By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
Napa Valley College will field one of its biggest teams for women's basketball in years.
With the return of five sophomores, including All-Bay Valley Conference selections Arianna Aguilar and Jazmine Fontilla, and the addition of nine incoming freshmen, Napa Valley will go into the 2025-2026 season with a 14-player roster.
Also returning are Ashley Torres, Marticia Pollard and Helena White.
It's a 28-game regular-season schedule, with the Storm starting out the season at the Pasadena City College Crossover, a four-team event, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
The Storm's first home game of the season is on Nov. 6 against College of the Redwoods-Eureka.
Napa Valley's schedule consists of 12 nonconference games and 16 Bay Valley Conference games.
New to the Napa Valley program are nine freshmen:
* Amya Sims, a point guard from St. Vincent de Paul High School-Petaluma.
* Amiyah Murray, who plays a wing position. Murray is from Wood High School-Vacaville.
* Briana Alday, a guard from Sanger High School (Fresno County).
* Jazelle Bolton, a post player from Pinole Valley High School.
* Kayla Sanchez, a combo guard from Stockton Christian High School.
* Layla Butler, a combo guard from Pinole Valley High School.
* Kaniya Bryant, a guard from American Canyon High School.
* Janelle Harding, a guard from Skyline High School-Oakland.
* Camille Abcede, a guard from American Canyon High School.
"Being able to bring in these nine freshmen is pretty special," said Storm head coach Paul DeBolt. "We've been able to recruit good players, but we weren't able to get the numbers. I think we're going to continue to get numbers.
"The reputation of the program is solid now. We've made the playoffs three straight years. We've had three winning seasons. We won a playoff game. We've checked some boxes that have never been checked here before, and we just want to keep getting better.
"We have goals that we want to achieve. We want to be here for the local kids, but we also want to be here for the kids who want to come here and play basketball. Napa is a beautiful area."
After finishing in second place in the Bay Valley Conference, Napa Valley advanced to the playoffs last year. The Storm, the No. 21 seed, got 22 points from Aguilar, 19 points from Rose Jamison and 12 points from Fontilla, but lost in the first round of the 2025 California Community College Athletic Association-Northern California Regional Basketball Championships to Chabot College, 76-66, in Hayward.
It's the third straight year that Napa Valley (17-12 overall, 13-3 Bay Valley Conference) has reached the postseason.
The Storm was listed as among "Best of the Rest" in the final California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association State Top 25 Rankings, as announced by the California Community College Athletic Association, in a report, at www.cccaasports.org, on March 19. "We have goals," DeBolt added. "We want to host a home playoff game. We want to compete seriously for a conference championship. We'd like to get to the Elite Eight.
"We have those academic goals, too. We really want them to be 3.5 GPA students, all of them That's our goal with each player."
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association named Napa Valley to its WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Rolls for the 2024-25 season. The Storm, with its 3.295 GPA, is tied for 12th nationally for
community college teams with Cypress College, as announced by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association on July 22, in a report, at wbca.org.
The Storm has been at work in an eight-week summer program, which includes strength and conditioning. It ends on August 7.
"We're working hard. We've gotten a lot accomplished this summer," said DeBolt. "We're doing some of the hard things now. Some of them have been here every day. The ones who have been here a lot have really gotten a lot out of it.
"We're ahead of the game right now. But we have to stay ahead. We're looking forward to the fall, when we get them all together all the time. Our job as coaches is to put the pieces together of the puzzle. It's going to be fun doing it."
Sims averaged 9.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game last year for St. Vincent de Paul High School-Petaluma. Sims was named All-North Bay-Redwood League.
"Amya is just really solid, offensively and defensively. A strong defender, a great passer, ball handler. Facilitates a game. Smart player who plays very hard. Really enthusiastic kid. She's had a great summer," said DeBolt.
Murray averaged 9.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last year for Wood.
"Amiyah is very versatile, offensively and defensively, can post up, can play facing the basket, a big defender," said DeBolt.
Alday averaged 2.3 rebounds per game last year for Sanger High School.
"Briana is a great guard from Sanger High School, a prolific passer, hard-nosed defender, a tough kid," said DeBolt. "Briana is just a great basketball kid who we're really lucky to have."
Bolton averaged 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last year for Pinole Valley.
"Jazelle is a true post, a good shooter, great mid-range, a good defender," said DeBolt. "She's been working so hard. Good rebounder. She'll give us strength inside." Sanchez averaged 11.1 points per game for Stockton Christian last year.
"She's a great kid and solid, both offensively and defensively," said DeBolt.
Butler averaged 10.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last year for Pinole Valley High School.
"Speed, speed, speed. Very athletic, but a super ball handler and shooter. She is a real dynamic on-ball defender. She gives us a lot of versatility to what we do," said DeBolt.
Bryant is a transfer from Sacramento State and did not play last year. She averaged 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game during the 2023-24 season at American Canyon High School.
"Really good defensive player. Very strong mid-range shooter. Can get to the basket. Very tough defensively. Very athletic kid," said DeBolt.
Harding, who is out of Skyline High School-Oakland, brings great speed to the NVC program.
"Speed, speed, speed. She's going to be a dynamic defensive guard and she's working hard offensively. She's turning into an offensive threat. She's going to get better and better," said DeBolt.
Abcede is a transfer from Cal State LA and did not play last year. She averaged 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game for American Canyon High School during the 2023-24 season.
"Good defensive guard. Great passer, facilitator on the court," said DeBolt.
Napa Valley's Storm Surge V, a preseason tournament Dec. 11-13, will have a field of eight teams.
The Storm will also face Sacramento City College, Ohlone College-Fremont, Hartnell College-Salinas, Mission College-Santa Clara, Foothill College-Los Altos Hills and Lassen College-Susanville in nonconference games.
NVC will play in the College of the Canyons Jamboree, Sept. 20-21, in Santa Clarita.
The Storm has a scrimmage at Chabot College-Hayward on Oct. 7.
The Storm will also host a scrimmage against College of San Mateo on Oct. 18.
NVC opens the Bay Valley Conference season on Dec. 18.
*Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.