Merced College men’s basketball facing some of state’s best in Modesto tournament
The Merced College’s men’s basketball team will join some of the best teams and biggest names in California when it participates this week in the 87th Modesto Junior College tournament.
Merced (1-7), last season’s tournament runner-up, will open play against Alameda on Thursday night at 7:30.
Alameda is led by Bay Area basketball and NBA legend Gary Payton. Payton was hired as the head men’s basketball coach at the College of Alameda in September 2024. He went to Skyline High School then Oregon State University before playing 17 NBA seasons, winning two Olympic gold medals and becoming a basketball Hall of Famer.
The event is one of the longest standing junior college tournaments in history.
The tournament runs Thursday through Saturday. Games the first two days run from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday start times are 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. The championship game is Saturday at 4 p.m.
City College of San Francisco is the defending state champion and overall No. 1 team in the state in the latest poll.
Day 1 matchups are:
- Yuba City vs. College of the Redwoods, 1:30 p.m.
- San Francisco City vs. Fresno City, 3:30 p.m.
- Modesto JC vs. Lassen, 5:30 p.m.
- Alameda vs. Merced College, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 8:40 AM with the headline "Merced College men’s basketball facing some of state’s best in Modesto tournament."
