It was a great year of basketball for Santa Rosa Junior College. The women’s team finished with an impressive 12-2 conference record and a season record of 27-7, making them Co-Big 8 Champions and solidifying a No. 3 ranking in the state.
The women’s team lengthened its postseason by advancing to the state semifinals round, where the team lost to Mt. San Jacinto College 58-63.
Coach Lacey Campbell attributes the team’s success to its commitment and roster depth. Unfortunately, the the team will lose seven players next season, more than half the team.
“We need to constantly improve,” said head coach Lacey Campbell.
The men’s team also had a successful run, finishing with a conference record of 12-1 and a season record of 27-6, which won the Big 8 Conference.
The men’s team earned the No. 4 seed for the playoffs, but fell short in the fourth round after losing to San Francisco City College 88-54.
Assistant coach Troy Stevenson claims the team’s success is a little of everything.
“We have great guards. I believe Bobby Sharp is one of the best shooters in the state and Jujuan Hammonds is lightning quick,” he said. “Max Fuji and Xavier McCall are also two very good guards. We also have very good big men, Connor Gillet is a great big man and we have a bench that knows and understands their roles.”
Like most college teams, the Bear Cubs’ biggest off-season task will be recruitment. Going into the offseason the Bear Cubs are losing a lot of talent, approximately 50 points per game worth of scoring. The team hopes to get a few players from Cardinal Newman High School’s championship team, he said.
SRJC was spoiled with great basketball teams over the past few seasons. The success is attributed to the natural talent and great coaching. In addition, both teams are putting in early sweat and hard work several months before the new season, working out and shooting around early, despite that official practices will be in October. The coaches hold basketball classes over the summer, which most players attend.
Given the past success of the teams, there are even higher hopes and strong expectations for both Bear Cub squads next season.
