CIF State Championships: Rollins Scores 20 off Bench, Oakland Tech Wins First Title

The Bulldogs got a big contribution from a reserve known more for his defense.

In the span of two hours, Caleb Rollins went from a well-traveled bench player to securely etching his place in Oakland Tech lore.

The 5-foot-9 junior, who had spent his previous two years in San Francisco at Wallenberg and Sacred Heart Cathedral before moving back to Oakland, scored a season-high 20 points as the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half for a 79-55 win over Centennial-Bakersfield.

A year after losing in the Northern California Division III Championship Game and graduating star guard Ahmaree Muhammad, Oakland Tech (30-5) not only won its first state championship, but did it in Division II.

“I thought we could have made some noise if we were in Division II last year,” head coach Karega Hart said. “The effort that we put in, it was for that senior class that left as well.”

ArDarius Grayson was his usual self, scoring 20 points and threatening to post a triple-double. Ahmed Gulaid scored 16 and Xan Meyer-Plettner dominated in the post with nine points and 12 rebounds against a big and physical Golden Hawks side, but Rollins was the surprise contributor.

Across the Bulldogs’ first 22 games, Rollins averaged just 4.2 points per game and shot 34 percent, including an abysmal 1-of-18 (5.6%) on 3-pointers. He looked like a completely different player on Saturday, scoring seven in the second quarter and knocking down a pair of open threes in the third.

“People don’t really know I’m a shooter because they normally don’t fall,” Rollins said.

The third quarter was where Oakland Tech took control. Leading just 33-27 at halftime, they opened the second half on an 11-0 run that included four points from Meyer-Plettner, providing the initial boost in a 26-14 third quarter.

“We got eight stops in a row to open the second half, and if we get stops, we’re probably gonna get some layups and other open shots,” Hart said of the run.

The Bulldogs took their first 20-point lead on Gulaid’s basket with 7:35 left in the game, went up 71-49 on Meyer-Plettner’s one-handed dunk and held a 25-point led on Asher Kramer’s putback with 1:46 left.

Centennial (28-8) went just 3-for-20 on 3-pointers for the game and was 10-for-36 (27.8%) on 2-pointers in the first half, largely thanks to Meyer-Plettner’s presence around the rim.

“As a sophomore, it was clear he needed to be stronger, and in the spring and the summertime, he really dedicated himself to the weight room and got stronger,” Hart said of his 6-foot-7 junior center. “Clearly, he was a big-time difference maker today.”

Grayson had 12 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Considering all seven of his assists came in the first three quarters, a triple-double was a very tangible possibility. For anyone who’s seen Oakland Tech play before, his excellence was no shocker. This was, after all, the same player that scored 27 with seven assists in a Feb. 14 win over Oakland, including a game-winning 3-pointer through a double team to win the game. Rollins’ contributions, however, were much more unexpected.

In three years, Rollins has seen just about every inch of the Bay Area basketball spectrum. He was at Wallenberg, a small San Francisco public school, as a freshman, then went to Sacred Heart Cathedral so he could also play football as a sophomore. It seems he’s finally found his place at Oakland Tech.

“I’ve always been an Oakland kid,” Rollins remarked. “This just made me feel at home.”

The iconic “OT” chant was proudly echoed throughout Golden 1 Center in the final minutes. Despite the constant negative attention that Oakland receives for its crime, local government and the exodus of professional sports teams from the city, Oakland Tech remains a proud institution within the city.

“We take pride in being Bulldogs and being from Oakland Tech, but most of all, we take pride in being from the city of Oakland,” said Hart, who graduated from the school in 1995.

Centennial star Rippen Gill led all players with 22 points, but was called for his fourth foul 5:48 left in the third quarter. The Golden Hawks also got 12 points from Donquavious Bolton, including eight in the first half, and six apiece from Godwill Fomusoh and Michael Gutierrez.