NorCal No. 2 Giants men's basketball opens Nov. 3 vs. American River

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

For College of the Sequoias men's basketball team, 10 of the 11 players who delivered a Central Valley Conference championship and a trip to the state's Final Four during the 2021-2022 season have moved on.

Their replacements, however, appear capable of taking the Giants on a similar run in 2022-2023.

Sequoias enters its four-team Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 3-4 as the preseason No. 2-ranked team in Northern California by the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association. Only reigning state champion City College of San Francisco is ranked higher.

The Giants are set to open their season at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 against American River, then face Palo Verda at 5 p.m. Nov. 4.

The games are among four taking place at Sequoias' Porter Field House, with the Giants' conference rival Fresno City facing Palo Verde at 5 p.m. Nov. 3 and American River at 3 p.m. Nov. 4. Admission is $8 general, $5 for seniors and students.

"I'm very appreciative of the coaches and different people thinking very highly of our program and what we're trying to accomplish," fourth-year Sequoias coach Dallas Jensen said. "It's fun to look at for a couple minutes and I'm glad our guys get to experience it. But they understand it's just a number. At the end of the day, what matters are the results on the floor. Our goal is to go 1-0 every day, and that's their focus coming into Thursday. We're eager and excited to get going."

Pollsters are high on the Giants despite the return of only one player -- 6-foot, 8-inch forward Terri Miller (Clovis North High) -- from a team that went 27-5 overall, captured their first CVC title since 2010 and reached the state semifinals.

Miller averaged 7.4 points on 57.7 percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in 31 games last season, including nine starts.

"Terri is one of the more skilled big men in the state of California," Jensen said. He brings a completely different dimension to our team. One of his biggest skill sets is that he sees the floor so well and makes life easier for the guys around him." 

Miller will be limited early on as he works his way back from a summer knee injury that caused him to miss two and a half months of training. 

Jensen said Miller has been cleared for full-contact for two weeks and will play in the Tip-Off Classic, but will have his minutes limited early in the season.

"He can play with no restrictions, but we want to take it easy on him as we move forward," Jensen said. "We have a plan in place. We want to do right by him."

Sequoias' 13-man roster also features five players experienced in the program who redshirted last season in 6-3 guard Tyjean Burrell (Sacramento), 6-0 point guard Jose Cuello (Harlem, N.Y.), 6-7 forward Takari Fields (Champaign, Ill.), 6-5 forward George Carter (Stockton) and 6-10 center Lucas Wilrich (Yuba City).

Burrell and Cuello will be key contributors to what Jensen said should be one of the strongest backcourts in the state, with Burell being an accomplished scorer at all three levels and Cuello an elite on-ball defender.

Jensen said Fields will bring tough defense and an ability to play above the rim; Carter can defend, rebound and knock down the open shot; while Wilrich is a raw but promising rebounder and shot blocker.

The Giants' highest profile newcomer is 6-3 guard Javohn Garcia (Columbus, Ohio), a transfer from NCAA Division I UMass. Garcia averaged 6.9 points and 2.6 assists in 25 games for the Minutemen last season.

"If he's not the best point guard in California, he will be in the mix," Jensen said. "He's an absolute stud. He has a very good chance to get paid to play (professional basketball) when it's all said and done."

The rest of Sequoias' roster includes freshmen in 6-0 guard Omari Nesbit (Sacramento), 6-5 guard Tre'von Martin (Las Vegas), 6-2 guard Alex Argandar (Modesto), 6-7 forward Samuel Bazunga (Paris, France), 6-9 center Cameron Clark (Snellville, Ga.) and 6-4 guard Tyree Gill (Sacramento).

Nesbit and Gill are strong on-ball defenders who can get out and run the floor; Clark has only been playing organized basketball for two years, but Jensen believes he can develop into a mid-major D-I recruit; Argandar has good court vision and ability to distribute the ball; Martin is returning to basketball after taking a couple seasons off and will bring rebounding and energy; while Bazunga, who originally went to NCAA D-II Hawaii Pacific out of high school, will be active on the glass and running the floor.

"We're hoping to compete at a high level come conference play and be in the mix to win a conference championship, then mix it up in the postseason and see what we can do," Jensen said. "I believe the makeup and pieces are there to be a very good team. We just need to continue getting reps with one another. There will be learning curves, but what I'm impressed with is their ability to stick together and work together. I think this team will have a very good year."

In addition to Miller, Fields has only recently been cleared to return to action after breaking a bone in his foot over the summer, while Wilrich will be sidelined for 3-4 weeks into the season by a broken hand.

Jensen has yet to have all 13 of his players participate in practice since the start of July.

"We just need to get healthy reps where everyone is together," Jensen said. ``We'll get as many healthy reps as we can in November and December and hopefully be ready to rock and roll once conference play rolls around."

Seeking their fourth straight trip to the state's Elite Eight, Sequoias will play 13 home games at Porter Field House, highlighted by matchups with Southern California No.1 Fullerton (Nov. 18), SoCal No. 5 Cerritos (Dec. 16), NorCal No. 16 San Mateo (Dec. 17), NorCal No. 11 Columbia (Jan. 4), NorCal No. 13 Porterville (Jan. 14), NorCal No. 17 West Hills-Lemoore (Feb. 4) and NorCal No. 15 Fresno City (Feb. 15).

The Giants host the COS Giant Classic on Nov. 17-18 and the Wyndham/Mannon Classic on Dec. 15-16.

"I'm anxious for these guys to experience what the support is really like in Visalia," Jensen said. "It's very special and the community has been so supportive of COS and COS basketball. I'm excited for the guys to have that experience starting this week." 

Sequoias moved eight players from last season's team to four-year universities in Seth Dawson (NCAA D-I Coastal Carolina), Scott Ator (Chaminade), Bryce Fizgerald (NCAA D-II Concordia of Irvine), Tiveon Stroud (NAIA Bellvue), Conner Jackson (NCAA D-II Sioux Falls), Andre Treadwell (NAIA Saint Katherine's), Mohammed Adam (NAIA San Diego Christian) and Ryan Troutman (NAIA Simpson University). A nine player, Ryan Johnson, received a scholarship offer from NCAA D-II Hawaii Pacific but has instead chosen to pursue a career in law enforcement locally.