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EL CAJON (7-3-11) — Three players from last season’s Grossmont College basketball team have accepted scholarships to continue their hoop career at the four-year college level.

CHRIS HEPPERLY will play for the NCAA II (formerly NAIA) Lewis-Clark State College Warriors in Lewiston, Idaho, PAUL BURGESS joins the Mitchell, S.D. NAIA Dakota Wesleyan University Tigers and WILL SMITH has inked with NCCAA Portland Bible College .

A 5-foot-10 guard, Hepperly – an All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference honorable mention player ­– averaged 9.8 points per game for the Griffins. He was one of the leading 3-point shooters in the conference as he connected on 42 percent of his attempts.

A 6-foot-9 center, Burgess played at Grossmont College for two seasons. His sophomore season was cut short due to a broken ankle. As a freshman Burgess averaged five points per game and shot 51 percent from the field.

“Both guys are hard working, great teammates, good students in the classroom,” said Grossmont College coach DOUG WEBER. “Chris was our best shooter and led the team in charges taken and diving for loose balls. Paul helped us coach this year while rehabbing his ankle and the year he played he was a solid post presence on both ends of the court.”

A 5-foot-9 point guard, Smith prepped at Lumberton High School ( Lumberton, N.C. 2003) where he then enlisted in the Navy. After serving his term in the service, he enrolled at Grossmont College where he averaged 9 points, 3 assists and 2 steals, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line. Smith is married to Tynisha Smith and they have a 5-year old son.

Weber describes Smith as, "High morals, fantastic work ethic, excellent defender, great leadership skills, excellent student (3.33 gpa), and is a point guard that can hit the open jumper."

Last season, Portland Bible College won its 2nd consecutive NCCAA West Region title and qualified for the national tournament for the 4th consecutive season.

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EL CAJON (02-23-11) — Two Grossmont College athletes were named to the All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference men’s basketball team.

Six-foot-4 sophomore OXONE MAVUNGU was selected to the second team, while freshman guard CHRIS HEPPERLY received honorable mention recognition.

Conference champion Southwestern, the lone PCAC representative in the CCCAA playoffs, saw the father-son combination of John and Anthony Consentino honored as coach and player of the year, respectively.

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EL CAJON (2-19-11) — Freshman REYNARD RICE sank a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining Friday (Feb. 18) to lift host Grossmont College to a 75-74 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference victory over San Diego Mesa College.

The Griffins, who once led the Olympians by 18 points, finished the season 5-20 overall and 4-12 in the PCAC.

CODY WITTICK paced Grossmont with 18 points, the majority coming on four 3-pointers. OXONE MAVUNGU, who fouled out with five minutes left, chipped in with 14 points and 7 rebounds.

Not to be overlooked were the 15 points pitched in CHRIS HEPPERLY, including a trio of triples.

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EL CAJON (2-12-11) — Canadian OXONE MAVUNGU, a product of Cathedral Catholic High, is finishing up his Grossmont College basketball season with a bang.

The 6-foot-4 sophomore forward muscled in 29 points and gobbled up 9 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough Friday (Feb. 18) night as the Griffins dropped a 94-77 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference decision to visiting MiraCosta.

“MiraCosta is probably the second hottest team (behind first place Southwestern) in our conference,” said Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMANOV. “They have a lotta good shooters.”

As for Mavungu, who was 8-for-15 from the field and 11-for-16 from the free throw stripe, Artamanov said, “I worked with him the whole off season and he has really come on. I think he is worthy of being an all-conference pick. He’s worked hard to earn it.”

Grossmont (4-20, 3-12, PCAC) led 42-41 at halftime but could not keep pace in the second 20 minutes.

CHRIS HEPPERLY led Grossmont’s supporting cast with 23 points, most of his points coming on five 3-pointers.

Grossmont closes out the season on Friday, Feb. 18 with a 7 p.m. home game against San Diego Mesa.

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EL CAJON (2-10-11) — Thanks to Wednesday’s (Feb. 9) Pacific Coast Athletic Conference victory over host Cuyamaca College, the Grossmont College Griffins can conceivably win more games than they did a year ago.

A monster dunk by 6-foot-4 OX MAVUNGU and some clutch free throw shooting in the final minute by CODY WITTICK and WILL SMITH helped the Griffins claim a 73-68 victory over the Coyotes.

“That dunk was nasty, the best one I’ve seen all year,” said Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMANOV. “It was an emotional spark not to mention a key basket.”

Artamanov noted that Grossmont (4-19, 3-11 PCAC) struggled from the free throw early on and trailed 33-30 at intermission.

Down the stretch, though, the Griffins were 6 of 8 from the charity stripe, with Wittick landing four and Smith sinking two.

The Grossmont coach also heralded the defensive work of ANTOINE McNEILL and REYNARD RICE against Cuyamaca scoring ace Jywrell Wilson who was held to 5 points – some 15 below his season average.

CHRISTOPHER HEPPERLY added 15 points for the Griffins, who also received 10 apiece from Wittick and McNeill.

This intra-district series has been as close as it can be over the past decade with each side winning 10 times. The Coyotes (9-13, 7-6 PCAC), who were led by Jakob Wang (14) and Grossmont High alum JAKE HAAR (13), had won three previous meetings from the Griffins.

Grossmont closes out the season with home games against MiraCosta (Friday at 7 p.m.) and against San Diego Mesa (Feb. 18 at 7).

“It would be nice to end the season with a three-game winning streak to carryover to next season,” Artamanov said. “All but two of the guys we have are freshmen.”

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CHULA VISTA (2-3-11) — Southwestern College showed the Grossmont Griffins why they are the class team of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference again Wednesday (Feb. 2) night by marching to a 111-80 romp in South Bay.

This was all but over by intermission after the first-place Jaguars mounted a 68-38 advantage.

“We turned the ball over a ton – probably 30 times,” said Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMONOV. “They are a really good team but we beat ourselves. For the first couple of minutes we were in the game then they went on a big run. We weren’t surprised by anything they did. It was the turnovers that killed us.”

OX MAVUNGU paced Grossmont (3-18, 2-10 PCAC) with 21 points. REYNARD RICE chipped in with 17.

Next up for the Griffins is a home game against Imperial Valley on Friday at 5 p.m.

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SAN DIEGO (1-29-11) — Grossmont College has another streak going and it’s not the kind the Griffins will want to remember.

For the third straight game, the Griffins came up on the short end of a Pacific Coast Athletic Conference contest Friday (Jan. 28) night, falling to host Miramar College, 74-62.

Once again, the Griffins (3-17, 2-9 PCAC) stubbed their collective toes at the free throw line where they converted only 10 of 25 chances. Miramar, by contrast, was 24 of 40 from the charity stripe.

OXONE MAVUNGU paced Grossmont’s scoring attack with 23 points. REYNARD RICE chipped in with 11.

Next up for Grossmont is a visit to Southwestern College on Wednesday (Feb. 2). Tip off is set for 5 p.m.

Grossmont College's Oxone "Ox" Mavungu (right) rejects the shot by Brian Ball of Palomar College. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

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EL CAJON (1-27-11) — Grossmont College let another Pacific Coast Athletic Conference decision slip through its collective fingers Wednesday (Jan. 26) as the Griffins dropped a 71-67 contest to visiting Palomar. It marked the third time the Griffins (3-16, 2-8 PCAC) have lost to the Comets (11-11, 6-4).

Palomar’s Derick Jones and Ray Purtle came up big in the final 5:24 as the Comets held off fast-closing Grossmont. The duo combined to score 13 of Palomar’s final 15 points. Jones tallied three baskets and two free throws in the last 1:50.

“We were down by two with 12 seconds left, but Palomar had the ball and we needed a stop,” Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMONOV said. “We didn’t defend and Palomar got an easy basket to put the game away. The frustrating part is we drew it up for our kids the exact way Palomar ran it.”

REYNARD RICE led the Griffins with 15 points on six-of-11 shooting while OXONE MAVUNGU added 14 points and 7 rebounds.

Purtle, the PCAC's leading free throw shooter in conference games, led Palomar scorers with 17 points, including a 7-for-8 performance from the free throw line, and also grabbed six rebounds.

Next up for Grossmont is a road game at Miramar College on Friday (Jan. 28) at 7 p.m.

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SAN DIEGO (1-22-11) — For only the second time in nine Pacific Coast Athletic Conference starts, the Grossmont College Griffins were blown out early Friday (Jan. 21) at San Diego City College.

SDCC (13-7, 7-2 PCAC) led by as many as 23 points in the first half and then cruised to an 81-61 victory. The Knights rocked Grossmont (3-15, 2-7 PCAC) in the conference opener 86-61 on Dec. 8.

“We didn’t defend the basket very well,” said Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMONOV. “We were too worried about what was going on on the offensive end and that affected our defense.”

Trailing 47-28 at intermission, Artamonov said the Griffins made seven consecutive stops.

“We got it down to 13 points, but we really didn’t capitalize on those stops like we should have,” the coach admitted.

Another plus for SDCC was the Knights nailed eight 3-pointers.

RAYMOND TAYLOR led Grossmont with 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the floor. OX MAVUNGU had 11 points and he and Taylor combined for 11 rebounds.

Next up for Grossmont is a home game Wednesday (Jan. 26) against Palomar at 5 p.m.

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SAN DIEGO (1-20-11) — L.J. GRIFFIN erupted for a career high 35 points Wednesday (Jan. 19) as visiting Grossmont College edged San Diego Mesa College 104-102 in a triple-overtime Pacific Coast Athletic Conference marathon.

Griffin, a 6-foot-5 freshman forward out of Grand Rapids, Mich., produced what proved to be the game-winning basket on a layup, giving Grossmont a 103-102 edge with less than a minute remaining. ADRIAN GREEN tacked on a free throw with 2 seconds left.

The game was deadlocked at 77-all at the end of regulation. The Griffins (3-14, 2-6 PCAC), who have two in a row and three of their last six, could have put this one away in the first overtime had they not missed seven free throws.

However, a put-back dunk by OX MAVUNGU kept the Griffins alive and forced a second extra session.

“Like I said before we’ve been in all but one of our conference games,” said Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMANOV. “We could have wrapped it up in the first OT but once against free throw shooting hurt us. But a credit to our guys – we had a great finish.”

Mavungu totaled 14 points and shared the team rebounding high with Green at 10. MARTIN THOMAS pitched in with 19 points, while Green collected 16 markers.

The Griffins made 20 of 36 free throws on the night.

“That’s only 56 percent and it’s hard to win games when you’re barely making one out of two,” Artamanov noted. “Our goal for the season was to shoot 70 percent. We haven’t done that very often.”

Grossmont begins the second round of PCAC action on Friday (Jan. 21) at San Diego City College. Tipoff is 5 p.m.

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OCEANSIDE (1-13-11) — Free throw shooting has not been a strength for the Grossmont Griffins this season. But it was the difference in Wednesday’s (Jan. 12) Pacific Coast Athletic Conference contest at MiraCosta.

Despite missing 17 charity shots on the night, the Griffins came through when it counted to gain a 60-57 win over the Spartans. It was Grossmont’s first PCAC win in seven decisions and only the second in 16 starts overall.

WILL SMITH nailed two free throws to give Grossmont a 59-57 edge with 39 seconds remaining. ADRIAN GREEN added one more foul shot with 19 ticks left.

“One thing we did tonight was take better care of the ball,” said Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMONOV.

They also came from behind as MiraCosta (5-9, 1-5 PCAC) took a 31-21 halftime lead.

“Except for the San Diego City game, we’ve either been ahead at halftime or held a lead in the second half in all of our conference games,” Artamonov said. “The guys haven’t given up. We’re going to try to string a few wins together and finish the season strong.”

OX MAVUNGU (14 points) and Smith (12) paced the Grossmont offense at MiraCosta.

The Griffins have a bye on Friday (Jan. 14) before finishing the first round of conference play Wednesday (Jan. 19) at San Diego Mesa College at 5 p.m.

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EL CAJON (1-8-11) — Frustration continued to haunt the host Grossmont College Griffins in Friday’s (Jan. 7) Pacific Coast Athletic Conference contest against district rival Cuyamaca College.

Clinging to a four-point edge with 2:17 remaining, the Griffins’ offense stalled and the visiting Coyotes closed out the game with an 11-0 run to produce a 76-69 victory.

Grossmont (1-14, 0-6 PCAC) built a 38-30 halftime lead over the Coyotes (5-9, 3-2 PCAC).

But Cuyamaca eventually clawed back behind the shooting of Tony Lor (23 points) and a full-court trapping defense. Lor landed three triples and 8 of 10 free throws. Grossmont High product JAKE HAAR added 14 points and 8 rebounds, while Mount Miguel grad HARRY BRAZELTON added 13 points off the bench for Cuyamaca. ANDRE LEWIS (Granite Hills) chipped in with 9 points and 4 assists for the Coyotes.

OX MAVUNGU paced Grossmont with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. REYNARD RICE added 12 points, while WILLIAM SMITH pitched in with 11 points and 4 assists. LJ GRIFFIN collected 8 rebounds for the Griffins.

Grossmont will travel north to face MiraCosta College on Wednesday (Jan. 12) at 5 p.m.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Cuyamaca College failed to respond to email and phone requests for information on its basketball program this season. In addition, school administartors declined to contact ECS. All information on the Coyotes for this story was courteously supplied by Grossmont's staff.

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KEARNY MESA (12-30-10) — Grossmont College snapped a season-long 11-game losing streak Wednesday (Dec. 29) when the Griffins knocked off Santa Ana 78-72 in the second round of The Holiday Inn-Mesa College Invitational.

By winning, Grossmont (1-11) faces Glendale (9-5) for the tournament’s consolation championship at noon on Thursday’s (Dec. 30) at San Diego Mesa College.

“It’s nice to finally get a reward for all the hard work we’ve been putting in,” said Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMONOV.

It was a come-from-behind effort for the Griffins, who trailed Santa Ana (2-10) by a 38-30 count at intermission.

“We picked up our pressure in the second half and that got us into a better rhythm,” Artamonov said. “I hope this serves as a confidence builder for us. It showed us what we need to do to win.”

MARTIN THOMAS (14 points), LJ GRIFFIN (12 points, 9 rebounds) and OX MAVUNGU (12 points) paced the Griffins scoring.

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KEARNY MESA (12-29-10) — Grossmont College should have a decent shot at posting its first victory of the season when the Griffins face Santa Ana (2-9) in Wednesday’s (Dec. 28) elimination game of The Holiday Inn-Mesa College Invitational at noon.

Grossmont failed to maintain a 10-point advantage in losing Tuesday’s (Dec. 27) opening round game to Victor Valley 77-68. Santa Ana, which was rocked by West Hills 70-33 in round one, has beaten only one team – Cuyamaca – twice 85-84 and 84-74.

With just under a minute to play, it was a 2-possession game – the Rams leading by six. The Griffins had the ball, but turned it over and Victor Valley cruised to the winner’s circle.

Once again, Grossmont’s woes focused on the free throw line where the Griffins converted only 18 of 34 chances.

The Griffins built a 37-32 halftime lead and maintained that advantage at 47-44 with 15 minutes remaining in the game. After that PCAC-leading Southwestern (12-1, 4-0 PCAC) caught fire and smoked the Griffins, 85-71.

The Jaguars, who were paced by coach John Cosentino’s son, Anthony – with a game-high 19 markers – led 74-53 with 4:50 left.

REYNARD RICE and CODY WITTICK shared high-point honors for Grossmont with 12 apiece.

A high note for the Griffins is they nailed nine of 27 three-pointers. Wittick accounted for three of the triples.

Grossmont (0-10, 0-4 PCAC) will take a much needed hiatus before tipping off in the Holiday Inn San Diego Mesa College Invitational Dec. 28-30. The Griffins open the event against Victor Valley at noon.

Special to East County Sports.com
SAN MARCOS (12-10-10) — Grossmont College and Palomar were locked in a give-and-take battle for much of the first half of their Pacific Coast Athletic Conference match-up on Friday (Dec. 10) at the Palomar Dome.

But the Comets stretched a narrow lead to 44-36 at halftime. Then, after the Griffins closed the gap in the second half, Palomar drew away in the last 10 minutes to finally claim an 89-74 victory. Boxscore

OXONE MAVUNGU (19 points), LJ GRIFFIN (13 points) and CHRIS HEPPERLY (11 points) scored in double figures for the Griffins (0-8, 0-2 PCAC). KAPTAN KASTER had a game-high five rebounds, and MARTIN THOMAS dished off five assists.

Mavungu, the Griffins’ 6-foot-4 sophomore forward from Cathedral High School in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, scored 17 points in the first half, but got in foul trouble and managed two points in the second half, on a basket with 15 minutes, 45 seconds to play. He finished 9-for-16 on field goals.

Ray Purtle, a Fallbrook High product who began his community college career at Miramar three years ago, led Palomar with 23 points. He was 7-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-3 on 3-pointers and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. He also had seven rebounds.

Grossmont lost the game on the boards, where the Griffins were out-rebounded 42-29 as the Comets advanced to 5-6 on the season, 2-0 in conference to remain tied for first place after the first week of the PCAC season.

Trailing 89-67, Grossmont made a mad rush to close the deficit in the final 50 seconds, outscoring Palomar 7-0 on two free throws by CEPRIAN McCLARON, a 3-pointer by ANTOINE McNEILL and a bucket by Griffin. But it was way too little, way too late for the Griffs.

The Griffins will try again for their first victory when they host San Diego Miramar on Wednesday (Dec. 15) at 5 p.m.

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EL CAJON (12-9-10) — After taking a 20-12 lead in Wednesday’s (Dec. 8) Pacific Coast Athletic Conference opener against visiting San Diego City, the Grossmont College Griffins hit a cold streak and tumbled to an 86-61 setback.

With the game tied 26-26, the Griffins were limited to one free throw over the final nine minutes of the opening half and trailed 43-27 at intermission.

“City is one of the top two teams (along with Southwestern) in our conference,” said Grossmont assistant coach DIMA ARTAMONOV. “They are super talented. They can outlet and can really run. Better yet, they finish.”

Monte Vista product TONY JACKSON came off the bench to pace the Griffins with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

“He gave us a lot of good minutes,” Artamonov said.

As a team, however, Grossmont shot a paltry 34 percent from the floor (22-of-65), while the Knights (6-3, 1-0) hit 56 percent (36-of-64).

“Can’t win many games shooting like that,” Artamonov added.

Grossmont did suffer another loss as SEAN ROBINSON went down with a leg injury. The seriousness of the injury was not known at post time.

The Griffins continue PCAC activity when they take on the Palomar Comets Friday (Dec. 10) in San Marcos at 5 p.m. Palomar defeated the Griffins 104-85 in tournament play the second game of the season.

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EL CAJON (12-4-10) — Frustration continued for the Grossmont College Griffins in Friday’s (Dec. 3) opening round of the 39th annual Grossmont College Invitational.

This one came down to the wire, as Cerritos College’ Darius Williams (10 pts, 8 rebs) snapped a 64-64 tie with a putback in the final two seconds, giving the visiting Falcons a 66-64 victory.

Grossmont (0-5), which lead for most of the second half, got 11 points and 6 rebounds from MARTIN THOMAS. OX MAVUNGU added 9 points and 5 rebounds for the Griffins, who face Cypress in Saturday’s (Dec. 4) consolation semifinals at 4 p.m.

Point guard Nick Sanchez poured in 30 points to lead Cerritos (3-4).

In other first-round games, Southwestern dominated the boards 46-29 to clip Cuesta 78-64 and advance to Saturday’s semifinals against Saddleback at 8 p.m. Kenny Ike led the Jaguars with 19 points. Aaron Evans (19 pts 15 reb) and Donald Gaines (10 pts, 12 reb) recorded double-doubles for the Jags.

Saddleback slipped past LA Southwest 74-65 as former El Cajon Valley High standout JORDAN SHIVERS chipped in eight points and six rebounds for L.A. Southwest.

In first round another game, College of the Desert whipped Cypress 82-74.

Tournament play resumes Saturday at 2 p.m. with the first of four games.

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SAN DIEGO (11-14-10) — Grossmont College made an early exit out of the annual San Diego City College Knights Tournament, falling to Palomar 104-85 Saturday (Nov. 13) at Harry West Gymnasium.

The Griffins (0-2) surrendered 212 points in back-to-back tournament losses.

Against Palomar (1-1) the Griffins enjoyed a 41-27 lead with 1:57 remaining in the first half. Grossmont led 45-37 at intermission.

The Comets changed to full court pressure defense to start the second half and embarked on a 19-0 run during the first seven minutes. And Grossmont never recovered.

REYNARD RICE (13 points, 5 assists), ANTOINE McNEILL (13 points, 6 rebounds), SEAN ROBINSON (11 points) and LJ GRIFFIN (10 points, 6 rebounds) paced the Griffins.

Next up for Grossmont is a non-conference game at El Camino College on Wednesday (Nov. 17) at 5 p.m.

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SAN DIEGO (11-13-10) — Early foul trouble hampered Grossmont College in Friday’s (Nov. 12) season opener in the first round of the San Diego City College Tournament against Citrus at Harry West Gymnasium.

The Owls, ranked No. 4 in the state, took a 50-39 halftime lead and cruised to the finish line with a 108-80 victory.

Grossmont will face Palomar in Saturday’s (Nov. 13) tournament’s consolation semifinals at 1 p.m.

“The early foul problems took us out of our game plan and hindered us defensively,” Grossmont coach DOUG WEBER said. “We struggled to get stops in the second half. We tried to change the tempo, but they (Citrus) and play fast or slow and still beat you.”

LJ GRIFFIN and CHRIS HEPPERLY paced the Griffins with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Six Griffins chipped in with 6 points or more and OX MAVUNGU led Grossmont with 8 rebounds.

The Griffins shot 35 percent from above the arc (8-for-23). Citrus also nailed 8 three-balls and converted 26 of 37 free throws. The Owls also owned a 49-34 rebounding edge.

“With such a young team this was a tough first game,” said Grossmont assistant DIMA ARTAMANOV.

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EL CAJON (11-12-10) — The 2010-11 basketball season for the Grossmont College men’s basketball team gets underway on Friday (Nov. 12) afternoon when the Griffins, under the guidance of 12th year head coach DOUG WEBER, begin their new campaign against the state’s No. 4-ranked team, Citrus College, in the opening game of the San Diego City College Knights Invitational.

The contest, to be played at Harry West Gymnasium on the San Diego City College campus, is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m.

For Weber the new season for the Griffins may very well be a campaign of “ifs and buts.” The team’s season-opening roster contains just one returning player – 6-foot-4 sophomore forward OXONE-ROSS “Ox” MAVUNGU, who hails from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – from the 2009-10 Grossmont team that compiled a 5-19 overall record (5-11, Pacific Coast Athletic Conference).

The remainder of the roster is comprised of four other sophomores as well as 10 freshmen.

“We have a chance to be there,” is how Weber assesses his team’s chances. “But we have a long way to go. We are deeper than last year’s team but we still have not gotten to where we realize it.”

“We can be flexible. Our guards and forwards need to be able to play multiple positions. Our “bigs” – 6-10 sophomore CHRIS REID (Serra), 6-9 freshman KENNETH WOODS (San Diego Lincoln) and 6-6 freshman RAYMON TAYLOR (LUTHERAN) – will need to establish themselves as true post players if we are to be successful.”

Weber likes what he has seen in preseason workouts thus far.

“I believe we are going to try and run as much as possible,” Weber said. “We have more weapons available to us than last year’s team and should shoot the ball much better. We need to be more disciplined.”

Freshman CODY WITTICK, a 6-2 point guard out of Santa Margarita where he earned All-Southern Section first team honors, should play a prominent role for the Griffins. Point Loma product ANTOINE McNEILL, St. Augustine’s CEPRIAN McCLARON and MARLON THOMAS (San Diego HS) should also figure in the backcourt mix. Forward LJ GRIFFIN (6-5) out of Grand Rapids, Mich. should also help on the wing.

“I think we have the speed and the court smarts to be an excellent defensive team,” Weber added. “I expect us to be able to apply solid defensive pressure and to be a strong rebounding team... but we have yet to prove any of these things. We have a long season in front of us.”

East County members of the Grossmont squad include Steele Canyon graduate KAPTAN KASTER, a 6-foot-3 freshman forward; Monte Vista product TONY JACKSON, a 6-6 freshman forward; and former Valhalla standout JORDAN CUNNINGHAM, a 6-4 forward-guard.

NOTE: Cuyamaca College failed to respond to email and phone requests.