Modesto Christian sophomore is Bee’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year
The Modesto Christian boys basketball team led Northern California power Campolindo 48-47 with 2 minutes, 12 seconds left in the CIF Northern California Open Division final when Jamari Phillips struck.
He scored eight points in the final two minutes to help the Crusaders seal a win and advance to the state championship.
“He’s not afraid of the moment,” head coach Brice Fantazia said after the game. “I’ve seen it ever since he stepped foot on campus here. … It was a big-time performance.”
For most sophomores, the highlight of their year in sports is being the star of their junior varsity team and getting a varsity call-up for playoffs. They don’t see much action, but just being up with the juniors and seniors is something they’ll never forget.
Jamari Phillips isn’t like most sophomores.
The 16-year-old who draws comparisons to players like Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker is Modesto Christian’s top scorer, who hit the ground running after helping the Crusaders to a 15-0 record in a freshman year that was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This season was everything he thought the real high school basketball experience would be.
“I expected it to be a lot louder (than last year), and they definitely were this year,” Phillips said. “We pretty much sold out games this year and got the full high school experience with … all the energy.”
Phillips averaged 23 points per game this season with three 30-point games and helped lead the Crusaders to the CIF State Title game. After a sophomore season to remember, Phillips is The Bee’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
Phillips, who is already fielding scholarship offers from Kansas, USC, the University of Washington and LSU, helped lead the Crusaders to their first 30-win season since 2015-16, a Tri-City Athletic League co-title, a Sac-Joaquin Section record 20th section title and a CIF Northern California Open Division title and was named co-MVP of the TCAL. But all of the success didn’t surprise him. In fact, he’s looking for more.
“It was pretty much what I thought it would be,” Phillips said of his sophomore season. “I was hoping for more to come out of my season, like winning state. We just fell a little short but I know we’re going to bounce back next year.”
Modesto Christian traveled all over the country to play games in different venues this season, but one stands out most to Phillips.
“Just having that experience on an NBA court at sections and at state is just a feeling that not every person in the world can get as a hooper,” Phillips said. “It takes a lot to get your team there, to work together and just have that atmosphere around you.”
Phillips and the Crusaders played at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento twice. The first time, he scored 22 points against Sheldon to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title. In the second game, he finished with 20 points in a loss to Corona Centennial in the CIF State Open Division Final.
In Phillips’ two years at Modesto Christian, the team is 45-6 and 17-1 in league games.
A 1,000-point scorer, Phillips already has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. He has his sights set on not just capturing that state championship that slipped away, but other things as well.
“I want to be known as one of the better players to come to MC and see get my jersey hung up on the Hall of Fame wall with Chuck (Hayes) and coach Porter,” Phillips said. “I want to be that person to keep on the legacy of the school and bring more people to it.”
Recently, he was named the CalHi Sports Sophomore of the Year, was named to the MaxPreps Sophomore All-American Second Team and has already seen his recruitment pick up on the AAU circuit.
“There’s so much pressure on his shoulders and I can only imagine what he goes through being a top 20 kid in the country, this and that, and he’s always ready.” Fantazia said after a loss to Inderkum earlier in the season.
Large School Player of the Year
Gregori star Kyle Monk is The Modesto Bee’s Large School Player of the Year after finishing an impressive high school career. Monk finished the season as one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top scorers, with a average of 24.3 points per game, good for ninth in the section. The CCAL MVP also added a team-high 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game to help lead the Jaguars to an 8-2 league record, tied with Turlock for the league title. A do-it-all guard, Monk will attend Fresno Pacific University to continue his basketball and academic career.
2021-22 Modesto Bee Boys Basketball All-District First Team
Bj Davis, Junior, Modesto Christian
The Crusaders’ best perimeter and second leading scorer, Davis was a Tri-City Athletic League first-team honoree. He averaged 17 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Made his mark on a team that features the Stanislaus District player of the year by providing energy and hitting shots for the Crusaders in big games.
Daniel Malagon, Senior, Turlock
He led the Bulldogs to a regular season CCAL championship. An All-CCAL first-team member, he averaged a team-high 14.5 points per game. Malagon finished the season first in California Division 1 in threes made, with 96. He also set a school record for threes made in a season.
Callahan Hanson, Senior, Sonora
Named Mother Lode League Co-MVP, Hanson followed up a phenomenal spring season by averaging 19.1 points per game and leading the Wildcats to yet another Mother Lode League title. In the final game of his varsity career, a playoff game against Union Mine, he scored 29 points.
Malachi Miller, Junior, Central Catholic
Miller made an instant impact on the Raiders after joining the team a month into the season. He led the team in scoring with 18.7 points per game and added 7.3 rebounds. He led the Raiders to a Division III section final rematch with Vanden and to the CIF State NorCal first-round matchup with Bullard.
Robert Salmon, Senior, Pitman
Salmon was first-team All-CCAL and served as the Pride’s leading scorer and rebounder. He averaged a double double with 18.7 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Also added 67 total blocks, an average of 2.9 per game. Had 15 total double doubles and had three games with 20 rebounds. Salmon had a 26-point, 20-rebound game against El Capitan.
Second Team
Lloyd French, Junior, Downey
A first-team All-CCAL honoree, French had an all-around great junior season. He averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals per game and shot 37% from three.
Eli Terpsma, Junior, Ripon Christian
The Trans-Valley League MVP, Terpsma helped lead the Knights to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V semifinals and a NorCal State playoff second-round appearance. Averaged 16.7 points and five rebounds per game.
Kobe Nunes, Senior, Gregori
Named first-team All-CCAL and was the Jaguars’ second leading scorer, averaging 17.5 points per game. Scored a team-high 21 points in Gregori’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division I play-in game win against Chavez.
Gavin Cox, Junior, Turlock
Finished as the Bulldogs’ second leading scorer and leading rebounder with averages of 14.3 points and seven rebounds per game. Named All-CCAL first team.
Prince Oseya, Junior, Modesto Christian
Voted first-team All-TCAL and was the Crusaders’ defensive backbone. Helped lead a team that allowed an average of 55 points a game. Oseya averaged 8.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
Honorable Mention: Beyer: Gio Primofiore; Central Catholic: Wesley Payne, Julian Kuper; Ceres: Verlis Smith; Denair: Mario Plasencia, Cooper Feldman; Downey: Jahmaree Gonder; Enochs: Isaiah Toma, Kevin King; Escalon: Russell Weinbrecht, Joey Fross; Gregori: Donovan Langarica; Modesto: Heston Blom; Modesto Christian: Alex Argandar, Manasse Itete Oakdale: Nate Criswell; Orestimba: Mitchell Pacheco; Patterson: Kwame Appiah; Pitman: Avery Sanchez; Ripon: Logan Gillespie, Bronson Burrow, Nolan Young; Ripon Christian: Griffin de Abreu; Turlock: Kyle Ericksen; Turlock Christian: Caleb Comfort; Vanguard College Prep: Tai-Run Williams; Waterford: Matthew Brinkman
