The Outlook for the 2009-2010 Merritt College Men's Basketball Season

The 2009/2010 Men's Basketball Season brings a fresh outlook and potential for a great basketball season for the Merritt College Men's Basketball Program. A total of 13 freshman and 2 sophomore students athletes from Central California, Northern California, across the US, and even internationally complete the roster. Although this year's team will lack California junior college game experience, 75% of the roster has experienced a winning tradition and accomplished many awards at the high school level. Here are some of the players to look forward too this season...

Roman Robinson(SG)- In 2009 earned Solano County League Most Valuable Player. Led Rodriguez High school to a 25-4 record and trip to the state final last year.

Briant Edwards(PG/SG)- In 2009 was voted defensive player of the year in the Chicago city league. Led North Lawndale College Preparatory High school to state championship in 2008 with a record of 28 -4 and state champion runner up in 2009 with a record of 30-6.

Isaiah Gossett(PG/SG)- In 2009 earned 1st team all city in Fresno and 2nd all state selection, California state semi final player of the game and team MVP. Led Edison High school in 2009 to a record of 24-7 .

Michael McElroy(PG)- In 2009 5th in the state at the point guard position in assists and scoring in junior college at Colombia College.

Isiah Robinson(PG)- In 2009 1st team all conference selection in basketball and football at Natomas High school in Sacramento county.

Carlton Castillo(F)- In 2008 attended Rise Academy and was ranked #12 in the top 15 in state of Delaware.

Marcus Moreland(F)- In 2009 was 2nd team all conference in the city of Las Vegas. and led Eldorado High school to a record of 24-7 and the semi finals in the Nevada state playoffs.

Ade Henderson(F)- In 2008 won the Paris, France Euro league under 18 championship.

Tyshaun Douglas(C)- In 2007 attended Rise Academy and was ranked #112 out of the top 150 players in the country.

Trent Archer(F)- In 2009 led Las Lomas High school to the Northern California Section Playoffs and a record of 18-10. In 2008 to a record of 18-12 and a birth to the Ncs finals.

These are just a few of the players to look forward to this season.The Tip off for the Men's Basketball Season is Friday November 13, 2009 at the Sanjose City Tip off Tournament. The 1st round matchup is vs. Skyline College from San Bruno at 8pm. We look forward to a great year and appreciate support for Merritt College Athletics.

2008 - 2009 Men's Basketball Players Sign National Letters of Intent

The summer school session has come to a end and so moves on the men's basketball players from the 2008 - 2009 basketball season.


Matt Busch a 6"5 220lbs forward from San Leandro High school, Oakland, California has signed a national letter of intent to attend NCAA Division II Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

Earnest Pughsley a 6"3 185lbs shooting guard from Lima Senior High school, Lima, Ohio has signed a national letter of intent to attend NCAA Division II Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio.

Andre Martin a 6"4 190lbs point guard from Mt. Miguel High school, San Diego, California has decided to sign a national letter of intent to attend and red shirt the up coming season at NCAA Division II Colorado State University Pueblo in Pueblo, Colorado

Jeff Pyrol a 6"9 220lbs center from South Shore High school, Brooklyn, New York has signed a national letter of intent to attend NCAA Division II Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont, California.

Javarius James a 5"10170lbs point guard from Encinal High school, Oakland, California has been accepted and will walk-on at NCAA Division I Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisana.

Joe Powell a 6"8 205lbs forward from Edison Academy, Englewood, NewJersey has signed a national letter of intent to attend NCAA Division II Alaska Fairbanks University in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Merritt College Soccer Summer Updates

There have been some changes to the summer schedule. The summer class has been cancelled, but we will still be playing Mon and Wed from 6-8 on the field. We will just be playing and running some. If you know anyone interested this is when you should bring them out. I am not allowed to coach until August 3rd, so it will be mostly on your own until then. Starting August 3rd practice will be everyday 3-5pm Mon-Fri. Starting August 20th practices will move to 1-3pm Mon-Fri because school starts. First official game is August 28th. Please email or call me with any questions...

Here's the classes-

The first is the summer intersession class-PE 030 from August 3rd-19th from 3:00pm-5:00pm Class code is 30824 and it is under the summer schedule. It is .5 units.

The second is the fall practice class-PE 030 from August 20th until the season is over from 1:00pm-3:00pmClass code is 42480 and is on the fall schedule. It is 3 units.

Overview of the 2008 -2009 Men's Basketball Season

The 2008 - 2009 season has brought promise for the future of the Merritt College Men's Basketball program. The return of 30 year veteran Head Coach, Maurice Compton, Alumnus Keenan McMiller as the top assistant coach, and mentor/coach Ben Tapscott has helped to create stability within the program. The Thunderbirds completed the 2008 - 2009 season with three 1st team all-conference selections (Matt Busch, Kerel Mitchell and Joe Powell) and finished with an overall record of 19 - 12 and 11 -5: 3rd in the Bay Valley Conference. More importantly, academically the Thunderbirds are graduating 6 sophmores. Student athletes (Matt Busch, Javariaus James, Andrew Pughsley, Earnest Pughsley, Jeff Pyrol and Kerel Mitchell) all will obtain their A.A. degrees by summer and look forward to moving on to a 4 year institution. That brings Merritt College sophmore student athlete graduation percentage to 85%. The sophmores will announce their schools of choice in the coming weeks.

Merritt College Track and Field Honors Its 3 All Americans

On Thursday evening May 21, Merritt student-athletes Belal Mogaddedi, Mike Pyrtle and Ray Stewart were honored for their achievements in the 2009 track and field season. All three were named All American by the United States Community College Coaches Association.

Ray Stewart won the state title in the 110hh in a time of 13.83 while Mike Pyrtle just missed out on his own win in the 100m finishing a close 2nd at 10.37. Mogaddedi finished 4th in the pole vault at 15 feet 3 inches while enjoying success on both relays (4 x 100m/4 x 400m) and the open 400m.

Catch some of this season's action on youtube at

http://www.youtube.com/user/MerrittTrackField

Merritt College Soccer

If you are interested in trying out for the Merritt College Soccer Team, summer training begins June 23rd from 6:00pm-8:00pm. It will continue Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6:00pm-8:00pm through July. In August practices will be Monday-Friday. If you have any questions or need help getting registered at Merritt please e-mail me @ merrittsoccer@gmail.com.

Men's Basketball All Conference Players

Sophomore: Matt Busch
6"5 - Forward
San Leandro High, Oakland, California
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Sophomore: Kerel Mitchell
6"1 - Guard
Erasmus Hall High Brooklyn, New York
Kerel Mitchell was 4th in the state in 3pt percentage at 50%

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Sophomore: Joe Powell
6"8 - Forward
Edison Academy Englewood, New Jersey
Joe Powell led the state in Rebounding with 13.6 rebounds per game!

2009 Track & Field Youtube Link

Check the video of Merritt College Track & Field.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MerrittTrackField

Merritt Website is worth a second look

By Matt Schwab
Staff writer

Article Last Updated: 11/14/2008 11:09:28 PM PST


IF THE BASKETBALL at Merritt College in Oakland even approaches the quality of the T-Birds Web site, spectators are in for a treat. Merritt basketball on the Net is a swish hit.

Too often junior college Web sites are out of date or lacking in creativity and panache. There's no reason for young eyes to find them. New Merritt assistant men's coach Keenan McMiller is well aware of the JC Internet void. So he did something about it.

The revamped T-Birds athletics home site features a virtual tour of the campus, a picturesque view of downtown Oakland from the Oakland Hills, and even a quote from Albert Einstein.

But it doesn't stop there. The T-Birds men's basketball Web page first displays a team logo, then the picture morphs into the school's glistening home gymnasium followed by players running in practice. Finally, it shows the players' hands raised and interlocked with the word "unity" above.

If you click on the team roster, you'll find color photos of the players, such as former San Leandro star Matt Busch, and some even have bios. For instance, you can learn that Merritt freshman Travis Mayo (Monticello HS) of Oakland is nicknamed "Tigger," and his dunk in high school on homecoming night broke the rim, or that Dion Meredith (Mt. Zion Christian) of Jersey City enjoys cheese steaks.

Earnest Pughsley of Limam, Ohio, a sophomore, says his most prized possession is his "grandfather's Bible," and he wants to play in the NBA.

Sophomore Kerel Mitchell of Brooklyn, N.Y. might be a future motivational speaker. His bio offers the sage advice: "You can be anything if you set your mind to it."

Yes, it's about recruiting, but the overarching message seems to be: Check this place out.

"We wanted to make it one of the best (JC Web sites)," McMiller said. "JCs usually don't invest much in Web sites, but we wanted to make it feel like a place you wanted to be."

On the court, the T-Birds are also on the upswing. They advanced to the finals of the Ohlone College Jonathan Wallace Memorial Tournament last week before falling 80-54 to the powerful host Renegades, ranked No. 2 in the state.

Merritt coach Maurice Compton, a longtime athletic director, is well-connected in the sports world as a "big-time trainer," McMiller attests. "He trains (the Boston Celtics') Leon Powe (a former Oakland Tech and Cal star) in the offseason. That's why Leon had a camp at Merritt over the summer."

McMiller clearly wants Merritt to return to the level he experienced as a former T-Birds player, when helped the team make the Sweet 16.

"The last five years we haven't made the playoffs. We want to make the program strong again," McMiller said.

http://merrittcollege.foto-pros.com/

Men's Basketball Recruiting News

Returners

Earnest Pughsley
Matt Busch
Andre Martin
Kerel Mitchell
Joe Powell
Jeff Pyrol

New Recruits News

Kaseem Carr (NY, NY)
Earnest Pughsley
Davon Faulcon (Harlem, NY)
Jordan Fusslier (Baton Rouge, LA)
Lamont Horston (Oakland, CA)
Travis Mayo (Oakland, CA)
Dion Meredith (Jersey City, NJ) red shirt*
Mike Mitchell (Marin City, CA)
Drew Pughsley (Roanoke, VA)

New Sports Facilities

Future student athletes will look forward to the renovation of the gymnasium. This includes a new wood floor, motorized bleachers, new team rooms and offices, and a additional wing to the weight room!

New Assistant Men's Basketball Head Coach Keenan McMiller

Played and received his A.A degree at Merritt during the 2000-2001 season. Was 2nd team all conference in the Bay Valley Conference, averaging 14pts a game. Team went to the state’s sweet sixteen. Finished Career at San Francisco State University receiving B.A in Psychology with an emphasis in sports psychology. Coach McMiller is in the process of completing a M.S. in Kinesiology.

Coach McMiller’s vision of the Merritt College Men’s Basketball Program:

“ I want to be a exciting breath of fresh air for the Men’s basketball program and the Merritt college community. As an alumnus of Merritt College I intend to be extremely diligent in pushing the program back to excellence. We intend to be very successful this year. We have 6 returnees from last years’ team and 8 newcomers.”

Men's Soccer Training Spring 2009 for Potential Merritt College Players

Sign up for both!!! Even if the times aren't correct when you sign up we will be meeting Jan. 14th, 2009 / Mon and Wed from 3:00-5:00,
Sign up asap. The more people we get in the class the better. If you know people interested in trying out next year, tell them to sign up for the classes.

PE 30- Soccer

Section #- 23957 and Section # 25142

Men's Soccer All Conference

All Conference Awards


Bay Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year - Luis Medina
Bay Valley Conference 1st Team: Luis Medina, Emmanuel Sanchez-Vazquez
Bay Valley Conference 2nd Team: Abiel Briceno, Eric Aguado