The most prolific scorer in the storied history of Pitman High School basketball had unfinished business to handle last Saturday.

Two months after the Pride were eliminated in the opening round of CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs by top-seeded Modesto Christian, Avery Sanchez returned to the city, this time to the Modesto Junior College gymnasium to participate in the 28th annual Six-County All-Star Game.

And he took full advantage of the opportunity, leading all scorers with 19 points in the men’s game to help lead the Red team to a 107-90 victory over the Blue squad.

The event is put on annually by local youth program Modesto Slam-N-Jam and its founder and director, MJC Athletics Hall of Famer Bobby Cole. They invite some of the top male and female high school and middle school talent from Stanislaus, Merced, San Joaquin, Tuolumne, Calaveras and Mariposa counties to compete.

“There were some other guys that I battled with a lot on the other team. I had some guys on my team that I grew up playing rec ball and some travel ball with,” Sanchez said. “That was fun to be able to share the court with them. And it was a cool experience to make passes and watch other people score, some that you’ve been competing against for the last two years, like the dudes from Gregori, Enochs. Being able to play with them and to be coached by Kyle McKim (Beyer) was something new and exciting.”

Not all players who received invitations could make it out due to either competing in other sports or having other commitments that day. But for Sanchez, the opportunity to participate was a no-brainer, and he made sure to clear his schedule.

“They've been doing the game for a long time, so it's obviously a great honor,” he said. “There's been a lot of great players that have played in this game, so that was a driving factor. But for me, just to get another chance to go out there and wear the Pitman uniform and represent my coaches — Coach (Harvey) Marable and Coach (Donovan) Frank — my teammates over the years, and my school and community, I mean, I couldn't pass that up. It was a great experience and I'm glad I did it.”

Though his 19 points won’t go into the official Pitman record books, they provided a lasting, trademark image of the program’s all-time leading scorer as he wore the green and black jersey for a final time.

The four-year varsity captain and four-time All-CCAL honoree (and the league’s MVP in 2024) broke 10 school records, including games played (114) and wins (78). The others are points (1,915), rebounds (661), assists (440), steals (210), 3-pointers made (247), 3-point percentage (41%), free throw percentage (81%) and charges (39).

Despite the accolades, Sanchez is most proud of the relationships he has built, whether it be the two Pride coaches or his dozens of teammates and classmates. 

“I wouldn't trade any amount of wins, any amount of success or any accolades for these relationships at all. I'm super lucky to have that. I think that I was lucky to be able to go to Pitman and play with these guys, but also play for Coach Marable and Coach Frank… I think when I look down the line, when I get to big moments in my life like a wedding, eventually, there's going to be a lot of people there that I can say I met through Pitman basketball. That’s what I'm most grateful for.”

For as long as he could remember, Sanchez has hoped to continue fostering that kind of culture, community engagement and relationship-building at the college level. But hope no more, thanks to Hope itself. That’s Hope College, to be exact.

Sanchez shared exclusively with the Journal that he has committed to the NCAA Division III powerhouse to continue his playing career and study psychology. The private liberal arts school in Holland, Michigan has a consistent top 25 hoops program in the division, with fanfare and facilities that square up with many D-1 institutions. They lead D-III programs with attendance, averaging about 2,000 per game, and ESPN and Sports Illustrated rank their rivalry with Calvin as No. 4 in all of college basketball behind Duke-North Carolina, Kentucky-Louisville and the women’s UConn-Tennessee strife.

“A big thing for me was that I wanted to go somewhere, in terms of basketball, that has a winning program, and also where the basketball culture is cared about in the area,” Sanchez said. “I didn't really want to go somewhere where the program isn’t really connected with the community or with the school. Hope College really had the best of both worlds, plus the great education.”

The institution is known for its psychology program, which Sanchez will enroll in. In fact, one of the professors, Dr. David Myers, is the author of the textbook Sanchez and his classmates use for an AP Psychology course. After speaking with coaches and Myers himself, Sanchez applied for and was one of a select few to be admitted into the Hope Forward program, which covers tuition for students who pay it forward through community service.

“It’s a great blessing for me to go there and have that tuition covered by me getting out, giving back to the community and getting the opportunity to pay it back through generous acts,” he said. “And I’m really excited about getting into psychology. I'm really just interested in social psychology, finding the way that people think and maybe the reasons behind actions and why people say or do certain things. That stuff is super intriguing to me.

“I think basketball-wise, Hope can expect a competitor, a leader, a very hard worker, someone who's willing to put the team first and do what's needed to win, all while trying to improve himself. Outside of basketball, I think they can expect a great student, someone that's trying to learn and contribute to that great connection between the school and the community.”

Sanchez will head to Michigan for a short camp this summer before officially embarking on his new journey in the fall. In the meantime, he’ll keep getting in workouts at the Pitman High facilities to prepare his body for the collegiate grind.

“And get myself a new closet,” he joked. “I’m going to need to buy some new jackets for that cold weather.”