At 6 feet, 9 inches, Jace Beidleman has a way of standing out on the basketball court.
“He’s an anchor,” Ripon Christian coach Mark Hofman said after the Knights won their 13th Sac-Joaquin Section championship on Feb. 23.
It’s how he uses that length that made Beidleman so effective, and he was named MVP of the Trans-Valley League. He’s one of three Knights (11-1, 24-7 overall) to make all-league after Ripon Christian its fourth straight title.
Runner-up Ripon (10-2, 23-9) also has three all-league selections. Both schools each have one on the All-TVL girls team.
Beidleman averaged 12.7 points, 10.5 assists and 4.3 blocks in league play. Two of his most memorable moments came in first-place battles with Ripon in which he racked up nine blocks in each contest. His 130 overall blocks for the season is a new program record.
“As good as he looks, he’s better than that,” said Hofman, the TVL Coach of the Year. “Casual fans, what do they watch? Points. They lose interest when they’re on defense. You gotta (watch) blocked shots, rebounds, harassed shots. For every shot you block, there is one or two that they’re not finishing.”
Fellow senior Luke Crivello and sophomore newcomer Jake Vander Veen are the other Knights earning first-team honors.
Crivello contributed 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per league game while making 39% of his 3-pointers and 87.5% of free throws. Vander Veen, a transfer from Santa Monica, netted 16.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Sophomore guards Amos Cady and Mason Tameling received honorable mention.
Ripon is represented by the 6-4 front-court tandem of Dawson Downs and Marcus Madoski and third-year senior guard Landon Gillespie.
Gillespie led the Indians with 13.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals. Downs averaged 11.3 and 6.8 rebounds in his breakthrough senior campaign. Madoski overcame a mid-season knee injury and chipped in 9.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
Both Gillespie and Madoski are two-time all-league selections. Senior guard/forward Ty Herrin and junior point guard Logan Lefebvre made the honorable-mention list.
Junior center Reagan Van Der Hoek earned honorable mention for the Knights (6-6, 16-13). Mike Vander Molen was voted Coach of the Year.
Kailee Inderbitzin also repeats as an all-league selection after leading Ripon (2-10, 8-18) with 8.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals.
The All-TVL girls MVP award is split between Hughson senior
