Men’s basketball remains undefeated, #2 in the nation
PASADENA, Texas – The San Jacinto College men’s basketball team is ranked second in the nation with a 22-0 overall record.
Four players average double-digit points, led by sophomore guard Jorden Duffy (Upper Marlboro, Maryland / James M. Bennett HS) who averages 18.2 points per game. Sophomore guard Corey Davis (Lafayette, Louisiana / Lafayette HS) is second on the team with 17.2 points per game, followed by freshmen guards Tay Hardy (Natchitoches, Louisiana / Lakeview HS) at 13.0 points per game and Kabir Mohammed (Lagos, Nigeria / National Christian Academy) at 10.5 points per game. As a team, San Jac averages 99 points per game.
“We’re on a great run so far this season,” said Head Coach Scott R. Gernander, now in his fifth season at the helm of the San Jac basketball program. “We are playing well as a team and have come a long way since we opened the season back in November. It’s been a fun ride and I’m excited to see how our players respond the remainder of the season.”
San Jac opened 2016-2017 unranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) preseason poll. However, thanks to a strong start to the season, it jumped to ninth overall in the first regular-season poll in December. Since then, San Jac has steadily moved up in the rankings to this week’s No. 2 spot. South Plains holds the nation’s top ranking.
San Jac returns to the court this weekend against Angelina College. Tip-off at Anders Gymnasium on the San Jacinto College Central Campus is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. Remaining home games include Blinn College (Feb. 11), Lamar State – Port Arthur (Feb. 25) and Jacksonville College (March 4). The 2017 Region XIV Tournament will take place March 7-11 in Jacksonville. The winner of that tournament earns an automatic bid to the 2017 NJCAA national tournament slated for March 20 – 25 in Hutchinson, Kansas.
San Jac last appeared in the national tournament in 2015 after earning one of four at-large bids that season. It was the College’s 20th trip to the national tournament, and the first trip back to Hutchinson since 2006. San Jacinto College last won the men’s basketball national title in 1986, when the team went undefeated with a 37-0 record. San Jac has won four national titles (1968, 1983, 1984 and 1986), and was the national runner-up on four occasions (1967, 1977, 1997 and 2003).
About San Jacinto College
Surrounded by monuments of history, industries and maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has been serving the citizens of East Harris County, Texas, since 1961. As a fiscally sound institution, the College currently holds bond ratings of AA and Aa2 by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, respectively. San Jacinto College is a 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Top 10 finalist and an Achieving the Dream Leader College. Approximately 30,000 students each semester benefit from a support system that maps out a pathway for success. The College offers seven areas of study that prepare a diverse body of students to transfer to a four-year college or university or enter the workforce with the skills needed to support the growing industries along the Texas Gulf Coast. San Jacinto College graduates contribute nearly $690 million each year to the Texas workforce.
For more information about San Jacinto College, call 281-998-6150 or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.