The Las Positas Hawks men’s basketball team has been perfect through the season. They have won their first seven games by an average of 34.7 points, fueling the success is their high-paced offense. Their 92.6 points per game are third in the state. They shoot 51% from the field, second statewide.
And they’re doing it all without threes. Their 4.2 made threes per game rank 94th in the state.
Las Positas has opened the season with a physical, interior-focused approach that has carried the team through its early games. Most of their scoring comes from two-point shots, free throws and offensive rebounds rather than consistent three-point shooting. Guards Richard Banks and Jonathan Chapple have taken the majority of the team’s outside attempts, but neither has provided consistent outside production. Chapple leads the team at 9-for-28 from deep.
“Our percentages are still low, but I think the quality of the three-point shot is not there yet,” head coach James Giacomazzi said. “We’re shooting some tougher ones, and I think it’s messing up our percentage.”
It presents a potentially fatal flaw. While Las Positas has controlled teams that also rely on interior scoring, the Hawks have yet to be tested by programs that can shoot. How Las Positas addresses its limited 3-point creation, or whether their physical style can keep up with teams that operate outside the paint, will determine their long-term trajectory.
So far, their shooting woes haven’t hindered them.
They lean on interior scoring to push the tempo and get points quickly. Jaden Woodard leads the mentality. His team-high 16.9 points per game come almost exclusively from the paint. He utilizes his speed and physicality, constantly driving head-first through the opposition’s defense. It’s led to him averaging 5.7 free throws a game.
At the heart of their physical approach is their rebounding. They average a state-high 48.9 rebounds per game and holds a 20.1 rebounding margin over their opponents — the largest in the state.
“Most of our points have to come from either transition or in the paint,” Banks said. “As of right now, collectively, we’re not a good three-point shooting team. We’re trying to take as few threes as possible. Obviously, we’re a couple, but we’re trying to take at least three as possible and just attack the paint. Because right now, we’re killing them in the paint.”
DREW VIXON elevates for the layup while contorting his body backwards to avoid the Lassen defender. Vixon played 17 minutes and shot 62.5% from the field and 1-1 on free throws. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
Banks has become one of the team’s leaders both offensively and defensively, taking on a role that balances scoring and distributing the ball. He averages 11.1 points a game while leading the team in assists with 4.7 a game. He also averages the most threes made on the team with 1.3, while only shooting 29% from deep. His all-around play has been pivotal to the Hawks’ early success, showcased by the team’s faith to let him take the buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat Cosumenes River in their only close game this season.
“If they have a lot of shooters, we want to mark them, to force them inside,” Banks said. “We want to run them off the three-point line and make sure they don’t get a clean look if they do shoot a three.”
The Hawks’ identity shows up most clearly in their starting five. With 6-foot-7 Kodey Weary and 6-foot-9 Ted Bigg-Wither anchoring the front, Las Positas opens every game with size and strength that most teams can’t match.
Freshman guard Jonathan Chapple is the lone perimeter-oriented starter, and even he averages just 1.3 threes per game. Banks, a slashing guard who prefers driving and defending, makes a group built to score inside. The combination naturally pushes the offense toward paint touches, rim pressure and second-chance points, shaping the identity the Hawks have leaned on through their 7-0 start.
“If we can stretch the defense out a little bit, we’ve got to keep teams and not just hone in on our interior guys,” Giacomazzi said.
Most of the Hawks’ opponents so far haven’t matched their level of play. As a team that entered the season ranked No. 7 in the state, the next challenge will be teams that can shoot and score quickly. Fueled by their early success, the Hawks aren’t feeling the pressure.
“I don’t clearly feel pressure,” Banks said. “It’s really gonna depend on if it’s a good game or not; that’s when I’ll put pressure. But overall, I don’t really feel any pressure. I just feel as if, as long as I’m doing my job, everything will be okay.”
For now, the Hawks are sticking with what works. Their offense is fast, physical and inside-focused, and while their three-pointers haven’t been a strength, the team’s chemistry and size have carried them to a 7-0 start. They have proven they can win without relying on the long ball.
Banks said it best: “Our team is our strength, and our depth is our strength.”
***
TOP PHOTO: Eli Willis, who plays wing for the undefeated Hawks, takes a shot at the game on Nov.15 at Las Positas College. The Hawks take their fifth win in the season, beating Lassen 102-44. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJosAnnie.
