December 22, 2010
Men's Basketball Team Gains Momentum Headed into Conference Play
The Allan Hancock College men’s basketball team is hosting a holiday tournament Dec. 28-30, and starting Western State Conference play just a week later. According to head coach Ralph Gorton that’s perfect timing.
“We’ve turned the corner and it couldn’t have come at a better time for us,” he said.
The Bulldogs are fresh off of a consolation championship at the Pepsi Holiday Inn Classic Tournament at Sequoias College Dec. 17-19, where the team went 2-1 and center Ali Langford was an all-tournament selection. It was during that tournament that the players began to see their own potential, Gorton said.
“The kids came off the floor angry because they knew they should have beaten Fresno City,” Gorton said. “The next day they turned around and used that anger and frustration to their advantage.”
The Bulldogs beat Porterville College 85-78 and then took a close game against Riverside Community College 55-54. The Hancock men’s team is now 3-9 overall, a record that doesn’t accurately portray the level of talent on the team, according to Kim Ensing, associate dean physical education, health, athletics.
“The numbers on the scoreboard don’t always reflect the talent of the players and the coaching staff. I’m happy to see the men’s basketball team experience results that confirm the talent that I’ve seen in them all season,” Ensing said.
Heading into conference play the Bulldogs are banking on the talent of players such as Langford, who scored 32 points against Fresno City College and a total of 71 points during the Sequoias tournament. He has scored a total of 244 points this season, an average of 20.3 per game. Lompoc native and freshman Jordan O’Byrne has also been a rising talent this season, Gorton said. O’Byrne has the best free throw and three-point averages on the team and frequently follows Langford in point totals. Coach Gorton said he’s also counting on Righetti High School graduate and co-captain Joey Araujo to continue to lead the team.
The Hancock tournament begins Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs will go up against Rio Hondo College at 5 p.m. in the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium. Other teams in attendance will include Fresno City College, Saddleback College, Cuesta College, Santa Barbara City College, Bakersfield College and Butte College.
For a full tournament schedule and bracket go athletics.hancockcollege.edu and hit the link for details on the men’s basketball schedule. For more information call 922-6966 ext. 3227.