Pirates and Bulldogs look to be teams to beat
Last season the Western State North Conference was dominated by the Ventura as the Pirates finished the conference schedule with a 12-0 record. The Pirates were the team to beat and picked up 25 wins in the 2021-2022 season. Hancock had a solid season as the Bulldogs won 17 games but missed the post season. The rest of the teams within the conference missed the post season and no team within the conference finished with a winning record. Moving into the new season, this will be a much improved conference but we see this being a two team race for the top of the conference as Ventura and Allan Hancock appear to be the early season favorites coming into the 2022-2023 season.
2022-2023 Signal The Light Basketball Western State North Conference Projection
Ventura (25-3): The 2021-2022 Pirates had a standout season and were one of the best teams in Southern California last season. Ventura started off the season winning their first 12 games of the season before losing back to back games in the middle of December. Following the back to back losses, the Pirates went on to win 13 straight games and finish off the regular season with a 25-2 record. Ventura went undefeated in conference play and brought home the Western State North Conference title. The Pirates went into the post season as the 8th seed but suffered a home loss against Citrus in the 2nd round to end their season. As the new season approaches, the Pirates have seven players returning off last seasons team that won 25 games. “6-3” Adrian McIntyre returns for his sophomore season after the point guard averaged 20.8 points in his freshman campaign. The guard will be one of the best guards in the state and should have another standout season for the Pirates. “6-8” Anthony Garza is another standout returning to the team after averaging 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds last season. “6-2” Aaron Dawoodjee returns after averaging 3.8 points last season but his numbers aren’t what he does for this team. “6-9” Caleb Geisendorfer (3.0 points), “6-5” Kordell Gordon (3.9 points), “6-1” Max Kadlec, and “6-6” Michael Noulowe all return for the Pirates. “6-1” Tony Njia is a transfer coming in from Central Wyoming, “6-7” Joroe Bidlow (San Marcos), “6-5” Kai Johnson (Oxnard), and “6-1” Marcus Watson will look to have standout seasons for the Pirates for the 2022-2023 season.
Projection: Looking into the upcoming season, the Pirates will be a team that will look to make a deep post season run. Adrian McIntyre is one of the best guards in the state, and they return Garza in the middle which is huge for them. Dawoodjee is one of our favorite players as he makes winning basketball plays and is the key to the team. Watson is a very good freshman that will allow McIntyre off the ball and the Pirates have a pieces for the 2022-2023 season. We project that they have a good shot at winning the conference championship and are our favorites to win the Western State North Conference for the upcoming season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-3” Adrian McIntyre
Allan Hancock (17-10): Last season Allan Hancock had trouble in non conference finding consistency as injuries and Covid hit the Bulldogs heavy at times. As conference time rolled around, Hancock got rolling and found themselves in the thick of the Western State North Conference race. After losing to Moorpark early, the Bulldogs found themselves with a chance at a conference championship. The Bulldogs went on to lose two of their last three games to Ventura and ended up finishing 2nd in the conference and missing the post season in the 2021-2022 season. Hancock will welcome back three returners from last season as “6-6” Vondre Chase (10.0 points) per game returns for his sophomore season. “6-8” Noah Haaland (7.1 points and 4.4 rebounds) returns and will add versatility at both ends of the floor, and “6-9” Collin Oestereich will add depth to the front line for the Bulldogs. “6-1” Caleb Whalen will be in action after sitting out last season, “6-1” Tytan Newton (Transfer Panola CC), “6-4′ Onias Outlaw (Hostos CC), “6-1” Darryl Brooks (Cuesta JC), “6-7” Kevin Kogbara (Peoria, AZ), Pierre-Louis Taevon (Lorain, OH), “6-9” Cleevas Craig (Indiana) will all look to contribute on a very deep Bulldogs team.
Projection: Looking into the upcoming season, the Bulldogs will be a very good team. We really like their depth at each position and are a very physical team that will cause a lot of match up problems. Hancock has a lot of versatile players and plenty of people that can put the ball in the basket. The depth of this team will win them a lot of games and with that being said I feel they have a good chance to win the Western State North Conference and make a deep post season run in the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-7” Kevin Kogbara
Cuesta (13-15): Last season Cuesta had a very streaky season as the Cougars finished the season winning 13 games. At one point during the season, the Cougars had a six game losing streak and also had a five game winning streak. The Cougars finished off conference play with an 8-4 record and ended the season in 3rd place and missed the post season. Cuesta will return four players from last seasons team and will look to have a standout season. “6-5” Juani Dassie leads the list of returnees back for the upcoming season after averaging 11.0 points per contest in his freshman season. Dassie is a three point threat and brings good size at the wing position for the Cougars. “6-3” Kobe Pearson (10.7 points), “6-7” Moritz Schneider (6.6 points), and “6-3” Reumang Emagna (6.4 points) return for their sophomore campaign. “6-6” Mason Romano is a transfer from Central Connecticut State that is going to have an impact this season for the Cougars. Romano is a versatile player that is going to cause match up problems throughout the season. “6-3” Aaroun Russell is another transfer coming in from Central Connecticut State that adds depth to their back court. “6-3” Drew Ardouin (Atascadero HS) is a floor stretcher, “5-11” Nicholas DiGrazia (Australia), “6-7” Ignacio Diaz (Spain), “6-0” Jovan Jordan (Mountain View), “6-1” Luke Pardini (Hawaii), “6-3” Hayden Statz (Middleton, WI), and “6-7” Matthew Terry (Norwalk, CT) will look to contribute this season for the Cougars.
Projection: Cuesta is the dark horse of the conference and have a chance to make a post season appearance. The Cougars have some solid pieces and should not be overlooked this season as Romano will give them a player that has the ability to score the basketball and be a standout player in the state. Dassie and Pearson both averaged in double figures and coach Blair can coach with the best of them. We project a much improved team that will finish in 3rd place in the conference but this team will not be an easy win for the two teams projected above them in our projection for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-6” Mason Romano
Moorpark (13-15): The Raiders had an up and down season a year ago as Moorpark had a streaky 2021-2022. After a slow start, Moorpark caught fire and went 6-2 in their last non conference games and had momentum coming into conference action. The wins kept coming in their first five games in conference action as the Raiders went 4-1 but Moorpark hit the wall and lost seven straight games and ended conference play with a record of 5-7 and missed the post season. Coach Higgins and company come into the new season returning two players off last seasons team that won 13 games. “6-5” Ben Condra returns for his second season after averaging 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds last year. “5-10” Angel Hammer returns to the team after the guard averaged 11.5 points per game. Hammer is a very underrated guard that has the ability to break people down and knows how to get to his spots to be efficient. “6-5” Justin Stanziano is a transfer from California Lutheran University and will make an instant impact for the Raiders. “6-7” Jamaal Unuakhalu (Chatsworth HS) is going to impact the program as a freshman and he is bringing athleticism to the program and will be a player that will stand out in the conference. “6-1” Jeremiah Windham (Grant HS), “5-9” Austin Williams (St. Bernard HS), “6-0” Jack Beneshyak (Simi Valley HS), “6-6” Aaron Cortes (El Camino Real HS), “6-5” Mark Hamilton Jr (Golden Valley HS), “6-1” Clark Holden (El Camino Real HS), and “5-11” Tim Lopez (Chatsworth HS) will all look to contribute for the upcoming season.
Projection: Looking at Moorpark for the upcoming season, the Raiders will be a very competitive team that could another dark horse in the conference. Hammer is a great piece in the back court and Tim Lopez is coming into the program and has the ability to stretch the floor. Condra, Stanziano and Unuakhalu are all pieces to make this team competitive and can hold their own throughout within the conference. We really feel like this team has improved and have a chance to make a run at the post season. We project them for a 4th place finish but it would not shock us if we see them challenge teams at the top of the conference and make some noise.
STLB best college prospect: “6-7” Jamaal Unuakhalu
Los Angeles Pierce (12-16): The Brahmas had an inconsistent season a year ago and finished with a losing record. Los Angeles Pierce finished with 12 wins, and struggled in conference action as the Brahmas finished 3-9 and missed the post season. Moving forward, Los Angeles Pierce have five players that are returning to the program. “6-6” Gabe Abbott (6.9 points), “6-7” Daniel Boatwright (3.2 points), “6-3” Damani Lewis (4.1 points), “6-5” Hector Page (6.7 points), and “6-1” AJ Werner (2.3 points) all return for their sophomore seasons. “6-3” Jayson Moore, “6-5” GD Deng (Valley, Iowa), “6-6” Kendrick Alexander, “6-4” Keshawn Christian, “6-0” Isiah Salim and “6-2” Tyrese Windham will look to contribute to the program for the upcoming season.
Projection: Pierce will be an improved team for the upcoming season as the Brahmas have some solid pieces coming in for the upcoming season. The Brahmas are athletic and will look to have a better 2022-2023 season. GD Deng gives them size in their back court , Keshawn Christian brings athleticism and Abbott plays within himself and will bring experience to the table. We project Los Angeles Pierce to finish in the middle of the pack for the upcoming season and have them finishing 5th place for the upcoming season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-6” Gabe Abbott
Oxnard (7-15): The Condors will look to have a better 2022-2023 season than they did from the season before. Oxnard College struggled to find consistency and finished the season with a 7-15 record and finished conference action with a 3-9 record. As the new season looms around, Oxnard will return for players from last seasons team. “6-3” James Webster leads the list of newcomers into the new year as the sophomore comes back after averaging 24.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per season. Webster gets to the free throw line and was 9th in the state in total points scored in his freshman season. “5-9” Aries Vega returns to the lineup after averaging 9.6 points per contest. “6-4” Anthony Juarez (4.7 points) and “5-11” Billy Allmen (2.0 points) both return and will look to contribute in their second season. “6-0” Ivan Barrocio is transfer from The Redlands and will bring offense to the Condors. “6-5” Matthew Gonzales (Channel Islands), “6-1” Sawyer Heald (Lincoln), “6-5” Egor Omelnitskii is a floor stretcher, “6-6” Rashaan Rucker (Draper APA), and “6-6” AJ Asberry (Hueneme) will be freshman that could impact the program.
Projection: Oxnard will be an improved team from a year ago as the Condors have more depth this season. Webster gives them an elite scoring option and the addition of Ivan Barrocio will add additional depth to the back court. Juarez, Asberry and Rucker give the Condors length and it will help out in the rebounding area but Oxnard still lacks front line size against physical teams. We expect them to be improved but still have them finishing in the bottom half of the conference as we project the Condors to finish 6th place for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-3” James Webster
Santa Barbara (7-21): The Vaqueros struggled to find the win column last season and struggled in the 2021-2022 season. Santa Barbara went 7-21 and finished conference action with a 2-10 record and missed the post season. Coming into the new season, the Vaqueros will return five players from last seasons team. “5-11” Wilfrid Nado returns to the lineup after averaging 9.0 points per game last season, the sophomore will be a scoring threat for the upcoming season for the Vaqueros. “6-0” Elijah Simpson (8.2 points), “5-9” Jaelen Bates (4.3 points), “5-11” Trevor Lee, and “5-10” Daymrion Sears all will add sophomore experience to the Vaqueros this upcoming season. “6-4” Kaelin Powell (Hillsdale), “6-1” Truman Teuber (Summit), “6-4” Jonathan Wise (Hillsdale), “6-2” Zeke Kassner (Aragon) and “6-8” Aidan Mandel (San Marcos) will look to contribute this season.
Projection: Santa Barbara will look to stay competitive for the upcoming season after their seven win campaign a year ago. Nado and Simpson will have to up their scoring for the Vaqueros to stay competitive and we really like Aidan Mandel to step in and make an impact this season. The Vaqueros are thin up front and will struggle on the glass and against athleticism. We project that Santa Barbara will finish in the lower half of the conference and we have them projected to finish 7th in the 2022-2023 season.
STLB best college prospect: “6-8” Aidan Mandel
STLB Western State North 2022-2023 Preseason All Conference team
G: Adrian McIntyre (Ventura)
F: Noah Haaland (Allan Hancock)
G: James Webster (Oxnard)
F: Justin Stanziano (Moorpark)
F: Mason Romano (Cuesta)
F: Anthony Garza (Ventura)
F: Taevon Pierre-Louis (Hancock)
Other Standouts within the conference: Wilfrid Nado (Santa Barbara), Aidan Mandel (Santa Barbara), Ben Condra (Moorpark), Jamaal Unuakhalu (Moorpark), Angel Hammer (Moorpark), Collin Oestereich (Hancock), Caleb Whalen (Hancock), Vondre Chase (Hancock), Tytan Newton (Hancock), Onias Outlaw (Hancock), Darryl Brooks (Hancock), Juani Dassie (Cuesta), Kobe Pearson (Cuesta), Ivan Barrocio (Oxnard), Aaron Dawoodjee (Ventura) Marcus Watson (Ventura), Kevin Kogbara (Hancock)
STLB 2022-2023 Western State North Projection
1. Ventura
2. Allan Hancock
3. Cuesta
4. Moorpark
5. Los Angeles Pierce
6. Oxnard
7. Santa Barbara
