SARATOGA -- Following a 22-6 season which also saw the Vikings finish 10-2 in conference play, five student-athletes on the West Valley men's basketball team were awarded with all-conference honors. Sophomores CJ Willenborg and Caleb Asante became two-time honorees while sophomore William Amoah and freshmen David Manea and Isaiah Ackerman were honored for the first time in the Coast-South.

"There's some years," said head coach Danny Yoshikawa, "where you go in and you're a little disappointed because you think guys didn't quite get what they should have. I feel like it was fair, and I feel the guys that received honors should have received honors. So I was happy, we've got a great group of coaches in our conference, and all of them want to do what's right, and also what's best for the kids."

Willenborg, Asante and reigning Coast-South Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Biebel battled injuries throughout the season, leading to some peaks and valleys through West Valley's 2025-26 campaign. Still, looking at the Vikings' six losses, each were to 2026 3C2A Tournament teams, and five were by two or fewer possessions. In losses to Feather River, Las Positas and San Francisco, the Vikings had the ball with an opportunity to tie in the games' final seconds. To this point, City College of San Francisco's only loss was against the Vikings, in a game where the Vikings held the Rams to just 56 points. West Valley won its last eight games of the regular season by an average of 35 points per game with signature wins over tournament teams like Foothill, East Los Angeles, San Jose City and Cabrillo.

A large part of the Vikings' late-season resurgence was due to Willenborg, named to an all-conference team for a second-straight season. After an up-and-down, injury-marred start to the season, Willenborg became the Vikings' go-to scorer down the stretch, reaching double figures in ten of his first 11 games to start the 2026 half of the season.

"There were some games where his shot wasn't on and so forth," said Yoshikawa, "but his leadership has been unbelievable. He's been the steady captain of the ship. When the team needs him to make shots, he makes shots. When the team needs him to make the pass, he makes the pass. He's defending, he's getting loose rebounds, he's doing it all. He looks like a sophomore guard should. He had an incredible January and February."

On the season, the sophomore guard from Folsom averaged 10.9 points per game while finishing third in the conference with 49 made 3's, converting on 36.4% of his tries from downtown. Some games, like when he hit six triples for 28 points against Foothill or hit six 3's with 24 points against Gavilan, it seemed like Willenborg went into full takeover mode, stepping into out-of-rhythm 3's and dazzling inside the paint.

"After I see a couple go in," said Willenborg, "I'm able to get to my spots. Everything feels good after that. I just really try to get to my spots, and I work on those shots a lot, so I shoot them with confidence. You just hope for the best and stuff, and you really do make or miss. But you just get to your spots, get to what you work at, and just hope for the best from there."

Joining him on the all-conference first team was Asante, who also was named to the all-defensive team. Though he missed four games in conference play with an injury suffered against Feather River, he provided enough of an impact in his half-slate of conference play for the coaches to recognize his impact. More than that, Yoshikawa believes opponents and observers noted the difference in West Valley as a team with and without Asante, even though it sometimes doesn't show up on the stat sheet.

"He's nowhere near his potential, because that injury set him back," said Yoshikawa, "but he's still that good, and people recognize that. Coaches recognize how good he is and how different of a team we are when we have him. I think that's really the assessment of his all-conference. It's just like, 'look at how good they are when they have him'. It's not necessarily look at him do this, that, or the other, but it's a really easy assessment to understand we're an incredibly greater team when we have him."

Asante shined most when the lights were brightest, scoring 21 points while hitting three 3's against No. 7 Las Positas and scoring in double figures in each of the Vikings' last three regular season contests. It was an introspective year for Asante, who dealt with a long-term injury for the first time in his life while picking up a bigger role on both sides of the basketball.

"Definitely a blessing to get it," said Asante, "since I missed a couple games, the first kind of go-around with the teams. I'm super excited I was able to get on there. It was a lot of hard work, a lot of reps, a lot of just trying to do my best out there, and I'm just appreciative that I was able to get on there. When I was out, it really was something eye-opening for me because I was able to really see how [Isaiah Ackerman] and [William Amoah] were playing defense and how they were moving and how the other teams were moving their offense. So just analyzing that and then analyzing how they were guarding, I put that two and two together. So when I got back, I was able to be the best version of myself on defense." 

His motor and defensive intensity are always some of his top qualities, but Asante feels there are things he does generally that help him shine even further.

"Talking on defense, just trying to cut [to the basket] as much as possible," said Asante, "just trying to get hockey assists here and there and trying to move around on offense and disrupt on defense. The little things on both those ends. If they can just feel my presence on both those ends, then I feel like that's how I can really impact the game."

Through two years with the Vikings, Asante has scored 611 points while shooting an absurd 60.8% from the field. As a two-year starter, Asante has been able to observe the ups-and-downs that every season brings, but he feels he's grown exponentially as an overall basketball talent.

"I feel like I've grown a lot as a player," said Asante. "Coming in, I really didn't know what to expect, honestly, with [junior college] basketball, but with Coach Yosh and the whole staff and all my teammates from this year and last year, I've learned a lot just how just to play college basketball, how to run sets, how to have chemistry with each other, just how to be a player. I really learned how to do that, and I feel like I'm just going to take what I've learned from these past years and really apply it to wherever I go next year."

West Valley's all-conference trio is completed by Amoah, the transfer from Shasta College who ended up being the Vikings' top hype-man. Named to the all-defensive team as well, Amoah led the team with 26 blocked shots, averaging 10.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.  

"Probably the single most improvement by any one player in a one-season tenure that I've ever had," said Yoshikawa. "His improvement from August to now has been astronomical. Most kids take two years to do what he's done in terms of his level of improvement. Will's superpower is his motor. He plays so hard all the time and [has a] relentlessness to rebound. He's done a great job of embracing that and not worrying about anything else but that. And it's made him a really good player. What was also shocking was,was the level of respect he got defensively for his improvement this year. He's still a long ways away from being a top defender in our college's history, but like I said, the amount of improvement he's made in just one season, a short season, is just insane on the defensive side. So that was cool that he got recognized as an all-defensive guy, too."

It was a different role this season than last from Amoah, who averaged nearly 20 points per game on a non-tournament Shasta team. Still, it was a new role that Amoah excelled in.

"At Shasta," said Amoah, "I was more of the go-to guy to get a bucket. Not saying I'm not on West Valley, but at West Valley, I'm more oriented to play my role within the team, which is to grab a lot of rebounds and just finish the easy ones and it's been working pretty well for me well. I can still go get a bucket anytime, but that's not something i'm looking looking to do at the moment. I'm just looking to keep the game as simple as possible and just play basketball."

One of the key pieces of Amoah's game was his offensive rebounding, plucking off 105 throughout the regular season alone. It's the second-most, behind Shakir Odunewu's 128 in 2023-24, in a single season in recorded Viking history. For some, offensive rebounding is a struggle, but for Amoah, it's one of his biggest goals.

"To be [an] offensive rebounding [guy]," said Amoah, "I would say you got to have a knack for the ball. For me, I'm always wanting to get my two extra possessions. I think I'm one of the fastest guys in the state, and you really can't put a body on me because I will try to use a swim move and get around you. It's a determination I have as well, never giving up. Even if I get boxed out, I'm still going to try to get a tip or anything to get my team an extra possession."

West Valley's top two freshmen, Manea and Ackerman, provided stellar play on both ends of the court. Along with recognition on the all-freshman team, Ackerman found a spot on the all-defensive team while picking up 37 steals, 18 blocks and leading the conference with a 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.

"His ceiling is so high," said Yoshikawa. "Coaches will always find ways to play a guy that can defend and rebound. Isaiah is one of the absolute best at doing that. He's a lot more than just a defensive guy. Obviously, he made the all-freshman team, but, his assist to turnover ratio is really high. He does so many things that go unnoticed because he's not scoring 20 points a game, but he's helping you win more than the guy that scores 20 points a game."
  

Using his 6-foot-7 wingspan both on the perimeter and the interior, Ackerman acknowledged reaching the all-defensive team as a "goal that [he] set before the year], while talking about the things he learned being forced to mature early on the court. With the injuries to Biebel and Asante, Ackerman often had to guard the Viking opponents' top perimeter player.

"I think I take most pride in my defense," said Ackerman. "It's definitely one of the main reasons I'm on the court. Sometimes the offense isn't there, but I just know that I'm a big factor on the defensive end and our coaches trust me to guard some of the best players. And I know that I have to go out there and compete on defensive end, even if I'm not having such a great night on offense. [Biebel] is one of my really close friends on the team. He's really such a great defender. Honestly, I think I've learned more from him this year than I have from any person really in my career. After Aaron got injured, we were kind of down. Someone has to step up on the defensive side. So I just tried to do what I could."

As for Manea, the player that Yoshikawa proclaimed as "Mr. Consistent" before the season was just that for the Vikings. Manea led the conference in points scored by a player that primarily came off the bench, finding his niche as the Vikings' sixth man.

"He can score it. He can defend. He's tough. He can rebound. He can shoot it. And he can really, really pass it," said Yoshikawa. "He's just a really great all-around player. He's kind of positionless. You play him wherever you need him, and that's a luxury. He can guard four positions, he's really a nice luxury for us to have. And I think sky's the limit with him too, as he moves forward."

Playing off the bench for the first time in his career, Manea had to adjust to the challenge but found it as a luxury. Yoshikawa applauded the Vikings' depth before the season, with arguably no single player exemplifying it more than Manea. The versatility he brought to the floor was spectacular, something that should only grow as he grows with the Vikings.

"It's just kind of filling in spots wherever we need on the team," said Manea of his role, "because we have so many good sophomores and returners, and like I said, so much talent. Some nights, my biggest priority is playing defense on their post guys, some nights it's grabbing boards, and there's always going to be nights where guys may have an off night, and that kind of gives a chance for someone like me to pick up slack. My role is kind of undefined. I'm just there to pick up slack wherever we need, especially coming off the bench as like kind of that sixth, seventh man. It gives me an opportunity to see what's working, what's not working from the bench, and focus on that when I get in the game. At first, it was a little bit of an adjustment. There was definitely a big adjustment period, but honestly, I like it, which might sound a little surprising, but it kind of gives me a chance to see the game and see the floor before coming out onto the court. Sometimes, the first five, six minutes of the game are usually a little sloppy at times. It can be like really fast-paced, so it gives me a chance to settle in and just see it from a new perspective."

Like the rest of the team, Manea feels that the Vikings are peaking at the right time, and that the program learned a lot having to adapt with Biebel and Asante missing time.

"With Caleb and Aaron being arguably or definitely, I would say, our two best defenders, Biebel being previous defensive player of the year and Caleb just being strong, athletic," said Manea, "it definitely forced a lot of guys to adapt. Minutes and rotation shifted, so causing guys to have to guard better players for longer. And I think it was definitely a struggle for a little bit, but once we learned to adapt, I think it was really good for our team to grow and get the opportunity for other guys to get better. Caleb's coming back in his groove, Biebel's here, it'll just all come together. So I think it'll be good."

The five all-conference honors and the rest of the squad now ready for the postseason, with a bye in the first round and a matchup against College of San Mateo looming at home on Saturday the 28th.