After a year away from the Turlock High School campus, the annual Frank Godinez Boys Basketball Tournament will be back in Bulldog Arena, with action tipping off this week.
One of the longest and most celebrated basketball tournaments in the region, named after Frank Godinez, a longtime sports reporter for the Turlock Journal who was nicknamed Mr. Bulldog for his constant presence on the sidelines for most Turlock High’s sporting events, the 49th edition will run from Thursday through Saturday.
Last year’s event was held across town at Fitzpatrick Arena on the campus of Stanislaus State due to the tournament and the Bulldog Classic wrestling showcase overlapping.
“Everybody loved it at Stan State last year, and we love them for helping us and it was a great experience for the players to be on a college court and great for the city to be able to watch all those games at a venue like that,” said Turlock head coach Rick Fetter, who enters his second year at the helm of the program. “But if you're hosting a tournament, there's no better thing than having three games of home court advantage, so I think that will play into our favor. We're comfortable practicing there every day, all our resources are there, so we’ll try to pack the house. It’s just fun to play in the comforts of your own home.”
The Bulldogs will be trying to win their home tournament for the first time since 2022. It would be their 13th in school history.
Joining Turlock in participating in this year’s festivities will be Modesto, Patterson, Johansen (Modesto), Golden Valley (Merced), Stone Ridge Christian (Merced), Tokay (Lodi) and Mountain House.
“This tournament is one of my favorite things not just about Turlock High School, but Turlock in general,” Fetter said. “love how the community comes together for things like these. With this tournament going on its 49th year, to have a name like Frank Godinez that the people recognize across different generations, for people to stay connected to the program through that memory and through tournaments like this, it gives you a sense of belonging and ownership, and I'm happy to be able to carry that tradition on.
Action begins at 4 p.m. Thursday when Mountain House takes on Tokay. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a clash of crosstown program from up the freeway as Johansen faces Modesto. The Bulldogs will then take to their home court at 7 p.m. against Patterson. The first day concludes with an 8:30 p.m. tip between Stone Ridge Christian and Golden Valley.
The Bulldogs sported a 2-1 record entering Tuesday night’s road contest against Cosumnes Oaks in Elk Grove, the team's last before taking the Godinez stage.
In Fetter’s first year at the helm, the Bulldogs ended the regular season on an improbable run that led to a play-in victory over Central Valley of Ceres and an appearance in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. Returning for Fetter are seniors Donovan Muirbrook, Landon Tilby and Daniel Joseph, juniors Nehemiah McGowan, Silas Murphy and Jeremy Figueira, as well as sophomore DJ Robertson, who are looking to ride the momentum of last year’s late-season heroics.
Despite losing star point guard Ross Widemon to graduation (he is a freshman on the Stan State men’s basketball team this year), and other impact scorers at the top of the key like Dutch Lawrence and Izaak and Izaiah Saenz, the ‘Dogs have retooled with significant size in the post. Figuiera is 6-foot-7 while McGowan and Tilby are 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-2, respectively. There are also three imposing newcomers in seniors Devin Donnelly (6-foot-6), Jeremy Garcia (6-foot-3) and Raymond Anaya (6-foot-2) and six-foot sophomore Ledger Ladine.
“We definitely have decent size, so we just need to find consistency scoring in the paint, and I think once those guys get more comfortable within offense, it’ll be fun,” Fetter said. “It’s cool to see our guys look to get the ball down low when they don’t have a shot, to see the teamwork and the trust on the offensive end.
“They're doing a good job playing together and they all have the same goal, that feeling that they can win every game they play, and it continues at Godinez. There’s a lot of pride in winning your home tournament, so we’re looking forward to it.”
