Daily Journal Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year: San Mateo’s Zidane Auzarang

Not surprisingly, Zidane Auzarang was a soccer player growing up, named after the famed French legend Zinedine Zidane, who helped lead France to a pair of World Cup championship games, winning it all in 1998.

So when he told his family in seventh grade that he was leaving soccer to take up basketball, his dad, especially, was not thrilled.

“My dad really liked the soccer player (Zinedine Zidane),” Auzarang said. “I fell out of love with soccer and fell in love with basketball. … He was devastated (when I quit soccer).”

Perhaps his performance on the court the last three years at San Mateo helped soften the blow. Auzarang, a 5-11 combo guard and a late comer to the sport, certainly made up for lost time as the senior helped raise the San Mateo boys’ basketball team to heights not seen in a generation.

Individually, Auzarang set a number of individual goals: he wanted to reach 1,000 career points, wanted to the overall Peninsula Athletic League scoring champ and wanted to be the Ocean Division champion.

Auzarang checked all the boxes, averaging 20 points per game in PAL play and overall this season, earning him the honor of being named the San Mateo Daily Journal’s Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year.

“He was a big part of changing the culture (at San Mateo) and leaving a legacy,” said San Mateo head coach Marvin Lui. “I, firsthand, witnessed the amount of work he puts in. In this day and age there are so many kids working with trainers. … I’m sure he’s done that, but the bulk of his work has been the old-school way — just getting in the gym and working. … That’s what impressed me the most, that old-school work ethic. If he not working on his game, he’s running pickup games with older guys.

“That kid lives in the gym.”

Auzarang has 13 games in which he scored 20 points or more; seven games of 25 or more and two games of 30 or more, including a season-high 31 points in a win over Ocena.

Lui said Auzarang has come a long way, who earned a CCS varsity callup at the end of freshman year. When Lui took over coaching duties prior to Auzarang’s sophomore year, Lui had no idea the diamond in the rough he had in Auzarang.

“Nothing about him stood out on the JV level,” Lui said.

But Auzarang got plenty of action during his sophomore year, with Lui letting him play through growing pains. Auzarang’s grew exponential heading into his junior year, as he ramped up his scoring, averaging 20 points in PAL play, but team success was still fleeting.

Auzarang went back into the lab this past offseason and emerged a much more complete player. His scoring was still there, but now he was doing all the other things that successful players do: he increased his rebounding, his passing, his defense. And probably most importantly, took a bigger leadership role this season.

“I do what we needed to do to win, but sometimes for us to win, I had to score,” Auzarang said. “Last year, I was more focused on scoring, which is why we probably didn’t win a lot of games (in 2024). This year, I wanted to focus on winning.

“I’d say I did a lot more than just scoring to help the team win. Do some of the dirty work. … I was more efficient and effective.”

In addition to his 20 points per game, which included shooting 35% from behind the 3-point line, he also averaged six rebounds per game, three assists and two steals.

But focusing on winning translated to success the Bearcats hadn’t seen in decades. They had a 12-game winning streak at one point this season. They won their first division title since capturing the Lake Division crown in 2012. The Bearcats advanced to their first CCS semifinal game in 26 years and they qualified for the Northern California regional tournament for the first time since 1999.

“This year, everyone set a goal and put a lot of their own things out of their life to focus on basketball,” Auzarang said. “We knew we could do something special. Everyone put in the work.

“The individual stuff is nice, but seeing teammates in school and having fun, it was nice to see.”

Auzarang has also quickly learned how and when to assert himself. He knew when he needed to get others involved, he knew what to do if his shot wasn’t falling and he knew when it was time to take over a game.

But his biggest asset was his ability to create his own shot and get to the free throw line. He knew that was always a way to get easy points.

“He’s crafty, man,” Lui said. “He knows how to initiate contact. He has a little old man in his game, using leverage against defenders.”

As a sophomore, Auzarang attempted 34 free throws. This year? He took 165 free throws. And it certainly is an art to draw fouls on the way to the basket. Auzarang credits his soccer experience as a midfielder for helping him on the basketball court. Soccer players constantly use body bumps to initiate contact as a way to create space. Those same tactics can work on the basketball court, as well.

“My friends were calling me Shea Gilgeous-Alexander (an MVP candidate for the Oklahoma City Thunder) because I was at the free throw line a lot. It’s one the easiest ways to score,” Auzarang said. “I’d say, for sure, soccer has helped me throughout all my basketball career.

“I’m a late bloomer. Just recently I was looking back on (my) basketball film, seeing how much growth I’ve had (over the last four years). It’s crazy.”

So, what does Auzarang’s dad think of his basketball now?

“It took him a while, but as long as I love basketball, he’s good with it now,” Auzarang said.