Huskies favored in South Coast North
East Los Angeles (27-4, 8-0): Last season the Huskies were one of the best teams in the state right from the jump. East Los Angeles started the season winning four of their first five games and continue to be a dominant team in the state throughout the non conference part of their schedule. After losing to Fullerton on December 2, the Huskies won eleven straight games before having a set back against Los Angeles Harbor. East Los Angeles finished the non conference part of their schedule with a 16-3 record. As conference rolled around, East Los Angeles cruised to an undefeated record and finished the regular season with a 24-3 record. The Huskies were seeded 3rd in the post season, picked up a 2nd round win against Riverside, followed that up with a win against Los Angeles Harbor and found themselves in the Elite Eight in Lemoore, California. In the elite eight, the Huskies knocked off San Jose 76-70 but lost to Fullerton 75-63 to end their 2022-2023 season with a 27-4 record.
2023-2024 outlook: After another successful campaign the Huskies will look to be a standout team in the state of California. East Los Angeles continues to be a house hold name in the state, and the Huskies come into the season with a lot of pieces to replace from last seasons Final Four team. East Los Angeles lost Noel Scott, Demetrius Calip, JT Langstson, Jon Sanders, Corey Cofield, Tyrelle Hunt, Christian Oliver which accounted for 68 points of their offense from a year ago. The Huskies are a team that does not rebuild, they are in a term we like to use called reload. Coming into the new season the Huskies return “6-7” Greg Melvin from last seasons team and plenty of redshirts but Melvin is the lone returner that saw significant minutes from a year ago. Melvin averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a year ago and the sophomore is ready to have another solid season after playing well last season for the Huskies. “6-3” Jermiah Calhoun who played in 13 games is back, “6-7” Eli Cofield (16 games), “5-8” Hassan Hughey (17 games) are all back as well for the Huskies in the 23-24 upcoming season.
Newcomers: The Huskies welcome back plenty of redshirts who have been on the court before for the Huskies and other players that will contribute this upcoming season. “6-6” Shemar Morrow and “6-6” Justin Haynes and “6-6” Brandon Wilson are back to the Huskies after sitting out last season. East Los Angeles will welcome in Javion Langston (MiraCosta JC 7.8 points), “6-7” Baker Beal (Fort Scott CC 10. points), and “6-6” Jalai O’Keith (Central Washington University) as all three will provide sophomore experience and look to contribute this upcoming season. “6-5” Daniel Michelini-Jackson (Lawndale) is an incoming freshman that has a tremendous upside. “6-8″and skilled Dylan Godfrey (Pacifica Christian), “6-0” Kamren Williams (AOSS Prep), and “6-6” Ryan Ellis (Notre Dame) will all look to contribute this season for the Huskies.
Projection: Coming into the new season when a team loses so much it is difficult to find themselves the following season. East Los Angeles is one of those teams that can have that happen but still get pieces in the following season and not lose a beat. The Huskies have been the team to beat within this conference and until its done how can you pick against them despite losing so much from a year ago. We project the Huskies will win the South Coast North and have another standout season as we expect East Los Angeles to make another run deep into the post season. Time will tell how the newcomers gel , but this is a talented group and a team to watch for the upcoming 2023-2024 season.
Season Opener: 11/10 vs Moorpark
Pasadena (22-9, 6-2): The Lancers are quickly becoming a standout program in Southern California and around the state. Pasadena started the season very slowly as the Lancers lost three of their first four games but those losses were all against teams that made the post season. The Lancers continued to improve throughout the season but struggled against teams that had winning records in non conference action. Pasadena continued to improve and by the time non conference action ended the Lancers held an eight game winning streak and a 14-6 record going into conference. Pasadena had picked up wins against Mt. San Jacinto, Los Angeles Southwest, Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach on their resume as conference rolled around. In conference action, Pasadena ran through the competition but could not get over the hump against East Los Angeles and finished conference action with a 6-2 record and finished in 2nd place in the South Coast North Conference. Pasadena went into the post season with the 12th seed in the Southern California post season and were matched up against Cerro Coso in the first round. Pasadena picked up the win over Cerro Coso and went into the second round matched up against 5th seeded San Diego Miramar. Pasadena picked up a road win over Miramar but their season was ended by 4th seeded San Bernardino in a very good game in which the Lancers lost 63-58. Pasadena finished the season with a 22-9 record and Coach Frazer and company had a solid 2022-2023 season.
2023-2024 Outlook: Pasadena will look to have another successful campaign after the Lancers put together 22 wins and came within one win of making the Elite Eight a year ago. The Lancers lost some key pieces from a year ago as Rande Haper, Jonathan Tchengang and Nigel Wilson are all gone after averaging in double figures last season. Point guard Jayden Winfrey has also moved on along with Jordan Flowers as both players had a role in the back court in the 22-23 season. Looking ahead, the Lancers do return five players from a year ago and leading the list of returners is “6-3” Myles Watkins. The sophomore guard is one of the best guards in the state and averaged 11.4 points per game in his freshman season. The guard is explosive as they come and can score the basketball in a variety of ways. “6-4” Deen Abdur-Rahmann also returns to the team after averaging 7.5 points per game. “5-10” sharpshooting Shant Chenorhavorian, “6-4” Brad’n Archer and “6-8” John Parmeter-Zapata also return and will all look to contribute this upcoming season.
Newcomers: Pasandena will look for a talented freshmen class to contribute this season. The Lancers have some talented freshmen as “6-5” Dylan Swillis (Central East HS) is a player to watch for Pasadena. The wing has tons of potential and will contribute this season for the Lancers. “6-3” Jalen Vazquez (Bishop Montgomery HS), “6-2” Barry Knight (Valley View), “6-5” Tyler Brunston (Alhambra, AZ), “6-5” Tijuan Lumpkin (Village Christian) and “6-7” Elijah Wade (John Muir HS) will also be freshmen this season that will contribute.
Projection: The Lancers lost some key pieces from a very good team from a year ago, but have some pieces in store that are capable of getting the job done by the time conference rolls around. Freshmen are tricky but at the end of the day, with Watkins, Rahmann and Chenorhavorian the Lancers have some nice back court pieces. Will they have enough size to get the job done this season but one thing we do know is that Ryan Frazer can coach his tail off and around post season this isnt a team that you want to play. We project the Lancers to finish in the upper half of the conference and make the post season in the 23-24 season.
Season Opener: 11/2 @ Santa Monica
Mt. San Antonio (11-16, 2-6): The Mounties had trouble finding the win column throughout the 22-23 season. After starting the season losing two of their first three games, Mt. San Antonio seemed to have found themselves and went on a three game winning streak and moved their record to 4-2. Mt. San Antonio went 5-8 the rest of the non conference schedule and finished 9-10 before conference started. In conference action, the Mounties lost three of their first four games and struggled throughout conference action. Mt. San Antonio finished conference play with a 2-6 record and an overall record of 11-16. Mt. San Antonio played a tough schedule and lost 11 of their 16 games against teams that made the post season. The Mounties missed the post season and will look to have a better upcoming 2023-2024 season.
2023-2024 Outlook: As the new season approaches, the Mounties will look to have an improved 23-24 season. Mt. San Antonio lost two players that averaged in double figures in Noah Laurie and Jay Milner, the Mounties also lost LJ McClain, Arturo Angeles and big man Matthew Brown from their 11 win team from a year ago. The Mounties do return two players that averaged in double figures in Mikah Gardner (11.9 points) and “6-5” Nick Hopkins (17.8 points). The forward led the team in scoring last season averaging 17.8 points and the second year player also pulled down 7.9 rebounds per contest. “6-4” Dante Victor (6.3 points) will also return to the Mounties for the 23-24 season.
Newcomers: Coming into the new season, the Mounties will welcome in a lot of new faces that will look to help the program for the upcoming season. “6-4” Marvel Chambers (Porterville JC), “6-0” Elijah Cirilo (Santiago Canyon JC), and “6-7” CJ Fisher (Cal State LA) will all provide sophomore experience to the team for the upcoming season. Fisher averaged 5.6 points at Cal State LA in 2019-2020 and should add size and versatility to the lineup for the Mounties. “6-9” Michael Ejumeta (Bella Vista Prep), “6-4” Jonathan McCullough (Hesperia HS), “6-5” Jerimiyah Smith (Rancho Cucamonga, “6-6” Joel Gado (Rancho Cucamonga), and “5-11” Ernest Love (Sonora HS) are all freshmen that will look to contribute for the upcoming season as first year players in the Mountie program.
Projection: As the upcoming season approaches, the Mounties will look to have an improved season after putting together 11 wins a year ago. Hopkins and Gardner return as both players averaged in double figures and Coach Fennison and company have brought in a solid recruiting class. We project that the Mounties will be a much improved team and compete in the upper half of the conference for the upcoming season and have them finishing in 3rd place in the South Coast North Conference.
Season Opener: 11/2 @ Citrus
Los Angeles Trade Tech (5-23, 2-6): Last season, the Beavers came into the season with very high expectations after a very good recruiting class and their was plenty of hype surrounding the program. Los Angeles Trade Tech brought it a solid recruiting class and it appeared that the Beavers were going to have a standout season. As the season got into full play, the Beavers started the season with five straight losses and never seemed to recover. Los Angeles Trade Tech struggled to find the win column throughout the non conference part of their schedule and finished non conference play with a 3-17 record. In conference play, the Beavers struggled to find the win column and finished conference action with a 2-6 record. It was a very disappointing season for a very talented team as the Beavers finished the 2022-2023 season with a 5-23 record.
2023-2024 outlook: The Beavers come into the season with some key pieces returning from last seasons team. There was a lot of hype before last seasons team and after a disappointing season, the Beavers have some pieces in place to be a highly competitive team within the South Coast North Conference. Los Angeles Trade Tech returns their top three scorers from last seasons team which had a lot of potential to win more games than they produced. The Beavers return “6-5” Roland McDougal from last seasons team as the wing led the team in scoring as a freshman averaging 16.2 points per contest. “6-3” Omari Ferguson (15.8 points) and “6-7” Devon Jainlett (12.9 points) both return to the lineup as well for the Beavers. “6-2” Yaniv Silvera (6.1 points) will stretch the floor and the Beavers have four solid pieces that are capable of scoring the basketball. Los Angeles Trade Tech has some very good returners which could make them a team to beat within the conference for the upcoming season.
Newcomers: The Beavers will welcome in a couple of transfers that will provide depth and sophomore experience to the program. “6-3” Jacquez Stoudemire (Minnesota West CC), “5-9” Romero Hutcherson and “6-7” Joshua Abrams (LA Valley) are older and will give the Beavers experience. “6-6” Ronnie Davis is another sophomore that will look to contribute for the upcoming season. “5-10” Johnathan Fields (West Philadelphia), “6-0” Jessiah Johnson (Highland Christian) and “5-10” Jerome Smith could contribute this season for the Beavers.
Projection: The Beavers have some pieces and could be a team that will surprise some people this season. Last season, there was a lot of hype in the preseason with this team but it is tough to not expect this team to be competitive as they have three players back that averaged in double figures. Los Angeles Trade Tech is a team that has the ability to play with anyone in the conference and are my sleeper team that could finish higher than what they are projected. We project the Beavers to finish in 4th place but have the ability to knock off anyone in the conference as well. Los Angeles Trade Tech could be a team that could flirt with a higher finish if the Beavers put it all together in the upcoming season.
Season Opener: 11/2 vs Middlesbrook Academy
Rio Hondo (6-22, 2-6): The Roadrunners had a tough time finding the win column last season after starting the season winning two of their first three games. After some early success, Rio Hondo struggled to find the win column after their win against Barstow, the Roadrunners lost 13 of their next 14 games and finished non conference action with a 4-16 record. In conference action, Rio Hondo picked up wins against Mt. San Antonio and Los Angeles Trade Tech but struggled against the rest of the conference and finished the South Coast North conference with a 2-6 record. Rio Hondo finished the 2022-2023 season with a 6-22 record and missed the post season.
2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season, Rio Hondo will return one player from last seasons team that won six games. The Roadrunners lost four players that averaged in double figures in Alwyn Saddler, Myles Jones, Sharodd Lewis and George Ashley and Max Morelli averaged 9.8 points per contest. The Roadrunners have a lot of pieces to replace coming into the new season. The lone returnee from the suad from a year ago is “6-2” Marcus Middleton who played in 15 games a year ago and averaged 5.9 points per contest. Rio Hondo does not have a lot of experience coming back from last season and it will time will tell who will step up and take on scoring responsibilities for the Roadrunners this upcoming season.
Newcomers: With only one piece coming back from a year ago, there will be many new faces wearing a Roadrunner uniform for the upcoming season. Rio Hondo will welcome in three transfers that will give the Roadrunners experience for the upcoming season. “6-1” Dejon Brown a transfer from Santa Ana will give the Roadrunners experience in the back court for the upcoming season. “6-2” Mike Bilal (Compton JC), and “6-3” Bryant Handley (Whittier College) will also be two other sophomores coming into the program. “6-2” James Barker (Corona Del Mar HS), “6-0” Colby Evans (Dominguez HS), “6-4” Akil Johnson (Helen Berstein), “6-5” Patrick Kongpol (West Covina), “6-0” Earnest Henderson (LB Jordan) will give the Roadrunners back court depth. “6-8” Porter Eason (Provo, UT), and Bryen Williams (LB Jordan) will provide some size to the Roadrunners. There will be plenty of new faces coming into the program and time will tell how the newcomers will play this upcoming season.
Projection: The Roadrunners come into the season as a team with not a lot of experience. Rio Hondo will look to have a competitive season after posting six wins last season. Rio Hondo has one player back from a year ago and have many unanswered questions when it comes to scoring, rebounding etc. Time will tell as the roles are defined but the Roadrunners could struggle against athleticism and size and with that being said we project the Roadrunners will finish in the lower half of the conference.
Season Opener: 11/2 vs San Diego
Los Angeles City (DNP): The Los Angeles City College program comes back to the scene after a long break in action. The Cubs did not participate last season and will welcome in a brand new team for the upcoming 2023-2024 season.
2023-2024 Outlook: The Cubs step back on the scene and will play their first season since 2009. Los Angeles City comes back after a 14 year break and the Cubs come into the season with a brand new team.
Newcomers: Los Angeles City will field a brand new team for the upcoming season as the Cubs welcome their program back. The Cubs have two sophomores listed for their upcoming season as “6-4” Chasen Stewart is a transfer from West Los Angeles College. Stewart looked to be one of the main scoring threats that the Cubs will have for the upcoming season. “6-2” Luke Olmstead a transfer from Columbia Bible College is another scoring option for the Cubs as the guard has the ability to stretch the floor and score the basketball in a variety of ways. “6-0” Makael Reynolds (Monrovia HS), “6-4” Devynn Higgins (Monrovia HS), “6-0” Caleb Shepherd (Gahr HS), and “6-0” Eli Westcott (Roybal HS) are expected to contribute as freshmen this season. “6-6” Alan Duarte (Monrovia HS) and “6-7” Donovan Harris (Elite Prep) are expected to get minutes in the front court for the Cubs.
Projection: The Cubs will look to have a competitive 23-24 season but Los Angeles City does not have a lot of experience for the upcoming season. Los Angeles City is stepping into a conference that has improved from top to bottom. It could be a struggle this season for the Cubs especially when they face teams that have size in the front court and experience is going to hurt them as well at times. We project the Cubs to finish at the bottom of the South Coast North conference for the upcoming 23-24 season.
Season Opener: 11/10 @ Los Angeles Pierce
2023-2024 Signal The Light Basketball South Coast North Conference Projection
1.East Los Angeles
2. Pasadena
3. Mt. San Antonio
4. Los Angeles Trade Tech
5. Rio Hondo
6. Los Angeles City
