Chemistry is a focal point this fall semester in the City College gym, but not the kind that’s taught as part of a science class. Instead this type of chemistry is between the players of the men’s basketball team. It’s an important part of the success lacking from a season ago according to Panthers point guard Devin Joseph.
“The main difference I see is we are doing things collectively as a group, and we’re staying with it,” Joseph said. “Our whole mentality and principles so far this season [have] been to be together.”
Last season the men’s team finished last in the Big 8 Conference with a 2-12 record (8-19 overall). Looking ahead to this season’s conference play, however, head coach Andrew Jones says he believes experience will help bring the team success.
“The best thing that happened from last season to this season is we have a lot of freshman back,” Jones said. “Virtually our whole front line [is] sophomores, so they got a lot of time last year, and that helped them improve.”
The Panthers, who have started the season 6-3, have a balanced roster of six incoming freshmen and six sophomores, and even though the team is lacking in size, with the tallest player measuring 6 feet 5 inches tall, they make up for it with ball movement and unselfishness, according to Panthers forward sophomore Arnie Vargas.
Although the team opened up the James Clark Classic tournament at Consumes River College on Dec. 3 with a loss, the Panthers went on to win their next two games including the Consolation Championship against Siskiyous. Jones attributes the team’s early success to the player’s close-knit relationship. “We’re not relying on any one person.
“We’re definitely a more together team,” said Jones. “I don’t see a lot of selfishness. I don’t see a lot of ‘me, me, me’, we’re team oriented.”
The men’s basketball team isn’t the only program looking to have a turn- around season from last year.
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“I know I’m playing in the toughest conference, if not in the state, definitely in Northern California,” Allender said, “but from this point on, I expect the program to just get better and better and compete for a Big 8 championship every year.”
Unlike last year, experience is one of the Panthers’ strengths this season. The roster consists of eight sophomores and five freshmen. One freshmen, however, has been a real bright spot for City Col- lege, according to Allender. This season redshirt freshman Jessica Lauderdale is second on the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) behind sophomore Aleea Reese (15.5 ppg).
“I’d say [Jasmine] Bernardo and Lauderdale are the two most steady kids, but we get showings from all of them. That’s a huge difference from last year,” Allender said.
The women’s team doesn’t just have new faces suiting up to play, it will have a new member of the coaching staff, too. Bob Roehl, the team’s new assistant coach, will be next to Allender, helping guide the team this season.
Roehl brings an extensive resume with him to City College. In his career, he’s coached overseas in Denmark, in Silicon Valley at Menlo College and spent many years coaching high school basketball in the Bay Area, according to Allender.
“He’s great. He’s one of the best,” Allender said. “It was always important to me as a head coach to keep people on my staff who are as good as me or are better and I have that with both my assistants.”
The Panthers recently extended its record to 6-2 after winning the Consolation Championship game against Antelope Valley College in the Gilcrest Tournament at College of the Sequoias on Dec. 6. Al- lender believes moving forward the team will continue to make strides on becoming a better team.
“We improved so much from our first game. I’m looking forward to the improvement out of everybody,” said Allender. “It’s fun this year—it’s a lot of fun.”
Although City College men and women’s basketball teams have already started their 2015-2016 seasons with separate out of town tournaments in November and early December, the only home game until January is Dec. 18 when the women take on Feather River College. The men’s basketball team doesn’t have a home game until they begin conference play against Sierra College on Jan. 5.
