Daily Pilot Boys' Basketball Dream Team: EJ Spillman the catalyst for Pacifica Christian Orange County
Pacifica Christian Orange County boys' basketball senior EJ Spillman was in middle school when something happened that would change his life forever, but not define it.
His father, Ellis Spillman, was shot to death inside a residence around the corner from his Long Beach home in June 2018.
Ellis' life ended at the age of 42. EJ — whose initials stand for Ellis, Jr. — was left without a father. The dangers of gangs and violence hit all too close to home.
'It's real hard to escape those things, and people get real envious,' EJ Spillman said. 'He turned his life around, and obviously some people think you can't escape those lifestyles without bloodshed. He tried to instill in me that's not the way to go. I've got to fulfill his legacy, because in the middle of trying to change his life for the better, he got that taken away from him.'
When it was time for EJ to go to high school, he wanted a chance at new surroundings. Pacifica Christian's Newport Beach campus was about 40 minutes away from his home, but it might as well have been halfway around the world.
He played for four years for the Tritons with a certain intensity because of his late father. He owes his competitiveness and his swagger to his mother, Dawn Swanson, who EJ calls his best friend and No. 1 fan.
Four years later, EJ Spillman is going places.
He will graduate as the program's all-time leader in points (1,387) and assists (458). He helped Pacifica Christian (23-9) win a share of its third straight San Joaquin League title and advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 2AA title game.
For his efforts, Spillman is the 2024-25 Daily Pilot Boys' Basketball Dream Team Player of the Year.
'You couldn't have told me my freshman year that I'd be a four-year guy, being able to break all these records and hold these things,' he said. 'It's real special to me, and it feels like it's a good testament of how hard I've worked here for the four years.'
Spillman, a 6-foot-4 guard and two-time San Joaquin League Player of the Year, averaged team-best totals of 15.7 points and 5.3 assists per game. The recent UC Riverside commit was also a first-team All-CIF selection after leading the Tritons on a memorable run that included an 84-80 double overtime win at Corona Centennial in the Division 2AA semifinals.
Spillman posted 33 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in that game, helping the Tritons reach their third CIF Southern Section title game. Jeff Berokoff, who has been the program's head coach since its inception in 2016, called it the best single-game performance in team history.
What Berokoff will remember more about Spillman is seeing him pop into his office, a smile on his face. That energy was infectious on the court, too. Opponents would constantly see his dreadlocks flying past them into the lane, pulling up for a triple or celebrating a basket, he said.
'What's so great about EJ is that if one of his teammates makes a shot, he's just bouncing up and down, throwing the fingers in the air,' Berokoff said. 'You just don't see that too often anymore, and that's just one thing I'm really going to miss, his ability to cheer on and lead his teammates. It's a really cool thing, man.'
The Tritons lost to league rival Fairmont Prep, 64-60 in overtime, in the Division 2AA title game despite a 29-point performance from Spillman. Seeded No. 14 in the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I playoffs, they fell 77-54 on the road in the first round at No. 3-seeded eventual regional finalist Redondo Union.
'Nobody really likes losing, especially to a rival school,' Spillman said. 'Those ones sting, but it builds character. We made it farther than a lot of schools, and we made it farther than a lot of people had us making it anyway.'
Spillman was an unquestioned leader on a team that had just one other player, senior forward Logan Stewart, who averaged double digits in scoring. But he had played that role for a while. As a sophomore, he came up with the big block on defense late in a win at Orange Lutheran to lift the Tritons to the CIF State Division II title game.
Spillman fit in just fine in Newport Beach. He said he lived with the family of fellow senior captain Hudson Reynolds during the week this year to reduce his commute.
EJ said he still talks to his father every day.
'I dedicate everything toward him, and that's kind of just the motive of the day, just do everything in the Lord's image to make him proud,' he said. 'I understand what his mission was when he exited the earth and the Lord took him home, and I try my hardest to just complete that mission for him every day. I bet he's proud of me, looking down on all of the things that I'm starting to accomplish, but it's just day by day. I've got to continue to add onto that.'
Here's a look at the Dream Team Coach of the Year, and first team and second team selections:
D'Cean Bryant
Sage Hill
Bryant has led the Lightning to two CIF finals appearances in his three years in charge at Sage Hill, a percentage that any coach would take. Unlike the 2022-23 squad, this year's team did not have the obvious dominant player in Bryant's son, Carter, who now plays at the University of Arizona. Instead, it was a gritty team effort that helped Sage Hill (18-11) advance to the Pacific Coast League tournament semifinals and Division 3AA title game, before falling 64-43 to Palmdale Knight. In four postseason wins to get there, the Lightning allowed just 40 points per game. Bryant, a former college basketball player at Long Beach State, said one of the biggest reasons for his team's success was that they took accountability on and off the court.
Aaron De Santiago
G | Fountain Valley | Sr.
The crafty De Santiago was one of the top scorers in not only the Sunset League, but all of Orange County. He finished the regular season fifth in the county in scoring at 24.1 points per game and added 94 three-pointers, tops in the county through the first round of the playoffs. De Santiago, a first-team all-league selection, helped Fountain Valley (19-10) finish fourth in the highly competitive league and holds its open in its Division 1 postseason opener, before falling on the road at Mater Dei.
Derick Johnson
G | Edison | Jr.
Johnson was the top player for the Chargers and their first-year coach Josh Beaty all year, making a bunch of big shots in Sunset League games for Edison (17-12, 7-5 in league). He helped Edison finish second behind league and CIF champion Los Alamitos and advance to the Division 1 playoffs. A first-team all-league selection, Johnson also crashed the offensive boards for the Chargers, finishing the year averaging 19 points and six rebounds per game.
Maxwell Scott
G | Corona del Mar | So.
Scott is a repeat first-team Dream Team selection after another year of growth, averaging 18.8 points per game. The first-team All-Sunset League performer helped the Sea Kings (21-9) finish third in league and advance to the Division 1 playoffs, where they upset Rancho Cucamonga on the road in the first round before a narrow home loss to Rolling Hills Prep. He projects to be one of three returning starters for CdM next year.
Logan Stewart
F | Pacifica Christian Orange County | Sr.
At 6-foot-6, Stewart was more than capable inside for the Tritons, just like his older brother Alex before him, and proved a pivotal part of a squad that could win a league title and advance to the CIF championship game. Logan averaged 11.6 points per game, second on Pacifica Christian, and led the squad with 6.6 rebounds per contest. He was a first-team All-San Joaquin League selection.
Jack Berry
G | Newport Harbor | Sr.
The smooth-shooting Berry, a repeat first-team Dream Team selection, again guided the Sailors (18-12) through a tough Sunset League, ultimately tying for fifth place. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard averaged 18 points, five rebounds and four assists per game on his way to a first-team all-league selection, tallying well more than 1,000 points in his three-year career. The Euclid Extravaganza tournament MVP helped the Sailors make the second round of CIF before losing to eventual finalist Pacifica Christian.
James Karahalios
G | Sage Hill | Sr.
The 6-foot senior guard helped the Lightning make their inspired run to the CIF finals, averaging 11 points and five rebounds per game. Bryant called him a quiet leader, always responding to adversity or criticism in a positive way. Karahalios was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League and first-team All-CIF selection.
Barak Simon
G | Marina | Sr.
A year after helping his squad win its first CIF boys' basketball championship, Simon was a first-team All-Sunset League selection for the Vikings. The 6-foot point guard kept Marina (17-11) competitive in league until the final game, though the team narrowly failed to make the postseason after tying for fifth place.
Position, Name, School, Year
C Jackson Cryst, Sage Hill, Sr.
G Dylan Gomez, Marina, Sr.
G Oliver Nakra, Corona del Mar, Jr.
F Richie Toledo, Los Amigos, Sr.
G Marlee Slone, Costa Mesa, Jr.
G Jayden Oei, Edison, Sr.
G Jamil House, Huntington Beach, So.
F Owen Saukkola, Newport Harbor, Jr.
G Devin Payne, Fountain Valley, Sr.
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Los Angeles Times
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Los Angeles Times
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