Men's Basketball

6'6" Forward Nick Barnhart signs his national letter of intent to attend William Jessup University in Rocklin, CA. Nick played high school basketball in Eureka, CA.

Former Olympian, Butrose Gowolo, becomes a Panther. Butrose a 6'7" Forward-Center from Patrick Henry High School will play next season for Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Butrose becomes the second Olympian to sign with a 4 year university this season.

Forward Cliff Adams signed at the University of Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico. Cliff was the team leader in scoring and rebounding this past season and was selected as honorable mention All Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

Froward Cliff Adams from El Cajon Valley High School was selected as honorable mention for this season in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference. Cliff averaged 18 points per game this season and added 6.5 rebounds per game.

Anthony a 6'7" freshman center from Kearny High School was part of the group selected for Honorable Mention in the PCAC this week for his performance against Los Angeles Pierce. Anthony scored 16 points and pulled down 9 rebounds as the Olympians defeated Pierce 75-70.

Byron Anderson, a freshman guard, was selected athlete of the week for his performance against the Dons of Santa Ana College. Byron scored 20 points and was 4-8 from 3 point arc. He also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the 67-64 victory.

Red shirt freshman guard Alex Tyrrell, the most inspirational player from last year, has decided to join the Green Knights of Vermont Technical. Alex moved into the starting lineup midway through the conference season last year and finished the season with a 3.9 points per game average.

Mesa along with S.D. Parks and Recreation and 3PointPlay hosted a coaching clinic on Jan. 9. The Mesa coaching staff and members of 3PointPlay spoke at the clinic for coaches of both boys and girls teams. On January 16, 23 and 30 one day camps for players of San Diego Park and Recreation Departments basketball leagues will take place at 3 local recreation centers. Ages of these campers are 8 -14. The Mesa College coaching staff and players will participate in these camps.

Team scoring leader Johnny Del Bene, from Clayton Valley High School, joins the Colorado State Rams for the 2009-2010 season where he will compete for the starting point guard postition. Johnny was selected as the 2009-2010 MVP for the Olympians. He scored 396 points last season averaging 14.7 ppg with a high game of 33.

Co-Captain and starting small forward Maurice Johnson heads to the east coast where he will play for the U. of Massachusetts, Boston next season. In his two years here at Mesa Maurice averaged 6.9 points per game shooting 40% from the 3Point line. Maurice was this past season Most Inspirational Player.

Jason Starr a Red Shirt Freshman from La Costa Canyon High School signs letter of intent to play for San Diego Christian next season. Jason was the top 3 point shooter for the Olympians last season averaging 10 points per game and 40% from the arc.

Justin Chapel and Pat Magno will be teammates again at Simpson College. Chapel, a small forward for the Olympians, is competing for the starting small forward position. Magno, a 2 year starter and team captain last season, will be competing for the starting point guard job. Magno, from Eastlake High School, leaves his mark in the Mesa Record Book as one of the top ten in career assists with 290 assists.

Red Shirt Sophomore Mark Jefferies from Kearny High School has signed with William Penn University in Iowa. His career at Mesa was injury prone which saw him missing two-thirds of his freshman and part of his second season.

Coach John Henry of the William Penn Statesmen comments on Mark saying, "Mark is a versatile player on both ends of the floor."

Calvin Smith announces plans to attend Fontbonne University in Saint Louis. Calvin played his high school basketball at Mira Mesa High. Calvin was the defensive specialist for the Olympians last season and averaged 4 points per game with a season high of 13.

Former Olympian Darryl Anderson will play for the Tigers of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York State. Darryl was a two year starter at point guard who averaged 3.7 points per game and 3.1 assists per game here at Mesa. Darryl played his high school basketball for Southwest.

2006-07 1st-Team All-Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) selection, Brett Lauer, has signed with Division I UC Irvine.

Lauer averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.1 steals per contest (overall in 28 games). He also shot 41% from 3 on the year. His high game was 36 points against Palomar College.

He finished with 465 total points, Giving him 750 total points through his first two seasons of competition.

In 15 conference games, Laueraveraged 17.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per contest.He shot 46% from the floor and 45% from 3, includingan 8-8 game from behind the arc against conference rival, Cuyamaca College. 8-8 is also a school record for not only the total number of 3 pointers inone single contest, but tied the best 3 point field goal percentage (100%) ina single game. He also shot 80% from the free throw line in conference play.

Tommy DeMarco has verbally committed to Polytechnic University, a Division III NCAA institution in Brooklyn, NY.

DeMarco was in the Olympian program for three years (redshirting his first year). He scored 156 points in his two years with the Olympians. He made 26 three pointers during that stretch while shooting nearly 83% from the free throw line.

DeMarco competed in 37 total games for the Olympians, with a career high of 21 points.

DeMarco will compete for the starting point guard spot for the Fighting Blue Jays.