If anyone knows what James Giacomazzi has built at Las Positas, it’s Justin Labagh, the five-time state championship coach from the City College of San Francisco. He and Giacomazzi go back more than two decades.
They met in 2004. Giacomazzi began his head coaching career at Cosumnes River College. Labagh took over at San Francisco. Then in 2015, Giacomazzi was hired at Las Positas, which is also in the Coast Conference North Division with San Francisco.
“I remember when I came into the league,” Giacomazzi recalled. “He sent me a text message just saying, ‘Hey, congrats on the job. Our league just got better.’ ”
Wednesday, Jan. 28 was the 19th meeting between Giacomazzi’s Hawks and Labagh’s Rams. Both entered the game at 19-1 and state-ranked. San Francisco was No. 2 in the latest polls and Las Positas No. 7. But when the game was over, the gap seemed much bigger.
The Rams, one of the premier junior college programs in the nation, handled Las Positas, 78-59. Giacomazzi, since taking over the Hawks program, is now 2-17 against San Francisco and has yet to beat the Rams in Livermore.
San Francisco, a school twice the size of San Francisco, served as the measuring stick for the Hawks. San Francisco’s Kenyon DeMuynck was the best player on the floor and Labagh’s pressure defense held Las Positas 28 points below its season average.
“They’re well coached, and they have so many players,” explained Giacomazzi, who in December eclipsed 400 wins for his career. “They basically have two starting lineups, and they can come at you in waves. And so that depth is a huge advantage.”
Both the Hawks and Rams came into this season with restocked rosters. Both teams reached the 2025 state tournament, with the Hawks losing the first game and San Francisco winning it all. The Hawks lost their entire starting five. San Francisco lost its entire starting five plus three key reserves.
The Rams’ reputation lures players. So San Francisco has no problem getting talent. Labagh has two former players currently in the NBA. He’s had 76 players transfer to Division I schools. DeMuynck looks to be next.
The Hawks don’t have the resources or the reputation. But Giacomazzi has managed to make the postseason every season he’s been at Las Positas. They’ve the 3C2A State Championships twice, in 2022 and 2025. The Hawks are on pace for 25 or more wins for the third time in the last five seasons.
“Every year, he’s putting a better and better team together,” Labagh said. “It’s awesome, because this is what you want. You want the games that kind of mean something. So he’s been doing that consistently.”
Las Positas wins with a style of play built on versatility. At their best, they attack the rim, make three-pointers and live in transition. Giacomazzi’s teams always play aggressively, especially on defense. They keep their heads in the game and play fast and hard. They typically win the endurance battle against most teams.
This season, they have added two key big men. Size is a rarity at Las Positas. But Ted Bigg-Wither, a 6-foot-9 freshman center and Kodey Weary, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward, gives Las Positas an interior presence on both ends.
After more than 20 years of playing each other, exchanging handshakes after a win or loss, and recruiting the top prospects, the respect Giacomazzi and Labagh have for each other goes beyond the game.
“We’re cordial and have been cool with one another for as long as I can remember,” Labagh said. “We’ve gotten along as well as his longtime assistant coaches for many years.”
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TOP PHOTO: James Giacomazzi implores his team during a timeout in the 78-59 loss to San Francisco on Jan. 28 in Livermore. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
Maggie Vander Ende is a staff writer for The Express.
