Modesto Christian's top scorer is Modesto Bee boys basketball Player of the year
Brice Fantazia said it was one of the best performances he's seen at Modesto Christian.
Guard Gavin Sykes willed the Crusaders to victory in the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals against Lincoln. He relentlessly attacked the rim en route to a 45-point masterclass, his best performance as a Crusader and likely of his high school career.
The win secured the Crusaders a spot in their fourth straight Division I section title game, keeping alive the hopes of the first D-I four-peat since Sheldon (2010-2013).
All in a day's work for the back-to-back Tri-City Athletic League MVP headed to Long Beach State on scholarship next season.
Whenever Modesto Christian needed him, Sykes came through, leading the Crusaders through a schedule packed with some of the best teams in California and the nation. They won some and lost some, but in all, they gained experience.
After leading the Crusaders in points and securing his spot as one of the best guards one the West Coast, winning league MVP and powering Modesto Christian through a playoff run that included a trip back to the Open Division regionals, Sykes is The Bee's boys basketball Player of the Year.
With graduations, preseason injuries and transfers, eight underclassmen were expected to step into bigger roles. Fantazia knew a heavier load would fall on Sykes and junior guard Myles Jones. The entire section took notice of the new Crusaders, and word spread that this season's MC squad might be vulnerable.
Sykes was having none of it.
In addition to his 45-point performance in the section semifinals, Sykes opened the season with a 38-point outburst against North Coast Section D-II champ Moreau Catholic; scored 37 points against Oak Park, Missouri's No. 1 team; and went toe-to-toe with Baylor-bound McDonald's All-American Tounde Yessofou, equaling his 25 points in a close game against St. Joseph.
Against Sac-Joaquin Section teams during the regular season, Sykes and the Crusaders went 15-0. They were crowned undefeated Tri-City Athletic League champions for the third straight year. They earned the top seed in the D-I playoffs and rolled through the first three rounds of the section playoffs, reaching their fourth straight section title game, despite outside doubts. Though they lost in the title game to Folsom, they continued adding to their resume as the state's most successful Open Division program, reaching the state's top playoff division yet again.
A few weeks after losing in the D-I section title game and in the first round of the Open, Sykes was able to reflect on the season.
'We felt like we had a good season. Obviously, the end is not what our standard is here, there's a higher standard as one of the better teams in NorCal,' he said. 'But we still did a good job. We were young this year, but we still accomplished more than what people thought.'
Sykes finished the season top five on the Crusaders in points, rebounds, steals, blocks and threes made, and he was one of three Crusaders to make over 45 threes and shoot 40% or better. He was ninth in the section in points per game (22.4), eighth in field goals made (246) and fourth in free throws made (133) and he was fifth in all of California Division I in each category.
Fantazia said multiple times during the season that Long Beach State is getting a steal of a player. Sykes' heroics continued to prove his coach right.
Sykes had 11 total Division I scholarship offers and chose The Beach over the likes of hometown Sacramento State, Montana, Cal Berkeley and Sam Houston State.
'I want to take (basketball) as far as possible,' he said. ' I want this to be my job. Hopefully it can take care of me for the rest of my life. I'm excited to be at Long Beach. I'll be down in SoCal with some of my family. I'm very excited to get down there.'
A transfer from Christian Brothers in Sacramento, Sykes burst onto the scene in Modesto during 2023-24 in his first game after sitting due to transfer rules, combining with Jones and others to take down Vanden in the Holiday Hoop Classic championship. That year, he led the Crusaders in scoring and powered them to a third straight D-I section championship. He sank De La Salle in the first round of the NorCal Open Division playoffs that year with a buzzer-beating game winner.
'He's one of my favorite players ever,' Fantazia said. 'Not because he's one of the best players ever here, but just the humility he has and the character he has. He's an amazing young man and I definitely wish I had four years with him.'
JORDAN MAGANA, CENTRAL CATHOLIC
When TP Wentworth, Wesley Payne and the rest of last year's talented, veteran senior class graduated, it paved the way for Jordan Magana to have a career year. That's exactly what he did. The junior in his third season as a varsity starter led the relatively inexperienced Raiders squad, averaging 17.3 points, 2.9 assists and 2 steals a game.
A slow start included losses in the Raiders' first four games, but by the heart of the regular season, Magana had the team rolling through Valley Oak League play. The Raiders swept East Union, Manteca, Sierra, Oakdale and Patterson and were one bad game away from their third straight perfect VOL league title. After a 74-48 loss to Mountain House, they settled for a shared league title with the Mustangs. Magana was voted league MVP by the VOL coaches.
A prolific shooter, Magana tied his career-high six made threes this season, finished 11th in the Sac-Joaquin Section in free throws made (103) and finished 11th of any D-III player in the state in threes made (78). He had nine 20-point games and scored 30 twice this season, including a career-high 31 against International High of San Francisco. He's already over 1,200 career points with a year of varsity basketball left.
The fans noticed his seasonlong contributions as the Raiders' leading scorer, making him their choice for The Bee's Boys Basketball Fan Vote Player of the Year. Magana collected 14,208 votes, 45% of the over 31,800 votes in the poll. He finished in first ahead of Enochs guard Mason Galvan and Ripon forward Marcus Madoski.
FIRST TEAM
G — Myles Jones, Modesto Christian, Junior
Committed to Stanford University, Jones took over primary point guard duties for the Crusaders, who went into the season as three-time defending Division I section champions. An All-Tri-City Athletic League first team member, Jones had plenty of bright spots during the regular season and playoffs, but few were better than his career-high 32 points in the Holiday Hoop Classic championship. Jones this season averaged career highs in points (13.5), rebounds (4.5) and assists (3.7).
G — Jordan Magana, Central Catholic, Junior
Magana stepped into a leadership role with the Raiders after last season's veterans graduated. He was named the Valley Oak League MVP after averaging 17.3 points, 2.9 assists and 2 steals a game, all team highs. He was the team's only double-figure scorer and led the Raiders to a co-VOL title along with new league member Mountain House. Magana averaged career highs across the board and scored a career-high 31 points in a nonleague game early this season.
G — Avery Sanchez, Pitman, Senior
Sanchez holds just about every boys basketball record at Pitman High school and ended an outstanding four-year varsity career averaging 18.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2 steals, all team highs. He led the Pride to a 19-1 start through their first 20 games, secured a playoff spot and a play-in game win. The All-CCAL first team member scored in double figures in 29 of 30 games.
G/F — Curtis Harmon, Beyer, Sophomore
Harmon burst onto the scene for Beyer, leading the charge in a historic season. He had one of the best individual seasons in school history, posting 23.4 points and 10.3 rebounds a game while leading the Patriots to a school record 25 wins. The Western Athletic Conference MVP, Harmon led the Patriots to an outright league championship and a 13-1 league record. During the regular season, Beyer won 13 straight games, a school record.
F — Marcus Madoski, Ripon, Senior
Madoski was arguably the best post player in the Trans-Valley League this season. The first-team All-TVL selection averaged an impressive 23.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks to lead Ripon to second place in the league. He more than doubled his points and rebounds totals from last season. In Ripon's lone Division IV playoff win over Union Mine, Madoski finished with an impressive 22-point, 13-rebound double double.
F — Jayson Powers, Gregori, Junior
Reaching 1,000 career points was just one of many milestones for Gregori's leading scorer this season. He led the Jaguars in points (17.1), rebounds (9.4) and blocks per game, posting career highs in each category, all while finishing seventh in the entire section in blocks per game (2.5). Named the Central California Athletic League MVP, Powers also led the Jaguars to a co-league title and their first 20-plus win season since 2019-20.
SECOND TEAM
G – Amos Cady, Ripon Christian, Junior
G – Mason Galvan, Enochs, Senior
G – Cole Martin, Pitman, Junior
G – Jake Vander Veen, Ripon Christian, Junior
G – Ross Widemon, Turlock, Senior
F – Caynan Gardner, Davis, Senior
Honorable Mention
Beyer: Rodney Oliney, Reggie Jacob; Big Valley Christian: Titus Boone; Central Catholic: Manjot Mann, Amari Waterford; Central Valley: Jace McLennon; Ceres: Manny Ortega; Davis: JP Motta, Jaden Singh; Downey: Solomon Paris; Enochs: Kila Day, Louis Dill; Escalon: Ben Ferreira, Logan Huebner; Gregori: Raphael Rosas, Kaleb Smith; Hilmar: Aaron Solorio; Hughson: Jackson Gehrke; Johansen: Wilber Gaxiola, Ivan Martinez; Modesto: Andrew Poulsen; Modesto Christian: Ry Atkins, Trevor Dickson, Elijah Payne; Oakdale: Noah Zepeda; Orestimba: Devon Bell; Patterson: Jace Johnson; Pitman: Abhiraj Cheema; Ripon: Logan Lefebvre; Ripon Christian: Mason Tameling; Turlock: Dutch Lawrence
▪ How the teams were selected: The Bee's All-District teams were picked through observation with an emphasis on coach nominations and team playoff success. Players not on these lists were not nominated.
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