As the West Valley basketball team opened December with a trip to San Diego to play in the 49th Grossmont College Invitational, coach Danny Yoshikawa and his Vikings will look back on November as a program-defining month. The Vikings finished the month 7-0, the program's best start in more than two decades, and are ranked 2nd in the state in the recent California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA) poll. In November, the Vikings dispatched then-#1 City College of San Francisco, snapping the Rams' 34-game winning streak and handing them just their fourth loss in 98 games. Additionally, the Vikings beat preseason #8 College of San Mateo, #18 Diablo Valley, #22 Cosumnes River and #24 San Joaquin Delta in November. 

Heading into December, West Valley leads the CCCAA with a 98.6 points-per-game average, having broken the century mark three times. While the scoring is great, Yoshikawa will likely point to the CCCAA-2nd-best 49 rebounds per game. 

"We want to be the best defensive and rebounding team in the state," he said recently. "We're not going to make shots every night, so our focus has to be on defense. It's all about effort on defense and the boards."

Defense has been the name of the game for Yoshikawa since his days playing at West Valley for Bob Burton. A stellar career at UC Davis, followed by assistant coaching gigs at UC Santa Barbara, USF and, most recently, at Saint Mary's have all been characterized by defense and rebounding. The Vikings are the defending Coast-South Conference champions, and, while many of the players were on that 2019 team, the 2021-22 squad is different in many ways, "night and day" according to Yoshikawa.

"The 2019 team was super-young," Yoshikawa said. "We had nine freshman and 12 total newcomers. (The 2021) team is old and experienced. All the players from 2019 have developed and improved. They are all better and smarter in everything they do. Plus, we have good freshmen with high basketball IQ's."

Yoshikawa called the win at CCSF "one of the best wins in WVC history." The Rams hadn't lost a home game in five years and have a history of sending players to the next level. But so do the Vikings.

"There was tremendous pressure on our returning players to go play against the premier programs in the state. All they've heard about is OUR tradition of former WVC players winning championships and playing at high levels after their time here. We have former Vikings, now playing professionally in Europe or coaching at the D1 level, coming back all the time to speak to our team and watch them perform. The CCSF win was a real coming out party for them. It's a credit to how hard they have worked to develop as players."

One of Yoshikawa's returning players, Adam Afifi, had his best game as a Viking at CCSF. 

"That's the hardest he played from start to finish," said Yoshikawa of Afifi. The 6-9 big man has dropped 40 pounds since 2019 and is now "able to play hard all the time."

Basketball has changed from the last time he was at the helm, according to Yoshikawa. "The game has become position-less and the overall skill of players and talent has improved. Because of COVID and the backlog of players granted an additional year by the NCAA, more are staying closer to home and playing at the community college level this year."

Afifi is a shining example. The San Jose native was an All-Coast-South 1st-Team selection in 2019 and is regarded as "one of the best bigs in the state" according to John Bynum of Signal The Light Basketball. Afifi leads the Vikings with 17.8 points and ten rebounds per contest. He can be deadly from beyond the arc, converting nearly 50% of his attempts. Afifi turned down Division 1 scholarship offers this past summer to return to Saratoga to finish out his sophomore year.

Bynum also calls WVC a "very talented team" and mentions returning players Ben Baker, Leland Estacio and Jacquez Walker. Baker was the Coast-South MVP and a 1st-Team All-State selection in 2019 and is averaging 12.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.

"Ben has the tools to be one of the top five guards in the state," Yoshikawa said of his 6-3 guard. "He is so strong, and his intelligence is off the charts. Ben has made improvements to every part of his game, especially shooting. He is the strongest guard I've ever coached in 22 years. But the best thing he does is pass; he could literally lead the country in assists if he wanted to." (In their victory over San Mateo, Baker - known for his scoring as the former conference MVP - had 11 assists and 16 rebounds)

One of the players who is often on the receiving end of Baker passes is Walker, who played for WVC in 2019 and earned All-Coast 2nd-Team honors. The 6-0 silky-smooth sharpshooter can light it up from long range.  He's averaging 12.6 PPG and shooting treys at a 45.2% clip.

"You don't have to coach much with 'Quez," said Yoshikawa. "He plays hard all the time and tries to do exactly what is asked of him night in and night out. I couldn't be happier to have him."

Estacio spent most of 2019 bringing the ball up for the Vikings. He's been a key player of the bench in 2021, providing intelligence and spark. The Elk Grove native could start for most CCCAA squads. "I honestly believe our second and third teams could win a lot of games on their own," Yoshikawa said when talking about Estacio.

One of the "night and day" differences is the depth West Valley's newcomers bring. Quinn Denker inserted himself into the starting lineup almost from day one. The Bellarmine Prep grad is second behind Afifi with a 17.1 PPG average and is pulling down five rebounds and dishing out 5.4 assists per game. The son of former Santa Clara and Colorado St. coach Chris Denker, West Valley's Denker is like a coach on the floor. 

"He has such a high basketball IQ, has a great motor, a great attitude."  Yoshikawa commented. "How hard he works and how hard he plays are at a level ten."

Another first-year player on the starting lineup is Mahmoud Fofana. The 6-6 forward from Santa Teresa High School was a much-sought-after recruit. 

"Mahmoud plays hard all the time. He's special; he does it all on effort," said Yoshikawa. "Everyone talks about his athleticism, but he is so much more than that. He could be the best defensive player I've ever coached and could be the best defender/rebounder in the state if he wants to. He can guard any position on the court. Great footwork, work ethic, heart, intelligence and a GREAT passer."

Yoshikawa talked about some of his other prized first-year players:

Ignacio Bettinelli (6-5 G/F, Sobrato HS): "He has a level 10 attitude and great feel for the game. Combine that with true coachability: the ability to listen to the coaches and apply it on the court right away. He's a real luxury."

Malik Patton (6-8 F, George Washington HS, Denver, CA): "Great motor, great attitude, great teammate."

Kai Raine-Lee (6-5 G/F, Carmel Valley HS): "Great athlete, very intelligent, with a high motor, great attitude and passing skills."

Tyler Watters (6-8 F, Grandview HS, Aurora, CO): "He's really young, but is going to be a really good college basketball player in the future."

West Valley's pre-season schedule is one of the CCCAA's toughest, and for good reason. The Vikings want to compete for a second-straight conference title and beyond.

"It is obviously very deliberate for us to schedule good teams," said Yoshikawa. "We can only get better when we play really good teams."

Bynum, writing in Signal The Light Basketball, said the Coast-South will be improved "from top to bottom." Yoshikawa agrees, and then some.

"The overall talent in northern California is higher than it's been in 20 years. In the Coast Conference South, everyone - San Jose City, Hartnell, Monterey, Cabrillo, Gavilan, and De Anza -is significantly better. We are significantly better."

Yoshikawa can count on two assistant coaches to help him get ready for such improved competition, Jason Billie and Mykel Morse. Billie, in his second year and newcomer Morse embody Yoshikawa's assistant coaching philosophy.

"When I played at West Valley for Bob Burton, we had three of the best head coaches as assistants. We all must be head coaches of something on this team and take pride in those things. We want to make our players better in all aspects, and I'm fortunate to have two of the best."

Of Billie, who was an All-Conference player at WVC, Yoshikawa said, "He's really good with people. He talks to the players; he explains things to them, they can relax with him. He's been in their shoes; he was a really good player here and at the four-year level. He's always around campus and he is someone that the players know they can count on."

"Mykel is a tough dude with really high energy. He sets high standards for himself. He is a great recruiter and super knowledgeable about skill-development. He has all the makings of a great college basketball coach in the future."

Yoshikawa is not one to "sit on our laurels" as West Valley heads into the competitive chaos that is the Coast Conference. "I'm super-excited about this team," he said. "They compete and have great pride and focus. We will have some hiccups, but this team continues to surprise me. I'm trying to just enjoy being with them and watching them improve.  They act like a family and who knows what will happen when it is all said and done, but this team has the potential to rival many of the great WVC teams of the past."