LA JOLLA – Senior Wyatt Tilson remembers a milestone, when prompted: “I made school history. I made the winning shot as a sophomore over Torrey Pines. It was La Jolla Country Day’s first Open Division playoff win.”
The 6’3″ swingman doesn’t have a big head. He isn’t tooting his own horn. This statement comes at the end of an interview, not the beginning — and only when asked for a key moment.
Fast-forward two seasons to the current one. Wyatt, a 12th-grader who helps mentor freshman and sophomore players on an admittedly “young team”, shares bringing the ball up court with sophomore Rayan Dahi.
“He’s learning to handle pressure” when he’s bringing the ball up, says Tilson.
The Torreys, coached by Patrick Casey, an on-campus teacher, are playing well as the calendar flips to 2026. LJCD won its first four games in January, after being tested in the fire of giants in the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic.
On Dec. 26, on the first day of the huge tourney, the blue-and-white kept fighting and scratching against a powerful Bishop Manogue team from Reno.
Last week, Tilson, Dahi, and company had to face Coastal Conference opponents Francis Parker (ranked sixth in the county) and Santa Fe Christian (ranked first). Against Santa Fe on Jan. 23, they lost by 13 — not bad against an extremely talented team.
Wyatt, back on his game-winning shot, says, “I went to Pacific Trails Middle School (a feeder school for Torrey). Most of my friends go to Torrey Pines High. It was fun talking some smack after (the upset in the playoffs).”
LJCD keeps to a small, tight rotation, with Tilson and Iris Matanza, a junior swingman, leading Egypt Dian, a freshman guard with an exotic first name, Dahi, and Yigit Okur, a 6 foot 7 inch tall sophomore.
“Our coach is always talking about intensity, and if we bring that to the table, we can compete with any team out there,” says Matanza, an enthusiastic student of Mandarin.
Building on his language study, Iris plans to go to Taipei, Taiwan, this summer and teach English to young students. “I love Chinese. In China, I can communicate with people.”
Okur has a high ceiling, with LJCD strength coach Randy Shelton working with him to fill out a growing frame. Okur’s dad, Mehmet, stands 6 feet 11 inches tall and played 10 years for the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons.
Says irrepressible Iris about a major rival, “Francis Parker is a great team. I have some friends there — Kai Jones, for one. We live right by each other, so we see each other all the time.” It’s a friendly rivalry, with another faceoff coming on Feb. 6.
To relax and build team chemistry, the Torreys head right around the corner for pizza (a particular favorite spot), or play beach volleyball at the school’s beautiful on-campus facility, which has nice sand and a good vibe.
Sounding like a future assistant, Matanza talks team defense: “Our coach likes to say the ball should have three players guarding him: two guys in the gap, one guy on the ball.”
Hence then, the article about la jolla country day boys basketball young but competitive was published today ( ) and is available on Times of San Diego ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( La Jolla Country Day boys basketball young but competitive )
Also on site :