Sports

Column: Camarillo boys' basketball team's hot start is elementary

Published

12 months ago

January 5, 2025

Column: Camarillo boys' basketball team's hot start is elementary

Jaime Jaquez Jr., with no facial hair and looking every bit like the teenager he was, took time out after a basketball game at Camarillo High to take a photo in 2018 with five smiling members of the local youth basketball team made up of 11-year-olds. They attended the game and got a chance to meet the neighborhood star, who was a junior averaging 30 points a game.

Jaquez would become a hometown hero, showing you can grow up in Ventura County, get a scholarship to UCLA and make it to the NBA as a first-round draft pick for the Miami Heat.

In 2018, members of this year’s Camarillo basketball team took a photo with Jaime Jaquez Jr. They are Shane Frank, left, Brendan Widerburg, Josh Castaniero, Evan Dela Paz and Jackson Yeates.

(Ross Widerburg)

Now those five players in the photo — Shane Frank, Brendan Widerburg, Josh Castaniero, Evan Dela Paz and Jackson Yeates — are seniors at Camarillo and following in Jaquez’s foosteps as best friends trying to lead the Scorpions to basketball success. The team is 17-1 and to say chemistry plays a big part would be an understatement.

They’ve known one another since third grade. They still hang out together at the local park on Friday nights, go for a swim in the community pool, play video games, scream and laugh while riding the rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and compete for highest grade-point average. They get excited when someone takes a charge, because that means a free milk shake is the reward.

Their only loss this season was to Rolling Hills Prep, and its legendary coach, Harvey Kitani, recognized the kind of team he was facing. “The kids all know their role,” he said. “They’re a unit. They’re not going to beat themselves.”

It’s a parent-driven origin story of how they met. Fathers came together to form a youth basketball team. The players got to know one another, became friends and joined in playing soccer, baseball and other sports. Nothing has changed through the years. They enjoy their company. They recently took a trip together to Yosemite National Park, staying in a cabin, going for hikes and talking basketball. When driving to games in the school vans, there are singing competitions.

Other Camarillo players have joined the group, including senior Cajun Mike-Price, the son of former Sylmar High and UCLA football standout Durell Price, and senior Ty Chisholm, who arrived as a freshman when his father, in the Navy, moved to the area. “They welcomed me with open arms,” Chisholm said.

What makes Camarillo so successful are the many contributors for coach Brendan Garrett. During any given game, there could be a different leading scorer or leading rebounder. Yeates, a guard, leads the team in scoring at 13 points per game. He also has the highest grade-point average at 4.6. Widerburg was the school’s quarterback and only wishes he could have recruited some of his friends to be receivers.

To see the interaction of these players is inspiring. They’re playing for fun and friendship. There’s unselfishness, togetherness and an understanding of playing for each other. Whatever helps the team succeed, that’s what matters most.

“We’ve played in so many championship games together, gone to so many places, won so many tournaments together,” Paz said.

Said Yeates: “I feel the reason we’re so good is we play as a team. No one plays for themselves. We know if someone has a bad game, they’ll bounce back the next time. We trust everyone.”

On Jan. 14, the school will be honoring Jaquez by retiring his No. 24 jersey before a game against Simi Valley. He’s in town because the Miami Heat are playing the Clippers and Lakers that week. Jaquez is a big fan of the program. After all, his younger brother Marco played for the Scorpions and his sister, Gabby, was a McDonald’s All-American who now plays for the No. 1-ranked UCLA’s women’s team. Jaquez provided every player with black sweatsuits, along with the coaching staff and custodial staff at Camarillo.

Camarillo is a high school that embraces sports participation. The principal, Matt La Belle, is a former Simi Valley baseball coach who understands how sports can fit into a school’s culture. The school’s athletic director, Mary Perez, is the daughter of the legendary football coach from Moorpark College, the late Jim Bittner.

La Belle has seen the players around campus and says, “It’s absolutely true” of how good they are as teenagers on and off the court.

“They’re fantastic students. They’re a great group,” he said.

When neighborhood kids are doing well, it makes it easy for an entire community to have fun rooting for them to succeed. With the new Southern Section playoff seeding process starting this season relying on computer rankings, it remains unknown where Camarillo might end up. The early rankings didn’t exactly inspire confidence and might need some re-tooling. For now, Camarillo is No. 33, which might make it difficult to compete for a championship among Division 1 powerhouses.

Just don’t ever count out this Camarillo team that can overcome plenty with the help of chemistry and trust. And when the games end, don’t worry about these players.

“We’ll be friends for life,” Yeates said.

Sports

NFL reporter responds to fake death rumor in hilarious fashion: ‘Glitch in the matrix’

Published

8 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

NFL reporter responds to fake death rumor in hilarious fashion: ‘Glitch in the matrix’

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An internet rumor swirled last week that a longtime NFL reporter had died at the age of 40.

News of Jane Slater’s supposed death on social media, but she was quick to shut it down.

An X user posted a screenshot of a post on Facebook that showed Slater in black and white with the graphic “1980-2025” saying she had died at 40. Slater, 45, was born in 1980, but the years written in the post would mean she died at either age 44 or 45.

NFL Network sideline reporter Jane Slater stands on the sidelines prior to an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears, at Soldier Field on Dec. 26, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

“A veteran reporter who covered the Dallas Cowboys—having followed the team for over a decade—has passed away at the age of 40 after a tragic domestic violence incident, leaving behind a 5-year-old child. Her years of dedicated work, along with the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding her death, have left loyal fans stunned, devastated, and praying for her and her family,” the post read.

The user asked Slater, “did you pass away??”

Jane Slater speaks with T.Y. Hilton of the Dallas Cowboys after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

STEELERS’ AARON RODGERS HILARIOUSLY TRASH TALKS STAR DEFENDER IN MIC’D UP MOMENT

“I don’t think so? But does this mean there is (a) glitch in the matrix? I’m gonna wrap myself in bubble wrap until NYE,” Slater joked.

If there is one thing the Facebook post got correct, it’s that Slater does mainly cover the Cowboys for the NFL Network.

NFL Network reporter Jane Slater on the sideline prior to an NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

Prior to joining in 2016, Slater worked for ESPN and the Longhorn Network, having attended the University of Texas. She also hosted a radio show in Dallas.

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Sports

It’s love, set and match: Tennis icon Venus Williams weds actor, model partner in Florida

Published

9 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

It’s love, set and match: Tennis icon Venus Williams weds actor, model partner in Florida

Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.

An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.

“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”

The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.

An email for comment to representatives for Williams and Preti, 37, was not immediately returned.

The couple met at 2024 Milan Fashion Week and began texting shortly after, according to Vogue.

The couple eventually became engaged on Jan. 31 in Tuscany, according to Vogue. That detail was confirmed in July during what was a historic month for Williams.

The Compton native defeated 23-year-old Peyton Sterns 6-3, 6-4 in the first round action of the D.C. Open after a 16-month hiatus from singles matches.

In victory, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, trailing only fellow legend Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she won in 2004.

“Yes, my fiance is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing,” Williams told the Tennis Channel’s Rennae Stubbs in a post-match interview. “There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. … He encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful [for him] to be here. He’s never seen me play.”

Preti has written, acted and directed in a handful of films, primarily in Italy.

The wedding was the second for the couple, who also held a ceremony in Italy in September.

Sports

Lindsey Vonn qualifies for fifth Winter Olympics

Published

20 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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Lindsey Vonn qualifies for fifth Winter Olympics

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As Philip Rivers has shown he could still tear up the NFL at age 44, American Olympic legend Lindsey Vonn has also proven that age is just a number.

Vonn, 41, qualified for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, Team USA announced on Tuesday. It will be the fifth Winter Olympics that she competes in.

United States’ Lindsey Vonn reacts at the finish area of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

Vonn had an impressive run at the World Cup in France over the weekend. She was third in super-G, hitting a high speed of 71 mph. It was her second consecutive podium finish after she was third in downhill. It was the 142nd podium finish in her World Cup career.

“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “When I made the decision to return to ski racing, I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me. Although I can’t guarantee any outcomes, I can guarantee that I will give my absolute best every time l kick out of the starting gate. No matter how these games end up, I feel like I’ve already won.

US OLYMPIANS MADISON CHOCK, EVAN BATES SEND MESSAGE TO OPPONENT WHO TOOK THEIR GOLD BEFORE DISQUALIFICATION

United States’ Lindsey Vonn celebrates on the podium after taking third place in an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

“I am grateful for how the season has gone so far, but I am just getting started. See you in Cortina!”

Vonn has already put together an enviable career in skiing.

She won a gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Games and two bronze medals in Pyeongchang in 2018. She’s also taken home two gold, three silver and two bronze medals in the World Championships.

The Minnesota native also has 83 World Cup wins and several International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Crystal Globes.

Notably, she’s back competing for gold after being away from the sport for five years.

Austria’s Cornelia Huetter, left, winner of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, celebrates on the podium with second-placed Germany’s Kira Weidle Winkelmann, left, and third-placed United States’ Lindsey Vonn, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

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The Winter Olympics will begin on Feb. 6 and run through Feb. 22.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.