No. 9 Bulldog Men's Basketball Team Opens Season Friday at Cuesta Tournament

Ranked ninth in the California Community Colleges Men's Basketball Coaches Association Preseason Southern California Regional Poll, the Allan Hancock College men's basketball team tips off the season Friday at the Cuesta/Rabobank Invitational.  The Bulldogs face Chaffey, the second ranked team in the preseason regional rankings, at 6 p.m. Chaffey went 28-6 last season and lost in the Final Four of the State Tournament.

"I am glad we play one of the top team's in the state. We will find out very quickly where we are as a team," said head Tyson Aye, who enters his second season as the head coach of the Bulldogs. Last year, he guided Hancock to a third place finish in conference, 16-14 overall record and the program's fourth straight postseason berth. 

"I am really impressed by this group," said Aye. "They genuinely enjoy being together and have developed a real camaraderie which I believe will translate to team chemistry on and off the court."

Sophomores Andre Miller and Kadeem Minor return to anchor the guard position for the Bulldogs. Miller earned All-Conference honorable mention last season after he led the Western State Conference with 5.4 assists per game and ranked eighth in the state. He averaged 5.3 points per game and shot 41.2 percent from three-point range. Minor started 30 games last season and averaged 7.4 points, 3.1 assists and 3 rebounds per game.

There are several new faces for the Bulldogs this season, including transfers Shamel Williams, Roland Jones, Jr., and Lavell White, all guards. Williams averaged 5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 26 games for Blinn College in Texas, while the 6-6 White averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds at Polk State College. Jones, Jr. averaged 4 points and 2 rebounds at Pima Community College in Arizona.  Lawrence Johnson, a 6-1 sophomore guard who redshirted last season, will also see time at the guard position.

"We have a very versatile group of players who can play multiple positions. I believe it will make it hard for teams to match up against us," added Aye.

Another new addition is Arroyo Grande High School graduate Matt Willkomm. The former Eagles standout attended Northern Arizona University last year. He has quickly impressed the Hancock coaching staff.

"We love his toughness. He is a competitor and a strong defender who shoots the ball really well. He will play an integral part this season," said Aye.

With Josh Varney and D.J. Billingsley gone after their sophomore seasons, Aye will turn to Arinze Anakwenze, Ali Mohammed and Marcus Schneider.  Anakwenze, a 6-7 forward, averaged nearly 12 points per game his senior year at John Muir High School. Mohammed, a 6-6 freshman, earned All-CIF First Team honors after he helped lead Dorsey High School to the CIF Division I State Tournament. Schneider, a 6-7 forward, was an All-League pick at Upland High School.

"Last year rebounding was our biggest weakness. This year we are bigger, longer and more athletic as a group," he added.

Six-foot-nine Alioune Tew, a native of France who played at Eastern Utah College and is already being recruited by four-year universities, will miss the season with a torn ACL according to Aye.

Coach Aye also has two new faces on his bench with lead assistant coach Josh Motenko and assistant Dani Mihailovic. Motenko spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Fresno State. He also worked at Lamar Community College and with Aye's father and brother, Denny and Devin Aye, at Chabot College. Mihailovic played for the Bulldogs during the 2010-11 season before he transferred to Post University.