The 2011-12 Cabrillo College Seahawks

Cabrillo College has topped Skyline, Shasta and Delta to date, going undefeated with familiar foes Ohlone and Chabot coming up back-to-back.

The returning Coast Conference South champs (four times in six seasons) are minus sharpshooting Markus Duran but Coach Tony Marcopulos and third-year Assistant Coach Rob Hoyt return a mix of veterans and newcomers.

 Tony Marcopulos

Rob Hoyt

6-foot-9 freshman frontcourter Frank Rogers has performed well early on and signed a letter-of-intent earlier this month with Coach Rex Walters and USF. According to Hoyt, "Rogers is getting better every game, taking instruction and applying it right away." The young man from Salinas has enjoyed scoring highs of 23 and then 19 points in games so far.

Sophomore point Tyler Velasquez "is the leader of the group and as he goes, we go," Hoyt explained. Velasquez started the season scoring 15, 14 and then 15 points.
 

Another frosh, 6-foot-6 Thomas Pierce is "real versatile, playing more as a facilitator right now."

Joe Saarem is a 6-foot-3 freshman who is quickly proving to be a strong shooter. He buried four treys against Skyline and followed that up with 12 points versus Shasta.

6-foot-9 sophomore Justyn Searle holds down the 5 spot.

6-foot-3 sophomore Aaron Short is "really gifted" per Hoyt. "He is one of the top athletes in Northern California and is a key reason to why we've started off the season so well."

Here's the 2011-12 Seahawk roster:

* Jimmy Bajog G 5-foot-8 Fr.
* Gus Indarose G 6-foot-0 Fr.
* Cody Love G 6-foot-1 Fr.
* Robert Myles G 5-foot-11 Fr.
* Dalton Noble G 6-foot-1 Fr.
* Sterling Reed G 6-foot-0 Fr.
* Aaron Short G 6-foot-3 So.   
* Tyler Velasquez G 5-foot-11 So.
* Joe Saarem G/F 6-foot-3 Fr.
* Sean Filley F 6-foot-3 Fr.
* Thomas Pierce F 6-foot-5 Fr
* Adrian Powell F 6-foot-4 Fr.
* Erik Witzig F 6-foot-4 So.
* C.J. Grigg C/F 6-foot-7 Fr.
* Frank Rogers F/C 6-foot-9 Fr.   
* Justyn Searle C 6-foot-9 So.

The latest on MPC , Cabrillo and Las Positas hoops

Monterey Peninsula College took third place in its tournament with a win over Hartnell.

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Hosting the tournament, Cabrillo College first took down Porterville and but then fell to undefeated (8-0) Cañada as Peter Pappageorge took most valuable player honors.

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Las Positas beat Delta Saturday night.

Cabrillo College in 2010-2011

From the Cabrillo athletics site:

The 2010-2011 Cabrillo College Seahawks return four sophomores from last seasons 14-12 team that finished in 2nd place in the Coast Conference South division with an 8-4 record.

* Markus Duran, a second team All-Coast Conference selection as a Freshman, (6'1", 180) will look to lead the Seahawks as the only returning starter from last year. Duran led the state in three point field goals made in 09-10 and will no doubt be one of the better three point shooters again this season.

* Daniel Johnston, (6'3", 200), will look to play a much bigger role this year with his steady improvement since last year.

* Bertram Hall, (6'6", 215), started several games last year and will also be counted on if the Seahawks are to win the Conference.

Cody Boaz, (6'2", 185), has also improved considerably from last year and is now entering his third year in the program after recovering from ACL tear two years ago. He to will be competing for playing time.

Coach Tony Marcopulos, entering his 11th year as Head Coach, welcomes nine newcomers to the program.

* Justyn Searle, (6'9", 215) Kerns High School in Salt Lake City, UT.

* Travis Van Diest, (6'8", 210) Rocky Mountain High School in Boise, ID.

* Erik Witzig, (6'3", 215) Scotts Valley High School in Scotts Valley, CA

Searle, Van Diest and Witzig will be competing for playing time along with Hall at the post position.

The competition at the forward position will see, along with Johnston and Boaz:

* Darrell Espy, (6'4", 190) Dominguez High School in Compton, CA and a recent transfer from Norfolk State University in Virginia.

* Trevor English, (6'5", 190) Reno High School in Reno, NV

* Aaron Short, (6'4", 200) North Valley High School in Reno, NV.

All three have had very impressive High School careers and will all be excellent additions. The competition at that position will be quite a battle.

In the backcourt, along with Duran, Cabrillo has added:

* Reed Kamler, (6'2", 185) San Rafael High School in San Rafael, CA and a transfer from the University of the Pacific.

*Tyler Velasquez, (5'10", 170) Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, CO.

* Stevie McCloyn, (5'11", 180) Taylorsville High School in Salt Lake City, UT.

The competition in the backcourt will be interesting as well.