Season Preview: Vaqueros open on Thursday at Ventura Tourney

SBCC is hoping a taller roster translates into more points and rebounds in the 2014-15 men's basketball season. Last year, the Vaqueros had four players 6-foot-4 and above. This year, that number has risen to seven.

The Vaqueros open against Palomar on Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Ventura Tournament. The home opener is Tuesday, Nov. 25 vs. Glendale at 5 p.m.

Three players return from last year – point guard Alonzo McCain, 6-5 forward Alex Koutroubis and 6-6 forward Jared Moore. Thomas Walker, a 6-7 center, was a redshirt last season.

"I think we'll have some good inside play, which we haven't really had in a while," said coach Morris Hodges, who's starting his 25th season. "We have some bigs who can give us some scoring punch inside. We also have a few perimeter guys who will give us some outside shooting. I think Alonzo will provide leadership and good solid play at point guard. Justin Holden will back him up and he needs some experience at this level.

"Another big who will be good as he develops is Cody Williams (6-6 freshman from Phoenix). When he gets acclimated to this level, I think he'll be a strong player."

Former Carpinteria High star Jacob Ranger is a new assistant coach.

The Vaqueros will host the 42nd annual SBCC Classic on Dec. 11-13. Defending champion Irvine Valley heads a field that includes Pasadena, Cypress and Hancock.

Topping the list of newcomers is Walker, 6-6 Jonathan Montez, Sean Keys and Ty Cleland. Walker played for Irvine Valley is 2012-13 and figures to be strong on the inside along with Montez. Hodges says Montez is "a good all-around scorer who can step out to 15 feet and shoot, plus he's a good rebounder."

Keyes and Cleland are shooting guards who can knock down 3-pointers.

Hodges said the probable starting lineup for Thursday will be Holden at point guard, Keyes at shooting guard, Koutroubis and Montez at forward and Tommy Walker at center.

Hodges says his team is ready to go.

"You can only do so much against yourself," he noted. "This will be a big weekend for us to evaluate our progress and our level of play. We open against a strong, well-coached Palomar team. That will be a good test right out of the gate.

 "We'll have to be better on defense and get some balanced scoring. I'm looking forward to see how it's going to play out."