Chabot Gets A Game, And A Win

At long last, the Chabot men’s basketball team got a chance to open the Coast-North season ... and win a game to boot.

The Gladiators defeated host Skyline 74-70 in a makeup game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Chabot’s first contest since Dec. 28 after multiple cancellations and postponements due to Covid/Omicron.

“Twenty days off, man, and we were starting to get going before that,” said coach Keenan McMiller, whose team improved to 9-4 overall with Monday's win. “It’s been a real blessing for the guys just persevering through all this. I was able to play my entire roster for the first time in a long time.”

McMiller said his team had some “good runs” against Skyline, a solid opponent that made Chabot earn it.

Jaiden Rivera led Chabot with 20 points, Isaiah Veal added 13 points and four assists and Diggy Winbush had nine points and four assists. Chabot led 44-35 at halftime and had enough to hold off the home side.

But the postponements keep coming.

McMiller learned on Tuesday morning that his scheduled game against Ohlone on Wednesday had been postponed, thus the Gladiators’ next game will be a major test. Chabot will host State No. 1 City College of San Francisco (17-1, 4-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. CCSF, which has played five more games than Chabot, won its first four Coast-North contests by a whopping 204 points combined, or an average of 51 points.

McMiller says he’s been staying “prayed up” and "positive" during this complicated time. He's also been doing a lot of team Zoom calls to keep his players engaged in the process.

He takes pride in the team’s cumulative 3.3 GPA, topped by Rivera’s 4.0 GPA.

McMiller can see a bright future for his squad on the court as well.

“We’ve got a great thing in front of us," McMiller shares. "At the end of day we can be one of top teams in the North (for the playoffs).”