Fresno Bee boys basketball All-Stars: Mike Davis Jr. the ‘mismatch’ who took top honors
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San Joaquin Memorial boys basketball coach Brad Roznovsky saw the potential in Mike Davis Jr. when he was a freshman at the high school.
“He was really good his first year,” Roznovsky said. “This year, he was the difference-maker for us. He’s so good around the basket, so strong. Got a little taller and stronger and bigger...footwork was much better and he improved so much around the basket.”
The senior forward was never better than in the second half of the CIF Division II championship game at the Golden I Center in Sacramento when he scored 16 points to propel the Panthers to the first state title in school history.
Davis is The Fresno Bee’s Player of the Year. He finished his career with 1,519 points, eighth-best in school history, according to section historian Bob Barnett — impressive considering the Panthers have sent six to the NBA.
“I grinded all season,” he said. “We had a lot of ups and downs and we battled through adversity and fought hard all season.”
The adversity included his injury that forced him to miss three games, all losses.
When he returned, the Panthers took it up a notch and almost downed St. Joseph in the Central Section Division I playoffs.
“We’re a different team with him on the court,” Roznovsky said. “He’s just so strong. He’s a mismatch.”
While Davis relishes being The Bee’s Player of the Year, he’s not taking all the credit for his success. He thanked his coaches and teammates — especially Armari Carraway, who was named co-Player of the Year in the County/Metro Athletic Conference.
“I just want to be dominant as possible and get every board and help my teammates and team win,” he said. “We made history for our school. It was a big moment for us.”
Davis said he’s undecided where he’ll play next season.
Coach of the Year: Ryan Watt, Sierra
Ryan Watt led the Chieftains to the Central Section Division III final against Kingsburg. His team followed up with a CIF Division V Northern California title and a trip to the state final, both historic firsts.
Sierra’s 31 wins is a school record.
His team honored him with a surprise when Watt walked into the Sierra gym in Tollhouse: his players holding up a banner that read Fresno Bee Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 31-6 overall record and 14-0 in the Northwest Sequoia League.
“I’m very proud of them as a coach. They never gave up in any games, just continued to battle and fight the whole way. We had a magical run.”
In seven seasons, Watt is 107-85 that includes three league championships, Barnett said.
“They bought in to everything we’ve doing in the last few yeas and I knew we would compete,” Watt said. “Historical and remarkable two weeks. It’s all due to these guys. They make me look good and I’m thankful.”
Large School Player of the Year: Jordan Espinoza, Clovis North
The 6-foot-3 junior guard has helped cement the Broncos’ reputation among the section’s elite teams, first helping Clovis North to the CIF Division I final as a sophomore and this year leading the Broncos to the Tri-River Athletic Conference co-championship.
Espinoza had season averages of 12 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. He scored 333 season points in 31 games and has 797 career points, Barnett said.
Medium School Player of the Year: Demal Turner, Lemoore
The Tigers finished the season 21-7 overall and 10-0 in the West Yosemite League and their senior guard was WYL MVP, averaging 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Small School Player of the Year: Logan Kilbert, Sierra
The junior guard finished the season with 1,065 points in 37 games, the second-most in section history, Barnett said. He led the section in scoring, averaging 28.8 points per game.
He was MVP of the Northwest Sequoia North Division.
Bee All-Stars
Rene Aguilar, Sr., G, Mendota
Malachi Barnes, Soph, G, Sunnyside
Javon Bragg, Soph., C, Corcoran
James Brown, Jr., G, McLane
Ray Brown, Jr., G, Edison
Jaylen Bryant, Sr., G/F, Clovis North
Armari Carraway, Sr., G, San Joaquin Memorial
Christian Calvillo, Sr., G, Clovis North
Zach Chauhan, Jr., F, Clovis West
Ty Chambers, Sr., G/F, Lemoore
Ja’Vance Coleman, Fr., G, Bullard
Kaleb Cole, Sr., F, Sanger
Nic Esparza, Sr., G, Selma
Dalen Felder, Fr., G, Clovis East
Carmine Ficher, Sr., G, Tulare Western
Malachi Ficher, Soph, G, Tulare Western
Karlos Grier, Sr., G, Washington Union
Jaden Haire, Sr., F, Hanford West
Javon Hicks, Jr., G/F, Selma
CJ Jones, Soph., F, Sunnyside
Issac Martinez, Sr., G, Clovis West
James Miller, Fr., G, Roosevelt
Aden Milwee, Soph., G, Fresno Christian
Andrew Moody, Sr., G, Porterville
McKay Olsen, Jr., G/F, Clovis East
Julius Olanrewaju, Soph., F, San Joaquin Memorial
Angel Perez, Sr., G/F, Granite Hills
Jaden Pena, Soph., G, Coalinga
Ronnie Roche, Kings Christian
Marshel Sanders, Jr., G, Clovis West
Lucas Sousa, Jr., G, Sierra Pacific
Kam’Ron Stinson, Sr., G, Kerman
Javier Torres, Jr., G, Dinuba
Ya’J Vance, Sr., G, Edison
Jackson Young, Jr., G/F, Clovis West
Drew Zaas, Jr., G, Fowler
