A Young Napa Valley College Team Poses for Media Day, Then Gets Back to Work
The Storm put on new uniforms for the cameras on Oct. 7. With 10 freshmen on a 15-man roster, Napa Valley opens its season Nov. 3 at West Valley College.
NAPA: Media Day for the Napa Valley College men's basketball team on Wednesday, Oct. 7 was not a practice. Players posed for individual and team photographs in new uniforms, head coach Steve Ball stepped in front of the cameras in a sport jacket, and the Storm gave interviews ahead of a 2026-27 season that begins in early November, the college reported Oct. 12.
It's a fun experience for them.Steve Ball, Napa Valley College head coach, to nvcstorm.com
Ball described the session, photographed by Glenn Cortes of Stockton, as a celebration of the work the team has put in and a way to build camaraderie before the games count. The Storm has a 27-game regular-season schedule, with 13 nonconference games before the Bay Valley Conference season begins in December.
The dates that matter
Napa Valley has one more round of home scrimmages on Friday, Oct. 16, starting at 11 a.m. at NVC. The Storm faces Golden State Prep Grey at 11 a.m., Diablo Valley College at 12:20 p.m. and Golden State Prep Black at 1 p.m., with Diablo Valley also playing both Golden State Prep squads during the session.
With 10 freshmen on a 15-man roster, the Storm's goal is to reach the playoffs again and advance past the first round.
The season opens Nov. 3 with a nonconference game at West Valley College in Saratoga. The Storm then hosts the Live Like Geno Foundation Tipoff, a six-team event on Nov. 6-7, facing College of the Redwoods on Nov. 6 and Folsom Lake College on Nov. 7. Yuba College, Mendocino College and Monterey Peninsula College complete the field. The tipoff is named for the foundation created after the 2016 death of Gene "Geno" Cotter to carry on his youth basketball work in Northern California.
The rest of the nonconference schedule includes Las Positas, Santa Rosa Junior College, Reedley, Sierra, Ohlone, Skyline, San Joaquin Delta, Hartnell, College of the Siskiyous and Canada College.
What the fall has shown
The Storm spent the summer emphasizing shooting, with less work on defense, and tested itself at two September showcases. At the SoCal Showcase, Sept. 18-20, Napa Valley scrimmaged Glendale Community College and Mt. San Jacinto College on Sept. 19. Ball said the team's transition defense and defensive rebounding struggled there, so the following week of practice went to those two areas, and he saw a better showing at the Northern California Showcase on Sept. 26 at American River College, where the Storm scrimmaged Feather River and Shasta.
The roster lists 15 players, including 10 freshmen. Sophomore wing Kenny Brown, who averaged 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season, is the leading returnee. His best night last season included 21 points and three 3-pointers in an 84-59 conference win over Solano. Fellow returnee AJ McCoy averaged 4.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, and hit the winning shot in a 71-69 win over Contra Costa on Sophomore Night.
I feel like the team's pretty solid.Kenny Brown, Napa Valley College sophomore wing, to nvcstorm.com
Brown said this year's team is younger than last season's veteran group and intends to play at a faster pace, pushing the ball. His stated goal is to reach the playoffs again and advance past the first round.
The bar from last season
Last season the Storm finished sixth in the Bay Valley Conference at 12-17 overall and 8-8 in conference play, closing the conference schedule with wins over College of Alameda and Contra Costa. Seeded No. 24, Napa Valley reached the California Community College Athletic Association Northern California Regionals and lost in the first round to host Columbia College, 81-68, in Sonora. Columbia, the No. 9 seed, had tied for the Central Valley Conference title in a 24-team regional field.
That is the result this young roster is chasing. The work resumes Friday morning at home, and the first answer arrives Nov. 3 in Saratoga.
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