The Chabot men's basketball team has moved into the state's fast lane under head coach Keenan McMiller.
McMiller, in his fifth year at Chabot, saw his talented team deliver numerous quality performances en route to a 12-4 record in nonconference play. Now the Glads are prepared for another strong run in the Coast-North Conference, beginning on Wednesday at Canada.
"The Gladiators will compete again to win the conference, obtain the best playoff seed and compete to make it to the California State Final 8 Championships," McMiller says.
Ever since he took over the program, McMiller has had a goal of building the team into a state power. They have taken a step forward each season.
"I believe we are making great progress in that direction," the Glads coach says.
Last season, Chabot was 13-1 in conference and shared first place with City College of San Francisco. The Glads (21-9 overall) then beat Los Medanos 89-82 in Round 2 of the CCCAA regional playoffs before falling to San Jose in the NorCal Regional Final. That was improvement over 2021-22, when Chabot was 18-16 overall and 8-6 in conference.
The current Glads were ranked 14th in the Jan. 2 CCCMBCA State Poll. In a huge game, Chabot will host CCSF (12-4), tied for No. 5 in the state, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12.
POWER PLAYERS: The Gladiators' nonconference Winning Percentage is in the state's top 10 and top 5 in the North. They're off to the best start in Coach McMiller's tenure at Chabot, playing the toughest schedule in in his tenure.
QUALITY WINS: Fresno City College, Irvine Valley College, Pasadena City College, Monterey Peninsula College.
TEAM STRENGTHS: The Glads have proven they can compete with the best teams in the state. A Top 10 team in scoring in the state, Chabot features the top two Coast-North scorers in sophomore guards, LA Premier Prep product Zach Broadous, a returning All Coast-North pick averaging 18.5 points a game, and Chico native Noah Thomas (18.6 ppg). Chabot is battle-tested, having faced teams ranked No. 1, 2, and 3 in the preseason. The Glads have played, and competed favorably against, the best teams across the state.
TOUGH CONFERENCE: The Coast-North is a beast of a conference in men's basketball, ranking No. 2 in overall strength. It has the third best win total in the state. Four teams are ranked in the state's top 25, and six of the seven teams have winning records.
(Photo by Jared Darling)