Saturday, December 1, 2012

Chargers came up short at tourney

Thomas hit a
double-double 23/10
San Diego, CA - The Chargers played a strong athletic team Southwestern and led most of the game. Cypress (1-4) only suited up 7 players due to some injuries and shot 56% from the floor. However the effort came up short and the Chargers lost 72-68. They missed 12 free throws which meant to be a key factor on the road. Daveon Thomas led the Chargers with 23 points and 10 boards. Davon Potts added 19 points while Montel Taylor scored 16 points and 8 rebounds.

The Chargers face LA Southwest in the consolation semifinals on Saturday.

Contact htran@cypresscollege.edu

Monday, November 26, 2012

El Camino spoiled Chargers home opener


Taylor led the Chargers with
19 points and 8 rebounds
Cypress, CA - First year coach Chris St Clair's moment was Wednesday Night's home opener. The game plan went according to schedule: the offense was clicking but more importantly the defense was tight. The Chargers (1-3) led 47-35 at the half but understood that the game was anything but over as El Camino's high octane offense was about to shift gear. The Warriors chipped back in the second half and managed to tie the game at 80-80 with 2.3 seconds. The Chargers had last possession but did not score. The teams exchanged baskets in the overtime period and with the score locked at 87-87, the Warriors (3-0) had the ball with 26 seconds and called their last timeout. Elmo Smith scored 6 points and 4 in the overtime period including the last 5-foot bankshot with half a second left to lead 89-87. The Chargers inbounded the ball but Julius Von Hanzlik shot went wide.

Note: Chris Kapono started at PG in place of Cassie Hough and went down with an ankle injuty that may sideline him for a month. Kapono finished the game with 9 points, 1 assists and 5 fouls... The Chargers only turned over the ball 14 times but a crucial one at the end of the game which allowed El Camino to get the last possession of the ball in the OT period... Sophomore Montel Taylor scored 19 points and pulled down 8 boards to lead the team in both categories... Von Hanzlik shot 4-of-7 from the 3-point line, 6 assists and  2 blocks...Former coach Don Johnson was in attendance along with former players Rick Darnell (70-72)...

Boxcore


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Winn heading to Arizona Christian



Point Guard Andre Winn who averaged 19ppg and 4 apg for the Chargers during the 2011-12 campaign, has accepted a scholarship to continue his basketball career at Arizona Christian University of the Golden State Athletics Conference. 
Charger coach Chris St Clair who coached Winn the past two seasons was as exciting: " I am super happy for Andre, he earns it.  He will have an outstanding career  at ACU. I wish him the best." 

Contact: htran@cypresscollege.edu

Monday, July 2, 2012

St. Clair appointed as third basketball coach

Cypress, CA - Chris St. Clair who served as an assistant coach on Paul Bottiaux' basketball staff for the past six seasons was appointed to the head coach position in May, the school announced.   Bottiaux announced his retirement following the 2011-12 season.  St.Clair becomes the third head coach in the history of the college.  "I like to thank Coach Bottiaux for the opportunity and what I am able to learn from him in the past six years."
St. Clair came to Cypress in 2007 after leading the Magnolia High School Basketball Program for five seasons.  In his six years as an assistant, his primary responsibility was engineering the recruiting process.  During this time he helped these players moving on: Sean Starkey (Long Beach State), Dwayne King (Cal State LA), Zach Zaragoza (Biola), Brett Spencer (Cal Baptist), John Staats (Cal State Dominguez Hills) and Tim Austin (Hawaii-Hilo.)  St. Clair plans carrying a strong tradition in preparing players for the next level of education and basketball.  "I am honored to be the third coach hired in the program's history.  Our staff plans on playing a high energy style that will allow talented players to thrive.  Our number one goal is to move players on to the four year level."  The players are showing a high level of excitement as well, "I am excited to be part of something new. I could not think of a better coach for the job" said Montel Taylor, a sophomore who made the All-Conference team last season.

St. Clair inherits a team that features six returning sophomores, which is predicted to do well in one of the top conferences in the state.

In his playing days, he lettered at Sonora High School and was the 1993 Orange County High School Basketball Player of the Year.  He went on to become a 3-year starter at Cal State Fullerton and currently 4th all-time in 3-point shots made (185.)  He recently received his masters degree from Azusa Pacific University.

Contact the writer: htran@cypresscollege.edu

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Bottiaux Steps Down - Cypress Looking for New Head Coach


Paul Bottiaux steps down as head coach of Cypress College men's basketball.
  • Applications will be accepted until April 9, 2012
Paul Bottiaux
Cypress, Calif. – Cypress College men’s basketball head coach Paul Bottiaux has announced that he is stepping down as coach of the Chargers after 15 seasons in charge of the program. 

“As I’m getting closer to my retirement years, I wanted to get out at the right time to make sure that I don’t short change the players, and look out for their best interests," Bottiaux said. 

Cypress College Dean of Physical Education and Athletic Director, Diane Henry, is currently accepting applications to fill the vacant men’s basketball head coaching position.

Bottiaux began his career at Cypress in 1988 when he joined the coaching staff of legendary Cypress men's basketball coach, Don Johnson. That's a position he held for the next six years where he worked alongside another Cypress coaching legend, Jack Long, as an assistant on Johnson's staff. When Johnson and Long retired after the 1993-94 campaign, Bottiaux was named the second head coach in school history.

“We’ve had a good run here over the years,” Bottiaux said. “One of the things I’ll miss the most is player development and helping them get to that next level.”

After moving to California from Michigan, Bottiaux – a Michigan State alumnus - began his teaching and coaching career at Wilshire Junior High school in 1969. After coaching just about everything you can think of at Wilshire for the next five years, Bottiaux moved over to Sunny Hills High School where he became an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team.

By 1978, Bottiaux had earned his Master’s Degree from California State University, Fullerton and for the next  11 years he ran a very successful high school men’s basketball program at Sonora High School in the city of La Habra, where he guided his team to a CIF championship in 1983, and a trip to the finals the following year in 1984.

While Bottiaux won’t be patrolling the sideline for the Chargers next season, he has decided to continue teaching, and working with the Associated Students at Cypress College.

"Many things have changed over the years," Bottiaux said. "I would just like to see the program do good in the future, and give these kids a chance to move on."

Bottiaux plans to use the extra free-time he’ll have to spend more time with his family.
Cypress College is currently accepting applications for the vacant men’s basketball head coaching position. If interested, please forward your resume, letter of interest and three references to Cypress College Dean of Physical Education and Director of Athletics, Diane Henry at:

Standard Mail: 9200 Valley View St., Cypress, Calif. 90630

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Men's and Women's Basketball Earn OEC Honors

Men's and Women's Basketball Receive Awards

Four Lady Chargers, two men's basketball players and a head coach received OEC honors.
Andre Winn
Cypress, Calif. - The awards keep racking up for Cypress College basketball this weekend. Two days after the women's basketball team brought home the fourth Orange Empire Conference championship in school history, four Lady Chargers were named to the All-Conference team, while head coach Margaret Mohr earned OEC Co-Coach of the Year honors. 
For the men's basketball program, sophomore guard Andre Winn, was named to the All-OEC First Team, while freshman forward Montel Taylor, was tabbed Honorable Mention.
Melissa Jensen
Sophomore forward Melissa Jensen, and freshman center Sloan Turner were both named as OEC First-Team All-Conference selections, after helping lead the Chargers to a share of the OEC championship with a 10-2 record in the OEC. 
Jensen came to the Chargers all the way from North Carolina this past off season, and it proved to be a good decision for herself, and the Chargers, as she led the team with an 11 points per game average, and 6.8 rebounds per game average in conference play.
Sloan Turner
The future looks bright for Charger freshman, Sloan Turner after a great first season that included a team-high 9.0 rpg average. Turner was also a major contributor on the offensive end of the court for Cypress with an 8.1 ppg average against OEC opponents.
Donna Ka' anoi
Sophomore captain Donna Ka' anoi, and freshman guard Chelsea Walton were named as All-OEC Second Team selections for their vital contributions in conference play.

Ka'anoi finished tied for second on the team with 15 steals in OEC games, but it was her leadership, both on-and-off the court, that helped the Chargers bring home an OEC title. Her 23.3 minutes per game average made her one of the most used Chargers as well. 
 
Chelsea Walton
Walton stepped up big as the season progressed. After starting the year on the bench, Walton played her way into a starting spot, and finished with a team-leading 30 assists in OEC games, while averaging 6.6 ppg.
Men's basketball team captain, Andre Winn, earned All-OEC First Team honors after leading the conference in points (247), points per game (21.6), field goals made (75) and free throws made (72) in OEC legue play. Winn also had the season high in points scored with 41 against Santa Ana. 
Montel Taylor
Taylor was named as an Honorable Mention after leading the OEC in rebounds (104), rebounding average (8.7) and offensive rebounds (52) in conference games.
Cypress head coach Margaret Mohr earned Co-Coach of the Year honors after leading the Chargers to their fourth conference championship in school history, and third under her guidance. Mohr led Cypress to CCCAA State Championship in 2004-05, before winning the conference crown in 2005-06, three years later in 2008-09, and after another three years, again this season.
Margaret Mohr
"At the beginning of the year, I didn't think we had the experience to win a conference title this season. With only four returning sophomores from last year's team, I thought we might be a year away," Mohr said. "I'm just so proud of how hard these girls worked to dedicate themselves to doing what it takes to reach this goal. Conference championships don't come along that often, so these girls have a lot to be proud of for what they've accomplished this season."
In all, three coaches were honored as Co-Coaches of the Year. Along with Mohr, Fullerton head coach Debi Woelke was selected, after leading the Hornets to a share of OEC Championship with Cypress College - despite losing both head-to-head meetings with the Chargers. 
The third coach honored this year was Riverside's Alicia Berber. After mid-season suspensions left the Tigers with just seven players on the roster to play out the remainder of its conference schedule, Berber kept the team together, and guided RCC to a fifth place finish in the OEC.

Cypress College Award Winners

Women's Basketball All-OEC

First Team

Melissa Jensen, Sloan Turner
Second Team
Donna Ka' anoi, Chelsea Walton
Coach of the Year
Margaret Mohr
Men's Basketball All-OEC

First Team

Andre Winn
Honorable Mention
Montel Taylor

All Men's and Women's Basketball Orange Empire Conference Award Winners
Women's Basketball
Fullerton¹s Aunjanay Chambers was selected as the Orange Empire
Conference Player of the Year after helping the Hornets to a share of the
conference title. Chambers, a sophomore out of Valencia High School in
Placentia, CA, averaged 18.1 points a game, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and
3.8 steals a game.

First Team
Melissa Jensen, Cypress; Sloan Turner, Cypress; Aunjanay Chambers, Fullerton; Alexandra Coleman-Thomas, Fullerton; Shalae Edwards, Saddleback; Janelle Flores, Santa Ana; Shomari McCorkle, Irvine Valley; Anna Nguyen, Santa Ana;  Amber Wharton, Irvine Valley; Heather Wohlk, Riverside

Second Team
Donna Ka' anoi, Cypress; Chelsea Walton, Cypress; Chanel Benson, Fullerton; Megan Blackwell, Irvine Valley; Ashley Engeln, Orange Coast; Loren Gurrola, Fullerton; Donna Ka' anoi, Cypress; Melanie Kashanchi, Irvine Valley; Shala Kirkpatrick, Saddleback; Carlisha Phillips, Fullerton; Donquenae Townsend, Saddleback;

Player of the Year
Aunjanay Chambers, Fullerton

Coaches of the Year
Margaret Mohr, Cypress; Debi Woelke, Fullerton; Alicia
Berber, Riverside
Men's Basketball Award Winners
Saddleback¹s Josh Smith and Darnell Taylor were selected as the 2012
Orange Empire Conference Players of the Year after leading the Gauchos to
the conference title. Smith, a freshman out of Lincoln High School in San
Diego, CA, averaged 10.5 points a game and 7.5 rebounds, fifth best in the
conference. Meanwhile, Taylor, a freshman out of Crenshaw High School in Los
Angeles, CA averaged 14 points a game. Gaucho head coach Andy Ground was
selected as the conference coach of the year after guiding Saddleback to a
10-2 conference record and the conference title.

First Team
Andre Winn, Cypress; Mason Biddle, Riverside; Kalob Hatcher, Irvine Valley; AJ Brevard, Saddleback; Will Logan, Orange Coast; Ramona Mejia, Irvine Valley;  Corey Walker, Riverside; Chris Nelson, Fullerton; Alex Worthen-Harris; Greg Bewernick, Fullerton.

Honorable Mention
Montel Taylor, Cypress; Ashton Coleman, Santa Ana; Konnu Shofu, Fullerton; Soloman Singer, Riverside; Michael Bolden, Irvine Valley; Miles Green, Fullerton.

Players of the Year
Josh Smith, Saddleback; Darnell Taylor, Saddleback

Coach of the Year
Andy Ground, Saddleback
 
 

Friday, January 27, 2012

Tigers Edge Chargers at Home

Cypress hung tough in a near upset over Riverside College.

Andre Winn
Riverside, Calif. - Cypress nearly pulled off a big upset on the road, but fell just short in a 69-64 loss to Riverside Community College on the road Friday.

Cypress College (8-14, 1-6) stayed in the game until the very end, but a late run by RCC, and some untimely missed shots were the difference down the stretch for the Chargers in a close loss on the road to one of the elite teams in the OEC.

Andre Winn finished with game-highs in points scored (18) and assists (4), while also adding seven rebounds to his stat line. Winn scored his 18 points on a 6 of 16 shooting night that included a perfect 5 for 5 effort from the charity stripe.


Julius Von Hanzlik (11 points) and Kourtney Maxim (10) were the other two Chargers to score in double-digits. Montel Taylor had a game-high nine rebounds for Cypress.



The Chargers will host Saddleback College on Wednesday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m. This is their first home game scheduled in the second game time slot.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Chargers Close Out First Half of Conference Play with Loss to Pirates

Cypress lost a 93-78 shootout to close out the first half of conference play. 
Julius Von Hanzlik
Cypress, Calif. - Cypress College (7-14, 1-5) lost a 93-78 decision at home against Orange Coast College (7-15, 2-4) in a battle between last place teams in the Orange Empire Conference standings.

Andre Winn scored 23 to lead the Chargers in scoring, while Montel Taylor and Julius Von Hanzlik each chipped in with a double-double. Taylor scored 21 points on 8 of 17 shooting from the field, and collected a team-high 12 rebounds. Von Hanzlik scored 15 points and added 10 rebounds. Winn finished 9 of 16 shooting, including a sizzling 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.

Orange Coast jumped out early lead in the game, and Cypress was never able to get on track the rest of the way.

The Chargers go on the road to take on Riverside Community College on Friday in the opening game of the second half of OEC play.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Lasers Prevail Over Chargers in Defensive Battle

Cypress played good defense in a 54-44 loss to Irvine Valley at home.
Montel Taylor
Cypress, Calif. - Cypress College (6-12, 1-4) held Irvine Valley College to just 54 points, but the Lasers defense was strong as well in a 54-44 loss at home for the Chargers.

On a night when legendary head coach Don Johnson was honored with a bronze plaque hung outside the gym where he won so many of his career 588 victories as head coach of the Cypress College men's basketball team, the Chargers weren't able to pull off a close defensive battle that was tied with just minutes to go in regulation.

A late run by IVC proved to be the difference as the Chargers dropped their fourth Orange Empire Conference game of the year.

Montel Taylor was the only Charger to score in double figures with a team-high 14 points. Taylor also picked up a team-high seven rebounds. Andre Winn and Kourtney Maxim each scored nine points apiece in the loss.

Cypress will host Orange Coast College next Wednesday to close out the first half of league play.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Chargers Down Dons in OT to Win First OEC Game

Cypress outscored Santa Ana College 21-11 in overtime to pick up its first conference victory.

Box Score

Jacob Nungaray
Santa Ana, Calif. - Down by four with less than a minute left in regulation, Cypress sophomore Andre Winn brought the Chargers (8-11, 1-3) back to tie the game and send it to overtime. That was all Cypress needed to pick up its first Orange Empire Conference victory of the season with a 82-72 win over the Dons (8-10, 2-3). In overtime, Cypress shot a blistering 75 percent to outscore SAC 21-11 on the road.

Four Chargers hit double digits in points scored, led by Andre Winn's game-high 22 points, including a 15 for 16 effort from the free throw line. Montel Taylor posted another 20-point game on 8 of 15 shooting from the floor. Chris Maheras and Jacob Nungaray each added 10 points apiece in the victory over SAC. Nungaray also showed up big time on the other end of the court as well after finishing with a game-high six steals.

The Chargers took a 10-5 lead with 13:52 to go in the first half when Kourtney Maxim connected on a jumper. After a layup by SAC's Kacy Barlow tied the game at 14-14 a few minutes later, Cypress went on a 9-1 run to open up a nine-point edge when Montel Taylor hit a layup to make it a 23-15 ballgame.

A 9-7 run by the Dons near the end of the first half made it 30-24 with six seconds on the clock, but a buzzer-beating three pointer by Julius Von Hanzlik stretched Cypress' lead back to nine points heading into the locker room.

The Chargers came out of the break determined to win their first OEC game of the year, and knocked down their first two shots to open up a 13-point margin over Santa Ana on the road.

Cypress had its largest lead of the night get to 48-34 with 11:32 left to play in regulation, but a huge 21-7 run by the Dons made it a tie game at 55-55 with three minutes to play after Chad Young buried a three from deep.

With 1:09 on the clock, SAC popped another trey to put the Chargers in a four-point hole that only Winn could them out of.

In the OT, Cypress won it at the line. The Chargers knocked down 3 of 4 from the floor in the extra frame, but it was their 15 of 19 shooting from the free throw line that did the Dons in. SAC matched Cypress with three field goals in overtime, but only made 5 of 7 from the charity stripe when it counted most.

The Chargers will host Irvine Valley College at home on Friday, January 20 at 5:30 p.m. as they go for their second OEC win of the year.

Following the game, legendary Cypress men's basketball head coach Don Johnson will be honored for his extremely successful career leading the Charger program with a short dedication ceremony to commemorate the newly mounted Don Johnson bronze-plaque outside of the doors leading to the basketball floor that bears his name - Don Johnson Court.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Cypress Drops Third Straight in Conference

Winn and Montel Taylor combine for 50 in loss to Hornets.
 

Andre Winn
Cypress, Calif. - Andre Winn and Montel Taylor combined for 50 points, but it wasn't enough in a 92-75 Orange Empire Conference loss to Fullerton College at home on Wednesday.

Winn finished one rebound shy of a double-double after scoring 25 points and pulling down nine rebounds against the Hornets (4-12, 2-1). Taylor continued his impressive play in January by tossing up 25 points and collecting 13 rebounds to earn his first double-double in OEC play. In Cypress' three league contests this season, Taylor is averaging 22.6 points and nine rebounds a game.

Cypress (7-11, 0-3) started off the night by going blow-for-blow with Fullerton. Winn knocked down a three pointer to put the Chargers on the board a minute and a half into the game, then drained another jumper a few minutes later to bring Cypress back to within a point at 9-8 with 16:43 to go before halftime.

After a score by the Hornets made it a three-point contest, Jacob Nungaray scored two points to make it  a one-point game. Unfortunately, that would be the closest Cypress would get the rest of the way.

Fullerton College opened up a 41-26 lead right before halftime when Gregory Bewerwick hit a three pointer with seven ticks left on the clock.

An offensive shootout broke out in the second period after both squads decided to leave their defenses in the locker room at halftime. In a wild 20 minute stretch, the Chargers and Hornets combined to score 100 points on 36 of 71 shooting from the floor, and 20 of 29 from the line.

The scoring was so evenly matched in the second half that both teams hit 18 field goals, including four three pointers apiece. Fullerton's only edge in the second period came at the charity stripe with a narrow 11-9 margin.

Winn and Taylor did the bulk of their scoring after halftime by combining for 35 of their 50 points. Winn scored 18 points on 5 of 9 shooting, including sinking three of four from downtown, and a perfect 5 for 5 from the line, while Taylor dropped 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting in 20 minutes of play.

The Chargers have a bye this Friday, January 13, and will return to action at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18, when they go on the road to take on a solid Santa Ana College squad.



Monday, January 9, 2012

Chargers Drop Second in Conference

Second half run hurts Chargers in 73-55 conference loss at Saddleback.

Andre Winn
Mission Viejo, Calif. - Cypress College (7-10, 2-0) kept the game close early into the second half, but Saddleback College (10-7, 1-1) played well enough down the stretch to pull out a 73-55 Orange Empire Conference victory at home on Friday.

Montel Taylor turned in another solid night by putting up a team-high 18 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the floor. Taylor was one of four Chargers to score in double figures, including Andre Winn who finished with 12 points, Kourtney Maxim with 11, and Julius Von Hanzlik with 10 points.

As a team, Cypress shot 36%, hitting 18 of 50 from the floor, including 4 of 16 from beyond the arc.

The Chargers went into halftime only trailing by nine points, and after a few buckets early in the second half found themselves down by only four points with 16 minutes to go in the game, but a big run by the Gauchos put the game out of reach.

Cypress College will look for its first Orange Empire Conference victory of the year on Wednesday when it hosts Fullerton College at 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Chargers Rally Falls Short in Conference Opener

Montel Taylor scored a game-high 25 points.

Montel Taylor
Cypress, Calif. - Cypress College (7-9, 0-1) made a valiant effort in the second half to get back in the game, but Riverside Community College (7-6, 1-0) was able to hold on for a 74-62 victory over the Chargers in the Orange Empire Conference opener at Don Johnson Court on Wednesday.

Montel Taylor led all scorers with a 25 point performance on 9 of 13 shooting from the floor, and 7 of 9 from the free throw line. Harris also added eight rebounds on the night.

Andre Winn finished with a team-high nine rebounds, and tossed in 14 points against the Tigers. Julius Von Hanzlik ended with 13 points and six boards.

A big halftime deficit, and too many miscues on offense proved fatal for the Chargers in the end. Cypress' 19 turnovers were too much to overcome down the stretch in the 74-62 conference season opening loss at home to Riverside Community College.

The Chargers have a tough task ahead of them when they travel to South County to take on Saddleback College on Friday, January 6 at 5:30 p.m.