Ceres High’s Jimbo Pernetti and Harman Chung, and Central Valley’s Ryan Donnelly and Jaron Dickson were among the 17 varsity boys basketball players recognized during the Western Athletic Conference year-end coaches meeting on Feb. 16 in Livingston.
Pernetti and Donnelly were both selected to the WAC First Team.
Jimbo, a senior forward/guard, averaged 15.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
“He was a valuable part of our team,” Bulldogs head coach Brian de la Porte said. “Obviously, the other coaches thought the same thing. He was one of the top five players in the league. He practiced hard. He played hard. He had a great attitude. He was a good teammate. That’s what I’m going to miss the most.”
Donnelly, a junior forward who attended Pitman as a sophomore, led the Hawks in scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg).
“He didn’t show any rust for not playing the first half of the season,” Central Valley head coach Darryl Dickson said. “It’s a testament to how hard he worked in the offseason.”
Chung and Dickson were honorable-mention picks.
Harman, a junior post player, averaged 14.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
“He did a great job,” de la Porte said. “He’ll definitely be a big part of our team next year. I want him to be MVP of the league. That’s my goal for him.”
Jaron, a sophomore guard, averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
He missed being named to the WAC Second Team by one vote.
“He improved his averages from his freshman year,” coach Dickson said.
Ceres High (7-5) and Central Valley (6-6) placed third and fourth, respectively, in the WAC standings.
“We learned some good lessons,” coach Dickson said. “We missed the playoffs by three wins because of our youth. We’re going to be more consistent every game next year.”
The Hawks and Bulldogs could return as many as 11 and eight players, respectively, in 2013-14.
“We should be pretty solid,” coach Dickson said. “Hopefully, Central Valley and Ceres High are vying for the top two spots in the WAC. More importantly, we’re looking beyond that. We know we’re good enough to make the playoffs.”
“We want to win the WAC next year,” de la Porte said. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work. It’s going to be a battle.”
