Preview: Men's Basketball Looking To Build On Last Season's Success

PCC Men's Basketball 2023-24 Roster

Complete 2023-24 Schedule

Last season as a the new head coach of men's basketball at Pasadena CIty College, Ryan Frazer did things that hadn't been accomplished at PCC in a long time. Frazer turned around a program that had won one game the previous season and got the Lancers within a minute of making it to the 3C2A State Championship Final Eight, only to lose a late lead and the game to to San Bernardino Valley in the SoCal Regional Finals.

That near perfect storybook ending didn't take away from a 22-9 season, the longest win streak by a Lancers team since the 1960s at 11, two playoff wins, including an upset of #5 seed San Diego Miramar, and immediate respect for PCC in the men's basketball community.

Fast forward to year #2 in 2023-2024 and Frazer's goals remain high--win a conference championship and reach the state tourney--but without the services of three key sophomores who have graduated and earned scholarships to 4-year universities--All-State honorable mention and All-South Coast Conference wing Jonathan Tchengang (Cal State Stanislaus), All-State point guard Jayden Winfrey (Cal State Dominguez Hills) and center Nigel Wilson (now at Bellevue in Nebraska). Another top player and part-time starter Rande Harper (10.7 points a game) also has graduated.

However, the Lancers, rated #16 in the CCCMBCA Pre-Season State Top 30 Rankings, have reloaded with some strong incoming freshmen and return two starters in talented 6-foot-2 wing Myles Watkins and hard-working 6-4 guard Deen Abdur-Rahmann. Shant Chenorhavorian, the team's sixth man off the bench who averaged 7 points a game in the playoffs, is back as well.

The three all were impacful throughout last season with Watkins scoring a team-high 18 points in the regional finals. He averaged 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Abdur-Rahmann averaged 7.5 points and 3 rebounds a game and a proficient shooter at 46.8 percent from the floor and 81.2 percent at the free throw line. Chenorhavorian averaged 6.3 points overall and led the Lancers in 3-point baskets with 42. Watkins, Abdur-Rahmann and Chenorhavorian each hit memorable game-winning shots in key victories during the season.

Reserves in forward John Parmeter-Zapata and guard Brad'n Archer also are back for another Lancers season as is redshirt sophomore guards Micah Jernigan and Jalyn White, who was a medical redshirt after getting injured two games into last season. White started on Frazer's state quarterfinalist team while at MiraCosta College in 2021-22, but was lost due to injury before the team's postseason run.

With experienced players across the roster, Frazer brought in an 8-player, freshmen crop to complement the group. The rookie class is led by 6-3 point guard Jalen Vazquez, an All-Del Rey League player at Bishop Montgomery High (Carson), 6-5 wing Dylan Swillis, a Central Section honorable mention as a senior at Central East High in Fresno, and another 6-5 wing TiJuan Lumpkin, who played at Village Christian High as a senior after earning All-Pacific League First Team at Burroughs High (Burbank) as a junior.

Guards Barry Knight, who averaged 21.4 points a game and scored more than 1,000 points in his prep career at Valley View HS in Ontario, and Kaiden Fine (Providence High, Burbank), and 6-7 center Elijah Wade, a local product of Muir High, also are part of the PCC rotation going into this season.

Guards Julian Wilson, who averaged 24 points a game at Fremont High in Northern California where he was an All-Oakland Section nominee by Cal-Hi Sports, and Darrius Freeman, a talent from Pete Knight HS (Palmdale) round out the 15-player roster.

"This year's team has plenty of freshmen on it which means our learning curve is a little steeper than with our very experienced group of last season," Frazer said. "What we lack in experience, I feel we make up in talent as a lot of the newcomers come highly decorated. I feel confident that with our three key returning starters we have the ability to develop into a potential top team in California again."

LANCERS FINISH 1-1 AT SANTA MONICA TOURNAMENT 

PCC led 38-37 at halftime at its '23-24 season opener v. host Santa Monica, fell behind by eight, then rallied to take a 66-61 lead on a 3-pointer by Chenorhavorian, but the Corsairs grabbed the lead again on a Jahveon Medearis jumper at 72-71 with 2:15 left to beat the Lancers, 77-73. The game played on Nov. 2 was part of the SMC O'Fallon and Singui Classic.

Watkins paced four PCC player in scoring double figures with 19 points, followed by Vazquez with 16 points and three assists in his collegiate debut, and 11 points each by Chenorhavorian (8-for-10 at the free throw line) and Abdur-Rahmann (led team with six rebounds). 

Watkins then took over in Saturday's 76-61 victory over Orange Coast. He made 12 of 16 from the floor and a perfect 6-for-6 at the stripe for 30 points to go with four rebounds, three steals and two blocks. 

Swillis had a big effort in tallying 12 points, eight rebounds, and five steals while Lumpkin, coming off the bench, made all five of his shots from the field as part of his 12 points and five rebounds. Chenorhavorian added seven points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals, Abdur-Rahmann five points, seven boards, three assists and two steals, and Vazquez six points and four of the team's 20 steals. Archer added four points. 

PCC led by as much as 15 points in the first half before Orange Coast rallied to cut to to 48-45 midway through the second half. At that point, Watkins would hit a jumper to cap a quick 9-0 Lancers run to put it out of reach.

"The first two games of the year went exactly how you would expect for such a new team," Frazer said. "In game one, we had opportunities to win it down the stretch, but did a poor job of closing out the halves. I felt we learned from those mistakes and did a better job of finishing out the win over OCC. I'm excited to see how we do moving forward. I think this has the potential to be another special year for Lancers basketball."

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

November 16-17: hosts the Skip Robinson Classic, home opener is v. Cypress (7 p.m. Thursday the 16th)

January 24: South Coast Conference North Division opener v. defending SCC champ East Los Angeles, Coaches v. Cancer Night

Feburary 28: First Round of the SoCal Regional Playoffs

March 15-17: 3C2A State Championships, hosted by the SCC and Mt. San Antonio College