Cloverdale assumes role of favorite as preseason gets underway
The varsity basketball Eagles have a long and proud tradition of winning hoops, dating back to their state championship teams of the 1980s and featuring a procession of stars that reads like a who’s-who in local high school basketball.
Cloverdale has worn that tradition well in recent years, a run that has included two straight NCL-1 titles and yearly trips to the North Coast Section playoffs.
Under the guidance of veteran coach Steve Bernardi, the Eagles figure to continue their success unabated as the preseason gets underway this month.
“I’m excited about the team,” Bernardi said. “We’ve got some good kids that play hard and will represent the school well. We’re not as big in the post as we’ve been in recent years, but this may be the best shooting team I’ve ever had.”
The list of varsity returnees starts with reigning league Most Valuable Player senior forward Jayson McMillan, one of the best all-around players in the North Coast Section. He’ll be joined by senior all-league point guard Luke Pope, senior shooting guard Gage Hoover, senior guard Emmett Lawson and sophomore forward Jordan Persons.
First-year varsity players include junior guard Eli Arreola, junior guard Christian Chavez, junior guard Marco Jimenez and junior post-player Alex Segobiano.
The road to the NCL-1 title should be hotly contested this year, with the Eagles figuring to battle Kelseyville, Clear Lake, Lower Lake and Fort Bragg for league supremacy.
“It should be a very well balanced league with no easy games on the schedule,” Bernardi noted. “Our goal is to win our third straight title.”
Cloverdale has will kick off the preseason campaign this weekend in the annual Redwood Classic Tournament at Anderson Valley, Nov 30 through Dec 3. The Eagles will open the league campaign on Jan. 3 against Clear Lake.
