2025-2026 Men’s Basketball recap: More Than A Season
Coach Jalen Lake Reflects on Rancho Christian Basketball’s Relentless Year
For Rancho Christian Eagles Men’s Basketball, this season was not defined by an easy road.
It was defined by perseverance.
In his second year as head coach, Coach Jalen Lake described the season simply: “phenomenal.” But the story behind that word includes a rocky start, injuries, players waiting for clearance, new roles, younger athletes stepping into pressure moments, and a team learning how to become its best when it mattered most.
“What turned out to be a rocky start turned into something that was great,” Coach Lake said. “It was great to see our work throughout the summer translate.”
That work showed up in the final results. Rancho Christian finished the year 22-11 overall and a perfect 10-0 in Ivy League play, finishing first in the league according to MaxPreps. The Eagles also finished ranked No. 62 in California and No. 28 in the CIF Southern Section rankings on MaxPreps.
But those numbers only tell part of the story.
Rancho Christian entered the year with new faces, younger players in bigger roles, and the challenge of replacing major senior leadership from the year before. There were early hurdles, moments when the team could not quite get over the hump, and times when the full roster was not yet available.
Still, the Eagles kept building.
“All in all, I think we had an incredible season,” Lake said. “I know we had an incredible season. Guys peaked when they were supposed to. The team peaked when they were supposed to.”
That timing became one of the defining marks of the season. Rancho Christian tested itself early and often against some of the strongest programs in the country. Coach Lake mentioned a summer, fall, and regular-season schedule that included high-level opponents such as Etiwanda, St. Gabriel Academy, Sunnyslope, Folsom, Sierra Canyon, La Mirada, and elite national competition through events like Section 7 and Border League. He also referenced opponents featuring high-major Division 1 talent, including McDonald’s All Americans and players committed to programs like Michigan and North Carolina.
“We played nothing but top teams all year long,” Lake said. “I think it does a great job for us in seeing what we need to get better at, and seeing guys individually, to see what they need to get better at.”
For Rancho Christian, the goal is not to avoid challenges. The goal is to be sharpened by them.
That mindset showed up throughout the season, especially as players battled through adversity. Coach Lake pointed to injuries, sit-out periods, and moments when key players were unavailable. Still, the Eagles found ways to respond. Lorenzo Beltran and Alexander Wilson stepped into important minutes. James Wilson played through a fractured wrist. Daniel Bol worked his way back from a torn meniscus. Jeremiah Profit carried major responsibility while also handling injury and a new role.
Through it all, Lake kept coming back to one word.
“Relentless,” he said. “They were relentless.”
That relentlessness helped Rancho Christian accomplish something the program had been chasing for years: an undefeated Ivy League season.
The Eagles went 10-0 in league play, finishing ahead of Rancho Verde and Orange Vista in the Ivy League standings. MaxPreps lists league wins over Rancho Verde, Hillcrest, Liberty, Orange Vista, Poly/Riverside, and a second round through the league schedule, including a 72-68 road win at Rancho Verde and a 70-45 home win over Poly/Riverside to complete the undefeated league run.
For Coach Lake, that achievement carried real weight. He remembered the years under Coach Ray Barefield when special Rancho teams came close, but never quite finished league play unbeaten.
“It takes a lot of discipline and mental focus and toughness to go out and play in the Ivy League and win tough games,” Lake said.
One of those tough environments was Rancho Verde, a place Coach Lake called difficult to win because of the energy, shooting, crowd, and atmosphere. For the Eagles to go on the road and win in that setting was another sign of the team’s growth.
The postseason brought more evidence of the program’s high-level standard. Rancho Christian was placed in the 2026 CIF Southern Section Ford Boys’ Basketball Championships Division 1A bracket. The Eagles defeated Millikan 71-62 before falling to Crean Lutheran 67-55 in the next round. Rancho Christian also continued into the CIF State Division I playoffs, where the Eagles fell just short against Victory Christian Academy, 71-65.
The ending hurt, but it also confirmed the level Rancho Christian is competing at.
The season was also filled with individual stories of development.
Lake called Luke Bareh “the glue” and “the brain” of the team, the player who knew where everyone was supposed to be and brought leadership the group could rely on. Daniel Bol, after working back from injury, became a key piece down the stretch. Jeremiah Profit, one of the top players in his class with major college offers from schools Coach Lake mentioned such as Creighton, San Diego State, Seton Hall, and Maryland, took on new responsibilities as a lead guard and continued to improve throughout the year. James Wilson stepped into a much larger role after limited minutes the previous season and answered the call against national-level competition. Tony Rutledge Jr. gave the Eagles elite shooting, defensive disruption, and one of the great shooting seasons Rancho Christian has seen, including a school-record 10 threes in one game.
“We were special this year,” Lake said.
That word, special, fits because the program continues to represent something larger than basketball. Rancho Christian Basketball has become one of the respected names in Southern California high school basketball. Coach Lake pointed to the foundation built by Coach Barefield, now at Fresno State, and the work that continues today. He also mentioned mentors and basketball voices in his life, including coaches connected to Murray State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Syracuse, as people who continue to sharpen and encourage him as a coach.
“When you list the top programs in CIF Southern Section, Rancho Christian always comes up,” Lake said. “We’re a household name, and we look to continue to do that and put more banners in there.”
But the mission does not stop with banners.
For Coach Lake, the deeper work is helping form young men who are ready for life. The program’s goal is to develop players who know how to compete, work, lead, and carry themselves beyond the court.
“Not everybody’s going to go to the NBA,” Lake said. “We have to create young men who know how to work outside of basketball. We’re teaching these kids to be great young men in the world.”
That purpose is also rooted in faith.
Coach Lake shared that the team’s spiritual growth was one of the most encouraging parts of the year. Early in the season, players were sometimes nervous to pray. As the season continued, more athletes began volunteering to lead prayer in the locker room and at half court. Several players, including Luke Bareh, Alexander Wilson, Jeremiah Profit, and James Wilson, helped lead the Christ-centered athletics program on campus, something Coach Lake said they did on their own time.
“Our culture was amazing,” Lake said. He described the joy of seeing players feel comfortable expressing their faith and growing in their walk with Christ through the impact of Rancho Christian and the basketball program.
The season ended just short of the championship goal, but the vision remains clear. Rancho Christian wants to return to that moment and finish the job.
“We want to get back to where we were and complete what we wanted,” Lake said. “What we want is a CIF championship and a state championship.”
The future is bright. Rancho Christian loses senior Dave Mapey, a significant loss for the program, along with Luke Bareh stepping away from basketball to focus on pursuing a future in medicine. But the foundation remains strong, and the returning group is hungry.
Coach Lake had special praise for Mapey, who endured adversity, waited his turn, lived in the gym, and continued to grow.
“He trusted the process,” Lake said. “We’re excited for Dave, and we hope that he has an incredible college career.”
Coach Lake also made it clear that a season like this takes more than one team on the floor. He thanked his players, coaching staff, wife, school leadership, Pastor Scott, Coach Elzie Gatson, Coach Ray Barefield, and the larger Rancho Christian community. In his words, “It takes a village.”
That village includes the coaches who pour in, the families who sacrifice, the fans who show up, and the players who keep choosing growth.
This was a season of adversity, toughness, faith, and elite competition. It was a season where young men were sharpened by the challenge and strengthened by the community around them.
And for Rancho Christian Basketball, it was another reminder of what makes this program special.
The Eagles are not done.
Wings Up.
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