SRJC men's hoops a team in transition

<p>In the transitory world of junior college athletics, you really never know what you’re going to get.</p><p>Take, for example, the Santa Rosa Junior College men’s basketball team, a program that seemed poised for a banner season given the ingredients in last year’s 17-15 campaign. The Bear Cubs, after all, did it with 12 freshmen on their 14-man roster, a young group that won seven of its final nine regular-season games.</p><p>So get ready for the 2008-09 season, right?</p><p>Not so fast.</p><p>Last year’s leading scorer Darius Foster? He’s out for the season after shoulder surgery. Six-foot-6 forward Justin Baker, SRJC’s second-leading scorer and rebounder? He signed late with Utah Valley State near the start of the school year. Guard Donald Weddington, the team’s leading three-point shooter? He dropped out of school. Guard Robert Ford, who averaged 14.3 points in SRJC’s final seven regular-season games? He’s taking a redshirt season.</p><p>Suddenly, SRJC has opened the season without a would-be sophomore foursome that accounted for 74 percent of its 3-pointers, 61 percent of its scoring and 49 percent of its rebounds last year.</p><p>“We basically have a completely new team,” Bear Cubs coach Craig McMillan said.</p><p>But early signs indicate the unexpected makeover won’t result in a lost season.</p><p>With point guard Andrew Gipson the lone returning starter, SRJC went 2-1 in the season-opening San Francisco City Tournament, losing 77-74 to second-ranked Fresno and beating Mt. San Jacinto, then ranked No. 5 in Southern California, 65-62.</p><p>The Bear Cubs (2-4) suffered blowout losses to nationally ranked teams in the Southern Idaho Tournament last weekend, but they played without 6-8 center Matt Cousins (quadriceps muscle).</p><p>And Cousins, who will return this week, is one of the bigger reasons for optimism this season.</p><p>A former all-state selection at Cardinal Newman, Cousins debuted by averaging 18.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and shooting 68 percent from the field (21 of 31) in the San Francisco City Tournament.</p><p>“We expect him to be very good,” McMillan said. “He’s a very good rebounder, he can score in the post and he has a pretty good mid-range game. He’s also a pretty good passer for a big man.”</p><p>Cousins spent a redshirt season at Chico State before leaving the team near the start of the season last year.</p><p>He is expected to form a powerful inside duo with 6-foot-7 freshman forward Gerrell Knightshead, who is averaging 13.0 points and 6.7 rebounds. Knightshead signed with Div. I Bethune-Cookman University out of high school, but didn’t play with the Wildcats because he wasn’t academically eligible.</p><p>Knightshead and Cousins are expected to log plenty of minutes this season — they are the only players on the roster over 6-4.</p><p>“I think there is a little bit of pressure,” Cousins said. “If we get into any foul trouble we don’t have a lot of depth.”</p><p>SRJC will have a few more bodies in the backcourt. Gipson (12.5 points, 3.2 assists) headlines a group that includes former Montgomery High star Robby Burroughs and Andrew Corsberg, who starred at Maria Carrillo.</p>