VISTA — Game after game, Rancho Buena Vista guard CJ Aldrich runs straight into a defensive gauntlet: traps, blitzes, doubles — even the occasional triple team.
Eight seniors from last year’s section quarterfinalist squad, including the rest of the starting lineup — players he grew up playing alongside — are gone, leaving Aldrich as the lone returning anchor.
Coming off a near 30-point, 10-rebound season a year ago, the senior captain shrugged off the pressure. “Expectation is nothing new,” he said.
“It starts with my mindset, adopting the mentality that it’s not an expectation, but rather an opportunity to play the game I love, at the level I’ve worked hard to play at,” Aldrich said. “It’s given me an opportunity to build trust in my teammates and let them make plays to help us win basketball games. My four years [at RBV] have helped instill confidence and helped me grow as a leader, to where I can help a group of underclassmen and new faces learn the system and find success within their strengths.”
“He’s one of the better players in the county, if not the best,” RBV head coach Aaron Abrams told The Coast News in November. “That’s always going to be our mindset. Every time he steps on the floor, he’s our number one option. He’s a game changer. That’s been our philosophy since he was a freshman.”
Clark Allard, head coach at Coastal League rival Carlsbad High School, echoed Abrams’ assessment.
“Rancho Buena Vista has one of the best players in the county, so that’s tough [for us],” Allard said.
Aldrich, 6-foot-1, is leading the 10-9 Longhorns with averages of 23.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, including a 39-point outing in a Jan. 13 win over Torrey Pines to open league play.
“When defenses throw longer or more physical defenders at me, my mindset is always to beat them above the shoulders with IQ,” Aldrich said. “Whether that’s pump faking to draw fouls and put them out of position or using my size to get lower than them and blow by, I always go back to the thought process that even though they have size or athleticism, I have something they don’t, and that’s what I use to find success.”
Briggs Young, a starting guard at Carlsbad, said Aldrich’s ability to change speeds is what makes him such a nightmare for defenders.
“He’s a very high-level shooter with great touch around the rim and knows how to get the team involved, but he can also get a bucket at any time. Super smart and very good with change of speeds, which makes him hard to guard,” he said.
For Aldrich, pace is the cornerstone of his game.
“Being a scorer, a lot of people talk about my craftiness and deceptive quickness, but something I take immense pride in is my pace,” he said. “I feel that not one defender can speed me up to where I’m uncomfortable, which helps me play my style of basketball. A lot of people say I play slow for a guard, but I just tell them I play calm. I can lull a defender to sleep, then strike in an instant, which is what I’ve practiced and matured upon over my RBV career.”
With Vista transfer Amari Mitchell newly eligible and averaging double-figure scoring through his first four games, Abrams expects the supporting cast to peak late in the season.
Junior Jeremiah Justice has stepped into a larger role after playing sparingly last year, while freshman Marcus McFerran has emerged as a defensive spark. Senior Braydon Allen provides steady shooting and inside-out play, giving Aldrich and the Longhorns more balance and depth on the floor.
“Scoring is a byproduct of my teammates’ success,” Aldrich said. “When they are getting to it, that opens up the game for me. It takes our whole team to win games, even the guys who aren’t playing as much, and I’m super proud of everyone on our team.”
“We’re going to go as far as CJ takes us,” added Abrams.
In December, Aldrich announced his commitment to Dartmouth College.
“RBV Basketball doesn’t end with me, and they will have another season next year without me there,” Aldrich said. “One of my main roles as a leader has been guiding our underclassmen and transfers within our system and how our program operates while I’m still around to foster future success.”
Few critiques stick for North County’s most dominant scorer — size is occasionally mentioned.
“I’m still 6’1, 170 lbs., so I’m not too undersized,” Aldrich said with a laugh. “But for anyone saying I’m too small, even at my size I’m still able to do whatever I want to do, so try to guard me.”
The Longhorns return to action at Rancho Christian on Jan. 17, followed by a Coastal League matchup against Carlsbad on Jan. 20.
