Daily Pilot Boys’ Basketball Dream Team: Jaedon Hose-Shea played the point with passion for Estancia
Estancia High boys’ basketball coach Xavier Castellano talks with amazement about senior point guard Jaedon Hose-Shea.
There’s appreciation for his accolades. Hose-Shea shared Orange Coast League MVP honors this year and helped the Eagles reach the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 4AA playoffs, before they lost to top-seeded eventual champion Temecula Valley.
The semifinal berth also earned Estancia a spot in the CIF State playoffs for the first time since 1991. Estancia won a game there before losing at eventual Division IV state finalist Chatsworth.
Castellano, who also played point guard for the Eagles before graduating in 1998, likes to talk about how hard Hose-Shea worked to better his game. The deeper appreciation is that he did it at his home school.
“Usually a kid like that doesn’t go to our school,” Castellano said. “They’ll go to Edison, they’ll go to CdM or they’ll go to some private school, you know what I mean? And he decided to stay. He got better, and as he started to progress he could have wanted to leave and go to a bigger school. But he decided to stay.”
For his talent and persistence, Hose-Shea is the 2023-24 Daily Pilot Boys’ Basketball Dream Team Player of the Year.
Castellano called him Estancia’s best point guard since the 1990s, when names like Dane Plock and Selwin Mansell ruled the hardwood.
He averaged 26 points per game for the Eagles (24-10), who were perhaps a shoulder injury from senior forward Peter Sanchez away from the league title. But Hose-Shea always gave the Eagles a puncher’s chance.
Before the postseason, all eight of Estancia’s losses were by single digits. Once the playoffs began, he upped his game, averaging 32 points per game in the Eagles’ first three playoff wins to guide them to the semifinals.
It can be a tricky balance, trying to get teammates involved and knowing when to take over. Hose-Shea found the sweet spot.
“In the beginning of the game, I try to get everyone else going,” he said. “If everyone else is hitting early in the game, then the second half is when everything will open up for me. I can drive a lot and get a lot of open shots for myself.”
Hose-Shea’s rapid improvement — he played on varsity as a freshman but didn’t start — was signified when he joined the Cali Rebels club team after his sophomore year. He said his junior year was frustrating and the thought of transferring did cross his mind, but he stayed the course.
Hose-Shea will be playing at Whittier College next year, where he’ll study kinesiology.
He called his senior year a dream come true.
“The goal is to make state,” he said. “One of my dreams was to make Xavi’s dreams come true, and he really wanted to go to state. So, I was really happy with our outcome.”
Here’s a look at the Coach of the Year, first team and second team Dream Team selections:
COACH OF THE YEAR
Nick Racklin
Marina
Racklin’s 13th season as the Vikings’ coach proved anything but unlucky. He guided Marina to its first CIF title in program history, beating perennial power Long Beach Poly 53-49 for the Division 2A championship at Edison High. Marina (26-8) had to grind — every win other than a first-round triumph over Beverly Hills was by single digits, including a thrilling road win over Cypress in the quarterfinals. The Vikings shared the Wave League title with CdM. Racklin, also the school’s athletic director, helped his gritty group reach new heights.
FIRST TEAM
EJ Spillman
G | Pacifica Christian Orange County | Jr.
It was another year of growth for Spillman, who was a key cog in last season’s Tritons team that advanced to the CIF State Division II championship game. This year, the dynamic 6-foot-4 combo guard earned San Joaquin League Player of the Year honors after Pacifica Christian won their second straight league title and advanced to the Division 1 playoffs. Spillman led the Tritons (18-11) with 14.1 points and 5.1 assists per game.
Maxwell Scott
G | Corona del Mar | Fr.
The 6-foot-2 freshman was a difference maker for the Sea Kings and garnered Wave League MVP honors, as CdM shared the league title with Marina. He also helped CdM (25-8) reach the semifinals of the Division 2A playoffs. Unafraid of that moment, he poured in a season-high 33 points in a narrow 57-54 road loss against Long Beach Poly. Scott was an All-CIF selection.
Sergio Maggette
G | Sage Hill | Sr.
Maggette came to the Lightning from JSerra after missing his junior year due to an ACL injury. The 6-foot-4 son of former NBA player Corey Maggette became Sage Hill’s go-to player as last year’s Dream Team Player of the Year, coach D’Cean Bryant’s son Carter Bryant, transferred to Corona Centennial. Maggette averaged 20 points and eight rebounds and was co-Pacific Coast League MVP for league runner-up Sage (16-15), guiding the team to the Division 3AA quarterfinals before a three-point loss to eventual champion La Habra.
Kembe Howerton
F | Costa Mesa | Jr.
The Mustangs were young, with Howerton perhaps returning with the most experience from the previous season. A first-team All-Orange Coast League selection, the 6-6 post player averaged 12 points and nine rebounds per game and helped Mesa (18-13) win the league title outright and advance to the quarterfinals of the Division 4AA playoffs in coach Jesse Mercado’s final season.
Barak Simon
G | Marina | Jr.
Simon shined in leading his school to its first CIF boys’ basketball championship, scoring 23 points in a semifinal win over San Gabriel Academy and 19 points in the title game against Long Beach Poly. But it was the 5-foot-10 point guard’s defense against standout Poly junior Jovani Ruff, who also scored 19 points but on seven-of-23 shooting, which also shined. Simon was a first-team All-Wave League selection and the Division 2A Player of the Year.
Jack Berry
G | Newport Harbor | Jr.
The returning starter was the catalyst of the Sailors’ offense and led the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game. A basketball-first player who is also a standout in volleyball, Berry was a first-team All-Surf League selection as the Sailors finished in a three-way tie for second place and advanced to the Division 2A playoffs, falling by a basket in the first round against a good Murrieta Valley team.
Kaz Hampton
G | Edison | Sr.
The sharp-shooting guard had another strong season for the Chargers in what would be longtime coach Rich Boyce’s final season. Hampton set the school single-season three-pointers mark and helped Edison (20-9) finish tied for second in the competitive Surf League, advancing to the Division 1 playoffs. He was a first-team all-league selection.
SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
G Dylan Gomez, Marina, Jr.
F Alex Stewart, Pacifica Christian Orange County, Sr.
G Dylan McEachern, Laguna Beach, Sr.
G Aaron DeSantiago, Fountain Valley, Jr.
F Marlee Slone, Costa Mesa, So.
G Riggs Guy, Newport Harbor, Sr.
F Jackson Harlan, Corona del Mar, Jr.
F Richie Toledo, Los Amigos, Jr.
C Peter Sanchez, Estancia, Sr.
C Dane Johnson, Edison, Sr.
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