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Pride’s Sanchez, Marable among All-CCAL hoop highlights
Harvey Marable
Harvey Marable, in his 20th season as the program’s head coach, was awarded CCAL Coach of the Year (ALEX MORALES/The Journal).

Two of the Central California Athletic League’s top honors are heading to the conference’s best boys basketball team of the 2023-2024 campaign.

The Pitman Pride went 21-8 this season, with their 9-1 record in CCAL play good enough to win their first league title since 2021. Harvey Marable, in his 20th season as the program’s head coach, was awarded CCAL Coach of the Year. Meanwhile, the team’s top scorer, junior Avery Sanchez, was named the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Two other Pitman players were named to All-CCAL teams while Turlock had three players honored.

Avery Sanchez
The Pride’s Avery Sanchez was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (ALEX MORALES/The Journal).

The Pride earned a playoff berth in this year’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 bracket. As the 15-seed, they defeated Edison 71-47 in the play-in game on Feb. 12 before seeing their season come to an end two days later against No. 2 Monterrey Trail (Elk Grove), losing 66-57. After the game, Marable (as he usually does) praised those around him for the success.

“I appreciate the support I have,” he said. “I have just been blessed in my coaching years to witness these kids buying into what we're doing and giving their best. I couldn't ask for anything more. I've been blessed from the standpoint of the support from the administration, our excellent trainer (Markus Turner), my assistant Donovan Frank, Dave Walls and George Aguilar coming back and helping the program. And also our JV coach Danny Freitas because he's sometimes left with a tough roster after it gets picked apart by me. I’ve just been blessed with all the support that I've been able to receive while coaching here and Pitman.”

Leading the way for Marable and the Pride all year was Sanchez, who scored 572 points on the season and averaged 19.7 points per game. The 6-foot-2 point guard also led the team in assists (103), rebounds (198) and steals (54).

“I’m very grateful to receive the award of CCAL MVP. It’s an honor to have my name up there with some of the great players that have come through our league in the past, and me receiving this award was a product of my teammates, coaches and those who supported the program this year. I am beyond grateful for all of them,” Sanchez said. 

“I am extremely happy for Coach Marable being the recipient of the Coach of the Year award, as he is not only an amazing coach, but an even better person,” he continued. “My relationship with him has done so much for me, not just on the court but off as well. Playing under someone who knows the game as well as he does has accelerated my game greatly and he has always been there for me off the court showing me many lessons, expanding my thinking and helping me get through some of the toughest challenges of my life. He deserves to be recognized as not only one of the best coaches, but one of the best people you will meet.”

Sanchez said he is most proud of how hard his team worked this year and how everyone continued to improve intensity, skill and execution throughout the season. They include senior forward Justin Anderson and sophomore guard Cole Martin, who were each named All-CCAL First Team. 

Anderson scored 413 points, averaged 19.7 points per game, racked up 101 assists and snagged 183 rebounds and 46 steals. Martin had 403 points, 37 assists 87 rebounds, 50  steals and 20 blocks while averaging 16.8 points per game.

Joining the Pitman players with  First Team honors were a pair of Bulldogs — Andrew Johnson and Dutch Lawrence. 

Lawrence, a junior, led Turlock in scoring, putting up 329 points and averaging 12.7 points per game. He also led the team in assists with 75. Johnson, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored 306 points while averaging 11.8 points per game, dishing out 42 assists and snagging 151 rebounds. 

The Bulldogs, who finished with a 14-13 overall record and were CCAL runners-up with a 7-3 record, were also represented by Jeremiah Evans on the All-CCAL Second Team. Teammate Peter Wilson was on the Honorable Mention list alongside Pitman’s Abhiraj Cheema.