Boys basketball: San Domenico on fast pace entering Bambauer

During a season when many of the students travel far and wide to be home with family for the holidays, head coach Tyler Gaffaney’s San Domenico players are staying in Marin County to be with their basketball family.

“They’re putting in the hard work and, for them, that means staying here and playing in tournaments over the holidays,” Gaffaney said.

Gaffaney has watched his senior-laden team grow up quickly over the past few years, through successes and heartbreaks.

“With as many seniors as we have on the team, I’d like this to be a memorable year for them,” Gaffaney said.

Coming off a memorable tournament win over Maria Carrillo on Dec. 13 at the Red Brown Invitational, San Domenico enters the Bambauer Classic as one of the headliners. The Panthers (8-2) take on Acalanes on Friday at 11 a.m. in the opening round of an intriguing field that features a wealth of Northern California powers.

In other first-round matchups: University takes on defending Division V State champion International; Serra meets Montgomery; Archie Williams challenges Carlmont; San Marin faces Central Catholic; Lincoln plays Casa Grande; Arcata plays host Marin Catholic; and Heritage faces Urban.

The Bambauer could see a few potential rematches from the 2024 postseason: Marin Catholic beat Heritage in the North Coast Section playoffs; Carlmont eliminated University in the NorCal D-III quarterfinals.

The bracket gives Marin Catholic a chance to scout two of its primary challengers in the MCAL: San Marin and Archie Williams. San Domenico also has a chance to scout its Bay Counties League foes University and Urban.

The Bambauer also gives fans the chance to see a long-awaited rematched between San Domenico and Archie Williams. The two San Anselmo schools were expected to meet in the championship of the Red Brown Invitational for the second year in a row, but that matchup did not happen.

The Panthers, riding a six-game streak that includes two wins over Tam High, are off to another hot start to the season, chasing a state championship after qualifying for the NorCal tournament each of the past three years. With five seniors in the starting lineup, the Panthers realize this season could be a special opportunity.

“The challenge this year has been filling the roles left by last year’s seniors,” said Panthers senior guard Ika Jokhadze. “It’s hard, but the team is rounding into shape. We’ve been improving.”

Jokhadze continues to improve year over year, carrying greater scoring and defensive responsibilities for the Panthers.

“Ika is probably the hardest worker, putting in hours on the court, in the weight room, in the classroom,” Gaffaney said.

The chemistry on the team has strengthened over four years, with energy, natural athletic ability and an intelligence on the court that is genuine — not artificial.

“(Senior) Rastko Dobromirovic is of the best leaders on the court,” Gaffaney said. “(He) never jumps out on the stat sheet, but he always says the right thing at the right time. He’s the student body VP, he’s a high-character person, he’s smart, he’s driven.”

A relative newcomer to the sport, 6-foot-6 center senior center Oskaras Valiauga has been playing basketball for just the past four years, but has impressed everyone with his skills as well as his size in his first season in the starting lineup, filling in the spaces around the hoop left by last year’s seniors Gavin Early and Chidera Onyeukwu.

Senior Stephen Song, the student boy president, has been a steady scorer for San Domenico, a saving grace early in the season.

Senior Omar Williams, one of the most electric players on the court at any time, can take over a game even when he’s not scoring. He has championship track speed and is always a playmaking threat with the ball.

“I’ve seen Omar since he was a freshman and I’ve seen him make head-scratching plays, like ‘why did he do that?’, and then make highlight real plays, like ‘how did he do that?’ one right after the other,” Gaffaney said. “He’s a natural talent who has really improved his game since he’s been here. He blows me away with what he can do.”