All season long in 2025-26, The Record will shine a weekly spotlight on one standout through the Martin Dentistry Boys Basketball Athlete of the Week award.
We’ll lay out the stats and performances. You pick the player who owned the week and deserves the crown.
The Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week award is all about the best boys performances from 209-area schools, and this week’s debut ballot features six nominees from Stockton, Tracy, Mountain House and Lodi.
Have a player you think belongs on next week’s list? Send nominations to [email protected].
Scroll to the poll at the bottom of this page and cast your vote before noon Thursday, Feb. 19. There are no limits, so vote now — and vote often.
Here are the boys basketball nominees for Feb. 9-14 (Athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Romello Bruhn, guard, Weston Ranch
Romello Bruhn has reached the mountaintop.
With 3,000 points in sight, the Weston Ranch guard stepped into the SJAA semifinal Feb. 12 against Bear Creek needing 17 points to make history as just the 16th player in California boys basketball to reach the milestone.
He scored 24 and made it official.
The next night, he added 21 points in a 77-53 win over Edison to capture the SJAA tournament title, pushing his career total to 3,028.
Since being cleared Jan. 6 after transferring from Woodland Christian — when he sat at 2,472 career points — Bruhn has climbed past notable names such as Lonzo Ball, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jason Kidd, Jrue Holiday, DeMar DeRozan and LiAngelo Ball.
Chhandler Chhor, guard, Mountain House
The math was simple. The pressure was not.
Mountain House entered the final stretch knowing two wins meant an outright VOL championship. One win guaranteed at least a share. Two losses opened the door to uncertainty.
Chhandler Chhor didn’t let it reach that point.
He started with 12 points in a 56-45 win over Manteca on Feb. 11, steady and composed.
Then he took over. In a 72-43 win over Oakdale on Feb. 13 — avenging an earlier loss — Chhor scored a career-high 21 points, delivering when the title was within reach.
He may not always headline the offense, but when the moment demanded it, the junior rose to meet it.
Jonas Currington, forward, Lodi
Not every impact shows up in shot attempts.
Jonas Currington has built his season on effort, efficiency and consistency, even when touches are limited.
He has surpassed double-digit field goal attempts only twice all year, yet has nearly averaged a double-double while shooting 50% from the field in the regular season.
When the opportunities increased this week, so did the numbers. In a 64-56 loss to Kimball on Feb. 11, the senior posted 20 points and 11 rebounds.
He followed that with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 52-43 win over Kimball two days later, proving his production doesn’t depend on volume.
Cedric Johnson, wing, Lodi Academy
Lodi Academy’s rise hasn’t happened by accident. Cedric Johnson has been at the center of it.
The junior wing has been the driving force behind a 16-7 regular season and an 11-3 mark in the Mountain Valley League, good for second place and the best finish in program history.
As the team’s leading scorer, he saved some of his best basketball for the stretch run.
He erupted for a career-high 26 points and four steals in a 69-31 win over Delta Charter on Feb. 10.
He backed it up Feb. 12 with 20 points, seven rebounds and four steals in a 50-47 win over Elliot Christian, finishing the regular season in strong form.
Jagger Merolla, guard, Lincoln
The moment called for celebration. Jagger Merolla stayed focused.
Merolla eclipsed 1,000 career points at the free-throw line in the first quarter, prompting coach Anthony Matthews to call a 30-second timeout as the sold-out gym rose in recognition.
Merolla’s focus, however, remained on the opponent. After a 66-56 loss to St. Mary’s on Jan. 26 — Lincoln’s first defeat to the Rams since Jan. 20, 2023 — he wanted a different ending.
Lincoln responded with a 69-25 win over St. Mary’s in the regular-season finale on Feb. 13, with Merolla scoring 15 points in the defensive effort.
He entered that game on a scoring surge, posting 24 points in a 67-54 win over West and 22 points in a 66-29 win over Lathrop in the two games prior.
Maximillian Russell, guard, Tracy
If that was the last time Maximillian Russell played on Tracy’s home floor, it was a fitting farewell.
Senior night turned into a showcase Feb. 13, as Russell poured in 39 points with nine rebounds and four assists in an 84-56 win over Merrill West. A soaring one-handed dunk sent the gym into a frenzy.
The performance followed another statement game. In a 64-56 win over Lodi two days earlier, Russell scored 34 points and added 13 rebounds and four assists, helping Tracy secure sole possession of third place in the TCAL for the first time since 2018-19.
Russell has already eclipsed 1,000 career points this season and continues to cement his place among the best scorers in school history.
With the postseason ahead, a playoff win could elevate this into Tracy’s most memorable season in 20 years.
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This article originally appeared on The Record: Who's up for Feb. 9-14 Martin Dentistry Boys Basketball AOTW?