Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics

Cal Poly Humboldt head men’s basketball coach Chris Tifft announced on Friday that Arcata graduate Brandon Bento-Jackson has committed his future to the team.

The H-DNL standout was a four-year varsity starter for the Tigers and helped lead them to  back-to-back Big 5 championships the past two years.

“We are fortunate to add a player of Brandon’s talent and character to our basketball program,” Tifft said in a press release. “Brandon exemplifies everything we look for in a student-athlete. His dedication in the classroom and on the court will immediately assist us in developing a championship culture.”

During his career at Arcata, Bento-Jackson surpassed the 1,000 point milestone and scored 1,035 career points. 

He was also a two-time Big 5 MVP and the 2021/22 Humboldt Sports Player of the Year as a junior.

The 5’10” point guard also received academic honors with his 4.1 grade point average. 

“I’m happy to be a part of the Cal Poly Humboldt Men’s Basketball program and I also feel blessed to have the privilege of playing the game that I love so much,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting in the gym with coach Tifft, (assistant) coach (Brandon) Billups and my new teammates. I’m excited for us to begin to work on things that will start the process of us improving as a basketball team.”

Tifft was named the team’s new head coach earlier this summer after Tae Norwood was let go this offseason.

Bento-Jackson becomes the latest in a long line of local players to recently commit their futures to the Jacks, including Eureka’s Daniel Shaver, Charlotte Leonard, Ginny Brooks and Joseph Gonzalez and McKinleyville’s Kalyssa Claros and Derek Ray, who will all compete in track and field.

Arcata’s Sagen Sarchett and former Eureka Logger and College of the Redwoods standout Sadie Hampton have also committed to the Humboldt softball team, which also includes 2022 Eureka graduate McKenna Beach.