Submitted photos – Mason Mottashed and his CR teammates at his recent letter signing ceremony.

By Ray Hamill — It’s been a spring of adjustment for new College of the Redwoods men’s basketball head coach Justin Claus, but he takes over a program that is he very familiar with and a program that has a lot of returning players.

In late March, CR announced that former head coach Ryan Bisio was stepping away from the team to serve as the new athletic director for the local community college.

Bisio’s long-time assistant Justin Claus was named the new head coach of the team, making for an easier transition.

Since then, Claus has been working with the players and hitting the recruiting trail, while also adjusting to his new position and adding to his staff.

While admitting that it has “definitely been an adjustment,” Claus has hit the ground running and says he is enjoying the opportunity and adding some new wrinkles.

“I’m excited about some new ideas and some new things we’re going to do, but I’m also excited to honor what we’ve built and the culture we’ve built,” he said.

Claus enjoyed a lot of success alongside Bisio since the two joined the program back in the spring of 2019, and together they led Redwoods to four Golden Valley Conference championships in their five full seasons in charge.

And with 12 players who were a part of the program last season back with the team this spring, expectations will be high once again heading into the new school year.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t sizable shoes to fill.

All-state selection and conference MVP Mason Mottashed is moving on and recently signed his letter of commitment to play for Western Colorado, a Division-II program.

Mottashed played a pivotal role in leading the CR men to the conference championship in his sophomore season, both on and off the court.

“Beyond what he was producing on the court, which was a very high level, he was also by far our leader,” Claus said of the departed star. “He just cares so much and so deeply about what we do and he really showed every day just how to do it. He led by example.”

Funnily enough, Mottashed joins a Mountaineers program whose head coach is named Zac Claus, the same as Justin’s younger brother and current CR assistant coach.

And Justin Claus believes Western Colorado will be a good fit for Mottashed.

Photo by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Justin Claus talks to the CR players during a timeout this past season.

Mason Mottashed in action for Redwoods.

“Mason is excited about it,” he said. “Through the recruitment process, he really cared about the fit, so for him to find a place that’s excited about him and he’s really excited about, it’s really good to see.”

Mottashed’s departure will be made a little easier with the return of Cody Whitmer, a former McKinleyville Panther who was named the 2023 Humboldt Sports Boys Basketball Player of the Year after an outstanding senior season in high school.

Whitmer played for Redwoods in the 2023/24 season, but sat out last season.

And he was really beginning to come into his own at the college level late in his freshman campaign, so Justin Claus is happy to him back.

“He’s looking good,” the CR coach said of the former McKinleyville standout, who has been impressing on the court during the spring.

The team has also added Jackson Bluhm out of Crescent Valley High in Corvallis, Oregon, a guard who looks well capable of having an immediate impact on the college courts.

Bluhm played for the top defensive team in all of Oregon and will be expected to contribute in a lot of ways.

Cody Whitmer in action for Redwoods two seasons ago.

Submitted photo – Mason Mottashed with Justin Claus, left, and Ryan Bisio, right.

“We’re excited to get someone who can shoot and score and play at the pace we like to play at,” Justin Claus said. 

The new head coach says he is still looking to add a couple of more players for next season and that he has received a lot of interest from H-DNL standouts, which is a testament to the success the program has enjoyed in recent years.

“We do have a lot of local interest this year that we’re really excited about,” he said. “But we don’t have that many spots.”

Another big addition is expected to be announced soon, and Justin Claus says he also has the option to redshirt some players.

He also has been adding to his coaching staff.

Younger brother Zac will be back for next season, along with former Hoopa Warrior Blake Rossman, who played with CR after high school and was an assistant coach with the team two years ago.

Also joining the staff this year is former Arcata and CR player Garrett Hall, as well as longtime local coach Gordie Hunt, who has been a big part of the Basketball Jones Hoops Camps.

“We’re very excited about adding Gordie,” Justin Claus said.

Submitted photo