2019 Team Standing Team Pic
Posted: Nov 08, 2019
The Cerro Coso Men's Basketball team open the 2019-2020 season this Friday against Allan Hancock College at the Hinson's Tire Pros Winter Classic Tournament hosted at Cuesta College. The Coyotes enter the season with a lot to look forward to. The excitement buzzing around the team is a result of a solid 2018-19 campaign coupled with an impressive incoming freshman class for the Coyote program.
A celebrated achievement for Coso is returning four sophomores who all averaged 8 points or more, this group is lead by Jordan Pumphrey who averaged 18.6 last season. The Coyote Basketball program will benefit from versatility this season by adding depth to the roster giving them interchangeable players that can pick up the slack when needed to enforce their efforts game in and game out.
The Coyotes will be leaning on sophomore leadership early on in order to bring the freshman group along integrate them quickly into Coach Dugan's system. Notably, the Coyotes will rely on Jordan Pumphrey's versatility while Vernon (Rock) Hardison will be able to man the paint. On the perimeter, Jonathan Foster and Isiah Thomas are both returning guards who scored 20 or more in a game last year and will be heavily counted on to manage the flow of the offensive attack.
Coach Dugan also feels strongly that the level play from the freshmen group will need to catch up quick and to support this season's success. Notable newcomers for the upcoming season:
- Haven Ousely- will give a scoring boost on the perimeter
- Alex Dieudonne- will provide a physical presence in the post, versatile around the entire court
- Deandre Pemberton- skilled big man, will be able to come off the bench and provide some athleticism to the floor
- Zach Neely- Strong depth player that will bring a presence to the post
- Tommie Flanagan- Strength as a defensive stopper and a physical guard who can hound the ball
- Wings, Maxime Demeus, Deveonte Lyles, Keandre Hill are deep ball threats that provide the Coyotes the opportunity to maximize their presence on the floor
The Cerro Coso Coyotes Basketball program will also benefit from second season Head Coach, Chris Dugan gaining experience in his role. Coach Dugan's outlook this season, "I have always believed I will be a better coach every single year because I am going to work at it. I was able to go back and look at the decisions I made to see what I would do differently to improve." Coach Dugan has also built strength to his staff with the hiring of assistant coach Tyrone Shelley. "Coach Shelley will be huge for us this year. He is a coach with H.S. head coaching experience. Having someone I trust takes a huge load off of me and overall it will help our team be better. As a former NCAA DI athlete he can echo many of the core values that I am preaching to our guys to get to the next level."
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