The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online

The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online

The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online

    Undeafeated Men’s Basketball Seeded Second

    This season the Rams won their 10th consecutive Central Valley Conference (CVC) title. The team finished the 2011 regular season with a perfect 12-0 record in the CVC.

    Their explosive offense averaged 92 point per game, while the  Ram’s defense was stingy, allowing only  an average 72 points per game.

    These numbers, as well as the way that the Rams play the games, are what coach Ed Madec to stay optimistic, “We’re the best basketball tem around.”

    This seas on the Rams had five players make the All-Conference team: Quinton Watkins, Percy Lemle, Alex Fletcher, Earl Jefferson, as well as Jibreel Nasir.

    With almost the entire starting line-up chosen Madec said, “It makes me proud seeing them get rewarded as they should be.”

    For shooting guard Quinton Watkins the awards did not stop with being named to the All-Conference team.

    Watkins was named the CVC player of the Year as well as the Conference Freshman of the Year.

    Watkins earned the honor by scoring an astonishing 492 points, averaging 17 points-per-game. He was the second overall leading scorer in the conference, and the leading 3-point scorer.

    Madec was named the CVC Coach of the Year for the 2011 season. With 10 straight conference titles and with the history of success that the program has.

    Madec said that this award was, “A great honor.”

    The Rams received the No.2 seed and will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs this season.

    The Rams played San Francisco City College, the No.1 seed, at the FCC Basketball Tournament on Nov. 19 and won 107-103 giving San Francisco what is now their only loss of the season.

    With conference competition behind them the Rams are, “Really proud but it’s in our rear-view mirrors now, this is our 10th consecutive title” said Madec.

    However, this success comes at a price for the Rams. There are no easy days For the Fresno City college men’s basketball team.  Every practice is as intense as the game itself. Every drill is a competition and every infraction has a consequence.

    “We are very competitive. We assimilate an environment that might be harder than the game,” said Ed Madec. “They practice to stimulate their minds and apply themselves not just as basketball players, but as a person.”

    For the Rams, every practice has something new to offer. “It’s always intense but our routine varies. It’s something new every day,” said Watkins. “There’s always new information we have to learn. We have to stay focused mentally, follow directions and do exactly what coach tells us to do.”

    Along with many of his teammates, Watkins can be found in the gym long before the coach.

    “We come in early and work on the things we have to get better at. When we can, we stay after practice,” said Watkins.

    The Rams approach each practice with the mentality of not taking anything for granted.

    “We are taught to practice every day like it’s our last. It’s not going to last forever. We have to get as much as we can from it while we can,” said Watkins.

    As one of the leaders on the team, shooting guard Earl Jefferson makes sure no one takes a day off.

    “Sometimes a player might take the day off and that is not acceptable,” said Jefferson. “We confront the player about it or coach will.”

    For Jefferson and his teammates, disobedience leads to some grueling tasks. “We do what are called mop-ups,” said Jefferson. “We get on the ground and use our feet to mop up the floor.”

    Like his teammates, Jefferson relishes the opportunity for an all out competition.

    “We play in teams and we don’t want to lose or we have to run,” said Jefferson. “It all depends on how bad we want it. We motivate each other.”

    Rams march into the playoffs with a conference championship, All-Conference players, Two Players of the Year as well as with the conference Coach of the Year.

    With the regular season over the Fresno City College men’s basketball team has plenty to be proud of, yet they keep their sights set on the road ahead.

     

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