Hancock Men's Basketball Program Announces Commitments from Six Central Coast Natives for 2015-16 Season

In pursuit of a second straight Western State Conference title, Allan Hancock College men's basketball coach Tyson Aye has announced the commitments of six Northern Santa Barbara County natives for the upcoming season.

"We are thrilled to have these six young men join the Bulldog Basketball Family," said Aye, who during his second season at Hancock led the Bulldogs to a share of their first conference title in four years during the 2014-15 season. "We will always recruit our local talent first."

Santa Maria High School's Shemarr Parker, Cabrillo High's Aaron Abayari and DeShawn Bowen, Orcutt Academy's Manny Mangayao, Chris Diaz from Pioneer Valley High School, as well as former Santa Maria High player Troylan Bolden are headed to Hancock.

"It is exciting to be able to recruit so many local kids this year who we know have the ability to play college basketball and help our program win another conference championship," said Aye.

Parker, a 6'3" guard, averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists his senior season for the Saints. He was named to the Los Padres League First Team and Santa Maria Times' All-Area First Team.

Mangayao averaged 21 points and eight rebounds for the Spartans. The 6'4" left-handed guard earned a spot on the All-Los Padres League First Team, as well as on the Santa Maria Times' All-Area First Team.

Bolden, a 6'3" guard, once played at Santa Maria High School. He averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds his senior season for Hemet High School, and went on to receive the Inland Empire Sports All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player award.

Abayari and Bowen helped lead the Cabrillo boy's basketball team to a Los Padres League title during the 2014-15 season. Abayari was named the league's MVP after he averaged 25 points, five rebounds and three assists. He was also named the All-Area Offensive Player of the Year by the Santa Maria Times. Bowen, a 6'7" forward, averaged seven points and nine rebounds for the Conquistadores. He was named to the All-LPAL Second Team.

Diaz, a 6'5" guard, averaged 18 points and nine boards per game for the Pioneer Valley High School Panthers. Diaz was selected to the All-PAC 8 League Second Team, as well as the All-Area Second Team by the Santa Maria Times.

Hancock is coming off a 14-12 season that included a 9-3 run through conference play. The Bulldogs will return Arroyo Grande High School graduate Matt Willkomm next season. Willkomm averaged a team-high 16.9 points in conference games last year, and averaged 11.8 points overall as a freshman guard for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs open the 2015-16 campaign on November 7, at a tournament hosted by Cuesta College.