#10 Vadal Faniel

Pts  25,  FGA 17, FGM 9, FG53%, Min 28

Senior Vadal Faniel led the Texas A & M International team with 25 points. Faniel went 9-17 from the field, and went 7-11 at the free throw line. He also had eight rebounds (3 offensive, 5 defensive), one block, and two steals on the night.

Outstanding game for AVC’s power forward. 

There was a big local crowd of AVC basketball fans at the gym last night.  It was augmented by quite a number of university level coaches/scouts who were busily taking notes.

It was just another step toward goals that the team and individuals in the men’s basketball program sets for its self.

1. University scholarship for all graduating sophomores
2. Conference championship
3. 20+ wins every year
4. State playoffs
5. State Champion

AVC met their first goal of the year, winning twenty games.  They took the “next step” on other goals as well;  They went to 8-0 in the conference race, they put on a show of their talent to University coaches on how they could help their team next year and they helped themselves in the playoff seeding process. 

Two other things showed up last night that could easily be overlooked but will be key in the rest of the season.  AVC shot 73% from the free throw line last night.  This is the third straight game that they have improved in this area.  Looks like their concentration in this area has finally come together with some tweaks in practice.   Secondly, AVC out rebounded COC by nine.  Another important area for AVC’s future. 

The following article is from the Antelope Valley Press about last night’s game. 

Looks like AVC’s Larry Slaughter is leading his team to another conference championship and and D-2 NCAA National Championship run.  The man is a beast!

Wonder how painful it is for that D-1 head coach who found a way to pull a scholarship offer on Slaughter.  His .500 team could have been a NCAA D-1 tournament contender.  That other Big he chose didn’t work too well.  Bad decision.  

MONTEVALLO, Ala. – University of Montevallo seniors Troran Brown and Larry Slaughter combined for 40 points in the Falcons’ 83-64 win over visiting Armstrong State University, which puts the Falcons in the driver’s seat for the Peach Belt Conference regular season championship.

The Falcons (15-7) now lead the conference standings with a 11-1 mark in conference play with seven games left in the regular season.

Brown and Slaughter scored 20 points each in the victory. Slaughter added a game-high 15 rebounds while shooting 6-of-8 from the field.

Reggie Murphy had a career-high 35 points and 13 rebounds as Henderson State overcame a 11-point halftime deficit to beat Arkansas-Monticello 95-91, Saturday in Monticello, Ark.

#1 Reggie Murphy

Position:
Height: 6-10
Weight: 269
Class: Senior
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Previous School: Antelope Valley CC

Reminds me a lot of a game that Reggie had for AVC against then highly ranked Ventura College.  He single handedly crushed favored Ventura in that game. 

Keep turning it on big man.

With six and half minutes left in AVC’s last game, Kamal Holder rolled an ankle in a scrum under the basket and currently is undergoing intense rehabilitation.  Kamal will be missing at least one game(LA Valley) and possibly West LA on the road as well.   The rest of the team will have to step up. 

Good news!  Ismail Ali is back at 100% and his backups…other than Kamal…are ready. 

With 14 straight wins under their belt and a home game against LA Valley,  AVC should be able to win tonight’s game.  AVC was outrebounded badly…by 9,,, and shot an abysmal 59% from the free throw line in their last game on the road against LA Valley.  AVC has improved since then in both categories. 

If AVC continues its hot shooting(just under 50%) and high energy defense, they have a good chance to win this game.  Even without their top shut down defender/point guard/wing Kamal Holder, 6’3”, 200 with a 6’7” wing span,  who looks to be out with a ankle sprain.  AVC’s deep guard core, led by Ismail Ali will have to step up tonight to give Holder a chance to heal for upcoming games. 

See you at the game tonight. 

On surprise so far.  Here goes.

Cuesta @Hancock  One of these first place teams in the Western State-North Conference is going to drop in to second place(not a good place to be this year in the Western State-North.) 

Cuesta 69 Hancock 60  Cuesta stays in first place. 

Moorpark @LA Pierce  LA Pierce cannot afford to drop into second into place in the conference.  Possibility Western State-North may only get one playoff team this year. 

Bad loss for LA Pierce.  Moorpark 67  LA Pierce 63 

Junior Daviyon Draper had one of his best games in an FIU uniform, scoring a career-high 21 points on a personal-best nine made field goals.  In spite of his dominance, Florida International dropped a heart breaker to UTEP 67-64. 

Draper played 34 minutes, had 21 points, pulled down 5 rebounds, and had one block and one steal.  Draper’s back up, a transfer for Long Beach State, Chris Gulley, played 15 minutes and did not score but had 6 rebounds.

Name	University	PPG	Ass.	Min	RPG	Comment
Mike Scott	U of Idaho 87 Portland.State 76	16	9	35	4
Daviyon Draper	FUI 73 So.Mis sissippi 72	16	4	45	8	OT
Dwan Caldwell	Tenn.Tech  71 Tenn.State 52	17	2	28	7
Larry Slaughter	Montevallo 77 Columbus U 70	15	1	26	8
Reggie Murphy	Henderson.State 83 So.Nazarene 61	16	3	33	12	Double Double
Vadal Faniel	Texas A&M I 76 Texas.Pern. 77	6	1	21	3	Foul trouble
Lucciano Gamiz	Drury=52 Lewis=76	3	1	10	1	Injury
Zack Hollis	Lamar=80 Abilene Christ  61	0	0	3	0

Not Bad!!!  How do you like Daviyon Draper’s 45 minutes of playing time?  Five of the eight players in double figures.  Six of eight teams with at win. Congratulations

Over 50 family members showed up at AVC to celebrate with the nine graduating sophomores from the basketball team.  They were expecting to watch AVC beat up on Glendale College for their 24th win and take the sole championship of the Western State-South Conference but were surprised as the rest of the fans that Glendale forfeited the game.  That didn’t make much of a dent in their celebration as the sophomores won back to backed the conference championship anyway…and 50 wins so far in their two years at AVC.  They tell me they are ready to add six more wins to their record this year.  They also celebrated their near completion of their AA degree’s…one more semester. 

Taking these photos was difficult as I kept thinking about the two and sometimes three years I spent with this group.  They tell me they are going to add six more wins to their already exceptional record.  They were not only celebrating their exceptional basketball record but their academic records as well.  Hard workers in the classrooms as well as the hardwood. 

Great group heading for the next level…in more ways than one.

		Sophomore Night 2014-15 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

AVC played the first half like they were swimming in molasses.   They missed layup after layup and fumbled the ball away regularly.  You could hear the big crowd that followed AVC groan nearly every play.  When half time mercifully came I heard some ask their neighbor, “Can they come back from this?”  The response was, “Of course but they better play some defense and hit some shots.”

The second half began and the molasses was gone and AVC was playing high energy defense.  It didn’t help their ability to make layups in the first six minutes of the second half.  They missed four layups in a row and Bakersfield extended the lead to 14 points.  The Bakersfield crowd was dancing in the walkways and the AVC crowd had even stopped groaning. 

The high energy defense finally turned on the switch for AVC.  They didn’t chip away at the 14 point lead, they plainly crushed the 14 point rock in minutes.  Shelton Boykin scored 13 straight points in four minutes and no other player on the floor came close to scoring a basket.  The player guarding (trying) Boykin first was angry and fouled him.  It just ended up made free throws for Shelton.  Bakersfield best defensive ace had a shocked look on his face.   I actually felt bad for him.  Bakersfield’s multiple time outs did not stop Boykin.  He finally missed a shot shot and AVC was within one point. 

Bakersfield came back after the explosion and were up by five.  The AVC crowd wondered if their team had enough left in the tank when PG Ismail Ali who had been playing the facilitator all game looked around and said to himself, “Guess its up to me to finish this mess off.”  In next 90 seconds, Ali dropped three free throws, two layups and thunderous dunk for nine straight points to take the lead for AVC which they never relinquished. 

Tim “The Assassin” Gilmore kept quietly dropping three’s and jumpers to help clinch the big win.  The rest of the team played the high energy defense in the second half that shut down Bakersfield and led to the offensive explosion for AVC.

That’s not the way way to play winning basketball in the playoffs.  AVC’s players know they must be much more consistent the whole game.  But gosh those last 14 minutes of the game sure was a lot of fun for the AVC fans.

Short note in the AV Press

: Ley Press News Servi

AVC men’s basketball comes back to win

BAKERSFIELD – The Antelope Valley College men’s basketball team overcame a By14-point deficit with 14 minutes to play and defeated host Bakersfield College 76-71 on Saturday.

Shelton Boykin scored 32 points to lead AVC (25-5, 13-1). Tim Gilmore had 19 points and Ishmail Ali scored nine points and added seven assists

Overall, AVC hit 26 of 56 shots, for a 46.4 percent shooting percentage.

Jameik Riviere led Bakersfield with 19 points, while Alexander Dickson scored 14 points in the loss.

“I think Bakersfield come out and played a really good first half,” AVC coach John Taylor said. “But the fact we were able to come back says a lot about us. Boykin and Ali really led the way. The guys know we can’t take a chance and have a bad first half like that. If they don’t come back in the playoffs it’s one and done.”

As Coach Taylor said when asked about being named Coach of the Year in the Western State-South Conference for the second straight year, “The recognition is really for the team as a whole, assistant coaches and the players.”  “I’m proud of what we have so far this year but there is a long way to go.”

The Western State-South certainly recognized the Antelope Valley players as well. 

First Team-All Conference

1. Ismail Ali
2. Lawrence White
3. Shelton Boykin
4. Tim Gilmore

Honorable Mention

1. Julius Bilbrew

Much more on this later. 

Not only does the AVC basketball have a 500 win coaching staff, the Antelope Valley College Basketball program places 90% of its graduates with university scholarships.

To put it simply, the coaching staff’s rule of no classes/no play and a well organized academic program with professors and academic counseling professionals lead to academic success so critical to placement.  I have seen players at AVC who do not live by these simple rules be offered help to move to colleges that would better fit their expectations. 

Lets take a look at AVC’s nine sophomores who will be moving on and up.  The players are entering the next phase of their student athlete career.  The University Scholarship phase.  They might not have known it but they have been working/not working on this since they started playing basketball in grade school. 

I am not going to get into the complex academic rules for the D-1, D-2 and NAIA universities today.  Instead, AVC places so many of it players with scholarship’s due to its rules mentioned above but also with the coaching staff’s relationships with universities at all levels.  

Lets take a look at AVC’s first “placement”, this year, Lawrence White.  At Burroughs High School Lawrence did not meet the academic requirements for a D-1 University scholarship.  He looked at a large number of JUCO’s and picked AVC for its basketball and academic programs.  “L” blossomed at AVC in both aspects of the game and currently is taking 18 units and has a 3.7 GPA and became a member of the “Dean’s List.”  Just the kind of player UC Davis was looking for. 

White was approached by a large number of  Division I programs, but a visit to the UC Davis campus in October convinced him. White signed a National Letter of Intent to UC Davis just after the start of the season.

Not much not to like about what Lawrence White had to say when he signed with D-1 University of California Davis.    “Its UC Davis.”  “They have the academic program, the coaching staff, point guard and team to be a winner in the future.”  “The program fits me well.”  

"On my visit, I went everywhere," White said. "It’s a great college town. It’s a great academic school."

White said he had a specific list of criteria that were important to him in choosing a school: team chemistry, school location, academics and the amount of playing time he would have.

I heard one of AVC’s coaching staff who has been with Lawrence for two years say the other day, “Not only is Lawrence a great basketball player, but I expect him to be the president of some large organization some day.”   Just a start of many scholarships from AVC this year. 

j

They found him stocking shelves in Walmart on the 11-7 shift making a living for his wife and family.  The 6’8”, 285(he slimmed down to a svelte 235) giant of a man asked Coach Taylor if he would take him and help him play college basketball and get his college degree. Taylor said yes and to make a long story short, Po played for AVC for two years including a trip to the State Tournament.  He was accepted with a full ride scholarship to D-1 Tennessee Tech University and was by far the best overall basketball player they had the past two years. 

Things were never easy for Dwan.  He has learned in the last few years that as he says “He needs God to show him the way.”  He appreciates his friends and family who have helped him over the years.  He knows that he has just started as he is responsible for his family.

Po will be finishing his final semester to get that very important degree.  I am excited to watch where Dwan heads next.  I predict that he will be playing basketball for a living next year and I will be writing about him in years to come.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 11, 2015) – Senior Dennis Mavin nailed a buzzer-beater just short of half court to help the FIU men’s basketball team (16-16) down the UTSA Roadrunners, 57-54, in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday. With the win, FIU will take on UTEP on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. In Head Coach Anthony Evans two years at FIU, the Panthers are 5-0 in the month of March.  AVC’s Daviyon Draper put in 27 minutes, pulled down 7 rebounds and 4 points.

CCAA picks for All state Southern California for the 2014-2015 season. 

Southern California

MVP: Conor Clifford (Saddleback)

G: Brandon Staton (Long Beach)

F: Shannon Fowler (Mt. San Antonio)

G: Charles Callison (San Bernardino)

F: Sam Williams (Mt. San Jacinto)

G: Rafael Casanova (Cuesta)

C: Deandre Dickson (Bakersfield)

F: Shawn Lathan (Southwestern)

G: Shelton Boykin (Antelope Valley)

G: Marcus Romain (East Los Angeles)

G: Dusty Baker (Saddleback)

Honorable Mention

F: Buddha Boyd (Mira Costa)

G: Chris Spencer (Long Beach)

G: Todd Lewis (San Bernardino)

G: Jordan Pellum (College of the Desert)

G: Ismail Ali (Antelope Valley)

F: James Boyd (Compton)

“Every JUCO player has a story.”

I have been following Junior College Basketball(JUCO) for 20+ years.  Following means attending practice, summer scrimmages, pre-conference tournaments, conference games and playoff/state tournaments.  I remember the games, the tournaments, the trips to the State Tournaments but I best remember the players.

The vignettes about the JUCO players that I will be writing are not about specific players.  They may be a amalgamate of several players or have changes to protect the innocent and the guilty. 

Hope you enjoy the stories as much as I did recalling them.

He joined a team full of experienced players who were as big as 6’8”, 255 and loved to show just how big and strong they were.  I was worried that they would break Maasai into small pieces when they got on the floor together. 

I was told that Maasai had scored nearly 30 points and 10 rebounds a game in the final two years of his high school career and had won nearly every award in the team’s conference.  Except one…academic awards.  He really didn’t like academics. 

When Maasai got on the floor he was tested.  He spent a great deal of his time sprawled on the floor beat up by his teammates to see if he was going to be a college basketball player.  He got up every time, he drilled three balls and dunked over 6’8” post players.  He never missed a game in his two years at his JUCO due to injury.  One tough, flexible player.

No matter how much he ate or how many hours he spent in the weight room, he only gained 15 pounds of muscle in two years.  He went from 155 to 170 pounds. Playing the two guard at 6’6”, he shot his threes over anyone who tried to guard him.  To keep perimeter defenders off of him by slashing to the middle for thunderous dunks.  Two straight years winning 20+ games and running deep into the state playoffs.  Maasai helped place a second place banner from the state tournament in his JUCO’s gym.  What a stud!

On the other side of “student athlete”, it was a two years of battle with his grades.  He was begged, dragged and threatened about his academics by the coaching staff.  Only the threat of not playing brought him to class.  He finished his AA but oh what a battle.  Even though he finished his two years named to first team all-state JUCL squad, there were only a limited number of D-1 teams who were willing to take a chance with him because of his history in academics.  In fact, the D-1 University that offered him a scholarship had to provide him a three year scholarship.  The first year was to academic red shirt at his university.  They really wanted Maasai. 

Was he worth the chance the university took?  He led them to a conference championship and a NCAA tournament berth.   He also led them in scoring, rebounding and nearly in assists. 

Somewhere in his sophomore year at his JUCO and his red shirt year at his D-1 university, he became of father.   Maasai really didn’t have much experience with what a family life could be.  He had a mother that was not a role model for him and a biological father that he did not know.  He did know however, that he did not want his children to grow up like he did and one of his main topic of conversations was how his children were his responsibility. 

With his college degree in hand and a child to support, he was inundated by agents who saw his potential at the professional level.  Maasai was signed with in month after college graduation to a multi year contract in a beautiful country.  It was an eye opening experience for him!  His skill level far exceeded the team players he was signed with and he scored 20-40 points a game.  He learned a lesson that he lived by so far in the rest of his professional days.  Never sign more than a one year contract.  He learned that he could have made double or triple the salary he made in his final year of his first contract.

He signed his second pro contract  for one year at a higher level in another country.  He then met a fiscal advisor that NBA players use to handle their finances.  Although Maasai was never much of a spender he needed someone who would handle his finances…short career with big money.

Again, he dominated his team and conference but late in this contract, he injured his knee.  Although it required surgery, it was a minor surgery and late in the season.  He worked with professional trainer’s over the summer and signed another one year contract at the top level basketball in the country he lives.  Another outstanding year. 

Maasai’s story is far from being over in basketball.  He comes home every summer and is inseparable from his child.  He visits his JUCO and their current players and coaches.  He tells the players that he made a mistake by not taking academics seriously in high school and JUCO. 

I like Maasai’s chances in the future.  He is taking his financial advisor’s recommendations seriously.  Do you want to know how I know?  He drives a 11 year old Honda when he is back in the US.  He loves and supports his rapidly growing child.  He has learned from his mistakes and is willing to admit it.  Makes me happy.   

on the floor.  Lake of injuries, Three point shooter, Thunderous dunker, great ball handler, Fearless.  40 minute man.  Refused to lose,  couldn’t gain weight, or muscle.  to the state tournament.  Had to be dragged to class,

Tim Gilmore, 6’3”, 200 shooting guard for Antelope Valley College/Palmdale High School made an official visit to D-2 Texas A and M International University over Spring break.  The first team all-conference athlete with a 3.7 GPA, said he did not know what to expect of Texas A &M International although he has been talking to their coaching staff for a long time.  When he arrived, he was surprised by the size of the University with its 19,000 students and the excellence of their facilities.  Tim had discussed the university experience with another AVC player, Vadal Faniel, a two year starter for Texas A and M International who is about to graduate.  

The longer he spent there, the more Tim felt the welcoming atmosphere of the coaching staff, players and the community of Laredo, Texas.  He was offered a 2+1 scholarship;  a two year basketball scholarship and a one year additional academic scholarship if it is necessary for the student athlete to graduate with a degree.  An excellent offer. 

After he arrived back home, he discussed his opportunity with the AVC coaching staff and his family and decided to commit to to Texas A & M International.  Tim notified his new head coach Brian Weakley of his decision and let other teams who were requiting him that he was off the table. 

Tim also accepted an invitation to to join "Athletes in Action" on their yearly Puerto Rico College Basketball Tour scheduled from May 30-June 13, 2015.  He is excited about this opportunity before he heads off to Texas A&M International this summer. 

I am going to miss Tim’s father who never missed a game in the last two years and often slipped in on his days off to watch Tim practice.  Tim worked a part time job as well as being an Dean’s list student athlete.  He truly is an example of what the NCAA is striving to have all of their student athletes become.  He constantly improved all two years at AVC and Texas A&M International picked up a player that can help them reach the next level in their conference and beyond. 

“Every JUCO player has a story.”

I have been following Junior College Basketball(JUCO) for 20+ years.  Following means attending practice, summer scrimmages, pre-conference tournaments, conference games and playoff/state tournaments.  I remember the games, the tournaments, the trips to the State Tournaments but I best remember the players.

The vignettes about the JUCO players that I will be writing are not about specific players.  They may be a amalgamate of several players or have changes to protect the innocent and the guilty. 

Hope you enjoy and in some cases feel the pain of the stories as much as I did recalling them.

Great family who would do anything for him.  He had a car(how many JUCO players do you see with that) and he lived in an apartment paid for by his folks.  All they asked in returned was from him was to get his college degree and to be happy.

D-1 sized, 6’3”, 195, two guard that could shoot the lights from beyond the arc and could handle the ball.  What a player to build a team around. 

His first year was good.  Led the team in scoring and had as many as seven three balls a game.  He went to class.   Never too popular with his teammates as he was standoffish and had was perceived to have so much more than they did.  He had some D-1 looks as a freshman but they were a bit careful in making a commitment.  Wanted to see how year two would go at  the JUCO.

When the JUCO coaching staff knew he was going to stay, they continued to build their team around him.   He got a new roommate in his apartment.  He started to cut classes and he became a “step slower” on the basketball floor…the three ball just a bit “off.”   A decent year but not the improvement expected…in fact the start of a long slide. 

The players knew what the problem was and they just smiled.  Man to man talks by the coaches just didn’t help.  The player, who the team was built around, was braking it down instead.  His family knew what had happened and they got involved but no luck.  The disappointing season ended.

There was no true interest from D-1 universities at that point for “Step Slow.”  Late in the summer, an excellent D-2 university who was in desperate need for two guard decided to give it a shot and “Step Slow” had another chance. 

He never played at the D-2.  He was “injured” in the pre-season and rumor was that he was not invited back the next year and he disappeared from the basketball scene.

Several years passed and  “Step Slow” popped up on the radar again.  He was given a scholarship to to a NAIA university…chance number three.  Great Junior year for “Slow.”  He led the team in scoring and it looked like “three was a charm” and then…He did not return for his senior year. 

Time is passing.  How will this end?  Will he get his degree?  Will he play his final year of college basketball?  Only time will tell. “For those who are given much, much is expected” often doesn’t work especially when you let "Things" take over your life. 

D-2 Southern Indiana University is the second visit on Shelton Boykin’s list of teams he may accept a scholarship to play basketball.  He visited Western Georgia University several weeks ago and was thoroughly impressed. 

The University has a modern 300-acre (1.2 km²) suburban campus situated within wooded rolling hills.^[4] USI athletic teams participate in Division II of the NCAA and are known as the Screaming Eagles. USI is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The university is home to an extensive student life, with more than 100 student organizations.

SIU had a solid season this year 19-8 but was knocked out of their Conference tournament in the first round. 

Updates as they come in.