Men's Basketball Starts Conference Play

It has been a competitive start to the 2022-23 basketball season as four teams from the Orange Empire Conference are ranked in the top-30 of the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA). Six out of the nine teams within the conference have records over .500.

With OEC games beginning tonight, there will be some exciting matchups to come this season. Fullerton is ranked co-No. 1 in the state with the North's San Francisco. Coming in at 19 and 20 are Riverside City and Saddleback. Santiago Canyon lands at No. 24 rounding out all the OEC ranked teams.

Fullerton and Riverside shared the 2021-22 Orange Empire Conference title, both finishing the season at 14-2. This season Fullerton looks to be the front-runner for another title, however with many of the ranked OEC programs playing at an elevated level, it makes it difficult to pin down the 2022-23 champion.

The No.1 Fullerton College Hornets (11-1 overall) are deep with a talented array of players. With only one loss thus far to No. 6 San Bernardino, FC has defeated the four top-11 teams, including No. 1 San Francisco, No. 5 East LA, No. 9 Sequoias, and No. 11 San Diego City. Averaging 85.7 points a game, Fullerton has a large stable of athletes that can take over a game. Leading the way are two guards in sophomore Kobe Newton and freshman Sean Newman Jr. Newton is averaging 14.8 ppg., while Newman is right behind with 14.2 ppg. Sophomore guard Shaquil Bender is another skilled guard averaging 13.ppg. Freshman RJ Banks (8.8 ppg.) and sophomore Javon Jones (8.0 ppg.) are two players that can score as well. 

No. 19 Riverside City College (7-4 overall) began the season with a seven-game win streak but has lost four out of its last five games. Sophomore forward Reggie Ward leads the team in scoring with 12.3 ppg. He also averages 7.4 rebounds a game. A real threat on the court for the Tigers, Courtland Moffatt, a sophomore guard, is averaging 12.0 ppg, with 4.2 assists, and 6.9 rebounds. Freshman Tomi Adesiji is averaging 10.5 ppg and is bringing down 2.3 rpg. Another freshman guard in Darius McClain is another skilled player scoring 8.8 ppg. 

The No. 20 Saddleback College Bobcats (8-4 overall) have won their last two contests, including a 69-59 win over previously No. 1 ranked Cerritos. The Bobcats also knocked off No. 6 San Bernardino in November. Sophomore guard Jimuel Reyes leads the team in scoring with an average of 17.9 points a game along with 4 rebounds a game. Three other players are scoring in double-digits including sophomore guard in Nick Bowden (13.7 ppg), James Burries (12.2 ppg), and Elijah Al-Debaran (10.8 ppg).

No. 24 Santiago Canyon College (7-4 overall) has the leading scorer in the conference in Aaron Wadman, who is averaging 21.8 ppg. A sophomore guard, Wadman is shooting 52.2% from the field. He also leads the team in rebounds with 8.1 per game and assists (3.6 apg.). A pair of freshmen guards hold it down for the Hawks in Ka Smith and Zach Ibbetson. Smith is scoring 13.7 ppg and Ibbetson is averaging 11.5 ppg.

Unranked, but should be in the mix is the Orange Coast College Pirates (7-3 overall), who began the season with a five-game winning streak. All three of OCC's losses came against ranked teams Miramar (No. 10) and Long Beach City (No. 25), and Palomar (No. 30). Earlier in the season, the Pirates beat Miramar 68-61. Armed with the second-best scorer in the OEC, Orange Coast's Jydon Hall is scoring 20.2 points per game. The sophomore guard is also averaging 3.2 assists a game. Another sophomore guard, Logen Howard, is putting up 16.8 ppg., while Sam Hunter is averaging 12.8 ppg. Hunter is also bringing down 4.3 rpg.

The Cypress College Chargers (7-5 overall) have really turned it around after getting pelted with a five-game losing streak to begin the season. The always-dangerous Chargers have gotten back on track ripping off a six-game win-streak. Freshman guard Blake Ballard leads the team in scoring with a game-average of 16.5. Grant Sii, a sophomore guard, is averaging 13.6 ppg, while sophomore forward Hadi Essayli is averaging 11.3 points and an impressive 12.6 rebounds a game. Freshman forward Allen Wright is right in there with 10.7 ppg. and 4.8 rpg.

Irvine Valley College (4-8 overall) got off on the right foot winning its first two games but has since lost eight out of the last ten games. Sophomore forward Charlie Henderson is the team scoring leader averaging 13.7 ppg. Luke Farrington is scoring 9.7 ppg, and Roman Swizek is at 9.1 ppg.

The Santa Ana College Dons (3-8 overall) has two players that are averaging 12 points per game in Kelvonte Ellis and Russell Malone. A freshman, Ellis is bringing down 4.5 rpg, while sophomore Russell Maloneis at 3.4 rpg.

The Golden West College Rustlers (2-9 overall) have three players that are scoring in double figures in Soma Doherty (18.8 ppg.), Michael Ernest (14.6 ppg.), and Aaunya Clark (10.9 ppg.). 

Release by Phil Thurman, Fullerton SID