Knights look to win Pac Coast
San Diego (24-6, 14-2): The Knights got off to a solid start a year ago after winning seven of their first eight games of the season. San Diego continued to play solid basketball but suffered non conference losses against Fullerton, Allan Hancock and Citrus. San Diego finished non conference action with a 8-3 record and went into conference as one of the favorites to bring home the title. The Knights won their first three games in conference but had a setback against Palomar which ended up hurting them down the road. San Diego won six in a row but lost the Miramar and ended up finishing in 2nd place after going 14-2 in conference action. San Diego finished the regular season with a 23-5 record and picked up an 8th seed. The Knights knocked off Copper Mountain in the 2nd round but lost to top seeded Fullerton and finished their season with a 24-6 record.
Head Coach: Mitch Charlens
2023-2024 outlook: Coming into the new season, the Knights lost a lot of firepower from a year ago as San Diego lost six players from last seasons team that won 24 games and finished in 2nd place in the Pacific Coast Conference. Kailen Rains, Anthony Howell, Lorenzo Wright, Ben Todd, Anjay Cortez, and Riley Japhet-Gekas were lost due to graduation. The Knights did lose a lot but do return five players from last seasons team for the 23-24 season. “6-4” Al Green returns to the team after a standout freshman season. The Louisiana Tech commit averaged 14.4 points per game and is expected to have a big season for the Knights. “6-4” Logan Huston (5.6 points), “6-8” Denis Kamburov (2.2 points), “6-1” KJ Bradley (13 games), and “6-3” Keavie Love (4.6 points) are all back for the Knights and will provide sophomore experience as they have all improved for the upcoming season.
Newcomers: The Knights have some talented pieces coming into the program. “6-8” Alex Crawford comes into the program from Stetson University and will be one of the best players in the state. The athletic and skilled forward is expected to be a key piece for the Knights this season. “6-8” Dexter Stratton (CS Eastbay transfer), “6-5” Kevin Moore (Central State), “6-1” Sean Calloway will be sophomores and provide experience and depth this season. “6-2” Nick Strecker (Washington), “6-0” Kenny Gonzalez (Mater Dei) and “6-9” Dillon Cubit (Texas) is another player that will make a difference on both ends of the floor for the Knights in the 23-24 season.
Projection: The Knights come into the 23-24 season as a standout team in the state. There is no secret what the Knights are trying to accomplish and it is no secret that San Diego has the talent to do it. San Diego is one of the most the talented teams in the state and have a chance to do something special this season. The Knights have athleticism, length, defensive versatility, and many other intangibles that lead to being a great team. With all those things being said, we project San Diego to win the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference and make a deep run into the post season as the season is right around the corner.
Season Opener: 11/2 vs Rio Hondo
Palomar (18-10, 10-6): Last season, the Comets got off to a hot start as Palomar won five of their first six games of the season. The Comets played solid basketball but had a little slippage and finished off non conference action with a 3-3 record and went 8-4 in non conference action overall. In conference action, Palomar won three of their first four games before having a set back against Southwestern. The Comets went 3-1 in their next four games and finished the first half of conference with a 6-2 record before picking up another win over Cuyamaca. The Comets to play solid basketball but faltered late and lost three of their last four games and finished conference play with a 10-6 record. Palomar finished with an 18-10 record but the late stumbled may have kept the Comets out of the post season.
Head Coach: Ivan Patterson
2023-2024 outlook: After missing the post season the Comets will look to make a push to make the post season this upcoming season. Palomar lost a lot of key pieces from a year ago and will have to replace seven players from last seasons team. Three of those players scored in double figures in Andrew Milot, Chad Robinson and Ciro Baeza as all three will be tough to replace. Trevor McNabb, Clyde Harris, Nathaniel Washington and Mickey Chew were all lost to graduation as well for the upcoming season. Palomar will return two players from a year ago as “5-10” Adam Sevier averaged 13.2 points per game and will be a standout in the back court for the Comets. “6-8” Kryztian Walton will return to the front court after averaging 9.8 points and 6.9 rebounds last season for the Comets.
Newcomers: Palomar will welcome in plenty of new pieces to the squad for the 23-24 season. “6-5” Joe Ogebor returns after redshirting last season, “6-4” Thomas Marcus, “6-0” Spivey Word (Lincoln Trail), “5-11” Brandon Andrews (Howard CC), “6-5” Zach Reiter (Southwestern), “6-5” Simon Creel, “6-4” Jaden Mathis and “6-1” Beni Mokili are all sophomores and could be key for the Comets this season. “6-5” Tore Gray (Elsinore), “6-5” Life Wade (Mira Mesa), “6-3” Micheal Clarke (North East) and “6-2” Jason Ezeaiugwu (Frisco Lonestar) are freshmen that could contribute for the Comets.
Projection: The Comets will have a lot of experience coming into the program but the question will how they mesh together as Palomar only return two players from last seasons team. The Comets lost a lot of pieces but experience will be key especially early in the season. Walton and Sevier are talented and time will show how the others mesh and who will accept the roles will determine how good this team can be. We project the Comets to finish in the upper half of the conference and we have them finishing in 3rd place for the 2023-2024 season.
Season Opener: 11/1 @ Mt. San Jacinto
San Diego Miarmar (25-4, 15-1): The Jets continue to be one of the standout teams in Southern California and for some reason continue to fly under the radar. Coach Gehler and company continue to win games and last season was not any different. The Jets won their first five games of the season before having a hiccup against Orange Coast but following that loss, San Diego Miramar went 4-1 in their remaining non conference games and finished 10-2 before conference started. In conference action, the Jets won their first three games before losing to San Diego. Following that loss, the Jets ran the table within the conference and finished the regular season with a 10 game winning streak including a huge win over San Diego in the rematch of a game they had lost earlier in the conference action. Miramar finished conferencde play with a 15-1 record and brought home the conferencde championship. The Jets finished with an overall record of 25-3 and picked up the 5th seed in the playoffs. After the first round bye, the Jets were upended at home against Pasadena and their 2022-2023 season was cut short after the loss. Miramar finished the season with a 25-4 record and will look to have another solid season for the upcoming season.
Head Coach: Nick Gehler
2023-2024 outlook: The Jets will enter the season with some questions about repeating as champions in the Pacific Coast Conference. Miramar lost four players from a year ago and the Jets have to find a way to replace Alex Mirhosseini, Jakob Milling, Jake Elfstrom and Jaume Arnal from last seasons team. Milling and his versatility will be tough to replace but the Jets do return six players from last seasons squad that will be looking to have bigger roles coming into the new year. “6-2” sharp shooter Mike Batchelor returns for his sophomore season after averaging 15.3 points per contest. The sophomore will look to have another standout season after scorching the nets from downtown last season. “6-3” Gaeb Perry (7.1 points), “6-1” Robert Ligayon (4.3 points), “6-5” Elijah Randall (2.5 points), “6-2” Phal Chuol (1.4 points) and “6-7” Prince Adejei (2.9 points) will provide depth in the front court for the Jets. Losing two double digit scorers hurt but the Jets still have some pieces in store to be successful for the upcoming season.
Newcomers: The Jets will have some new faces on the sidelines like many others within the state. “6-1” Markees Williams adds some sophomore experience to the team as the guard is coming in from Arizona Western and will look to have a standout season. “6-5” Charlie Gehler returns after playing in 6 games last season and will stretch the floor and add toughness to the lineup. “6-7” TJ Tittleflitz (Orange Lutheran), “6-5” Malik Homayed (Turnerfentone Secondary School), “6-0” Jett Wilson (Mira Mesa), and “6-3” David Angulo (Poway) will all look to contribute this season for the Jets.
Projection: The Jets come into the season as conference champions and have been one of the elite programs in this conference year in and year out. Miramar lost some key pieces but still have some pieces coming back and have reloaded with some pieces that will leave them very competitive. Despite the losses we feel that teams have to show that they can beat them before we pick them over them and with that being said, we project the Jets to finish in 2nd place for the upcoming season in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference for the 23-24 season.
Season Opener: 11/2 vs San Bernardino
Southwestern (16-12, 10-6): Last year it was a season of streaks for the Jaguars as Southwestern College had a solid season. After a slow start of losing 4 of their first 6 games, the Jaguars began to turn the corner and play better basketball. Southwestern went 4-1 in their next five games and finished non conference action with a 6-6 record and put themselves in position to a possible post season bid if they could possibly pick up some victories in conference against some of the teams in the upper half of conference. After spliting their first four conference games and moving to 2-2, Southwestern went 5-1 in their next 6 games and were playing solid basketball. Southwestern split their last six games in conference and finished conference play with a 10-6 record and put themselves in a solid position to make the post season. The Jaguars finished with a 16-12 overall record and missed the post season but were very deserving of a bid.
Head Coach: Tyrone Shelley
2023-2024 outlook: The Jaguars will come into the season with a lot of pieces coming back but at the same time Southwestern lost a lot of firepower from a year ago. Southwestern lost five players from a year ago and two of them averaged in double figures. Southwestern lost Damascus Sanders and karl Ashley who both averaged in double figures. Sanders was one of the leaders in the state in scoring as the guard averaged 24.4 points per game and his offense will be missed. Ashley averaged 12.3 points, but the Jaguars also lose Jason Danso, Harlan Nichols and Paris Smith. The Jaguars return five players from last seasons team that won 16 games. Southwestern lost some pieces but returned some guys that looked like they are ready to make that jump after seeing them at the jamboree. “6-11” Kaleb Wilson (4.0 points), “6-3” Quinten Vella (3.1 points), “6-3” Demond Johnson (2.0 points), “6-1” Jaylen Bandy (1.9 points) and “6-4” Diego Munoz (1.1 points) are all back after seeing limited minutes last season. The growth of these players will be beneficial to how high the ceiling is for the Jaguars.
Newcomers: Southwestern will have some key newcomers coming into the program as the season appraoches. “6-6” Derrien Carter-Hollinger (Multnomah) will add another sophomore to the team for the upcoming season. “6-5” Jartavious Jackson (Perry), “6-3” Julian Soares (Central Falls), “6-1” Jayden Barnett (Hoover), “6-8” Daniel Jones (Kapolei), “6-6” David Lowe (Warner Robins), “6-2” Ayden Lockett (University City), “7-0” Nicolas Ortega (Southwest) and “6-2” (University City) will all look to make a splash this season and contribute to the Jaguars.
Projection: The Jaguars will look to make a playoff push for the upcoming season after winning 16 games last season. Southwestern is another teeam within this much improved Pacific Coast Athletic Conference that has a chance to make the post season. The lost of Sanders and the other four will hurt, but the Jaguars have some talented players that could push them into the upper half of the conference and be competitive throughout the season. We project Southwestern to finish in the middle of the pack and have them at 5th place coming into the 2023-2024 season.
Season Opener: 11/9 @ Los Angeles Harbor
MiraCosta (12-16, 5-11): After starting the season off with two straight wins, MiraCosta struggled to find consistency throughout the season. Following the hot start, the Spartans lost three straight and started a string of streaks. MiraCosta played well in non conference action and finished with a 7-5 record and look as if they were on the right track to pick up a post season bid. After picking up two wins in conference, the Spartans season turned downhill as MiraCosta lost five of their next six games and needed some wins on their resume to have a chance at the post season. After two more wins, the Spartans ended their season on a six game losing streak and finished with a 5-11 record in conference action. MiraCosta missed the post season and finished with a 12-16 record for the 2022-2023 season.
Head Coach: Robert Robinson
2023-2024 outlook: The Spartans will look to have a competitive season after missing the post season a year ago. MiraCosta will have to replace three players from last season as Darryl Jackson, Jaivon Langston and Remington Rofer have moved on and will need to be replace. Jackson averaged 11.2 points per game and will be missed in the Spartans back court. As the season appraoches, the Spartans will return two players from a year ago and one other face that played in 6 games last season. “6-5” Kobe Smith will lead the list of returners that is back for the Spartans. Smith averaged 17.6 points per game and will be a standout player in the state. The versatile wing can score it in a vareity of ways and should have another standout season for MiraCosta. “6-6” Dylan Cabs (8.7 points) and “6-1” Mason Bowers (6 Games) are two other players that will provide sophomore experience to the team.
Newcomers: MiraCosta will welcome in new faces to their program for the upcoming season. “6-5” Jalen Zeno (Contra Costa JC), “6-4” Don Freeman (Casper CC), “6-0” JC Campbell (Redshirt), “6-3” Ty Cox, and “6-11” Kai Burdick (USF – Baseball) are all sophomores and will impact the program. Freeman is a standout guard and will be a guard that four year universities should look into this upcoming season. Burdick is intriguing as well as he will add size to the front court to the Spartans. “6-1” Jon Hapgood (San Dieguito Academy), “6-3” Tate Smith (La Jolla Country Day), “6-0” Davaughn McCrumb (AOSS Prep) and “6-2” Rami Anglo (Mission Bay) will also add depth to the roster for the 2023-2024 season.
Projection: The Spartans have some solid pieces coming back from a year ago and have some solid transfers coming into the program. MiraCosta struggled to find consistency but we think that will be different for the upcoming season. The Spartans are talented and should make a move into the upper half of the conference and make a push to a post season appearance. We project MiraCosta to finish in 3rd place for the 2023-2024 season.
Season Opener: 11/1 @ Fullerton
San Diego Mesa (15-13, 10-6): The Olympians had a tough time finding consistency last season and were a very streaky team in the 22-23 season. After an opening season victory over Santa Ana, the Olympians suffered a loss against Chaffey and from that point on throughout non conference it was all about streaks. Mesa struggled in non conference action and finished with a 5-7 record going into conference play. San Diego Mesa went 5-3 in the first half of conference play but could not beat anyone above them in the standings. In the second half of conference after suffering a loss against San Diego, Mesa went on a five game winning streak but lost a key game against Grossmont on the last game of the season. The Olympians finished conference action with a 10-6 record and overall finished 15-13 but failed to make the post season.
Head Coach: Travis Nichols
2023-2024 outlook: As the new season approaches, the Olympians will look to finish in the upper half of conference and make a push for the post season. San Diego Mesa lost Daron Traylor, Jaiden Pete, Javen Woodall and Riley Harris from last seasons team. Traylor averaged 21.1 points and will be tough to replace this season. Pete averaged 14.3 points and will be missed as well for the Olympians. Moving forward, the Olympians will return three players from a year ago as “5-10” Steve Stinson leads the list of returners for Mesa. The guard averaged 11.5 points per game and will provide experience to the back court. “5-9” Quajon Young (6.9 points) and “6-5” Hangasu Noor (3.0 points) are two other players that are sophomores. Young is a floor stretcher and will provide a scoring punch to the back court.
Newcomers: The Olympians have a lot of pieces coming in to the new season that may contribute. “6-6” Sevea Blackburn, “6-5” Jodan Cooper, “6-0” Spencer Hall are listed as sophomores and will provide experience to the Olympians. “6-10” Michael Baingana (High Side International), “6-3” Isaiah Baker (Kearny), “6-5” Luciano Casini (Incline), “5-10” Kobe Ennis (Canyon), “6-4” Dante King (Mater Dei), “6-7” Chanel Mballa (ACS Athens), “6-3” Tino Mededovic (Francis Parker) and “6-1” Elijah Thomas (Lyndon B Johnson) are all players that will look to have a solid season.
Projection: San Diego Mesa will be another team that should make a run towards the upper half of the conference. The Olympians lost some pieces but have brought in some good talent that should keep them where they are at and push the needle forward. Mesa is a team that could be a dark horse in the conference and we expect them to have a solid season. We project the Olympians to finish in 6th place but it would not surprise us if Mesa finishes higher within the conference in the 23-24 season.
Season Opener: 11/4 @ Chaffey
Grossmont (11-16, 6-10): The Griffin got off to a slow start after starting the season losing three of their first four games of the season. After a win against Compton, the Griffin lost two straight but Grossmont found the win column and went on a three game winning streak and at the end of non conference action the Griffin had a 5-6 record and needed to make a statement in conference action to have a chance to make the post season. In conference action, Grossmont lost four of their first five games and struggled in the first half of conference action. Grossmont had a six game losing streak but ended the season on a high note as the Griffin won their final four games of the season. Grossmont finished conference play with a 6-10 record and with an overall record of 11-16. The Griffin missed the post season but will look to have an improved 2023-2024 season.
Head Coach: Doug Weber
2023-2024 outlook: Grossmont will look to have a standout season and make a push towards the upper half of the conference. The Griffin last three key pieces from a year ago in Samuel Stewart, Calvin Payne and Malik Ogude. Stewart averaged 14.7 points and his scoring will be missed by the Griffins for the upcoming season. Grossmont will return five players from last season as the squad will build off the late season success. “6-2” Brandon Tully (14.9 points), “6-1” Tre Edmond (7.9 points), “6-1” Elijah Williams (5.8 points), “6-3” Tyrone Lester (5.2 points) and “6-2” Adam LeFlore (5.8 points) are all coming back from a year ago. Tully had a standout season from a year ago as the sophomore will give the back court a scoring option and his numbers should go up after averaging 14.9 points per game last season.
Newcomers: The Griffins will have plenty of pieces back for the upcoming season but will also welcome in a lot of new faces. “5-8” Diego Sanchez, “5-10” Omarion Bellamy, “6-0” Tony Sanchez and “6-4” Sebastian Vann are all listed as sophomores for the upcoming season. “6-6” Micah Odell (El Capitan), “6-6” Tobey Malpass (Grace Lutheran), “6-8” Kimo Gaddah (Shuhada Alshati), “6-4” Thomas Metcalf (Mission Bay) and “6-4” Joe Ursich (Point Loma) are all freshmen that will look to contribute for the 23-24 season.
Projection: Grossmont will have a lot of experience coming back for the upcoming season and the Griffins seem to have added some size to go along with their depth in the back court. The Griffins will score the basketball but must rebound and defend better to make a jump into the upper half of the conference. Grossmont brings back Tully which can score and as we mentioned have some size in their front court but are inexperienced. Time will tell but at this point we still see Grossmont in the lower part of the conference but this is a very improved team that will be competitive team after winning 11 games a year ago.
Season Opener: 11/1 vs Cypress
Cuyamaca (4-24, 2-14): The Coyotes had a tough season after a slow start in non conference action. Cuyamaca started the season losing two of their first three games with a win over Barstow but could not find the win column consistently after the slow start. Cuyamaca lost the remaining games in their non conference part of their schedule and finished with a 2-10 record. In conference play, the Coyotes lost their first six conference games and picked up a win over Imperial Valley. The Coyotes finiished the first half of conference action with a 1-7 record. In the 2nd half of the conference season, Cuyamaca struggled and finished with a 2-14 conference record and with an overall record of 4-24.
Head Coach: Rob Wojtkowski
2023-2024 outlook: As the season approaches, Cuyamaca will look to have an improved 23-24 season. The Coyotes lost two players in Anthony McManus and Jelani Shelton and will return four playeres from a year ago. “6-1” Xaiver Rubio leads the list of returners coming back for the Coyotes after the sophomore averaged 14.9 points per game. He will be a key piece for Cuyamaca this upcoming season in the back court. “6-3” Sergio Franso (7.5 points), “5-9” AZ Simpson (4.1 points) and “6-4” Jose Grageda (3 games) will also return to the Coyotes. The Coyotes have some pieces to have a competitive season in Pacific Coast Athletic Conference action.
Newcomers: Cuyamaca has some solid pieces coming into the program and the Coyotes welcome back a key redshirt from a year ago. “6-6” PJ Brinkman is back after redshirting a year ago and the sophomore averaged 14.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in the 21-22 season. “6-3” Jonathan Duley will be another sophomore that will be part of the program this upcoming season. “6-2” David Brinkman (Otay Ranch), “6-0” Nico Cervantes (Otay Ranch), “6-1” Jamier Sykes (Lincoln), “5-10” Jordan Whitfield (Park Center), and “6-6” Jumar Shropshire (Lincoln) are all freshmen that should contribute this upcoming season.
Projection: The Coytoes will be an improved team for the upcoming season espeically with Brinkman back in the middle. The “6-6” forward will add depth to the front court and Rubio can score the basketball and will have another standout season for the Coytoes. With that being said will they have enough to compete against teams in this much improved conference that is full of athelticism and size. We project Cuyamaca will be an improved team but still in the bottom half of the conference and finish in the 8th place slot for the 23-24 season.
Season Opener: 11/3 vs Oxnard
Imperial Valley (0-26, 0-16): It was a season to forget for the Arabs as Imperial Valley had a tough season. Imperial Valley struggled to find the win column and the school in the desert struggled from the start of the season. The Arabs started off non conference action losing their first 10 games of the season and went into conference play without a win next to their name. In conference, the Arabs struggled and finished Pacific Coast Athletic Confeence action with an 0-16 record and overall with an 0-26 record.
Head Coach: Andrew Robinson
2023-2024 outlook: As the new season approaches, Imperial Valley will look to have a competitive season. The Arabs will have a lot of newcomers but do return two players from a year ago. Imperial Valley lost Isareal Bynum and Leonardo Arellano but do return two players. “6-0” Ramon Munoz is back for his sophomore season after averaging 4.8 points per game a year ago. “5-9” Leonel Castillo is another player back from a year ago after the guard averaged 3.4 points in his freshman season. The Arabs do not return a lot from a year ago and will look to newcomers as Imperial Valley will look to have an improved upcoming season.
Newcomers: The Arabs will welcome in a lot of newcomers for the upcoming season. “6-5” Tahj Comaeaux and “6-5” Taieem Comaux are both listed as sophomores and expected to contribute for the upcoming season. “6-4” Justice Augustine (Nevada), “6-1” Jesse Nichols (Imperial), “5-11” Isaac Vargas (Southwest), and “6-2” Teja Breedlove (Texas) will all be freshmen and look to contribute for the season.
Projection: Imperial Valley will look to have a competitive season but do not return a lot from a year ago. The Arabs do not have a lot of experience and may struggle as IMperail Valley does not have a lot of size. The front court is thin and Imperial Valley needs to find some players that can put the ball in the basket. We project the Arabs to finish in the lower half of the conference and we project them to finish 9th place in the 23-24 season.
Season Opener: 11/4 vs El Camino
2023-2024 Signal The Light Basketball Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Preview
1. San Diego
2. San Diego Miramar
3. Palomar
4. MiraCosta
5. Southwestern
6. San Diego Mesa
7. Grossmont
8. Cuyamaca
9. Imperial Valley
