Story by Aaron Turner / Photo by Eric Sun
As the clear #1 team in California all season long, City College of San Francisco men's basketball has been on a revenge tour in 2019-20, winning every game since losing in last year's CCCAA Championship game to San Diego City College.
After dominating College of the Redwoods 108-64 in the NorCal Regional Finals, CCSF is now poised to take on Riverside City College this Friday for the first of three potential games in the CCCAA finals.
If the Rams want to capture their fourth CCCAA title in nine years, they will have to do so without an audience.
With the spread of the COVID-19 virus, more commonly known as the Coronavirus, the CCCAA announced Tuesday that all 16 games for both men and women's basketball in the last three rounds of the CCCAA Championship will be limited to only coaches, players, referees, and essential game staff. No fans or members of the media will be allowed to attend the games, which are scheduled to take place at West Hills College in Lemoore, California.
Still, even without fans, City should be the favorite to be crowned champs in 2020. At 30-0, the Rams have averaged 102 points per game, making them the only team in California to average over 100 points per game. City College is also ranked third in field goal percentage, at 51% on the season, and lead all teams in California in field goal attempts, as well as assists per game.
East Los Angeles, the #2 team in the state, has just one loss on the season and beat Allan Hancock 68-65 in the SoCal Regional Finals on March 7. The third and fourth-ranked teams in California also won their respective matchups that same day, with #3 Fresno City College demolishing Mendocino College at home and #4 Santiago Canyon College taking apart Cerritos College 89-67.
Santa Rosa Junior College were victorious on the road against Columbia College and will round out the NorCal finalists while Sequioas College will represent Southern California, along with Riverside City College, the team trying to upset CCSF and snap their impressive win streak.
The Tigers, who are 21-9 on the season, came into the CCCAA playoffs ranked #11 in California. The team won a share of the Orange Empire Conference title, as they finished with a 14-2 conference record, along with 14-2 Santiago Canyon. Riverside, a team that averages just 71 points per game, will be-hard pressed to keep up with the high-scoring Rams offense.
The Rams have also been able to trot out one of the deepest lineups in California, with seven different players averaging 10 points per game or more this season. Sophomore Miles Norris, in his first year at City College, led all scorers with 16 points per game. He also averages 6 rebounds per game, while shooting 54% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. Four others player also shot over 50% from the field this season.