Inside Redwoods Athletics
Sept 2025
For as long as Josh Neal can remember, basketball has been part of his life.
In fact, he was just four years old when his dad took him to a recreation center in Fairfield, California, and signed him up for a youth basketball league. There was just one small problem. Josh wasn't old enough to play.
The league was for six- to eight-year-olds.
But Josh was tall for his age, and apparently, nobody noticed.
And just like that, his love for basketball began.
Fast-forward nearly two decades, and Josh is preparing to wear his College of the Redwoods basketball jersey for one final season. It's a moment he describes as bittersweet, especially considering everything it's taken to get here.
Because if there's one thing Josh has learned, it's that life, much like basketball, doesn't always go according to plan.
Growing up in Fairfield, Josh attended Vanden High School, where he played two seasons of varsity basketball. When it came time to choose a college, CR wasn't initially at the top of his list.
But something about the Redwoods coaching staff stuck with him.
"Coach Bis and Coach Justin made me feel like they wanted me for me, and not who I was as a basketball player," he said.
And for Josh, that made all the difference.
His freshman season brought plenty of memorable moments, including helping the Redwoods capture a Golden Valley Conference championship during longtime head coach Ryan Bisio's final season.
But behind the excitement of that championship season, Josh was dealing with a knee injury that would eventually change the course of his college basketball career.
A torn meniscus.
After undergoing surgery, Josh spent the next season on the sidelines, unable to play the game he'd loved since childhood. And for the first time, he had to figure out who he was without basketball.
"It was the first time I had to really just sit down and not play basketball," he said. "I had to find out who I was outside basketball."
He describes that year as one of the toughest of his life. But somewhere between the frustration, recovery, and countless hours away from the court, Josh began looking at basketball, and himself, a little differently.
He became a mentor to younger players, found ways to contribute without scoring a single point, and learned not to take the opportunity to play for granted.
There was even a time when Josh wasn't planning to return to CR. He’d had plans to go to UC Davis, and move on.
But the friendships he'd built and the coaches who had become such an important part of his life ultimately brought him back.
And while basketball has shaped much of Josh's life, there's another person whose influence reaches far beyond the court.
His mom.
Josh was just 10 years old when his father passed away from a heart attack in 2017. He remembers watching his mother take on both parenting roles, doing everything she could to make life feel as normal as possible.
"It wasn't the same, but it was as close as it could be," he said.
It was his mother who encouraged him to leave home and pursue his basketball dreams.
"I wouldn't be where I am now without my mom."
A first-generation college student, Josh hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics and eventually work for an NBA organization as a data analyst.
And if he could offer one piece of advice to that four-year-old boy who first stepped onto a basketball court all those years ago?
"Just make sure you're having fun with it," he said. "That'll make you better. It'll make the experience better."
But first, there's one more season to play.
And when that final buzzer sounds, Josh hopes people remember more than the basketball player who wore the CR jersey.
"I just hope people remember who I was on and off the court," he said.
Because sometimes, the greatest lessons we learn from the game have very little to do with basketball. For Josh, those lessons have been about growth, family, friendship, and discovering who he is beyond the game. And while his time on the court at CR may be coming to an end, the person he's become along the way is something he'll carry with him long after his time at CR.
Around this time of year, the rhythm of the rains on the North Coast ushers in a new sports season…men’s and women’s basketball.
But this year, there’s a difference: both teams will be hosting games in their home gym to start the season!
And please remember — this is the last season any basketball games will be played in the current gymnasium!
This upcoming week is about as busy a week as you’ll find here in athletics. We’re hosting ten events in seven days, representing eight different programs: women’s soccer, men’s wrestling, volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, and football!
Please check out our Redwoods Athletics website for details on this dizzying flurry of action — and please come support our teams if you can!
Best,
Ryan
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