Head Coach Ryan Frazer, now in his third year coaching for MiraCosta, continued to follow his five-year plan to help the Spartans grow and reach success by getting the team, for the first time in its history, to the Elite Eight of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Championship Tournament.
After an intense game against San Diego City College, the Spartan men’s basketball team achieved their goal and made history by earning themselves a spot in the Elite Eight Tournament.
For freshman Nigel Wilson, winning the CCCAA Championship was the ultimate goal of the season. “Just getting a ring was [really] on my mind,” said Wilson, “that’s what was pushing me through the playoffs.”
Other players, like guard Jayden Winfrey, wanted to prove that MiraCosta had a strong men’s basketball team to folks who may have doubted the team. “I feel like we changed a lot of people’s perspectives about MiraCosta,” said Winfrey.
While the men’s basketball team lost their quarterfinal game, Assistant Coach Harrison Haynes thinks everything went according to plan. The Spartans only lost their match by nine points against the number one seed, Community College of San Francisco, who went on to win the tournament. “It was hard to be upset,” said Haynes, “because if you would have asked anyone, they would have assumed we were going to get blown out by 30 points. We were the 21st seed. But they fought the whole game.”
“The bonds we’ve created on and off the court. That’s one thing that I’ll never forget,” explains Point guard Lamont Couch Jr., who is very appreciative of the entire process this season.
