The Wildcats finished last season with a record of 26-8 while reaching the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Championship Tournament Elite Eight, and appearing in both the CCAA (California Collegiate Athletic Association) and NCAA Championship Tournament.

“Given our success the last couple seasons, we’re a targeted team,” said top-returner, First Team All-CCAA Guard, Jalen McFerren.

The Wildcats have a few new players joining their roster, which is going to add a lot of depth on the bench, something they didn’t have last season. Two top newcomers, in particular, are redshirts (a delay or suspension of an athlete’s participation to lengthen his or her period of eligibility), freshmen Isaiah Brooks and Malik Duffy.

Brooks led Sacramento’s Sheldon High School to back-to-back Delta League titles and averaged about 15.5 points and 4.4 assists per game as a senior. As well as earning First Team All-Delta League and Second Team All-Sacramento Bee.

At Sacramento’s Jesuit High School, Duffy led the Marauders to the 2014 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Championship, which they won 96-68 against Rodriguez High School. Duffy averaged about 16 points and 10.1 rebounds during his senior year, earning the same awards as his current teammate; First Team All-Delta League and Second Team All-Sacramento Bee.

Center Spencer LaShells, guard Calvin Geraci and forward Josh Lavergne are also redshirt freshmen who are expected to perform well from.

“If they can learn to thrive in our system, any one of them is liable to give our team as well as our bench a lot of depth,” explained forward, Justin Briggs.

The men’s team look forward to a successful season this year, with hopes of winning the National Championship, and winning the CCAA Conference and West Region again.

“Every team in our league is solid. We attack each week just trying to improve and make sure that we are prepared every time we take the court,” said head coach Greg Clink.

In order for this to be a reality, the men’s team will a have few big opponents, such as, Stanford, University of Arizona and Sonoma State, to knock down.

“As long as we play well,” said McFerren, “and we achieve the goals we have set forth the awards will come.”

Right now, the Wildcats’ are working to get in shape. They compete in their first exhibition match against Stanford University, November 2 in Stanford, CA.