Hightower is 2025-26 All-Napa County Boys Basketball Player of the Year

Asa Hightower's brother, Travis, cast a big shadow when he was a senior and Asa was a freshman on the 2022-23 Justin-Siena varsity boys basketball team.

When the Napa Valley Register named Travis its All-Napa County Player of the Year for the second season in row and interviewed him about it, he was asked what it was like to finally be teammates with Asa.

"It was really cool playing alongside my brother," Travis said. "I knew that that year could have been the only year of basketball we played together. I was on him about making varsity. Once he made the team, my attention shifted to being a good role model with hopes that maybe in the future he could be better than me."

Comparing players is difficult in a team sport, but Asa did lead the Braves to a second-place finish in the tough Vine Valley Athletic League this season. They were also one of only four teams from the area to make the North Coast Section playoffs. Like the others, Justin-Siena lost in the first round.

It was a good season for Napa County boys hoops, at least in league play, as all of the finalists for All-County Player of the Year came from different schools.

But Hightower, a 6-foot-3 combo-point guard, led his young squad by scoring in double figures most nights and always working hard at both ends of the floor. He used his length to rebound and get steals - earning the nod as VVAL Defensive Player of the Year - and used his experience to distribute the ball and make his teammates better.

For those reasons, he has been named 2025-26 All-Napa County Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He becomes the first brother of a former recipient to earn the title since 2012 Justin-Siena alumnus Trey Boles won it five years after brother Blaize did.

"My brother had a big impact on me, especially mentally," Asa said. "He showed me what it takes to be great and pushed me to stay locked in and confident. At first it was tough being compared to him, but I learned to block that out and focus on becoming my own player instead of trying to be him."

Asa was watching from the stands with parents James and Sonja Hightower when his brother's Braves brushed off a fifth-place finish in the VVAL by going 2-1 in the NCS Division 4 playoffs and 4-0 in the Northern California Division IV playoffs before falling in the state championship game.

The next season, Travis, Vincent Jackson and their fellow returners continued to push for greatness. The Braves went 12-0 in the VVAL for the program's first league title in 23 years and reached their first NCS championship game in 39 years.

Travis was named All-Napa County Player of the Year alone that year, after sharing it with two others the year before. But there was no way he was going to slack off, not with his little brother taking notes from the bench instead of the bleachers.

Asa continued to learn from great teammates, as All-County Player of the Year Jaden Washington and Nick Jeramaz led the 2023-24 team to the program's first section title and a 2-1 faring in the NorCal Division III playoffs.

When Asa was a junior, the Braves were young and rebuilding under Coach Battle. They finished 6-6 in the VVAL and 8-16 overall and didn't make the playoffs.

But this year, with Asa leading them in scoring most games, they rebounded to finish second in the VVAL at 8-4 and 17-12 overall. They returned to the playoffs, as the 15th seed in Division 2, and fell at No. 2 Cardinal Newman in the first round.

Travis, after using one season of athletic eligibility at Division II Chico State, transferred to Santa Rosa Junior College this season and led the Bear Cubs to a first-place record of 14-2 in the Big 8 Conference and a 27-5 overall mark after going 2-1 in the state playoffs.

'College coach's dream'

Asa plans to keep the Hightower name on the SRJC roster this coming winter. He announced his commitment to begin his college career with the Bear Cubs during a multi-athlete signing ceremony at Justin-Siena on April 27.

"I like the program because it's a winning program and gives me a chance to develop and compete at the next level. My goal is to keep improving there and eventually transfer to a four-year school. I'm interested in a major like business or something connected to sports. I want to make sure I have a strong plan for after basketball, too. I'm open to figuring that out as I go."

Travis would have been proud of his little brother if he heard what Battle said after he scored 20 points in a home win over American Canyon in January.

"Asa can do whatever he wants on the court," the coach said. "He's a special guy. I've enjoyed coaching him. He doesn't say anything, but he's very loud (in his actions) on the court the way he plays. You know when he's on the court offensively, defensively, making hustle plays. He's a very selfless player. He's the kind of kid all coaches want to have. He puts in the extra work, makes good grades. He's going to be a college coach's dream."

The 6-foot-6 Travis followed his junior season by excelling in the high jump in track and field, finishing fifth in the state with a leap of 6-5, before passing on the sport as a senior due to patellar tendonitis in his knees.

Asa has followed him in the event. After skipping track his junior year, he set a personal record of 5-10 early this season and matched it to place first in a VVAL meet against Napa and host Sonoma Valley on April 30.

"Track has played a big role in keeping me in shape and athletic during the offseason," said Hightower, who looked to improve on his PR at this week's VVAL Championships at Casa Grande on Wednesday and Friday.

Having been on the varsity since freshman year and never afraid to take it to the rim, he was asked how he managed to avoid serious injury over the years.

"My play style is aggressive, but I've been able to stay mostly injury-free by taking care of my body and staying consistent with conditioning," he said. "At the start of preseason my junior year, I rolled my ankle pretty bad and had to sit out for a week or two, but nothing too serious."

Let down his guard at times

Hightower took his leadership role seriously on the court, but Battle said he didn't always wear a game face.

"Asa definitely has a fun side, and a genuine smile," the coach said. "He'll quietly make side jokes when I make outdated comments. He doesn't ever trash talk, but he will correct his teammates and give directions. When he's in the game, he's very vocal, almost as if he's another coach on the floor. When Asa sees something on the court that we may have missed as coaches, I trust his Intel and allow him to make the adjustments with his teammates. He's quiet socially, but on the court he's very loud."

Hightower's quiet nature isn't shyness, Battle added.

"I think Asa is quiet because he's observant, and calculated. He's always studying and watching his environment," said the coach. "I traveled with him during the summer and watched his behaviors. He's just always observing and finding ways to fit in on and off the court so he's never out of character. It's a very mature trait that young people today don't always develop at such an early age.

"I also do believe that his demeanor throws his opponents off because of his intensity and aggressiveness on the court. Most players don't really talk trash to him, either - one, because he is quiet and, two, they can't say anything because he's not giving them anything (weaknesses) to talk about on the court because of his play."

Basketball has been Hightower's only team sport at Justin-Siena. He said he especially enjoyed playing with senior forward Xiano Ortega and sophomore guard Alejandro Perryman.

"Xiano took a lot of the stress off of me regarding rebounding," he explained. "If Xiano was on the floor and a shot went up, I always knew if I didn't come up with the ball, Xiano would. He is also an underrated defender. There have been multiple times when he was asked to guard a ball handler and shut them down.

"Ale would take the pressure off me to bring the ball up the court. If I couldn't get the ball, Ale was the teammate I trusted the most to bring the ball up and set the offense up. He is also an underrated defender. There were multiple occasions where he was asked to guard the best player if it was a guard, to give me a break, and he always followed through."

Despite being honored as the league's top defender, Hightower said it was his shooting that he worked on most.

"Going into this season, I really focused on expanding my game offensively," he said. "Coach Battle would tell me things I needed to work on, but I took it upon myself to really put in the work to where I wasn't a burden on offense."

Adjusted to team's needs

Battle said he was impressed with the willingness of Hightower to be more of an unsung contributor when Antoine Saleh transferred from Salesian and Dylan Arnold returned after not playing as a junior and the pair lit it up from the outside.

"This season is a prime example of Asa's selfless nature," the coach said. "He was willing to take a backseat to scoring and just take on the tough and thankless defensive assignments which don't show up in box scores or scorebooks.

"Even as our leading scorer late in the year, with Saleh and Arnold injured, Asa still took on those assignments with his scoring being needed. Asa's points per game is not impressive. What's impressive is his ability to cover so many facets of the game. He can lead in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks in the same game and above that, he rarely ever turned the ball over. He gave us the ultimate security blanket."

Hightower said his favorite game was the season opener on Nov. 28 against De La Salle at the Concord school's Christian Brothers Tournament, where the Braves lost just 55-43 despite Hightower's 20 points. The Spartans ended the game on an 11-0 run.

"When our team saw them on our schedule, there was no fear, only excitement," Hightower said. "All we were saying was ‘This isn't the same Justin-Siena as last year,' and we went out and proved that by leading in the second half. That's when I realized fully that Justin-Siena could compete with anybody."

He said Battle and predecessor George Nessman helped him with his game over the years.

"All my coaches played a big role in my development. They pushed me to work harder, stay disciplined, and keep improving every year. They also helped me understand the game better - not just physically, but mentally, too," he said.

"With Nessman, it was more about what role I play and how I can help an already good team be better. With Battle, I had to take on more of a leadership role and do whatever it took to win while keeping my teammates' heads up."

Asked who his favorite professional player is, Hightower picked a five-year member of the Los Angeles Clippers who played his first eight years with the San Antonio Spurs and next two with the Toronto Raptors.

"I like players who are versatile and can impact the game in multiple ways," he said. "Guys who play at both ends of the floor and make smart decisions stand out to me. I try to model my game after players like that and bring that same energy. So I'd have to say Kawhi Leonard."

Meanwhile, he appreciates that his parents gave him the same opportunities to succeed as his brother, and Travis for believing in him.

"My family has always supported me and kept me motivated," he said. "They've been there for my games and pushed me to keep working even when things got tough. Having that support system made a big difference for me."

Battle said Clark Gym just won't be the same without Hightower.

"Justin Siena as a basketball program and school are really gonna miss his presence on campus. The kid just generates positivity," he said. "As a program, we're gonna miss everything about him. Asa didn't miss anything. Spring, summer, fall and season, he was there. He battled through sickness, he was always in superior condition, and he taught and encouraged his teammates.

"I've been coaching for over 20 years and I've seen some very talented players. Some went Division I in college and a couple have gone on to make it professionally. But Asa is one of the most complete players I've ever coached and possibly has the best attitude, as well."

As Battle said in January, Hightower is a coach's dream.

"I put a lot of responsibility on him, almost too much, but he wanted it," the coach said. "He wanted this to be his team and take pride in his team. He worked so hard on his offense this summer because he didn't want to feel limited.

"I said to the team and parents that there is no scouting report on Asa because you can't stop him from being effective on the court. Say he can't shoot, then he'll make four threes in a quarter. Face-guard him and he'll post you up. He can run the point, and guard a big man on defense. He was the reason for our success this year. I'm gonna miss his overall presence and positivity, and I'm proud I got a chance to coach him."

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