File photo – Cody Whitmer
The Corsairs saw their eight-game winning streak in men’s basketball come to an end at the Santa Rosa tournament on Friday night, but it was a statement performance by a team that is growing in stature week by week.
Matching up against Yuba, the No. 5 team in the state, and playing without two starters, the CR men pushed their opponents all the way in an 87-85 loss.
“It’s heartbreaking to be that close to such a signature win and fall short,” CR head coach Ryan Bisio said. “But we won everything except the final score. Our guys played inspiring basketball and it captivated everyone in there.”
Former McKinleyville Panther Cody Whitmer had a breakout performance and scored a team-high 22 points, including six of his team’s 18 3-pointers.
“Cody Whitmer was electric and he took the game over,” Bisio said. “Everyone of his six 3s felt like backbreakers.”
Whitmer, who graduated from Mack High earlier this year, was ready to go when he got the call.
“This is a guy who got a DNP (on Thursday night),” Bisio added. “His ability to stay patient and ready says so much about the type of person he is. We’re so happy for Cody.”
Teammate Jett Cheong continued his impressive week with 19 points, while Trey Neff finished with 17 points and Kai Purcell added 15.
The Corsairs were missing a pair of influential starters — Mason Railsback (ankle) and Lucq Anderson (illness) — and they shot just 14 free throws to Yuba’s 34, while seeing both Purcell and Garret Hall foul out.
“Yuba’s size delivered just enough body blows on the interior and the foul trouble kind of hollowed us out,” the coach said. “We couldn’t quite get to 40 minutes without caving defensively.”
The CR men led 38-33 at halftime.
The Corsairs, who are now 9-6, will close out the three-day tournament against Santa Rosa (7-4) on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the third-place game.
“Hopefully we can make and execute the adjustments from our last game with the spirit we played with (on Friday),” Bisio said. “It won’t be easy but I’m proud of the way we’re playing right now.”
The game will be a rematch from an earlier matchup between the two schools in November, which Santa Rosa won 71-62.
Despite Friday’s loss, the Corsairs are currently the only team in the Golden Valley Conference with a winning record as they look to secure an historic fourth consecutive conference championship this season.
Judging by Friday’s performance and the adversity they battled through, this CR team appears well capable of achieving that right now.
Categories: Basketball, College of the Redwoods
Cody Whitmer is as much of a learned assistant coach – as he is a most reliable sixth/seventh man on CR’s 2023-24 men’s basketball team. What He brings to the court in each performance that I’ve watched or listened to, is his absolute awareness of what has transpired in the game and how he can utilize his skills to contribute to the Corsairs success. Simply watch his eyes, whether starting or coming off the bench, and you will see a level of concentration that separates Cody from other young players. For those who watched the incredible run that McKinleyville High’s boy’s basketball made to ultimately win the league championship, you were treated to Cody’s leadership on the floor and the fact that he nearly always nails a critical basket at a key juncture in the game.
Cody’s decision to play for Coach Bisio at College of the Redwoods was likely made only after he weighed his options, both as a future college basketball player and an academic major’s course of action. I don’t personally know Cody Whitmer or his parents. But I’ve watched plenty of high school basketball games, California Community College contests, and NCAA Division I action. And at each level it is extremely rare to find a freshman with the maturity and poise that Cody exhibits, both on and off the basketball court. Sure, he can hit threes, even an abundance of them as he did against the #5 team in the state rankings. But it is his intrinsic focus on what is happening on the floor – and how he could best impact the outcome – that adds to the uniqueness of Cody Whitmer as a player. Best wishes for continued success for Coach Bisio and the “gutty,” giant-killer type of basketball he brought with him to the CR campus.