UC Riverside Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Wooldridge announced today that two student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Highlanders next season: Dwight Gordon, a 6-2 guard from Victory Valley Junior College (Victorville, CA) and Jessee Hazely, a 6-7 forward/center from Santa Margarita High School.
 
“We’re excited about adding Dwight and Jessee to our program,” said Wooldridge. “We wanted to add a scoring perimeter player to next year’s team, and Dwight is considered one of the better scoring guards in the state of California.

“We also set our sights on bringing in a young big man. Jessee has proven himself to be one of the more talented and versatile bigs in the high school ranks in the state, and comes out of a very successful program. We think both of these players have bright futures ahead of them at UC Riverside.”

Gordon is a two-time All-Conference honoree who averaged 21.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a sophomore at Victor Valley. He also connected on 57 percent of his field goal attempts, 36 percent of his three-pointers and 72 percent from the free throw line in earning First-Team All-State honors
 
In the final game of the 2008-09 season, he poured in 41 points on 14 of 18 shooting including 5 of 6 from three point range. The former Los Osos HS standout also led the Foothills Conference in scoring (21.1), rebounding (8.5), made free throws (187) and free throw attempts (261).
 
Hazely was a First-Team All-CIF Division III-AA performer as a senior at Santa Margarita High School after averaging a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double and leading the Eagles to the CIF-SS Division III-AA championship game.
 
The McDonalds All-America nominee averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds as a sophomore at Irvine Northwood High School before transferring to Santa Margarita where he helped the Eagles to a state title his junior year.

First-year San Bernardino Valley College coach Quincy Brewer led his team to a Foothill Conference championship. That accomplishment was recognized by his peers as Brewer was named Coach of the Year.

Brewer took a team with 12 newcomers and led it to a 25-8 record, despite playing in what is the strongest conference in the state. Five teams are competing in the playoffs with the Wolverines opening play at home on Saturday.

Mt. San Jacinto sophomore point guard Melvin Goins was named Player of the Year. He averaged 17.1 points in leading the Eagles to a second-place showing.

SBVC had three first team selections – forward Orlando Brazier, point guard Nate Roth and forward Maurice McGee. It also had two honorable mentions in warren Fuselier, the lone sophomore on the team, and freshman forward Aaron Edwards.

Chaffey, third in the conference, placed Winston sophomores Winston Robinson and Nick Turner and first team and Anthony Cammon and Lamar Williams on second team.

The first team also included sophomore Dwight Gordon of Victor Valley. The Los Osos High School product led the conference in scoring (21.3 ppg) and helped the Rams qualify for the playoffs for the first time in at least a decade.

Player of the Year – Melvin Goins, Mt. San Jacinto

Coach of the Year – Quincy Brewer, SBVC

Other first team selections – Dwight Gordon, Victor Valley, So.; Orlando Brazier, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Nate Roth, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Mark Williams, Mt. San Jacinto, So.; Jeffrey West, Mt. San Jacinto, Fr.; Winston Robinson, Chaffey, So.; Nick Turner, Chaffey, So.; Rod Singleton, Antelope Valley, Fr.; Maurice McGee, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Maurice Cole, Rio Hondo, Fr.; Kyisean Reed, Antelope Valley Fr.;

Honorable Mention

Galander Abdelrahman, Barstow, Fr.; Warren Fuselier, San Bernardino Valley, So.; Aaron Edwards, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Darryl Alexander, Rio Hondo Fr.; Dusty Simcox, Rio Hondo, So.; Curtis Bush, Mt. San Jacinto, So.; Terrance Williams, Mt. San Jacinto, Fr.; Anthony Cammon, Chaffey, Fr.; Lamar Williams, Chaffey, So.; Jerome Moton, Antelope Valley. So.; Raymond Cody, Antelope Valley, So.; Deanard Crouch, Victor Valley, So.; Tory Dudgeon, Victor Valley, So.; Andrew Avalos, Desert, So.; Patrick Rochell, Desert, So.

The San Bernardino Valley College men’s cross country team is the state champion — again.

The Wolverines captured their third straight community college state title Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno. The Wolverines had three runners in the top 10 and five in the top 25.

SBVC had a total of 50 points, 27 more than runner-up San Diego Mesa. Rounding out the top five were Orange Coast (147), Rio Hondo (172) and Mt. SAC (210).

“It feels great,” coach Wes Ashford said. “Every year is a new year so it’s different. I’m just happy for the kids because they worked hard to get here.”

Sophomore Carlos Perez led the effort, finishing third over the four-mile course in 20:19.05. He also placed third individually last year. It is his fourth straight state title, dating back to his CIF championship teams his last two years at Barstow High School.

Sophomore Matt Sartori, another holdover from last year’s team, was fifth (20:23.85). Also scoring for the Wolverines were Jared Bain (10th in 20:36.58), Art Parra (18th 20:56.06) and Manuel Bueno (21st in 20:5926).

The non-scoring runners were Ankur Joshi (25th in 21:02.01) and Ronell El-Amin (35th in 21:09.72).

“We felt good warming up but you never know what the other teams are going to do so I told them just to focus on ourselves and running our own race,” Ashford said.

The Wolverines, who won the Foothill Conference and Southern California Regionals earlier this season, both by wide margins, celebrated by racing go-karts and playing laser tag at a nearby gaming facility before heading home.

“I promised them if they won they could mess around and have a little fun,” Ashford said.

Freshman A.J. Pulice of Victor Valley qualified as an individual. He placed 69th (21:34.87) out of 199 runners.

Orange Coast won the women’s title with 84 points, just edging out second-place Glendale (86).

Victor Valley qualified two girls, as Melissa Hernandez was 64th (19:64.06) and Monique Hoover was 71st (20:07.64) out of 191 athletes.

Dave Hoover remembers a talk he had with a coach from a four-year school who had stopped by to watch his Victor Valley College football team practice several years ago. Hoover mentioned he was leaving early because his son had a baseball game.

“He just looked at me and said he couldn’t remember the last time he saw his son play,” the Rams coach said.

That comment hit home with Hoover, now in his ninth year directing the Rams.
Hoover has coached at the Division I level so he knows the grind and the lack of job security.

So he’ll take the minor inconveniences in exchange for a more normal life away from the field.

That life away from the field includes sons Michael (18) and Zachary (20), fiancee Melissa Spillman and her two young sons, ages 7 and 10.

“If you’re at that level and you’re winning, you’re moving on to something better. If you’re losing, you’re getting fired because you’re not winning,” he said. “There is no stability, no normalcy.”

Hoover is noted for his fiery demeanor on the football field. But ask about his family and that hard-core exterior softens, especially when it comes to Michael, the one who shares his love for football.

Michael is in his senior year at Apple Valley High School. He has played multiple positions and is one of the team captains.

Despite a frenetic schedule that includes coaching and a full load of classes, Hoover hasn’t missed an Apple Valley game, no matter where it is.

He makes the most of it.

“That’s when I do a lot of my scouting,” he said. “It gives me a chance to see a lot of players.”

Despite his expertise, Hoover doesn’t get in the way of the Sun Devil coaches who direct his son because he respects how head coach Frank Pulice runs his program.

“He has never said one word about anything we did,” said Pulice, who also attends most Victor Valley games. “The only time he said anything was when I went to him and asked him about something. He has never been anything but supportive.”

Michael excels at linebacker but has also seen time at fullback and even the offensive line where he was undersized at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. It wasn’t the best move for him personally but it was what the team needed at the time.

Pulice said the two have the same intensity but it manifests itself in different ways.

“They’re actually polar opposites. Dave is very intense, very demonstrative. His intensity is more external. Mike has the same intensity but it’s more internal. He doesn’t have to say anything. It shows more in what he does.”

Both Hoover-led teams have fallen on hard times. The Rams are coming off a 39-14 win over Compton but they’re just 3-6 overall and 3-3 in the newly formed American Division Mountain Conference. They finish the season with a winnable 1 p.m. game Saturday at 2-7 Mt. San Jacinto.

The Sun Devils are 4-5 heading into Friday’s regular season finale against 9-0 Hesperia.

Next year things should be a lot easier for the family because Dave expects his son to play for him at Victor Valley. What will likely make it easier for both is that Michael plays on the defensive side of the ball so he’ll deal more directly with defensive coordinator Dale Bunn.

It will be the first time Hoover has coached his son in football, although he has coached him in youth baseball.

“He’s always been hard on me so I know what to expect,” Michael said. “He always pushed me harder than the other kids. I’m used to it.”

Having a coach for a father also comes in handy.

“There’s always an aspect of the game that he can explain that I don’t understand,” Michael said. “He knows me best so I always have someone to go to for answers.”

Victor Valley (2-4, 1-2) suffered a 40-30 loss Saturday at Los Angeles Harbor that makes next week’s 1 p.m. home game against first-place Southwestern (4-2, 3-0) crucial.

Quarterback will be an issue as freshman O’Ryan Bradley, who ranks sixth in the state in passing, left the game with a hip flexor.

Coach Dave Hoover said Bradley got injured in the first quarter but played through it until it became unbearable and exited with 3:26 left in the third and the Rams trailing 33-10.

Freshman Elisah Filipili finished up, completing 12 of 18 throws for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

Bradley’s status for next week is up in the air. But Hoover has faith in Filipili, who gray-shirted at Pasadena City College last year.

“There is no quarterback controversy. Bradley is our guy,” Hoover said. “At the same time we trust Eli just as much. He has been a trooper. Of course he wants to play but he has taken his role of backup seriously. He has worked hard and been here every day. Eli is a very charasmatic guy, the kind the kids will rally around.”

The San Bernardino Valley College and Victor Valley College football teams were beat up and abused by foes from the stronger National Division for the last three weeks.

Now they get to take on opponents in the same boat. The two open American Division Mountain Conference play against each other at 1 p.m. in Victorville Saturday.

That means one team will stop the bleeding while the other will continue its freefall.

Both SBVC coach Pat Meech and Victor Valley coach Dave Hoover have been critical of the new scheduling and conference alignments that have the perceived weaker teams playing the power teams first in nonconference.

Overall the weaker teams went a cumulative of 6-42 against the big boys. The Rams are coming off a 73-13 shellacking by Mt. SAC while the Wolverines were thumped by Saddleback 69-14.

“It’s like going out and playing USC every week when you’re San Jose,” Meech said. “You don’t stand much of a chance.”

“I don’t see what good it does anyone,” adds Hoover. “We didn’t benefit by playing those teams and they certainly didn’t get better by playing us.”

Victor Valley started its season by playing Riverside, Palomar and Mt. SAC – teams ranked 25th, 11th and first in the state respectively.

SBVC also played Riverside but also faced No. 14 Desert and No. 17 Saddleback.
The Rams were more competitive, at least staying close for a half in their first two games.

SBVC has been manhandled by a cumulative score of 154-41 with most of its points coming at garbage time. It also has a losing streak of eight games that includes the last five games of 2007.

“We’re definitely in need of something positive to build on,” Meech said. “But I can’t fault the effort. Our guys are showing up every single day and working hard. They just haven’t had much to show for it.”

The plight of the teams shows up in the statistics columns. In scoring offense Victor ranks 27th (14.7 ppg) while SBVC is 28th (13.7) of 37 teams. In scoring defense the Rams are 34th (47 ppg) while SBVC is 36th (51.3 ppg).

The Rams are a lofty sixth in passing offense (254.9 ypg) thanks to the effort of freshman quarterback O’Ryan Bradley but are just 29th in rushing (72.3 ypg).

SBVC is 27th in passing (158.7) and 35th in rushing (20.7).

The two teams are close defensively with the Rams 29th against the run (217.7) and 17th against the pass (195.3) while the Wolverines are 35th against the run (268.7) and 18th against the pass (198.3)

“In the past to win our conference you had to go undefeated so losing the first game really puts you behind the eight-ball,” Hoover said. “It’s a little different now. No one knows how this is going to play out but both of us really need a win.”

It is a relatively light schedule for the local colleges. Chaffey (3-0) heads to Grossmont (1-2) for a 1 p.m. contest against the former Foothill Conference juggernaut.

But the University of Redlands, which is ranked in three national polls, is idle along with Pomona-Pitzer (1-1) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-1).

La Verne (0-1) will host Willamette (Ore.) at 1 p.m.

San Bernardino Valley College football coach Pat Meech knows his school lacks the resources to compete weekly against the more traditional powers in Southern California. Now he doesn’t have to do so.

The junior college season will kick off this week and the entire conference structure and playoff format has been reworked. The Foothill Conference no longer exists. Adios Mission Conference. Sayonara Western State Conference.

The sport will now be governed under the umbrella of the Southern California Football Association.

Teams are separated into two divisions – the National and American. The National is subdivided into three seven-team conferences (Northern, Central, Southern) while the American has two eight-team conferences (Mountain, Pacific).

The National Division, the power conference, includes perennial title contenders such as Mt. SAC, Bakersfield and former Foothill Conference juggernaut Grossmont. Chaffey, Riverside and Citrus are among the other entrants.

SBVC and Victor Valley factor into the weaker American Divsion. But Meech doesn’t mind being lumped into the also-ran category.

“Am I afraid of those schools? No. I would like to play them,” he said. “But it would be crazy to think we can go head-to-head with those teams week after week after week.”

Veteran Chaffey coach Carl Beach, who was on the committee that developed the new alignment, isn’t quite sure his team is ready to battle the big boys, citing resources and enrollment but admits past success is the reason his school has been put in with the stronger teams.

“It’s more about what we have done in the past. I’m not so sure we belong there but we’ll see,” he said.

The alignments will be reviewed every two years with some teams moving up or down depending on competitive balance.

A similar format has been used in the Northern part of the state for several years and received a favorable review.

When it comes to picking a field for the playoffs, eight teams will be chosen. Each of the three National Division conference will be given two spots for a total of six teams.
The American Division would qualify the winner of each conference for the final two spots, provided those teams finish with winning records. If a conference winner is not above .500, a wild-card would be chosen based on state power ranking.

There will be three additional bowl games for teams not making the playoffs to be awarded based on state ranking.

The original plan called for four teams to make the playoffs with all of those coming from the power division. The lesser schools balked at that idea so the current format was a compromise.

Beach said the committee wanted to get the new system in place. This one primarily divided teams based on their competitive history.

When the alignment is addressed again in two years he said more emphasis will be placed on enrollment, particularly a school’s ability to draw out-of-state athletes. Resources and facilities will also be issues.

“I think it’s fair,” Meech added. “It will be good for us to play teams more like us.”

Teams in the American Division will have seven conference games, then fill out their schedule with three games against the National Division, giving them a chance to boost their power ranking and see if they are competitive against those teams.

SBVC’s nonconference foes will be Riverside, College of the Desert and Saddleback. The Wolverines have played Riverside 68 times, the first coming in 1926 but haven’t faced the Tigers since 2002.

Victor Valley’s opponents will be Riverside, Palomar and Mt. SAC.
Rams coach Dave Hoover was alright with the division of the teams but isn’t happy with his brutal nonconference schedule.

“Not only are we probably playing the three best teams, we’re playing the three most physical teams,” he said. “It was a nice idea having the big dogs play the big dogs. It all makes sense. But their nonconference games should be against the teams in their divison in the other conferences.”

Chaffey and the other teams in the National Division have six conference games and four non-conference contests.

The Panthers will square off against Mt. San Jacinto, Southwestern, Antelope Valley and Grossmont – all significantly longer trips than treking 20 minutes to SBVC.

While SBVC is excited about renewing its rivalry with Riverside, it is mystified why Chaffey wasn’t included on the non-conference schedule since rivalries were also supposed to be kept in tact. That also baffles Beach.

Coaches were allowed to submit a list of three teams they wanted to keep games with and both SBVC and Chaffey listed the other as their top choice.

“It doesn’t make sense. We have to pass them by to go to all out other games,” Beach said.
Hoover asked to keep Antelope Valley, Desert and Chaffey and got none of those.

NATIONAL DIVISION

Northern Conference: Allan Hancock, Bakersfield, College of the Canyons, Glendale, Moopark, Pasadena City, Ventura

Central Conference: Cerritos,Chaffey, Citrus, College of the Desert, El Camino, Mt. SAC, Riverside

Southern Conference: Fullerton, Grossmont, Long Beach City, Orange Coast, Palomar, Saddleback, Santa Ana

AMERICAN DIVISION

Mountain Conference: Compton, Golden West, L.A. Harbor, Mt. San Jacinto, San Bernardino Valley,San Diego Mesa, Southwestern, Victor Valley

Pacific Conference: Antelope Valley, East Los Angeles, L.A. Pierce, L.A. Southwest, L.A. Valley,Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles

The Victor Valley College women’s soccer team is the first fall sports team to begin its season. The Rams, defending champion in the Foothill Conference, will play a 4 p.m. match at San Diego Miramar Tuesday.

Then comes a three-game set at Yuba against Northern California foes. Coach Mike Bradbury’s team makes its home debut Sept. 6-7 in its six-team tournament, including defending state champion Cerritos and Grossmont.

Victor Valley graduated its three leading scorers so it will rely more heavily on defense.

“We’re definitely big and strong in the middle,” said Bradbury, who will also be coaching the school’s men’s team. “It will be a little bit different look than we have had in the past but that’s junior college. You’re always going to have a lot of turnover.”

Two baseball standouts from Victor Valley College have decided their next move.

Sophomore shortstop and pitcher Blane Lloyd (Granite Hills HS) is headed to Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills while freshman outfielder Derek Richie (Silverado HS) is headed to La Sierra.

Both were second-team All-Foothill Conference selections the past season.
Rams coach Bob Smith said Richie is also considering playing basketball.

The duo helped the Rams improve over the past season, going from three wins in 2007 to 10 this season.