Many GVC Honors Follow Men’s Basketball Season to Remember

There was no playoff run in the end, but the 2023-24 Eagle men’s basketball team will leave lasting marks in the school’s newly named Tom Powers Court.

There will be a GVC Championship banner, and it will be the first for men’s basketball in 20 years. And sophomore Dylan Neufeld, a unanimous selection for conference MVP, will join past COS All-State players with a banner of his own.

All five Eagle starters collected All-Conference honors following their 9-1 GVC championship run, and coach Kyle Heath was selected Coach of the Year.

Sophomores Landon Ellis and Cole Bernius were both First Team All-Conference, sophomore Nick Dore was All-GVC Honorable Mention, and freshman Tanner Jolley was named to the All-Defensive team.

Their season-to-remember ended ingloriously when the Eagles lost a first-round Northern Regional playoff game February 28 at Skyline in San Bruno, 82-54. Heath said that loss left a bad taste, but he doesn’t expect it to last. “It was not how we envisioned it,” he said. “Skyline kicked our butts. But the guys won’t be thinking about that five to ten years from now. This was a special group. They made lifelong friendships and did big things to help the program grow.”

A 6-foot guard from Grants Pass, OR, Neufeld’s GVC MVP award comes with an automatic 1st Team All-State honor, which is “big time,” according to Heath. “When we needed it, Dylan made big plays,” said the coach. He was often unstoppable on drives to either side of the basket, including late in key conference wins against Redwoods and Lassen.

A 1st Team All-GVC pick as a freshman, Neufeld led the conference in scoring this year with 22.8 points per game, up from his 19-point average in the preseason. He was also 4th in conference with 4 assists per game and averaged 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals.

Heath said a case could be made for either Ellis or Bernius as the team’s MVP. Neufeld and Ellis, a 6-1 guard from North Medford, formed what their coach described as the Eagles’ two-headed snake. Ellis “put pressure on defenses constantly with pull-up jumpers and drives,” said Heath. “He is a low-key guy who is deceptively quick and led by example. He was a two-way player who defended top guards and wings.”

Ellis finished 6th in conference scoring with 15.3 ppg. He was 7th in conference in assists (3.5) and averaged 4.1 rebounds. He led the team in steals (1.5 per game), which was 9th best in the GVC.

Bernius, a 6-5 forward from Portland, OR, did it all for the Eagles. He tied for 11th in conference scoring with 12.9 points per game, was 6th in total rebounds (8.3), 7th in offensive rebounds (2.5), 6th in blocked shots (1.1), and had 1.2 steals per game. “He guarded multiple positions on defense, had double-doubles in conference, and was an ultimate team guy,” said Heath, who pointed to the 18 points and 15 rebounds Bernius posted in a key 68-62 win over Redwoods.

Dore, a 6-3 forward from Palo Cedro, spent three years in the Siskiyous program after redshirting his first year. He averaged 7.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steal per GVC game. “He was the heart of the team, a guy who everyone gets along with, an extension of the coaching staff, someone you could count on,” said Heath. “He was a leader who transformed his game and his body.”

Jolley, a 6-3 guard from Cave Junction, OR, averaged 7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1 steal per GVC game. He played defense against the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer, and Heath pointed to his success in shutting down those guys in key games against Redwoods and Lassen. On offense, Jolley “made a big leap to get more aggressive,” which showed with his 5 for 8 shooting performance and 14 points in the playoff game. The coach is looking forward to that progress carrying over to next season.

The conference championship and Coach of the Year award were both firsts for Heath’s in his 15 years leading the Eagles. “It’s more about the players, but it’s nice to get the recognition,” he said. “It was a special year, and we’ll be bonded for life with a banner on the wall. The sophomores totaled 30 wins and had back-to-back playoffs for the first time in 20 years. The players had a 3.32 team GPA, and 14 of 17 had GPAs over 3.0. They did it on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. Hopefully this will open doors for recruiting.”

The Eagles were 6-0 at home and saw their crowds grow as the season progressed. They finished 14-14 overall, and Heath believes they might have earned a first-round home playoff game if they had won two close preseason games at a tournament in Sacramento, one a double overtime loss to Las Positas, the other a loss to Cosumnes River on a buzzer-beater the next day. Both those wins would have been considered “quality wins,” because both those teams finished with records over .500. “That’s why I always stress that every game is important,” Heath said.

Instead, the Eagles went on the road for their playoff opener and went flat at Skyline. Neufeld was 3 for 15 on field goal attempts but made 8 free throws and tied Jolley with a team-high 14 points. Jolley made 5 of his 8 shots from the field, and Ellis scored 12 points on 4 of 9 shooting. All the other Eagles were a combined 2 for 15 from the floor and added just 12 points. Bernius took just 4 shots from the field and scored his 5 points on free throws. Freshman Bryce Rollins scored 4, and freshman Ajay Hodge 3. Bernius had 3 offensive rebounds and 7 total rebounds, Jolley had 3 offensive rebounds and 6 total, Dore had 2 offensive rebounds and 4 total. As a team, the Eagles had just 6 assists and 14 turnovers.

By Steve Gerace