Pacheco of Davis retires as MMC Coach of the Year

The Modesto Metro Conference is sending longtime Davis boys basketball coach Dan Pacheco into retirement with one last memento.

In his final season on the bench, Pacheco was named the conference’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Spartans into the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

Davis finished third in the MMC behind two-time champion Modesto Christian and runner-up Beyer. The Spartans drew Whitney of Rocklin in the first round of the Division II tournament and gave the No. 4 seed a test in an 85-72 loss.

Pacheco retired after 21 seasons at Davis, where he amassed a majority of his 475 career wins.

His final Spartans team made great strides. Davis finished in the cellar of the MMC in 2014-15 with a record of 4-10, and Pacheco said the senior class had never tasted much success through the years. The Spartans (16-10) turned the corner in Pacheco’s final season, grabbing hold of the conference’s third berth with a 9-5 mark.

The award, Pacheco said, is more about their growth than his retirement.

“I don’t think (this award) carries any extra significance,” Pacheco said. “It says that my kids played hard for me, and we went from last place to a playoff team and played a great playoff game. That was our final goal ... to make it to the playoffs.”

Modesto Christian, the top-ranked team in Northern California by Cal-Hi Sports, dominated the rest of the individual awards.

Center Robinson Idehen was named the MVP after averaging 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 14 league games. The 6-foot-10 senior scored 23 or more points five times.

Modesto Christian (30-1, 14-0) captured its second consecutive MMC title, running its state record and national-best league winning streak to 156 games.

“Going into every game, every season, it’s not one of the goals we talk about, but it’s a given. You better go unbeaten,” Modesto Christian coach Richard Midgley said. “Even for me, there’s pressure as a coach. I don’t want to be the guy to lose that streak.”

League success has often served as the springboard for postseason triumph.

The Crusaders recently won their record 18th section title and fifth in a row over four divisions by beating Folsom in the Division I final at Sleep Train Arena.

With the win, Modesto Christian avenged its only loss, a season-opening setback to the Bulldogs at the Prep2Prep Tip-Off Classic.

The Crusaders will host Saint Francis of Mountain View in the first round of the CIF Northern California Open Division regional tournament Friday.

Idehen was joined on the all-conference first team by point guard Christian Ellis and shooting guard Jordan Hollins-Buckner.

Ellis averaged 10.4 points, 6.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds in MMC contests, while Hollins-Buckner led the Crusaders in three-point shooting despite missing four games with a knee injury. Hollins-Buckner had 34 three-pointers in 27 regular-season games.

Beyer (21-7, 12-2) had two players named to the all-conference first team: point guard Georgie Dancer and shooting guard Brian Perry.

Dancer was averaging 20 points and eight rebounds when a torn ACL in his left knee halted his senior season. Perry was the lone junior on the first team and one of four returning starters for the Patriots, now 23-1 against Modesto City Schools teams over the last two years.

Perry netted 16 points per game in league, while shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc and 86 percent from the free-throw line.

Coach Pacheco was joined on the all-conference honor roll by senior forward Talolo Limu-Jones, who has committed to Eastern Washington University for football. Limu-Jones averaged 19.9 points per game in conference play.

“I believe he truly matured as a person and put the team on his back through his hard work and effort, always being there and never missing practice, knowing he was a leader by example,” Pacheco said. “Hopefully, he can carry that on in his future.”

Johansen guard Maurice Woods and Gregori shooting guard Alex Badillo rounded out the first team. Badillo averaged 13.3 points in the MMC for the Jaguars (11-15, 6-8), who finished fourth in the MMC.

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Pacheco of Davis retires as MMC Coach of the Year."