The team meeting lasted well into the night, hours after practice had concluded.
With two of the most talented players in Ventura County and a deep supporting cast, the Thousand Oaks High boys basketball team made winning look easy at times this year.
But it took time for the Lancers to find their winning combination.
“Early on, that was somewhat of a struggle for us because we had so many pieces and so many players who could score with the ball in their hands,” Elias Chin said. “We were trying to figure it all out.”
In the end, the Lancers built their season around Chin, their 6-foot-4 senior playmaking point guard and let the chips fall where they may.
“Offensively, defensively, practices, hype talks to his teammates, he was our catalyst in everything we did,” Thousand Oaks coach Logan Baltau said. “We built our defensive scheme around his strength and size.
“Our offense was designed around him being about to get in the paint and find shooters or get to the rim. When we were going, it was him.”
The Star’s All-County Boys Basketball Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season averaged 22.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game.
He led the county in assists and also flirted with leading it in scoring and rebounding, as well. Chin will leave Thousand Oaks as the program's all-time leader in points (1,482), rebounds (707) and assists (467).
Six-foot-9 junior Trent MacLean, who averaged 17.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, gave Thousand Oaks probably the county’s top 1-2 combination.
“Just being able to have everyone so content in their role was so important to our team,” Chin said. “If people had bigger egos or wanted the role they could have had on other teams, it could have caused problems for us. But we had a good group in that regard.”
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Fellow seniors like Jacob Burton, who averaged 2.4 3-pointers per game, Noah Cotton and Garret Powell provided floor spacing and scoring depth.
“The way our roster lined up to balance around him was perfect,” Baltau said. “He could initiate the offense and make the plays for other people. He was surrounded by guys like Jacob, Noah and Trent who could knock down those shots outside for him.
“He could really penetrate and kick. He loved getting the ball to his shooters.”
Together, Thousand Oaks went 26-8, earned a share of its first Marmonte League title since 2015 and delivered the program’s second win in the CIF-State regional playoffs.
“We didn’t set specific goals,” Baltau said. “His goal was for the team to win league and have as much team success as possible.”
The Lancers opened the season by winning 13 of their first 14 games, closed the regular season by winning seven of their last eight games, and went 4-2 in the playoffs, reaching the sectional semifinals and second round of the regional playoffs.
“From a personal perspective, there wasn’t much more I could ask for,” Chin said. “The season all around was more of a success that I could have expected it to be.”
After consecutive second-place finishes to Agoura in 2022-23 and Calabasas in 2021-22, Chin savored even the share of a memorable three-team league title with Westlake and Oaks Christian.
“For sure, getting that league championship was big,” Chin said. “Making that run in state was fun. It was cool to give everyone that experience and give the whole Thousand Oaks community something to talk about.”
Thousand Oaks responded to a 66-59 home loss to Oaks Christian on Jan. 10 by winning 10 of its next 11 games to reach the CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA semifinals.
“Our league being so competitive prepped us for our postseason run,” Baltau said. “Oaks Christian coming in and punching us in the mouth at home, it was kind of that wakeup call. We needed that extra level of energy and concentration.”
Splitting league series with both Westlake and Oaks Christian gave the regular season a rollercoaster feel.
“The couple weeks we had in there where we didn’t know what was going on,” Chin said. “There were days when league was in our control if we won out. There were days when we needed so help.
“Going into CIF, it’s so simple there. If you win out, you win the title. Being in full control of our destiny was a big benefit for us and helped us stay locked in for all those games.”
Chin is still working through his options for the next level, looking for the best combination of academics and athletics.
“He’s trying to find the most competitive basketball team that will challenge him,” Baltau said. “He enjoys the actual trials and effort required in study. He wants a school that’s going to challenge him academically.”
The Star's All-County Boys Basketball Second Team
Sam Seiden, St. Bonaventure
Spencer Clausen, Camarillo
Joshua Castaniero, Camarillo
Luke Ortiz, Buena
Josh Ullegue, Buena
Finn Fancher, Ventura
Jackson Knowles, Rio Mesa
Jadon Holmes, Oak Park
Justin Rener, Simi Valley
Kyle Hoffer, Simi Valley
Nick Giarrusso, Oaks Christian
Isayah Garcia, Oaks Christian
Levi Oakes, Moorpark
Kayden Elsokary, Westlake
Jeremiah De Santiago, Santa Paula
Blake Jones, Newbury Park
Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Elias Chin is The Star's Boys Basketball Player of the Year
