(Prep2Prep is featuring the top five teams in boys and girls basketball in the greater Bay Area. Today: El Cerrito)
El Cerrito has played the normal non-league schedule but is still in a getting-acquainted mode heading into the league season.
Coach Michael Booker, with the first TCAL-Rock game approaching, is still busy mixing and matching groups of players with the addition of Carlos Johnson and Devin Davis. Both recently became eligible, with Johnson averaging 15.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and Davis six points per game so far.
Johnson is a junior 6-4 wing who transferred in from Arizona. Davis is a senior 6-foot guard.
El Cerrito (8-2) was already a good team without Johnson (a starter) and Davis, who comes off the bench.
"El Cerrito is a very strong team and can hurt you in multiple ways because they are talented at all positions," Mitty coach Tim Kennedy said. "Their guards attack the basket very well and we had a hard time slowing (Tyrell) Alcorn down in the fourth quarter and OT when he scored 19 of his points. I see them making a deep run in the playoffs."
Mitty defeated El Cerrito 70-61 earlier in the month. El Cerrito's other loss was to Campolindo, 67-63, Monday night in the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic. El Cerrito went into the game as the state's 14th-ranked team.
"We're doing OK," Gauchos coach Michael Booker said last week. "We have some late entries (players) who have just been cleared to play the last few weeks and they're getting acclimated."
Other key players for El Cerrito are junior 6-4 wing Syeed Pridgett (17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds per game), sophomore 6-7 center Aaron Banks (8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds), senior 6-1 guard Jalen Walton (seven ppg.) and junior 5-9 guard Sherab Nyima (6.2 ppg.).
El Cerrito won the TCAL-Rock last season, edging out St. Joseph Notre Dame by one game. The Gauchos lost in the NCS title game to Bishop O'Dowd 86-69 and fell in the NorCal Regional opener to Mitty 67-58.
The Gauchos open TCAL-Rock play at 3 p.m. Saturday at Newark Memorial.
