1993-94 Boys Had 27-3 Season
By Steven Serafini
Sonoma Valley Sun Sports Editor
In my 25 years as a sports editor in the Valley (1991-2016), I was fortunate to cover and witness a host of standout Sonoma Valley High School boys and girls sports teams turn in exceptional performances and triumphant championship seasons.
Though it can be difficult to choose one title-winning squad over another, I have to proclaim that the 1993-94 Dragon boys varsity basketball team rises to the top because it reached the pinnacle in the annals of Sonoma’s sports.
Over past decades, especially in the 1970s, the Valley had a plethora of hardwood talent and produced title-winning teams. But it wasn’t until later that highly visible tournaments, and postseason playoffs, were established where schools could earn attention and affirmation of their success for their programs.
So what the 1993-94 Dragon boy cagers accomplished still earns them the highly regarded status as the most successful and acclaimed team in the history of Sonoma basketball. And to drive that point home, they were recently honored by being inducted into the Dragons Hall of Fame.
During that forever memorable season, I had the privilege to follow, intently observe, and report on almost every game the Dragon boys played in their historic campaign. That season culminated not only in their winning a second straight Sonoma County League title, but attaining one of prep sports rarest achievements.
The Sonoma boy cagers battled through possibly the most challenging and competitive sectional playoffs in Northern California, and eventually the state, en route to capturing a prestigious North Coast Section crown.
Proving how elusive an NCS championship banner was, and still is, the 1994 Dragon boys’ team – designed and guided by its highly experienced and successful head coach, Phil Rosemurgy – became both Sonoma’s first in any sport, and the SCL’s first-ever boys’ basketball squad to win a sectional title.
It was a supremely exciting season, with a dynamic and entertaining Dragons team that captivated not only the school, but also the Valley, the County, the North Bay and eventually the NorCal region. And what made claiming the NCS Division III title so impressive was the way they achieved their high-odds against victory.
The 1994 SCL/NCS-champion Dragons – directed by Rosemurgy and his assistant coaches Roy Jordan, Andy Sallee and David Hamiter – consisted of Bobby Alexander, John Florance, Linc Isetta, Ross Guptill, Ryan Morefield, Brenton Sanders, Darrell Butler, Mark Perry, Kevin and Trevor Unverferth, Miguel Rosas, Noah Larsen, Shane Bresnyan and Matt Gabriel.
The Dragon boys first beat a strong Arroyo team, and then took down perennial East Bay power Northgate in the semi-finals – a level they had reached the year before but were then eliminated. This time they earned a spot in the NCS final, facing a San Lorenzo team that was not only the sectional DIII tournament’s No. 1 seed, but also the top-ranked squad, including all divisions, in the Bay Area, and ranked in the Top-Ten in the state.
In the title game, the Dragons turned in a flawless and dominating first half to take a stunning 30-point lead into the second half, where they never let the talented and powerful San Lorenzo squad have any chance at a comeback. Sonoma pulled off the amazing 71-46 upset and seized the cherished NCS championship.
The Sonoma boys, led by the dynamic trio of Alexander, Florance and Isetta, then went the farthest-ever in the postseason for an SCL team or any Redwood Empire DIII squad, winning a first-round game over Los Gatos – the first SCL team to accomplish the NorCal feat – and reaching the semifinals. That put them one win away from earning a spot in the state championships.
But the Dragons had to again face the same San Lorenzo team they shocked to win the NCS title in a postseason rematch, and they couldn’t duplicate their first effort, suffering a heartbreaking six-point defeat.
Sonoma finished the 1993-94 regular- and post-seasons with an impressive 27-3 record.
And even before their historic season began, the Dragon boys first made Redwood Empire hoop fans take notice of their potential when they won the Summer League Tournament title at Rancho Cotate High School. Then they gained more attention when they captured the highly competitive St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo tourney crown in early December 1993.
Now the historic 1993-94 Sonoma boys basketball team has taken its seat of honor in the Dragons Hall of Fame.
During halftime of a Dragon boys’ basketball game at Pfeiffer Gym in January, 2026, the legendary 1993-94 Sonoma varsity boys’ team, were inducted into the Dragons Hall of Fame. Pictured are SVHS athletic director and head coach Mile Boles (second from left) and his 2025-26 varsity boys (in uniforms) and alumni members of the historic 1993-94 Dragons (right) with their head coach and title team architect Phil Rosemurgy (front right) and HOF representative Mindy Neves (far right).
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