Posted: Jan 09, 2024
Men's Conference Preview
The Las Positas men's basketball team will begin the Coast-North Conference season with an attractive, fast-paced style, solid depth, and high hopes for another strong showing in one of the state's elite conferences.
The Hawks (13-3), who have solid wins over Cosumnes River, Butte, and Porterville, will begin the Coast-North gauntlet at No. 22 Skyline (13-3) at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10. The Hawks and Skyline entered the week as conference co-leaders in wins.
RANKINGS: Las Positas was ranked No. 19 in the state (Jan. 2 CCCMBCA poll) and No. 14 in Northern California in the Winning Percentage Index, which ranks teams' schedules.
"We are looking good for another playoff berth this season, which would be 8 for 8 since I've been at LPC, which also includes four Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite 8 berth in 2021-22," said head coach James Giacomazzi. The Hawks earned Sweet 16 berths in 2015-16, 2016-17, 2021-22 & 2022-23.
The Hawks finished nonconference play in commanding style, upending Gavilan 93-73 on Tony Costello Court. Sophomore Alex Martin (Washington HS-Fremont) had a massive double-double with 38 points and 15 rebounds.
POWER CONFERENCE: The Coast-North is ranked #2 in overall strength and has a 3rd best win total in the state. Six of the seven teams are over .500 and four are ranked in the top 25 statewide. Five teams have double-digit wins.
HAWKS ON THE RISE: "Our team strengths are our depth, quickness, and athleticism," Giacomazzi said. "We like to play fast on both ends of the court, which creates a fun atmosphere for our players, spectators, and helps with recruiting. The big picture for us is that we are a young team, so we want to continue to improve, mature, and play with each other. The more "game reps" we get only help us do that faster… and we are much better today than we were in November.
PLAYER NOTES: "Alex Martin has been a steady force for us and is one of the conference leaders in scoring and rebounding," Giacomazzi said. "We are hearing from a lot of four-year colleges who would love to add him to their roster next season. We have also had great contributions from freshmen Elijah and Elliot Mobley (Weston Ranch HS), as well as freshman Sterling McClanahan (Vanden HS). Elijah is also one of the leading scorers in our conference and has hit big shot to close games. Elliot has been solid with averaging 11 points and 5 assists per game… all while being efficient shooting 47% from the field, 38% from 3, and 70% from the line. Sterling is averaging 11 points per game, to go with 5 rebounds while starting every game this season."
CHEERS FOR LPC WOMEN'S TEAM: "We are big supporters of our women's program and happy for the successes they have had thus far. We have some players who are very fun to watch play and they are only getting better. The big thing for us right now is to try and get healthy… then stay healthy before conference play so we can hit the ground sprinting. We haven't played one game with our whole team yet. Hopefully that happens sooner rather than later."