Youth will be served, but not until next year.
After struggling to a 4-10 record to start the season, the Jaguars won their first four games of the new calendar year and finished 13-13 record — one game short of the playoffs.
Slow starts were a recurring theme early in the season, as the team battled back in several games. Freshman point guard Quincy Ferebee said the early struggles stemmed from youthfulness.
“We have a lot of freshmen taking big roles,” he said. “We have gotten used to it and we started to fix the problems we had early in the season.”
SWC lost its first home game in The Den against the Grossmont College Griffins. Strong performances by freshman guard Jose Serrano and sophomore forward Emilio Arellano led the Jaguars on a strong comeback late in the second half. SWC came up just short after Grossmont came out to a strong 5-0 run to start the overtime period. That early overtime run made it tough to ultimately win that game, according to Head Coach John Cosentino.
“That 0-5 start killed us,” he said. “When the other team starts out like that in the beginning of the game, you have all game to make up for it. In overtime, you only have five minutes. We were not able to do that.”
SWC battled back from a 20-point deficit against Mesa College to take the game to overtime and win, 78-74.
Cosentino said his players can stay focused even when they fall behind.
“The guys and the coaches really stay cool and calm when things are not going our way,” he said. “I have had teams that when things go wrong, they lose their heads, but these guys are able to just continue to battle and stick together.”
Emilio Arellano and Jose Serrano have been huge assets for the Jaguars. Arellano, a returning All-Conference performer and leading scorer, picked up where he left off last year. He averaged 13.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, slightly off last year’s stats.
“He (Arellano) has been a bit inconsistent this year, but he does not have that complimentary low post threat that he had last year with Iman Chatman,” said Cosentino. “He still will be a Division I scholarship player and when you prepare for us, you have to stop him.”
Freshman Serrano, a native of Venezuela, tied for the team scoring lead with 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Cosentino said Serrano’s future is bright.
“He should be one of the best players in the state next year,” he said. “When the game really slows down for him, he is going to dominate.”
Serrano said he has worked hard to transition from international basketball to the American style. His biggest challenge, he said, was the speed of the game.
“As the season went, I realized that I was playing too fast and there was no need to,” he said. “Watching film definitely made things slow down and give me a deeper understanding of the game.”
Freshman Forward Israel Seales was a defensive star, averaging a team-high of 2.0 blocks per game. Serrano praised Seales’ defensive skills.
“Israel, due to his wingspan, is one of the best defenders on the team,” he said. “He has made great improvements towards the end of the season, next year is going to be crazy.”
Seales is a 6’7 athletic paint protector, who gave the team a defensive presence it lacked last season.
Last year the guard position was a weakness, but Ferebee filled the role and was a strength. He averaged 11.7 points and 7.2 assists per game. Cosentino said Ferebee’s talent is going to take him far.
“He spaces the court for us, he can go inside and outside, he can take anybody off the dribble,” he said. “ He will not be around next season and will be picked up by a Division I program.”
Ferebee said he owed his success to talented teammates and coaches.
“They have run a couple plays for me and to get our shooters open,” he said. “I like to get my players open, and that leaves me room to score or facilitate for my other teammates.”
Four SWC players were named All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference. Ferebee and Serrano were first team, Arellano was second team. Seales. Freshman guard Darryl Wilson and sophomore guard Quentrear Meadows received honorable mentions.
