
The event, one of the longest standing junior college tournaments in history, will see the defending champion and 2024 Northern California Elite Eight finalist Pirates face off against last season’s runner-up Merced College and some of the best in the state.
The tournament runs Thursday through Saturday. Games the first two days run from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday start times are 10 a.m., Noon and 2 p.m. The championship game is Saturday at 4 p.m.
Coming off a playoff appearance, the Pirates are off to their best start in school history with a 7-0 record and key wins over San Jose and Contra Costa. The Pirates are No. 7 in the latest California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Association poll, up one spot from their ranking in the previous poll.
City College of San Francisco is the defending state champion and overall No. 1 team in the state in the latest poll. The Rams captured their sixth 3C2A men’s basketball championship with a 75-58 win over Fullerton to finish the 2024-25 season at 32-1 overall. This year they are 8-0 to start the season and have put up totals of 105, 118 and 93 points in games this season.
Alameda is led by Bay Area basketball and NBA legend Gary Payton. Payton was hired as the head men’s basketball coach at the College of Alameda in September 2024. He went to Skyline High School then Oregon State University before playing 17 NBA seasons, winning two Olympic gold medals and becoming a basketball Hall of Famer.
Day 1 matchups are:
- Yuba City vs College of the Redwoods, 1:30 p.m.
- San Francisco City vs Fresno City, 3:30 p.m.
- Modesto JC vs Lassen, 5:30 p.m.
- Alameda vs Merced College, 7:30 p.m.
If the Pirates and Alameda each win their first games Thursday, MJC and second-year head coach Brice Fantazia will match up against Payton in the Friday winners bracket game at 7:30 p.m.
If the Pirates and San Francisco each win, they could meet later in the tournament for a state top 10 matchup that would feature two undefeated teams and could go a long way in determining the next state rankings.
Annie Wild honored by Stanislaus State for standout sophomore season
Stanislaus State junior distance runner and Ripon High graduate Annie Wild was honored on Dec. 3 for reaching a milestone most only dream of achieving.
In a breakout sophomore season, Wild earned the NCAA D-II Indoor Track & Field National Championship in the mile run, making her the first national champion in Stanislaus State history. She ran the mile in 4 minutes, 40.62 seconds. She didn’t even need a personal best to take home the title as just two weeks earlier, she ran the mile in 4:39.92, breaking a school record at the 2025 Last Chance Indoor National Qualifier at Boston University.
For her historic national championship, Wild was presented with a championship ring by school president Britt Rios-Ellis.
That year Wild was also named a 2025 NCAA D-II Indoor Track & Field USTFCCAA First Team All-American and 2025 NCAA D-II Outdoor Track & Field USTFCCCAA First Team All-American. She was also named all-region in multiple events including the indoor mile, outdoor 1,500 meters, and in cross country. During an award-packed sophomore season, she was also named the 2025 NCAA Division II Women’s Indoor Track & Field National Scholar Track Athlete of the Year. In addition to setting a new school record in the mile, she also set a new Stan State record in the 1,500 meters (4:19.67).
Five Stanislaus State soccer players up for All-America honors
The postseason awards continue to roll in for some of Stanislaus State’s top men’s soccer players as five Warriors on Wednesday were named to the 2025 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Men’s All-West Region teams. Midfielder/forward Emanuel Duran, forward Gerardo Flores, defender Samuel Villanueva, defender Ian Reis and goalkeeper Angel Ruiz-Hernandez were named to the first team just a month after earning All-CCAA honors. All are eligible for the United Soccer Coaches All-America teams, which will be announced Thursday.
Villanueva was also named a D2CCA First Team All-American First Team member and Ruiz-Hernandez was named a D2CCA Third Team All-American. Those awards were also announced Wednesday.
MJC football season ends in Northern California championship
The MJC football team had its season end in the 3C2A Northern California championship against College of San Mateo with a 38-7 loss, ending one of the strongest seasons in recent program history. Despite the loss, the Pirates still finished the year with a 9-3 overall record, their third straight outright Valley Conference title and fifth title in as many years (3 outright, 2 co-titles).
The Pirates fell behind 38-0 before scoring the game’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter on an eight-yard pass from quarterback DayDay Tafoya to Dezjour Malone.
All-conference running back Bryson Davis rushed for a game high 74 yards on a game-high 11 carries. Reyes Diaz had a team-high 10 tackles with a tackle for loss and Robert Vargas added eight with a TFL.
The Pirates finished among the top four teams in California JUCO football this season. MJC is still on the hunt for its first NorCal title, but the Pirates have secured a state title, winning the 1990 championship game.
MJC women’s basketball starts strong
The Modesto JC women’s basketball team is off to a hot start, arguably one of the best in recent program history. The Pirates have started the season 8-3 with their next game on Dec. 19. They are led by Riverbank standout Chancis Gamez, who plays alongside her former Bruin teammates Rayne Tago, who transferred in from William Jessup. Two-time Bee player of the year Taylor Macias and a host of other star sophomores contribute to the Pirates’ scoring.
The Pirates won six of their seven games in November and in December beat Monterey Peninsula 77-25 and College of Marin 75-59.
Emma Gilmore and Gamez pace the team’s offense, averaging 11.9 and 11.7 points, respectively. Patterson product Sienna Musson adds 9.5 points a game, and Ceres graduate Marissa Reneteria adds 8 points a contest. Gilmore adds a team-high seven rebounds and 3.6 assists a game, and Tago and Izabella Sanchez haul in 6.5 and 5.1 boards, respectively.
The Pirates take the court next on Dec. 19 for a 5 p.m. home game against Reedley.
