Starting Over

New hopes and a fresh start are both in store for the men's basketball team.

It dosen't really have a choice but to regroup since it has only one returning player from last year's team and he only averaged about a point a game.

What's odd is that the team was in a similar predicament around this time last year, with only one sophmore returning then.

At the end of last year's season, it seemed pretty optimistic that some of those players would return and would be able to make a run for the state title this season.

But due to ineligbility, transfering to another school, among other reasons, those players decided not to suit up this year, leaving the Falcons to have to start all over again sooner than it wanted to.

Losing key players like Aaron Thompson, Brandon Nevens and Brandon Ivery is definitley going to have an effect on this team. In the aforementioned players , the team lost it's leading scorer, assist-giver, and rebounder.

This year's team and last year's do have several things in common. Both teams had one player returning from the previous season. Both won its first game and lost its second.



In spite of this, the current team isn't dwelling on the mistakes and what-ifs of last year.

First-year players have stepped up and are taking charge of the team.

One of those players includes guard Demetrius Turner . He's been putting up big numbers including 28 points in the team's most recent loss agains L.A Trade-Tech. He's been averaging 18 points a game so far. So far he's the only player averaging double figures.

Though each member gives his own contribution when on the floor, other players to watch for are Jerrell Elder, Clyde Thomas and Authur Clark.

The team's next game is tonight at its home gym against Orange Coast College at 7 p.m. It should be an easy win.

The only player from last year's team guard Lawrence Robinson , has been seeing limited minutes so far. When he has played in the games, he's made a limted contribution. His play is very similar to that of last year, when he started half of the games yet averaged only 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds a game.

Maybe his "experience" will cause him to see more playing time and to make a greater contribution. But that will be Head Coach Gary Cain's desicion.



If the Falcons want to get farther than last year's second-round playoff exit, then the team is going to have to be more consistent on defense and not send up so many prayers known as missed three pointers.

The team should have no problem getting through league play starting in Jan. 07, being that the South Coast Conference doesn't provide much competition, except for L.A. Southwest and conference rival Long Beach

The Falcons stand deadlocked at 3-3 and have gone back and forth between losing a game following a win so far.

While this can be attributed to the newness of the players and each member getting adjusted to each other, the inconsistency can not continue when league play starts. If it does, the Falcons are doomed to repeat an early playoff exit if their wild play dosen't stop the team from getting there.