Bulldogs to win WSN
Allan Hancock (18-11, 8-4): Last season, the Bulldogs got off to a slow start as Allan Hancock started off their 22-23 season losing four of their first five games. All four losses were teams that made the post season but it was not a start that the Bulldogs were happy having. Hancock followed that slow start winning seven of their next eight games and seemed like they had discovered the winning forumula. Hancock suffered one more loss in non conference action and finished non conference action with two more wins and finished non conference action with a 10-6 record as all of the Bulldogs losses were against teams that made the post season. In conference play, Allan Hancock started off hot winning their first five games before suffering a loss against Ventura. The Bulldogs finished the first half of conference 5-1 and were in the race of the conference championship. After picking up a win against Oxnard, the Bulldogs lost two straight games against Cuesta and Moorpark but finished the season winning two of their last three games to end the regular season with an 18-11 record and 8-4 in conference play. Hancock picked up a 17th seed going into the post season but the Bulldogs season ended after losing to West Los Angeles 74-73 in the 1st round of the playoffs.
Head Coach: Tyson Aye
2023-2024 Outlook: Coming into the new season, Allan Hancock will look to build off a solid 22-23 season. The Bulldogs have a lot of players to replace for the upcoming season as Hancock only returns one player from last season. The Bulldogs lost Caleb Whalen, Darryl Brooks, Quincy Bentley, Onias Outlaw, Vondre Chase, Kevin Kogbra and Collin Oestereich which accounted for over 50 points of their offense from a year ago. Allan Hancock does return a very good player as Taevon Pierre-Louis returns for his second season after a standout freshman season. The “6-6” forward is one of the most versatile players in the state and the sophomore averaged 16.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Pierre-Louis is expected to have another stellar season coming into the new season.
Newcomers: Allan Hancock has plenty of newcomers for the upcoming season. The Bulldogs have put together a solid team full of versatility, size and although Hancock does not return a lot, they have some pieces that could put them a very good position this season. “6-9” Noah Haaland returns for his sophomore season after redshirting last season. Haaland is talented and will provide depth in the front court. “6-5” Assad Madassalia (Porterville JC), “6-3” Mylo Santos (Porterville JC), “6-6” Jaden Pena (Porterville JC), “6-5” Jaren Johnson (Virgin Islands), and “6-4” D’Ante Quinlan (Herlamer College) are all coming into the program as sophomores. “6-2” Riley Real (Australia), “6-5” Messiah Darden-Bright (Adlai Stevenson, NY), “and 6-7” Ay-Keen Richardson (Manor, Germany).
Projection: Allan Hancock lost a lot of pieces but Allan Hancock is a very talented team that has a chance to be really good this season. The Bulldogs have brought in a great class and Allan Hancock will be a standout team in the state this upcoming season. Hancock is very versatile at the defensive end of the floor and have size and plenty of athleticism. We project that Hancock will win the Western State North Conference and the Bulldogs have a chance to make a deep post season run with the talent that they have for the 2023-2024 season.
Season Opener: 11/4 @ Hartnell
Ventura (23-7, 10-2): Last season was a solid season for the Pirates, but Ventura had a slow start last season. After a season opening loss against Saddleback, Ventura struggled to find the win column as the Pirates went 3-2 in their next five games and struggled to a 3-3 start. The Pirates caught fire the rest of the non conference schedule and went 9-1 and picked up wins against Porterville, LA Southwest, Pasadena, Saddleback and Mt. San Jacinto. In conference play, Ventura ran off two straight victories to start, but had a set back against Moorpark. Ventura won their next four games before losing to Cuesta which was their last loss in conference play. Ventura won their last four games of conference play and finished with a 10-2 record and brought home the conference championship. Ventura went into the post season as the 7th seed and picked up 2nd round win over Santiago Canyon after having a first round bye. In the sweet sixteen the Pirates suffered a season ending loss against 2nd seeded Citrus 96-93 in overtime. Ventura finished their 22-23 season with a 23-7 record and were an elite team in Southern California.
Head Coach: Alonzo McCain
2023-2024 outlook: As the new season approaches the Pirates will have a lot of pieces to replace after a successful season. Ventura has to replace three guys that averaged in double figures in Adrian McIntyre, Marcus Watson and Anthony Garza and also four key contributors (Daniel Crocker, Kordell Gordon, Tony Njia and Aaron Dawoodjee). The Pirates also lost one of the better coaches in California and had to replace Joey Ramirez. As for the season in front of them, Ventura returns two players from last season as “6-5” Kai Johnson returns for his sophomore season. Johnson averaged 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds last season for the Pirates. Johnson is expected to have a standout season as the sophomore is a smooth scorer and will be a standout for the Pirates. “6-9” Caleb Geisendorfer returns to the team as well as the forward averaged 3.6 points last season for the Pirates. Geisendorfer should have better numbers this season for the Pirates.
Newcomers: Ventura will have a lot of new faces on the sidelines for the upcoming season. Alonzo McCain has taken over the program and he has some pieces to be successful for the upcoming season. “6-2” Stacy Johnson is back after redshirting a year ago, “6-7” Caleb Gilbert (UC Merced), “6-4” Tomi Stevens (Pacific Lutheran), “6-0” Carter Alexander, and “6-8” Derrick Young will be sophomores and provide experience to the program. “5-10” Vernon Henry (PHH Prep), “6-4” Rick Djouwe (International school of Cameroon), “6-5” Mckayle McCoy (Roosevelt), “6-2” Reese Widerburg (Oxnard) and “6-0” Blake Berry (Virginia Academy) are all going to be freshmen coming into the program.
Projection: Ventura comes into the new season with a lot of pieces to replace in the 23-24 season. The Pirates have a new coach on the sideline and only return two players from a year ago. Ventura has some talent but have still have a lot of unknown about the team. The Pirates should still be a standout team but will they be able to stay on top of the conference with the emergence of Allan Hancock. We project the Pirates will challenge in the upper half of the conference and we have them projected finishing 3rd place in the Western State North Conference.
Season Opener: 11/2 vs Riverside
Cuesta (15-14, 6-6): Last season the Cougars struggled to find consistency but found a way to get it done when it mattered the most. After a slow start in which Cuesta lost two of their first three games, Cuesta continued to go back and forth in the win column but managed to put enough wins together to keep their post season hopes alive. Cuesta finished 9-8 in non conference action and seven of those losses were against teams that would eventually make the post season and the Cougars picked up wins against Gavilan, West Hills Lemoore and a very good Chabot team in non conference play. In conference play, Cuesta started off action not as they wanted as the Cougars lost their first five games of conference action and it looked as if the Cougars were not going to make the post season. Cuesta won six of their last seven games of the season with their lone loss coming against Moorpark and finished conference action with a 6-6 record. The late hot streak put the Cougars into the post season and Cuesta earned a 22nd seed in the playoffs. Cuesta ended up losing in the first round to Mt. San Jacinto 89-72 and the Cougars finished the 22-23 season with a 15-14 overall record.
Head Coach: Rusty Blair
2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season Cuesta will have a lot of pieces to replace as the new season approaches. The Cougars lost three players that averaged in double figures (Aaron Russell, Mason Romano and Juani Dassie) which they will miss a lot. Dassie made over one hundred three pointers last season and Russell and Romano were consistent scorers throughout the season. The Cougars are only returning three players from last seasons team so there is a lot of turnover from last seasons team that won 15 games. Leading the list of returners is the sharpshooting “6-4” Drew Ardouin. If people do not know about this shooter, they will after this season as the sophomore averaged 18.5 points per game last season. Ardouin is one of the best shooters in the state as the sophomore made 102 three pointers last season at a 44% clip. “6-1” Javon Jordan (3.7 points) and “6-8” Nacho Diaz (0.8 points) return to the team for the upcoming season.
Newcomers: The Cougars will have a lot of new faces on their sideline for the upcoming season. “6-0” Jayden Ares (Valencia), “6-1” Jeffrey Bujan (Florida), “6-3” Luis Cerueira (Portugal), “6-3” Yash Patel (Righetti), “6-3” Jake Verschoyle (Ireland) will all look to contribute in the back court. “6-10” Malik Bailey (Morro Bay), “6-5” Angel Castellanos (Spain), “6-7” Tyler Maveety (Granite Bay), “7-0” Ryan Vischer (Arizona), “6-7” Ethan Walker (Georgia) are all coming into the program for the Cougars for the upcoming season.
Projection: Cuesta does not return a lot of pieces but coach Blair and company have brought in some solid pieces to be very competitive for the upcoming season. The Cougars brought in some international flavor, a lot of size and some quality guards that move the needle. Cuesta will be a team to watch this season and a dark horse to win the conference this upcoming season. We project the Cougars to have a solid season and finish in 4th place but it wont surprise us if the Cougars finish higher in the standings as the 23-24 season approaches.
Season Opener: 11/2 @ West Hills Lemoore
Moorpark (17-12, 9-3): After losing two of their first three games, Moorpark caught fire and won four straight games and were 5-2 in their firsts seven games (losses against Fullerton and Saddleback). Moorpark continue to play solid basketball but struggled finding the win column consistently and finished non conference action with a 8-8 record and on the bubble. The Raiders had faced a tough schedule as six of their eight losses were against teams that made the post season. In conference play, the Raiders started off slow and got off to a 2-2 start but suffered a surprise loss against Santa Barbara but knocked off Ventura and finished the first half of conference play with a 4-2 record. In the second half of conference, Moorpark played their best basketball of the season and played their way into the post season winning five of their last six games and finished conference play with a 9-3 record and with a overall record of 17-11. The Raiders received a post season bid and seeded 22nd but suffered a season ending loss against Mt. San Jacinto in the first round of the playoffs.
Head Coach: Keith Higgins
2023-2024 outlook: The Raiders come into the season as a team that could make some noise this season. Moorpark lost three pieces from last season in Justin Stanziano, Angel Hammer and Ben Condra but return some key pieces from a year ago. Moorpark returns five players from last season including “5-11” Jack Benyshek who averaged 13.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. “6-1” Jermiah Windham returns to the team as well after averaging 13.2 points per game and those numbers should increase for the upcoming season. “6-7” Jamal Unuakhalu is another piece to the puzzle as the forward is a very talented forward that four year schools should be on after averaging 7.2 points and 8.6 rebounds last season. “6-1” Clark Holden (5.7 points) and “6-5” Mark Hamilton (6 games) are back and will provide sophomore experience.
Newcomers: The Raiders will welcome in some talented newcomers and Moorpark will be a very competitive team this upcoming season. “6-3” Chase Aronowitz (Camarillo), “5-11” Avi Halpert (Shalevet), “5-9” Jordan Torres (Camarillo), “6-8” Dylan Hoyt (Viewpoint), “6-2” Lucas Fenske (Moorpark), “6-8” Thomas Hanna (Bellflower) will all look to contribute this season for the Raiders.
Projection: Moorpark continues to improve each season and we do not see that changing this season either. The Raiders have some talented pieces coming back and Coach Higgins does a great job recruiting and puts his players in great positions to succeed. Moorpark will be highly competitive and will be contending in the upper half of the conference and for a playoff spot this upcoming season. We project the Raiders to finish in 2nd place in the Western State North Conference for the 23-24 season.
Season Opener: 11/2 vs Cerro Coso
Santa Barbara (11-17, 6-6): Last season the Vaqueros got off to a slow start to their season as Santa Barbara lost eight of their first nine games with their lone win coming against Bakersfield. Six of those losses were against teams that made the post season but it was a very tough start to the season. Santa Barbara went 4-3 in their remaining non conference games and finished non conference action with a 5-11 record. In conference action, the Vaqueros started off great winning their first two games but then suffered back to back defeats against Ventura and Allan Hancock and finished the first half of conference play with wins over Cuesta and Oxnard. Santa Barbara finished the first half of conference play with a 4-2 record but struggled in the 2nd half of conference action. The Vaqueros lost two of their last three games and finished conference action with a 6-6 record and finished the regular season with a 11-17 record.
Head Coach: Devin Egenbretsen
2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season Santa Barbara will look to have a better season than last year. The Vaqueros made an improvement and will look to continue the upward trend in the win column. Santa Barbara will have to replace four players from last season as Wilfrid Nado, Elijah Simpson, Jaelen Bates, and Trevor Lee are gone to graduation. Nado averaged 12.2 points per game and was a standout for the Vaqueros the past two seasons. Santa Barbara will return three players from last seasons team including “6-8” Aidan Mandel. The sophomore averaged 18.9 points and 9.2 rebounds in his freshman season and is expected to have another standout season. “6-1” Truman Teuber (4.7 points), and “6-2” Tyler Williams (5.1 points) returns for their sophomore seasons.
Newcomers: The Vaqueros will have some new faces that will look to contribute this upcoming season. “5-11” Isaiah Hicks returns to the team after sitting out last season. “6-2” Ethan Boness (Ponderosa), “6-3” David Coniglio (West Ranch), “6-5” Evan David (Tracy), “6-8” Max Marquez (Redwood), “6-6” William Pace (San Marcos), “6-2” Nick Tjaden (Saratoga) and “6-9” Fray Villalta-Guevara (Hanford) are all coming into the program and will look to have solid first seasons for the Vaqueros.
Projection: Santa Barbara will look to make a jump in the standings for the 23-24 season but do they have enough to make that jump? Mandel is a player that could average a double double and the Vaqueros have added some front court size. Santa Barbara looks like they will be fairly competitive and could finish in the middle of the pack for the upcoming season. We project the Vaqueros will finish in 5th place for the upcoming 23-24 campaign.
Season Opener: 11/1 vs El Camino
Los Angeles Pierce (1-27, 1-11): Last season was a season to forget for the Brahmas as as Los Angeles Pierce struggled throughout the 22-23 season. Los Angeles Pierce had trouble finding the win column and putting the ball in the basket throughout non conference. In non conference action, the Brahmas failed to pick up a win and finished with an 0-16 record. In conference play, it did not get much better as Los Angeles Pierce lost their first ten games in conference play before knocking off Oxnard and picking up their lone win in the 22-23 season. The Brahmas lost their last game of the season and finished with a 1-27 overall record and finished with a 1-11 record in Western State North Conference action.
Head Coach: Charles White
2023-2024 outlook: The Brahmas will look to have a better season than the year before after winning one game last season. Los Angeles Pierce comes into the new season losing three players that averaged in double figures a year ago. Kendrick Alexander, Gabe Abbott and Jayson Moore all averaged double figures last season. The Brahmas will return four players from last seasons team as “6-0” Isiah Salim comes back after averaging 4.5 points per contest his freshman season. “6-4” Domonic Williams (2.6 points), “6-1” Jaden Williams (1.2 points) and “6-3” Nima Monsouri (1.8 points) are back for their sophomore seasons. Los Angeles Pierce does return four players but the players returning did not see significant minutes in their freshmen seasons.
Newcomers: The Brahmas have a lot of newcomers coming into the new season, leading the list of newcomers is “6-5” GD Deng who redshirted a year ago. The guard from Iowa should make an immediate impact and should have a solid season for the Brahmas. “6-4” Christian Key, “6-4” Jamarie Baily (Cleveland), “6-3” Kameron Brown (Sylmar), “6-2” Petey Gbenle (Watson, GA), “6-1” Wayne Black (Miami), “6-3” Jaden Smith (Village Christian), and “6-4” Douglas Mensa (Ghana) will look to contribute for Los Angeles Pierce.
Projection: Los Angeles Pierce will and should be better than the year before. The Brahmas will be undersized and could struggle against bigger teams but have some quality guards on their roster for the upcoming season. Los Angeles Pierce will have be competitive but with that being said, we project them finishing in the lower half of the conference standings and project them finishing in 6th place in the Western State North Conference.
Season Opener: 11/1 vs Cerro Coso
Oxnard (6-19, 2-10): Last season, the Condors struggled and could not find the win column on a consistent basis. After picking up a season opening victory over Barstow, the Condors lost their next two games before knocking off Los Angeles Valley to even out their record at 2-2. Oxnard lost seven of their next nine games and finished non conference action with a 4-9 record and needed to win multiple games to have a shot at making the post season. In conference action, after two straight losses, the Condors picked up a win against Cuesta but struggled the rest of the first half of conference and finished the first half of conference with a 2-4 record. The Condors struggled the rest of conference play and finished out the regular season losing seven straight games and all six in the 2nd half of conference play. Oxnard finished the 22-23 season with a 6-19 record and did not make the post season.
Head Coach: Ron McClurkin
2023-2024 outlook: The Condors come into the season having to replace three players that averaged in double figures from a year ago. Aries Vega, Ivan Barrocio and James Webster moved on as well as Anthony Juarez. Webster is going to be tough to replace as the wing averaged 22.6 points per contest and had been one of the elite scorers in the state for the past two seasons. Oxnard does have four playeres coming back from last seasons team as “6-3” Chris Alfaro (12 games), “6-0″ Noah Del Rio Sanchez (3.0 points), ” 6-0″ Syian Sweat and “6-7” Rashaan Rucker (3.3 points) all come back to the Condors for the upcoming season. It will be intriguing to see who will take over the scoring abilities on a consistent basis moving into the new season.
Newcomers: Oxnard will welcome in many new faces to the program as the season approaches. “6-3” Daniel Ortiz (Buena), “6-3” Davari Davis (Mount Vernon), “6-4” Isaac Means (Camarillo), “6-4” Jacob Mora (Rio Mesa), “6-5” Robbie Shulze (Draper APA), “6-3” Isaiah Mercado (Buena) and Theo Briscoe (Pacifica) are freshmen listed on the jamboree roster that could contribute this upcoming season. The Condors have a lot of new faces and time will tell who will take over as a main option in the offense.
Projection: The Condors will look for their go to guy and search for their identity coming into the new season as no returner averaged over 4 points per game last season. Oxnard has a lot of new faces but lacks front court depth and size. With the upper half of the conference having a lot of size, it could hurt the Condors from having the year that they want. We project Oxnard to finish in the lower half of the conference and we have them finishing in 7th place for the 23-24 season.
Season Opener: 11/3 @ Cuyamaca
2023-2024 Signal The Light Basketball Western State North Conference Preview
1. Allan Hancock
2. Moorpark
3. Ventura
4. Cuesta
5. Santa Barbara
6. Los Angeles Pierce
7. Oxnard
