Sacramento-area prep standouts join Optimist All-Star charity basketball game
The high school basketball season in California ended with the CIF State championships at Golden 1 Center last month, but the regional stars continue to compete.
On Saturday at Folsom Lake College, the 48th annual Optimist All-Star Basketball Games will cap the careers for scores of Sacramento-area seniors who will represent their schools for the final time in this charity event for local Optimist clubs.
The small school girls game is at 10 a.m., followed by the small school boys at noon, the large school girls at 2 p.m. and the large school boys at 4 p.m.
Large school boys
The North team includes Sacramento Bee Player of the Year Mark Lavrenov of Rocklin, a 6-foot-8 forward headed to Sacramento State on scholarship and Bee Large School Player of the Year Asher Schroeder, a 6-5 guard.
Also on the roster are Bee All-Metro players Jonah Beck of Nevada Union, Reid Brear of Del Oro, Luke Browne of Jesuit, Connor Delaby of Rocklin and Ren Marsh of Roseville. The team will be coached by Tim Kelly of Jesuit, The Bee’s Coach of the Year after he led the Marauders to the school’s first state basketball championship.
The South will be coached by Robert Fields, who has led the Monterey Trail Mustangs of the Elk Grove Unified School District to their best seasons. He has three Bee All-Metro Monterey Trail players on his roster in Rashawn Inglemon, Ahzeil Franklin and Derron White, and he has familiar faces to work with in rival Sheldon with 6-8 center Nate Ruff and Bee All-Metro players Zion Johnson and Sebastian James.
The roster also includes playmaking All-Metro guards Chase Rawlins of Folsom, the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion, and prolific Burbank guard Michael Butcher.
Large school girls
The Large School North roster includes Bee All-Metro players Bella VonSeipler of Del Oro, Brooklynn Nordquist and Casey Dreiling of Ponderosa and Woodcreek guard Ryan Nair.
Ponderosa coach Bre Rizzo is the coach.
The South roster is headed by Bee Medium School Player of the Year Aleyah Harmon of Christian Brothers and Bee Large School Player of the Year Sophia Mindermann of Folsom. Both were four-year starting guards for championship programs.
Other Bee All-Metro players for the South include Kacie Shimmoto of Kennedy, Sydney Teoh of St. Francis, twins Sydney and Alia Wilson of Monterey Trail and McClatchy All-Metro stars Norret Lewis and Breyana Kimmons of McClatchy.
Two-time Bee Player of the Year Nina Cain of McClatchy could not participate due to a prior commitment.
Monterey Trail coach Dave Whitsett is the coach.
Small school girls
Colfax All-Metro stars Kaia Deidrichs, Juliette James and Laurlyn Massick headline the Small School girls roster.
James, a center, is The Bee’s Small School Player of the Year. That trio won 121 games over four seasons with three section championships and two Northern California Regional banners. Other All-Metro players on the roster include Torrence Harter of Sutter, Demi Boykin of Marysville and Michelle Sams of Bear River.
The coach is Kim Contreras of Valley Christian of Roseville, and she has on her roster Lions players Gabby Jackson-Brown and Shyanne Richter.
The Small Girls South roster is coached by Shiloh Sorbello of Woodland Christian, which became the first school in Yolo County, boys or girls, to win a CIF State basketball championship.
The coach has Bee All-Metro players from his team in Teagan Hayes and Keziah Maldonado-Lemus, in addition to Esabel Otsuji of West Campus, Jordan Tucker of Winters, Summer McCoy of Liberty Ranch, Zoe Rocha of Fortune and Guadalupe Valdenegro of Rio Vista.
Small school boys
Bee Medium School Player of the Year Benny Ambriz of Casa Roble and All-Metro teammate Moses Oginni headline the Small School North roster. Ambriz and Oginni helped lead the Rams of Orangevale to the school’s first section championship.
Natomas is represented by Harold Beckwith, Kinara Herron, Kobe Rube, Ezekiel Smith and Cameron Brides-Walker. Natomas coach Brian McKenzie, The Bee’s Coach of the Year in 2023-24, is the coach.
The North team is coached by Earl Allen of Fortune, and his roster include Fortune players Kaden Bean, Omarion Davis, Elijah Thompson and Mekhi Tanner.
The roster also includes Tanner Thomas, who helped power Woodland Christian to its first section basketball championship.
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM.