County colleges hope to turn things around in league play

Cañada and Skyline have already dropped their Coast Conference North openers.

Despite the dearth of wins, all three coaches remain positive about the outlook of their respective squads.

College of San Mateo (6-8)

The Lady Bulldogs' had a goal of losing only six games during the non-league portion of their schedule.

Unfortunately, they've already eclipsed that mark and with two more non-conference games looming against state-ranked teams - a 5:30 p.m. game at Foothill tonight and Saturday's 5:30 p.m. start at City College of San Francisco Saturday - and the Bulldogs could be looking at a six-game losing streak heading into the Coast Conference opener next Wednesday.

But after injuries and some team turmoil since a win over Merritt College on Dec. 22, coach Michelle Warner is hoping that the Bulldogs have turned the corner.

"Since [the win over Merritt], it's kinda plummeted," Warner said. "Hopefully now we're all on the same page."

The team's problems came to a head while on a road trip to the Fullerton tournament that saw CSM lose by 24 to the No. 6-ranked team in the state, Mt. SAC and then dropped a two-point decision to a weak L.A. Harbor squad.

"Ever see, 'Remember the Titans,'?" asked CSM freshman point guard 'Lique Becerra. "It was kinda like get to know your teammates. We had an eight-hour bus trip (back to San Mateo)."

Added sophomore utility player Vange Chau: "I think everyone said their piece."

Despite their less than stellar preseason mark, the Bulldogs believe they have a shot at a first- or second-place finish in the Coast Conference - assuring them of a playoff spot.

"We have our whole team back and we're looking for upsets," Becerra said.

Cañada (1-14, 0-1)

As expected, the Colts are struggling in their first year back on the hardwood after shuttering the program after the 2001-02 season.

All the losing is something first-year coach Lamont Quattlebaum is not used to.

"It's been difficult. I've been lucky to get a lot of wins in my coaching career," Quattlebaum said. "I've never lost this many games in two or three seasons combined. It's been a learning experience but I haven't changed my coaching style.

"[The losing] is not a surprise but you don't see it coming."

Despite the lack of wins, Quattlebaum sees progress and snippets of potential which makes him believe the Colts are on the right track.

"We've had our competitive moments," Quattlebaum said. "There hasn't been any frustrations (on the part of the players). I guess it's easy not to be frustrated because we have been competitive."

Cañada opened the season with a 76-53 loss to West Valley, currently the 16th-ranked team in the state. The Colts dropped a 77-67 decision to Hartnell, the No. 15 team in Northern California and had No. 5 in the state San Jose City College on the ropes, 22-8, before losing.

"We played a heck of a non-conference schedule," Quattlebaum said.

A big surprise for the Colts has been the play of center Kirk Williams out of Sequoia High. The freshman is averaging 11.8 points per game, eight rebounds and two blocks a game, all without having played basketball in high school. Matt Lee (Aragon) has knocked down 30 3-pointers and point guard Bill Vlahiotis (MIlls) is averaging eight points and six assists per contest.

"The guys are doing a little more than we thought," Quattlebaum said. "The biggest positive is they play hard every game."

Skyline (5-12, 0-1)

The Trojans find themselves in a similar situation as Cañada. While first-year coach Justin Piergrossi is not starting a program from scratch, he did not have one returning player from last season.

On top of that, the Trojans have had to commute to CSM to practice and play home games while Skyline finishes construction on a new gym.

"I think my guys have handled it pretty well," Piergrossi said. "Getting in a van every day is tough. A lot of things we ordinarily do, we can't."

Having a young team with not a lot of basketball experience can be perceived as a negative, but Piergrossi looks at it as an opportunity to mold the guys into the players and the team he wants them to be.

"The chemistry has gotten better and better. The guys are learning every single day," Piergrossi said. "We don't have a lot of college experience but at this level you want kids who want to learn. Kids you want to go to war with. Kids you want to ride on the bus with."

Nineteen games into the season, however, and the freshmen no longer feel like freshmen.

"I feel a lot more confident," said point guard Marquis Benjamin, a freshman out of Lincoln High in San Francisco who is averaging 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. "My first game, I was a bit nervous. Now I can step up and take on anybody."