Elijah Mahi signs with Santa Clara

Elijah Mahi, one of the most dominant players to ever don a West Valley uniform, has accepted a scholarship offer from nearby Santa Clara University. Mahi led the 2022-23 Vikings to a 26-5 overall record, 10-2 in a Coast Conference that sent three squads - West Valley, San Francisco City and San Jose City - to the CCCAA State Championship tournament in March.

Mahi was one of only five freshman selected to the 2022-23 CCCAA All-State Team and was the Coast Freshman of the Year, the Coast-South Defensive Player of the Year, and a member of the All-Coast 1st Team and the All-Coast Freshman Team. He topped the Vikings with 17.5 points per game on 50.8% shooting, along with 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1 steal per contest.

In the NorCal postseason opener on Feb. 25 against Porterville in Saratoga, Mahi turned in one of the most electrifying individual performances in West Valley's storied playoff history. He shredded the Porterville defense for 28 second-half points to rally the Vikings past the Pirates 67-60. West Valley found itself on the short end of a 30-19 halftime score, but the Pirates had no answer for Mahi, who was literally unstoppable in the second half and finished with a season-high 35 points.

Mahi has spent the summer playing on the Canada U23 Men's National Team. He averaged 11.7 points and 5 rebounds in the recently-completed Globl Jam in Toronto, hepling Canada to the championship game against the USA. 

Santa Clara is coming off a 23-10 season under long-time coach Herb Sendek, who boasts a 533-389 career marks as a head coach at Arizona St., North Carolina St., Miami (OH) and Santa Clara.