Two-time champion, Modesto Christian’s BJ Davis named Bee’s Basketball Player of the Year

Modesto Christian guard Bryant “BJ” Davis Jr. isn’t the biggest or the strongest player. He stands 6-foot-1 and has a wiry frame that will fill out with time in college.

But his size and physique is why he plays so hard.

“It’s a chip on my shoulder but I don’t let it really consume me,” he said. “I acknowledge that it’s there and I work with it. Some people get consumed by that type of stuff … but I let it fuel me and just work with it.”

In his final season with the Crusaders, Davis averaged 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.9 steals.

After leading Modesto Christian to a 27-7 record, its second straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship and back-to-back Open Division NorCal title games, Davis is The Bee’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Davis is lightning quick and has a tight handle to match that allows him to get virtually anywhere he wants at any time. He steadily increased his stock on the national recruiting stage and picked up scholarship offers from NCAA national championship finalist San Diego State, Washington, Washington State, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara, to name a few.

He committed to San Diego State on Sept. 23.

“He’s gonna go into San Diego State, and he’s going to just work,” said Crusaders’ coach Brice Fantazia. “I think that’s what they loved about him is he fits their culture. That’s what they want. They want guys with chips on their shoulder that are going to compete, aren’t entitled, aren’t going to expect anything. They’re going to go take it and that’s what BJ is going to do.”

The Crusaders started the season slow against top-tier competition.

They fell to Coronado of Nevada, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks — which went on to play for a 2023 state championship — and Corona Centennial in a 2022 state championship rematch.

“It was just finding our rhythm,” Davis said. “We all felt like it just wasn’t syncing and so that was really having an effect on us. We really had to just come together, put our brothers in front of us and then just do what we love, and play basketball.”

The season flipped on a trip to Oregon. The Crusaders went 3-1 with the only loss coming in overtime to West Linn, which spent a lot of the 2022-23 season nationally ranked and was an Oregon state championship runner up.

Davis had a dominant showing against John Paul II of Texas, scoring 49 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 74-71 win.

“He willed us to win against a team with multiple Division One kids,” Fantazia said. “That was the ‘wow’ moment and I think the team realized this is BJ’s team and you know, he’s going to lead us and nobody ever fought that.”

The Crusaders went on to have a dominant regular season from that point that included a stretch of 13 straight wins, won the Holiday Hoop Classic tournament and finished 12-0 in the Tri-City Athletic League.

“When your leader practices as hard as he does and just competes as hard as he does, it’s easy to follow,” Fantazia said. “They respect his work ethic. They know he’s in the gym early in the morning … it’s not just his talent, but it was his work ethic.”

The team took on Davis’ personality during that stretch. The defensive intensity ramped up and they played fast and together.

“I think it’s in everybody,” Davis said, “it just takes somebody to bring it out of them. When we went to Oregon, that definitely did it. We were in a foxhole. Everybody had that mentality and it carried on as soon as we got back here.”

Their postseason run was just as good. Controversially ranked the third seed in Division I, Davis led the Crusaders through the section’s top teams, including blowouts of No. 2 ranked Inderkum in the semifinals and Jesuit in the section championship.

“That was a fun one,” Davis said of the section playoff run. “We had some big time games and I feel like the guys really stepped up. Everybody played their role to the best of their ability and it showed. We handled business.”

Davis did not start out as a highly ranked California recruit and played on the Crusaders’ junior varsity team as a freshman.

As a sophomore, junior and senior he was named to one of the CalHi Sports All State teams and gained more college interest as his high school career continued.

He led the Crusaders to two Sac-Joaquin Section Division I titles, a CIF Northern California Open Division championship, a NorCal Open Division runner up finish and a state Open Division runner up finish.

It is a career that many believe stacks up with the best MC has seen.

“Some of the legends that played here, they put his name in the (best player) conversation,” Fantazia said. “His name is definitely with the guys on the wall.

“Everybody knows what he means to this team and what he’s meant to this program. It’s always sad when a kid like BJ graduates.”

Davis does not dwell on it, though. He is too busy working out.

“It’s crossed my mind a few times,” he admitted. “But I really don’t try to submit myself as one of the greatest. … I acknowledge what I did, and it was awesome. We had a great time. I learned a lot. But, I let the people decide that stuff.”

Diego Felix named Boys Basketball MVP in Fans Vote

The Riverbank boys basketball team returned to the postseason this season after finishing fourth in the Trans-Valley League.

The Bruins used strength in numbers to win 15 games for the first time since the 2019-20 season, but a steady senior led the charge.

Diego Felix averaged a team-high 11.9 points this season while teammates Erick Jimenez and Rolando Bazan added 10.7 and 10.6 points, respectively.

Felix provided his teammates a lift whenever his team needed it, scoring a season high 24 points against Waterford. He scored 15 or more points in five league games, including a league-high 22 points in a two-point win over Escalon and 20 in a 53-52 win over Hughson.

The fans noticed Felix’s productive season, voting him the Boys Basketball MVP. In addition to earning the fans’ MVP vote, Felix was awarded first-team All-TVL honors by the league’s coaches. Felix came in first, earning 42% of the votes in the poll.

The Bee’s All District Teams

First Team

Jalen Brown, Senior, Modesto Christian

Brown made an immediate impact after transferring to Modesto Christian from Everett Alvarez High in Salinas. The TCAL All-League First Team honoree averaged 16.1 points per game on 50% shooting from the field. The Cal State San Marcos-bound guard scored 28 points against Inderkum in the section semifinals en route to helping the Crusaders secure their second Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title.

Lloyd French, Senior, Downey

The Knights’ leader on and off the court and Central California Athletic League MVP, French led the program to a perfect 10-0 CCAL record, helping secure its first league championship since the 2008 team’s Modesto Metro Conference title. He rarely had an off night as his 25 points per game ranked fifth in the Sac-Joaquin Section and top 30 in the state. French also averaged team-highs in rebounds (9.6) and steals (3.5) and shot 37% from deep. French led the Knights to back-to-back postseason berths after going nearly 10 years without a playoff appearance.

Eli Terpsma, Senior, Ripon Christian

Terpsma capped his varsity career with his second Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Terpsma, who was named Trans-Valley League MVP in his junior and senior years, averaged 19.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and one steal per game for the 2023 Division V section champions and NorCal Division V runners up. A high-level shooter, Terpsma’s ability to close games was on full display in big moments. He scored the Knights’ final eight points to help secure a section title this season.

Prince Oseya, Senior, Modesto Christian

Like Davis, Oseya was a key member of both section championship teams and a 2022 NorCal Open Division Champion. The 6-foot-10 center served as the defensive anchor and saw his minutes increase without Mana Itete in the lineup. A member of the TCAL’s All-League first team, Oseya averaged team highs in rebounds (8.8) and blocks (2.7) while adding 9.3 points per game.

Malachi Miller, Senior, Central Catholic

For the second straight season, Miller averaged better than 18 points a game for the Raiders. In his senior season, the Valley Oak League MVP led Central Catholic in scoring (19.7 points) and rebounds (8.5). Though the Raiders fell in the Division III section semifinals, they advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. Miller got better as the season progressed, averaging 23.6 points and 11.4 rebounds with four double-doubles in his team’s five postseason games.

Second team

Reuben Lewis, Junior, Downey

A CCAL All-League First Team member, Lewis provided relief for French as the Knights’ primary ball handler at combo guard. A lanky, active defender and solid playmaker, Lewis led Downey with 4.0 assists and was second on the team in points (11.4), rebounds (4.4) and steals (3.0).

Avery Sanchez, Sophomore, Pitman

Sanchez carried most of the load offensively for the Pride, which finished second in the CCAL, won 20 games for the first time since 2006-07 and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. The CCAL First Team honoree led Pitman in points (16.7) and assists (3.2) on 51/48/81 shooting splits.

Gavin Cox, Senior, Turlock

You could pencil Cox in for a double double on a nightly basis during his senior campaign. The First Team All-CCAL honoree finished the season averaging 18 points and 15.1 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs who reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I play-in.

Jed Ladine, Senior, Turlock

A 6-foot guard who is among the best scorers in the Stanislaus District, Ladine put up double figures in all but two games in which he played. He finished the year with 16 20-point games and scored a Turlock High record 50 points against Gregori. Ladine was named to First Team All-CCAL.

Jack Anderson, Senior, Escalon

The TVL Most Outstanding Player, Anderson averaged 18.1 points per game in his final season. He led the Cougars to a second place TVL finish and a No. 7 seed in the playoffs, helping the team earn the program’s highest seed since 2005.

Honorable Mention: Beyer: Deven Hodge, Jahmaree Gonder; Central Catholic: Wesley Payne, Jordan Magana; Central Valley: Gage Mastropierro, Jayson Casias; Downey: Jorden Lewis; Enochs: Kevin King; Escalon: Samuel Jimenez; Gregori: Paul Contreras; Hilmar: Jacob Flannery; Hughson: Kyson Rytting; Modesto: Jaden Johnson; Modesto Christian: Rashod Cotton, Jeremiah Bernard; Oakdale: Niko Klose; Orestimba: Rafael Sanchez; Patterson: David Nnaji; Pitman: Justin Anderson, Seth Vink; Ripon: Landon Gillespie; Marcus Madoski; Ripon Christian: Jace Beidleman, Luke Crivello; Riverbank: Diego Felix; Turlock: Jordan Williams; Vanguard College Prep: Tai-Run Williams; Waterford: Jose Hernandez