Three no’s, one yes: How a team manager went from rejection to starring role

CONCORD — Three times, Jestus Akudinobi’s previous high school said no. At Liberty, where the expectation is to compete for the postseason every single season, the 6-foot-8 late bloomer wasn’t ready yet. No spot. No jersey. No minutes. So he folded towels. He rebounded shots at practice. He kept score – learning the game from the sideline as a team manager, absorbing basketball knowledge the hard way. Ygnacio Valley’s Jestus Akudinobi (50) goes up for a dunk while warming up before their game against Campolindo at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) And when he finally left, it wasn’t running from failure. He...