The freshman boys’ basketball team won 1st place in the annual Ken Nelson tournament on December 5-8 at Campo, winning all 3 games they played.

8 other schools, Acalanes (who ultimately placed 2nd), College Park (3rd), Clayton Valley (4th), Marin Catholic (5th), Piedmont (6th), Concord (7th), and St. Patrick-St. Vincent (8th) also played at the tournament. All of the tournament’s games were played at Campo. Each school played 3 games.

The tournament was named for a former Campo freshman and JV boys’ basketball coach, Ken Nelson, according to current freshman coach Graden Travis. According to athletic director Bob Wilson, Nelson coached at Campo for 4 years in the 2000’s. He died of cancer in November 2008, according to an article in the Lamorinda Weekly.

According to Wilson, the tournament has been around for 10 years. However, it wasn’t named the Ken Nelson tournament until 3 years ago, when the varsity basketball coach, Matt Watson, decided to honor Nelson.

First, Campo played St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School. Campo won 49-35. In their second game, they played College Park, winning 70-46. Finally, they played Acalanes, and won 62-32.

Sean Yamamoto and Madison Young were the 2 All-Tournament players, meaning they were the 2 best players on the Campo team. Yamamoto was the “point guard who directed our offense” said Travis. Young was the shooting guard. “He did extremely well shooting, rebounding, and defending,” said Travis.

Travis, who has been coaching the freshman team for 2 years, attributes the success to the team’s chemistry. “Everybody likes each other, everybody gets along, we’re all very unselfish, we care trust, and play for one another,” he explained.

Player Brendan Gordon agreed. “I feel like we’re finally starting to play as a team,” he added.

As a result of their tournament success, Travis is optimistic about their league games against rival Acalanes. “It certainly gives us confidence and momentum going into the 2 league games [against Acalanes].”