Two SCV powerhouses progress further in The Classic at Damien
The Santa Clarita Valley has two teams competing in The Classic at Damien which started Thursday and will run through Monday at Damien High School in La Verne. The Classic,…
Valencia shooting guard Jake Hlywiak puts up a layup in a CIF State Championship game against Cathedral Catholic at Valencia High School last season. Cory Rubin/The Signal
Valencia guard Jake Hlywiak using summer to improve game
With seven seniors graduating from last season’s Foothill League title-winning boys basketball team, Valencia’s Jake Hlywiak is preparing for an even bigger role this upcoming season. While his senior season…
Valencia grad to coach inaugural Castaic girls basketball team
Castaic High School continued its string of new coaching hires, announcing on Wednesday that Charise Hall will helm the inaugural girls basketball team. Hall, who grew up in Castaic and…
Troop West girls basketball formed in March and has quickly established itself as a competitive team in Southern California travel basketball. Courtesy photo
Troop West girls basketball on the rise
No one knew who they were. Everyone thought they could beat them. Going into every tournament in its inaugural season, Troop West girls basketball was determined to gain respect and…
Valencia’s Dexter Akanno (10) drives in towards the basket as he is guarded by West Ranch’s Deaken Stangl (14) at Valencia on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. Nikolas Samuels/The Signal
Valencia’s Akanno commits to Marquette
By Ben Steele Milwaukee Sentinel Journal For The Signal Marquette hopes it has discovered an under-the-radar basketball gem in 2019 guard Dexter Akanno. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Akanno gave an…
Valencia girls varsity basketball head coach Jerry Mike watches players run shooting drills at practice. Katharine Lotze/Signal
Valencia girls basketball coach Jerry Mike resigns
On Tuesday, for the first time in 25 years, Jerry Mike wasn’t a basketball coach when he woke up in the morning. He resigned from his position as head coach…
Offers rolling in for Viking
Waking up at 5:30 a.m. to get some extra shots up or an early workout session, Dexter Akanno doesn’t take a day off or let a couple thousand miles get…
Valencia boys varsity basketball coach Chad Phillips watches his team run drills at a December practice. Katharine Lotze/Signal
Former Valencia coach takes helm of Georgia team
By Adam Carrington For The Signal Former Valencia boys basketball coach Chad Phillips, who has more than 20 years of coaching experience in California, was introduced as the new boys…
Valencia’s CJ Finley (1) takes a shot during the 2018 SCV Hoops Finale at Valencia High School on Saturday, March 24, 2018. Nikolas Samuels/The Signal
SCV boys basketball seniors shine in Signal Hoops finale
Hart basketball’s Whitten Dominguez is the shortest of all his siblings. So, winning the dunk contest at The Signal’s annual SCV Hoops Finale had an added bonus for the…
Hart's Whitten Dominguez (10) looks for an opening around Saugus' Adrian McIntyre (2) during a basketball game at Saugus on Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. Katharine Lotze/Signal
Hart basketball’s Dominguez nabs Foothill League Player of the Year honors
Diego Marquez Signal Staff Writer Hart boys basketball’s Whitten Dominguez was sitting in class when he received an envelope from the mayor that read “co-Foothill League Player of the Year.”…
Valencia's Dexter Akanno (10) dribbles in towards the basket during practice on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. Nikolas Samuels/The Signal
Valencia’s Akanno receives one-on-one training from Steve Nash
In late December, Dexter Akanno was at the Rancho Mirage Invitational with Valencia basketball when he got a notification on his phone. He received a direct message through Instagram. From…
Valencia boys basketball falls victim to stellar 3-point night for Crescenta Valley
GRANADA HILLS – The mistakes began to mount for Valencia before it even tipped off Monday night against Crescenta Valley. Several players arrived at Granada Hills Charter later than what…
Former Saugus High coach Bill Bedgood has been named head coach for Valencia.
Dan Watson/The Signal
Bedgood fits the bill as new Valencia basketball coach
The task fit the bill of cruel and unusual. The morning after his Saugus High boys basketball team lost a six-point game at Valencia High in early February, Bill Bedgood…
Valencia senior, Canyon junior share Foothill League Player of the Year honors
This year’s Foothill League girls basketball co-Players of the Year honors serve as a capstone and a caution. A capstone in that Valencia’s Kayla Konrad concluded a stellar four-year career…
Valencia boys hoops climbs out of tight first half against Saugus
With 55 seconds remaining in its game against Saugus High, Valencia High’s Kyler Motoyasu absorbed a steal and got the ball to Jayden Trower for two points and an eight-point…
Hart basketball weathers resilient Valencia for win
The frequency of the phrase made it seem like Hart boys basketball had just survived a fishing expedition in a hurricane. “Weather the storm,” senior Ben Kaufman said of the…
Canyon and Valencia players battle over a loose ball during a basketball game at Canyon. Katharine Lotze/The Signal
Foothill girls hoops roundup: Valencia wins 19th straight league game
Kayla Konrad had already made one last-second shot this season. Valencia had already pulled out one narrow victory against rival Canyon. When the Vikings needed it most Tuesday, they combined…
GV boys hoops defeats Valencia at the last second
Two free throws from Dexter Akanno had Valencia High up by one with six seconds to play and the home crowd at Valencia High going wild. With no timeouts left…
Valencia High's Zach Hawkins has made seven 3-pointers in two Foothill League games this season. Dan Watson/The Signal
Mason Nesbitt: A wild start to Foothill play
Valencia junior Zach Hawkins couldn’t miss. Five girls soccer teams couldn’t score. A girls basketball team won by 77. Saugus boys hoops knocked off the defending champs by one. It…
Valencia's Kyler Motoyasu, right, grabs a loose ball away from West Ranch's Austin Galuppo at Valencia earlier this month. Dan Watson/The Signal
Valencia boys hoops edges West Ranch
Valencia High boys basketball survived a frenzied fourth-quarter comeback by West Ranch High on Tuesday night at Valencia High, holding on for an 83-79 win in a Foothill League opener.…
