The California State JUCO playoffs get underway this week with a number of Metro-area players playing prominent roles as their team seeks to advance to the Great Eight tournament set for March 14-16 in Stockton.
The New Yorker who made the biggest impact in the state this season was Kevin Menner, who led Ventura to its seventh straight Western States Conference-North crown while compiling a 25-6 mark and a #4 seed in the upcoming state playoffs. Menner, a 6-6 swingman from Brooklyn (NY) Lincoln HS, was third in the state and first among the freshman class in scoring with 23.5 ppg. He passed the 30-point mark 7 times this season: 38 vs. Bakersfield (129-126 win) on 11/9, 30 vs. Mt. San Jacinto (91-86 win) on 12/16, 33 vs. Cuesta (86-69 win) on 1/9, 32 vs. Moorpark (104-89 win) on 1/19, 34 vs. Hancock (124-80 win) on 1/30, 36 vs. Los Angeles Pierce (87-66 win) on 2/6 and 39 vs. Hancock (87-78 win) on 2/23. The Pirates will also be counting on 6-3 soph guard Prince Abidoye out of Brooklyn (NY) Midwood HS, who averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists with a game-high of 17 points against Oxnard on 2/20.
Fresno (28-7) captured the Central Valley Conference title and a #2 seed with a balanced scoring attack that included Bronx (NY) Regionals Kenya Edwards, who averaged 8.5 ppg. while reaching double digits 13 times, including a high of 17 points in a 96-93 victory over Bakersfield on 11/25.
Derrick Langley, a 6-6 freshman forward from Brooklyn (NY) Robeson HS, is a member of Foothill Conference Champion Mt. San Jacinto (26-6), who earned a #5 seed. Langley, who made 62.5% of his field-goal attempts, had his best outing in a 12/4 game against Palomar when he compiled 20 points and 8 rebounds in an 87-76 victory.
Los Angeles City (24-8), the South Coast-North runnersup and #8 seed, received 12.8 ppg. from Scott Sterling, a 6-2 guard from Bronx (NY) Regional HS. Sterling dropped a season-high 31 points in a first-place showdown with eventual champ Los Angeles Trade Tech, which pulled out a 97-94 decision on 1/25. He also drained 7 threes and scored 23 points in a 77-74 triumph over Santa Ana on 12/7.
Gary Felices, a 6-1 sophomore guard from North Bergen (NJ) HS, shot 52% from the floor while averaging 8.8 points for Bakersfield (19-14), who finished second in the Western States-South Conference and received a #12 seed. Felices had a team-high 19 points in a 115-110 overtime loss to conference champion and #1 seed Citrus (30-1) on 1/30.
Los Angeles Valley (17-11) received a #13 seed behind the efforts of Shaun Johnson, a 6-7 soph forward from Newark (NJ). Johnson averaged a double-double of 16.5 points and 10.1 rebounds. Among his standout performances were: 23 points, 8 rebounds and 8 blocks in an 87-85 decision over Moorpark on 11/23; 21 points and 16 rebounds in an 86-75 win over Long Beach on 12/28; and 21 points and 16 boards in an 81-79 loss to Canyons on 2/16.
Glendale (16-15) got contributions from three freshman New Yorkers while getting in as the #18 seed: Tyief Thompson (6-1 guard) and Curtis Leslie (6-5 forward) from Brooklyn (NY) Grady HS and Lanval Gordon (6-1 guard) from Bronx (NY) Covenant Academy. Leslie averaged 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds with 6 games over 20 points, including his season-high of 26 points in a 92-80 loss to #1 seed Citrus on 1/23. Gordon also had his season-high against Citrus, hitting for 19 points in a 95-76 loss on 2/16. Gordon averaged 7.5 ppg. for the season while Thompson added 4.8 ppg.
Among the New Yorkers whose team failed to make the postseason:
Johnny Barnes, a 6-6 soph forward out of Queens (NY) Bryant HS, who averaged 18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds for San Bernardino (13-15). Barnes recorded 9 double-doubles this season, including a 35-point, 22-rebound explosion in a 95-78 loss to Los Angeles Valley on 11/24. He also dropped 34 points in an 88-74 setback to East Los Angeles, and reached double digits in scoring in 25 of his team's 28 games.
Alden Gibbs, a 6-3 freshman guard from Brooklyn (NY) Canarsie HS, had averages of 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.5 steals for Siskiyous (9-20). He recorded 3 double-doubles with a high game of 25 points in an 83-71 defeat by Butte on 2/6.
Southwestern finished just 13-16 despite receiving solid contributions from a pair of sophomore forwards from Queens. Campus Magnet's 6-5 Rondu Stevens had 7 games over 20 points while averaging a team-high 15.0 ppg. His season-high was 26 points in an 83-70 loss to San Diego Mesa on 2/20. Gilbert started slowly this season but achieved his season-highs in the last month: 20 points in a 69-65 loss to MiraCosta on 2/13 and 13 rebounds in a 55-45 win over Grossmont on 2/9. His season averages were 8.8 points and a team-high 8.5 boards.
Kerel Mitchell, a 6-1 freshman guard from Brooklyn (NY) Erasmus HS, had a dream game for Merritt (15-15) on 11/30 when he was perfect from the floor while netting 22 points in an 83-75 setback to Reedley. Mitchell made all seven of his field-goal attempts (including two threes) and was 6-of-6 from the foul line. He averaged 6.3 ppg. over the full season.
The New Yorker who made the biggest impact in the state this season was Kevin Menner, who led Ventura to its seventh straight Western States Conference-North crown while compiling a 25-6 mark and a #4 seed in the upcoming state playoffs. Menner, a 6-6 swingman from Brooklyn (NY) Lincoln HS, was third in the state and first among the freshman class in scoring with 23.5 ppg. He passed the 30-point mark 7 times this season: 38 vs. Bakersfield (129-126 win) on 11/9, 30 vs. Mt. San Jacinto (91-86 win) on 12/16, 33 vs. Cuesta (86-69 win) on 1/9, 32 vs. Moorpark (104-89 win) on 1/19, 34 vs. Hancock (124-80 win) on 1/30, 36 vs. Los Angeles Pierce (87-66 win) on 2/6 and 39 vs. Hancock (87-78 win) on 2/23. The Pirates will also be counting on 6-3 soph guard Prince Abidoye out of Brooklyn (NY) Midwood HS, who averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists with a game-high of 17 points against Oxnard on 2/20.
Fresno (28-7) captured the Central Valley Conference title and a #2 seed with a balanced scoring attack that included Bronx (NY) Regionals Kenya Edwards, who averaged 8.5 ppg. while reaching double digits 13 times, including a high of 17 points in a 96-93 victory over Bakersfield on 11/25.
Derrick Langley, a 6-6 freshman forward from Brooklyn (NY) Robeson HS, is a member of Foothill Conference Champion Mt. San Jacinto (26-6), who earned a #5 seed. Langley, who made 62.5% of his field-goal attempts, had his best outing in a 12/4 game against Palomar when he compiled 20 points and 8 rebounds in an 87-76 victory.
Los Angeles City (24-8), the South Coast-North runnersup and #8 seed, received 12.8 ppg. from Scott Sterling, a 6-2 guard from Bronx (NY) Regional HS. Sterling dropped a season-high 31 points in a first-place showdown with eventual champ Los Angeles Trade Tech, which pulled out a 97-94 decision on 1/25. He also drained 7 threes and scored 23 points in a 77-74 triumph over Santa Ana on 12/7.
Gary Felices, a 6-1 sophomore guard from North Bergen (NJ) HS, shot 52% from the floor while averaging 8.8 points for Bakersfield (19-14), who finished second in the Western States-South Conference and received a #12 seed. Felices had a team-high 19 points in a 115-110 overtime loss to conference champion and #1 seed Citrus (30-1) on 1/30.
Los Angeles Valley (17-11) received a #13 seed behind the efforts of Shaun Johnson, a 6-7 soph forward from Newark (NJ). Johnson averaged a double-double of 16.5 points and 10.1 rebounds. Among his standout performances were: 23 points, 8 rebounds and 8 blocks in an 87-85 decision over Moorpark on 11/23; 21 points and 16 rebounds in an 86-75 win over Long Beach on 12/28; and 21 points and 16 boards in an 81-79 loss to Canyons on 2/16.
Glendale (16-15) got contributions from three freshman New Yorkers while getting in as the #18 seed: Tyief Thompson (6-1 guard) and Curtis Leslie (6-5 forward) from Brooklyn (NY) Grady HS and Lanval Gordon (6-1 guard) from Bronx (NY) Covenant Academy. Leslie averaged 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds with 6 games over 20 points, including his season-high of 26 points in a 92-80 loss to #1 seed Citrus on 1/23. Gordon also had his season-high against Citrus, hitting for 19 points in a 95-76 loss on 2/16. Gordon averaged 7.5 ppg. for the season while Thompson added 4.8 ppg.
Among the New Yorkers whose team failed to make the postseason:
Johnny Barnes, a 6-6 soph forward out of Queens (NY) Bryant HS, who averaged 18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds for San Bernardino (13-15). Barnes recorded 9 double-doubles this season, including a 35-point, 22-rebound explosion in a 95-78 loss to Los Angeles Valley on 11/24. He also dropped 34 points in an 88-74 setback to East Los Angeles, and reached double digits in scoring in 25 of his team's 28 games.
Alden Gibbs, a 6-3 freshman guard from Brooklyn (NY) Canarsie HS, had averages of 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.5 steals for Siskiyous (9-20). He recorded 3 double-doubles with a high game of 25 points in an 83-71 defeat by Butte on 2/6.
Southwestern finished just 13-16 despite receiving solid contributions from a pair of sophomore forwards from Queens. Campus Magnet's 6-5 Rondu Stevens had 7 games over 20 points while averaging a team-high 15.0 ppg. His season-high was 26 points in an 83-70 loss to San Diego Mesa on 2/20. Gilbert started slowly this season but achieved his season-highs in the last month: 20 points in a 69-65 loss to MiraCosta on 2/13 and 13 rebounds in a 55-45 win over Grossmont on 2/9. His season averages were 8.8 points and a team-high 8.5 boards.
Kerel Mitchell, a 6-1 freshman guard from Brooklyn (NY) Erasmus HS, had a dream game for Merritt (15-15) on 11/30 when he was perfect from the floor while netting 22 points in an 83-75 setback to Reedley. Mitchell made all seven of his field-goal attempts (including two threes) and was 6-of-6 from the foul line. He averaged 6.3 ppg. over the full season.
