Friday, February 9, 2024
Final Record: 22-4
The Acalanes Basketball program will celebrate their season with a banquet tonight. It is a wonderful time for the JV team and Coach Thomas to reflect on their incredible accomplishments.
Prior to the season, Coach Eric Thomas outlined several goals for his squad. The first of these goals was to be a 20-win team. Coach Thomas, who was the freshman coach last year, knew he had a talented team. Yet, the team failed to play up to their talent level. He challenged his Dons to work hard in the off season to be team oriented. The players responded. The JV Hoopsters work tirelessly on offense and defense schemes. They supported each other on and off the court. This new mentality translated to a 22-4 season. The Dons first goal accomplished.
The team’s second goal was to win the Diablo League Championship. The league changed its makeup to feature all thirteen teams. This restructuring meant that a team would only play one game against each other. A loss to a main competitor like Los Lamos or Campolindo would severely diminish the Dons chance of winning the DAL championship. If the Dons tied a team they lost to, the other team would own the tie breaker and be ranked higher. The JV team would have no such tie breakers. They beat every Diablo League opponent for a 12-0 league record. The final standings are below:
| School | Record | Standing | Comments |
| Acalanes | 12-0 | 1st | LEAGUE CHAMPS! |
| Campolindo | 10-2 | 2nd | Lost to Acalanes (55-36) |
| Las Lomas | 10-2 | 3rd | Lost to Acalanes (68-36) |
| Clayton Valley | 9-3 | 4th | Lost to Acalanes (59-58) |
| Miramonte | 8-4 | 5th | Lost to Acalanes (69-45) |
| Northgate | 7-5 | 6th | Lost to Acalanes (62-60) |
| College Park | 7-5 | 7th | Lost to Acalanes (58-46) |
| Benecia | 5-7 | 8th | Lost to Acalanes (54-40) |
| Alhambra | 4-8 | 9th | Lost to Acalanes (62-38) |
| Berean Christian | 3-9 | 10th | Lost to Acalanes (73-31) |
| Ygnacio Valley | 2-10 | 11th | Lost to Acalanes (68-26) |
| Concord | 1-11 | 12th | Lost to Acalanes (82-21) |
| Mt. Diablo | 0-12 | 13th | Game Forfeited to Acalanes |
The fiery coach’s last goal was a personal one. Beat Campolindo. The Cougars were 3-0 against Thomas’ squad last year. This year the cross-town rivals would face off at Campolindo for only one game. The Dons would not take this opportunity lightly. The JV Hoopsters proceeded to crush their rivals 55-36. Campolindo finished 2nd in the DAL League, but on January 19th, 2024, the Lamorinda community learned the Dons were the best team in town by far.
Coach Eric Thomas had this to say about 2023-2024 season: “This season was an exciting look at the future of Acalanes basketball. This team did something that not a lot of people thought be done in this program. Day in and day out, they did it the right way.” Thomas further added: “I am incredibly proud of the boys, and proud be able be part of it.”
Congratulations to Coach Thomas and the players below for achieving their lofty goals. It has been a pleasure covering this team. Go Dons.
| Number | Player’s Name | Position |
| #1 | Chase Bahou | Point Guard |
| #2 | Julian Hood | Shooting Guard |
| #3 | Donovan McGrath | Shooting Guard |
| #4 | Lorenzo Cangini | Shooting Guard |
| #5 | Nico Ortman | Shooting Guard |
| #10 | Illias Kaplanes-Jones | Point Guard |
| #11 | Deonte Littlejohn | Power Forward/Center |
| #15 | Sean Khouw | Point Guard |
| #21 | Gavin Beers | Shooting Guard |
| #22 | Spencer Clark | Power Forward/Center |
| #23 | Arman Craig | Power Forward |
| #24 | Josh Elerts | Center |
| #30 | AJ Hastings | Point Guard |
| #33 | Bethel Imasuen | Power Forward |
| #35 | Landon Deily | Center |
