Jason Kidd's former teammate, California high school coach, treasures NBA, All-Star Future Games victory

The Nike event gives Alameda, high school coach Miles Tarver 'Super Bowl' feel that they back up with historic championship victory over legendary Bishop O'Dowd

Alameda boys basketball coach Miles Tarver, dressed in fancier threads in honor of his former coach Frank LaPorte, maestros his team to a big win over Bishop O'Dowd on 2-14-2025 at the Henry J. Kaiser Center in Oakland as part of the Nike All-Star Weekend Future Games. / Photo: Eric Taylor

Miles Tarver, flanked by future NBA Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, won a California state Division I boys basketball title for St. Joseph of Alameda High school in 1992 at the Oakland Coliseum. 

At the University of Minnesota, he helped his team win a Big Ten Conference championship in 1996-97 en route to a NCAA Final 4 appearance. 

He also won an International Basketball League title with the Saint Louis Swarm in 1999-2000. 

But none of it felt quite the same as Thursday at beautifully new refurbished Henry J. Kaiser Center, where his Alameda High School Hornets defeated arch-rival Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 65-56 to clinch a West Alameda County Foothill League title. 

The third-year Hornets’ head coach led his team to its first league title since 2017, making it extra rich. 

Alameda star senior wing Zion Moore scored 15 points and added six assists and two steals in a 65-56 win over Bishop O'Dowd in the Nike All-Star Futures Game to decide the WACC Foothill title 2-14-25 at Henry J. Kaiser Center in Oakland / Photo: Eric Taylor

Other flavorful morsels for Tarver:  

* This was part of a special three-day event put on by Nike in conjunction with the NBA All-Star Game enttitled Nike All-Star Weekend Future Games. The event ends Saturday with two TCAL Rock Division title games at the Kaiser Center with the girls starting at noon and boys at 2 p.m.  

* As a St. Joseph alum, any win over Bishop O’Dowd is big. 

* Mostly it was huge was because it was for many of the players he had coached even at lower levels, and to see their smiling, beaming faces was simply “a tremendous, tremendous feeling,” he said. 

• ALL-STAR FUTURE GAMES WEEKEND | 4 nationally ranked teams face off

Tripling the pleasure was that the Hornets (19-6, 9-0) got just about everyone involved, including star 6-foot-3 senior wing Zion Moore (15 points, six assists), 6-foot senior shooting guard Sage Kopelman (13 pints, six assists), junior reserve guard Samuel Skolnick (11 points), 6-5 senior forward Kaden Thomas (10 points) and junior 6-foot guard Dylan Mann, who drilled all three of his three-point attempts to help ward off the Dragons. 

Even high-schoring Jack O’Marra, who banked home a half-court shot at the buzzer to beat O’Dowd 54-53 earlier in the year, was contained this time (four points), “but he did so many other things to help us win,” Tarver said. 

It all helped offset another big night from O’Dowd sharpshooter Josh Green, who scored a game-high 18 points after going for a school-record 47 the night before against San Leandro. Kaiden Gibbs (12 points) and Naasir Griffin (10) also had big nights for the Dragons, who made a strong run in the third quarter to close to 43-37 but couldn’t overcome 17 turnovers which led to 16 Alameda points. 

The Dragons dropped to 14-11 and 6-3. 

“What a night,” Tarver said. “First off, everything Nike promised and said it would do the last few weeks they did and then some. What an experience and production for the kids. The introductions. The huge LED scoreboard. The photos. Honestly it felt like their Super Bowl.

“After I stopped playing, my first job was coaching at Oakland High and we’d play big games at the Kaiser Arena, so it was like coming back home again. And to coach in Alameda where I went to high school and for these kids, just amazing. And to beat a program like Bishop O’Dowd with its long, rich legacy, what a moment.” 

He and the Hornets staff was ready for the moment even before the game started. 

As an homage to his former legendary St. Joseph coach Frank LaPorte, Alameda’s extended six-man coaching staff dressed up in matching black blazers slacks and black shirt. It was attire the late coach would approve of and how he used to fashion, even in tuxedos, for  particularly big games.

Alameda's Sage Kopelman (0) dribbles past Josh Green in the Hornets' 65-56 victory at Henry J. Kaiser Center in Oakland on Feb. 14, 2025. / Photo: Eric Taylor

 Tarver said there were two visions of his players he’ll never forget. 

The first came when Alameda stormed out of the locker room onto the court with all the bright lights and loud music and big crowd. Thomas turned and asked Tarver: “Is this what big time college games look like?” 

Tarver could only smile. 

The other, the Alameda coach said, was simply the look on his star player Moore’s face after completing the series sweep and winning the league title in the midst of all the pageantry. 

“He’s slapping 5s with all the kids and seeing the look on his face, this moment he was relishing, it’s something I’ll never forget,” Tarver said. “I think the entire night is a memory both sides will remember in a positive way for a long time.”