Watch out for Cal State East Bay

It's sort of tucked away in the college corridor that runs from San Jose State to Santa Clara University all the way to UC Berkeley -- it being Cal State East Bay in Hayward. Will Biggs heads the men's basketball program there and has done so for a number of years. Not a lot of people know but the Pioneer went 19-8 overall, 14-2 in the Cal Pac Conference.

In 2009-2010, Cal State East Bay will begin play in NCAA Division II and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), awaiting approval from the NCAA for eligibility to compete for the various conference championships. The CCAA members include Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Los Angeles, CSU Monterey Bay, CSU San Bernardino, CSU Stanislaus, Chico State, Humboldt State, San Francisco State, Sonoma State and UC San Diego.

Leading Pioneer returnee Tauran Moore is a transfer from Consumnes College. He returns for his senior season in Hayward after being named Cal Pac Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Moore scored 15.7 points per game, shooting 43% from three-point range.

Junior-to-be Will Freedman is also back after being selected as a first-team, all-conference member. He put up 10.9 points per game and grabbed 5.4 rebounds a contest.

Guard Andrew Ritchart is on the roster, he being the older brother of Forest Lake Christian's senior-to-be Josh Ritchart, a likely D-1 recruit.

Biggs plus assistant coaches Devin Aye and Ray Villegas have been working -- locally and state wide -- to bring additional talent to the Pioneer roster. Merritt College's 6-foot-5 Matt Busch is a top recruiting target as is Alex Harris, a 6-foot point out of El Cerrito High.

Berkeley High's Mark Samuels, a Section Sports All North Coast second team selection, has signed on as a Pioneer. A great 'get' by CSEB, Samuels will be able to play in front of family and friends. He nabbed over 100 steals as a senior while also averaging 18 points per game and six assists per contest. Samuels has been lauded for his leadership.

Martin Keitt, another Consumnes River product who was a freshman there in 2006, has also officially signed with Cal State East Bay. He checks in at 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds and prepped at Bella Vista High in Fair Oaks.

6-foot-3 backcourter/wing Donovan Jackson out of El Toro High is another coming to Hayward. He received interest from UC Riverside among others after displaying solid outside shooting and a top basketball IQ.

5-foot-9 Efren Sifuentes from Ripon High is also headed to the East Bay. He's another player with the reputation for long-range shooting.

Also, 6-foot-2 Josh De La Torre of Washington High in Los Angeles is arriving to aid the backcourt. He scored just under 20 points per game last season and was rewarded for his accomplishments by being named as a member of the second-team, all-city squad.

It will be interesting to see how the Pioneer adjust to the new 'family' of opponents. There's a core of solid returnees and the promise of helpful talent arriving. Another 19-8 record will be difficult to achieve but the underpinnings to springboard into a new conference are in place.