MC men’s basketball squad hopes to ride experience to a resurgence

Jermaine Crowder wants to put Merced College men’s basketball back on the map.

The Blue Devils have certainly fallen out of the limelight with some lean years, accumulating just four wins the last three seasons.

The 2013-14 campaign at least appeared to be a step in the right direction, with MC competing in most of its contests despite suiting up almost all freshmen. With six of those players returning, another back in the fold after a year off, and a talented group of freshmen, Crowder believes the Blue Devils are poised for a big campaign.

“Last year was tough, but we got to see what it takes to compete and win at this level,” said Crowder, who is the team’s returning top scorer. “We’ve worked hard in the offseason to have the season of our lives. The freshmen who have come in have followed our example, and I think we’re going to do big things this year.

“We have size. We have speed. We can shoot and should be able to score inside and out. I don’t really see any holes in this team.”

The new-look Blue Devils will get the chance to show what they can do early, taking on preseason NorCal No. 10 Lassen at the San Jose City Tournament in today’s season opener. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

One of the biggest reasons for optimism is having a little continuity within the program this season. Retaining players from season to season has been tough during the last five years, forcing coach Bill Russell to practically start fresh each season.

That won’t be the case this year, with Crowder, point guard Geremi Dixon, swing man Davonte Archer, forward Paul Wilson and center Ronald Charles back in the fold. All saw consistent minutes with the team and were regular contributors. Throw in TCU kick back Kendrick Sallis – who gray-shirted last year but practiced with the team – and Jarbarea Williams – who played as a freshman in 2011-12 – and MC has no shortage of experience.

“Just having a group that already knows the system and has a feel for playing with each other is always nice,” Russell said. “Watching these guys and the amount of work they’ve put in has been fun. This is a team I might have to let go a little bit, because they all know how to play the game of basketball.

“We’re a much deeper team than we’ve been; in fact, I’ve had to switch things up a few times because the guys off the bench were outperforming the starters. The guys are really pushing each other and no one has a guaranteed starting spot this season.”

Russell said newcomers to watch include 6-foot-5 forward Deonta Woodard, former Pitman guard Gurvinder Uppal and former Golden Valley star Rob Martinez.

Lady Devils

Allen Huddleston is leaving nothing to chance.

Injuries have decimated the MC women’s basketball team the last four years, rarely allowing Huddleston to suit up 10 players for most of those seasons. He compensated in the 2013-2014 campaign by piecing together a 15-player roster.

The Lady Devils may need all those bodies, too, with a very unproven group. Nitoyra Bone will be the team’s only returner from last year’s 21-10 squad when MC opens the season Friday at the San Joaquin Delta Tournament.

“We’re just very young across the board, so we’ll be doing our training on the job,” Huddleston said. “We’ve got some kids with definite ability, but some of them have just barely turned 18. There’s probably going to be a period of adjustment.”

Center Joi Bertrand has the potential to be dominant in the post, but the same foot injury that forced her to redshirt last season has surfaced again. Mele Tupouata should see plenty of minutes in the middle, while Chanice Baldain and Jazlyn Simon will share point guard duties. Huddleston said he is hoping to get consistent scoring from Tia Patterson and former Merced High star Tekerra Borden.

This story was originally published November 5, 2014 at 11:34 PM with the headline "MC men’s basketball squad hopes to ride experience to a resurgence."