Final exams ended on Friday, May 18 at Yavapai College and I thought it would be a good time to let everyone know how things are shaping up for our men's basketball program.
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Yavapai finished 20-10 on the season, but fell one game short of making the play-offs in the ACCAC. We had upsets during the year of then #2 ranked Arizona Western, #4 ranked Howard, #15 ranked Bismarck, # 11 ranked Scottsdale, #10 ranked South Mtn and top 20 ranked Phoenix. Although we missed the post season, which was our goal at the start of the year, I was very pleased that we competed as well as we did with only two sophomores in the line up. Junior college observers know that most good teams generally have more sophs than freshmen on the roster.
The future is bright at YC. Tom Whitehead, 6'7 ACCAC Freshmen of the Year (22 points, 8 rebounds), will return for another run, this time moving from the 4/5 position to shooting guard. He finished this season shooting 40% from the 3. Other returners who saw significant time include 6'4 Brandon Gentry (24 starts, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 40% 3FG), 6'0 Brock Entner (4 points, 3 assists, 79% FT), 6'2 Keith Wilson (12 starts, 11 points, 43% 3FG, missed final 18 games due to eligibility), 6'7 Dennis Booth (4 points, 3 rebounds, 53% FG) and 5'8 Vince Alvarado. Jon Black and Jesse Johns have both been cleared by doctors to return to the court following Achilles and ACL injuries, respectively. Both are 6'9 and can play the 3, 4 and 5 spots. Brett Miller and Roger Sharp have left the program for personal and family reasons and we wish them the best.
Entering as freshmen newcomers this fall will be four quality players who figure to immediately challenge the "veterans" for playing time. Most of you are familiar with Matt Coakley and Louis Barraza. These two dynamic guards combined for 52 wins as seniors, including a 5A semifinal run for the 6'4 Barraza and a 4A State Championship for the 5'10 Coakley. They are proven winners who also excel in the classroom. They play hard, play smart and can put a team on their shoulders and carry the load if need be.
The other two pleasant surprises to the program are 7'0 Tom Robinson and 6'6 Mychal Martinez. Robinson comes to Yavapai from Australia. Tom's father (an NAU grad) is American and is moving the family to Prescott to watch his son play for the Roughriders. Tom (a dual citizen - AUS and US) brings international experience, size and a sterling academic record to the states. Mychal is a 3-year varsity starter who has four straight Nevada 3A State Championships to his credit. He also was named the 3A Player of the Year twice. He can get it done in the classroom as well with a 3.5 GPA and a 1450 SAT. Mychal is the nephew of former NBA and University of Utah star Keith Van Horn.
Our two departing sophomores, Jeremy Brooks and Steve Hudson have signed NLI's to play for Western State College in Colorado. Coach Mike Moskowitz wants to a run a Princeton style offense and needed a couple guards with great instincts and a feel for the game. We are very happy for both of them. I am excited because I am a WSC Mountaineer alum! Sorry, I am not going to give the years and date myself. Suffice to say that when I was there, the three-point line did not exist!! Had the arc been in place, my scoring average probably would have gone from 2 to 3 points per game!!
I hope everyone has a restful and rejuvenating summer. I will keep Arizona Varsity readers appraised of any changes should they occur and look forward to writing about the Roughriders in the fall.
If you have further questions or know of a player who might be interested in our program, please feel free to contact me at the address below.