After initial challenges, Clovis West in ‘good spot’ as prep basketball playoffs near
It certainly didn’t start as the best of seasons for the Clovis West High boys basketball team.
Tough competition made it that way as the Golden Eagles played out-of-area tournaments against some of the top teams in California.
In fact, Clovis West started the season 0-4 before picking up its first win against Monterey Trail. The Eagles followed that up with another win against San Leandro.
It has been up and down for the Golden Eagles, but playing in the Tri-River Athletic Conference has given first-year Clovis West coach Nicholas Podesta some sense of relief for his team despite the usual tough competition against teams like Clovis North, Clovis East and Buchanan.
“I think we’re in a really good spot,” he said. “We played a really challenging November and December calendar in preparation for the TRAC. I think it’s done a lot to prepare us.”
Podesta took over for Vance Walberg, now the Fresno State men’s basketball coach.
The Golden Eagles (11-14, 4-2) are led by D.J. Stickman, a Fresno State commit. He had back-to-back dunks in an 86-59 win over Central on Tuesday night.
He finished with 17 points.
Clovis West is in third place behind Buchanan and Clovis North. The Golden Eagles host Clovis East on Friday.
Podesta understands the challenges, but has seen growth from his team just in time for the playoffs that start in February.
“We wanted to make sure that we were battle-tested by the time we got to the league,” he said. “We’re reaping the rewards for it. If you look at the playoff rankings and seedings, we’re going to be rewarded for a challenging schedule; winning these tough TRAC games as well.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 9:19 AM.
