SAN RAMON – Jalen Stokes has had some of the most electrifying high school basketball games in the Bay Area while starring at Dublin High, leading the Gaels to three consecutive CIF NorCal playoff appearances.
But in an eyebrow-raising move, the 6-foot-5 forward has transferred to rival Dougherty Valley for his senior season, coaches at both schools said on Thursday.
Stokes was an all-Bay Area News Group and East Bay Athletic League first-team selection last season after he averaged 19.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 49% from the field. He holds offers from UC Davis, the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Montana.
Stokes helped Dublin get to the North Coast Section Division I title game last season, where the Gaels fell to Dougherty Valley 64-61 in a classic game.
According to Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen, Stokes’ family moved to the San Ramon area and he enrolled this month.
Dublin coach Tom Costello said he was officially notified of Stokes’ decision to transfer on July 31 via voicemail from Stokes’ mother.
“Jalen is a really good player and was a big part of our team the last three years,” Costello told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday. “Where he goes doesn’t really impact how we go about our business.”
Costello didn’t give a direct answer as to whether he was surprised that Stokes left, but said, “How you go about things is important. I think integrity is important with just this team obviously going forward.”
A similar situation between the schools occurred in 2019 when highly-touted guard Robby Beasley transferred from Dublin to Dougherty Valley for his senior season. Teamed with his younger brother, Ryan, Beasley helped lead Dougherty Valley finish 22-7. The Wildcats lost a double-overtime thriller to Dublin that season in the EBAL final.
Costello and Hansen – both in their 50s – have had a close relationship that spans back to when they were in elementary school.
Both said they talked briefly about Stokes’ transfer.
“We’re old men now and we get it,” Hansen told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday. “It is what it is. … It’s just kind of the state of the game. That’s the way things are now.”
Stokes’ presence figures to make a significant impact for Dougherty Valley, which has lost several key players over the past two seasons.
The program won the NCS Open championship in 2023.
Stokes showed the ability to score at all three levels and has impressed on the national circuit during the spring, playing for the Adidas sponsored AAU team Team Lillard where he was one of the program’s best players.
“He’s a prolific scorer and a guy who is going to get a lot of touches for us,” Hansen said. “He’s that missing piece to the team we have coming back.”
Though losing Stokes is obviously notable, Dublin is expected to be formidable again, with junior forward Cameron Anderson as the team’s No. 1 option. Dublin has gone 89-19 since joining the EBAL in 2016 and has advanced to the NorCal regionals in each of the past seven seasons that the playoffs were held.