State Champs!
Men’s basketball team earns fifth California championshipAthletics
By Phil Thurman and Stephanie Nguyen-Preciado
The Fullerton College men’s basketball team won the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) men’s basketball state championships with an 83-73 victory over City College of San Francisco during the championship final in Lemoore.
The team captured its fifth state championship and is locked in a five-title tie with Cerritos, Fresno City, Long Beach City, and San Francisco, leading in California for the most titles.
The victory gives FC its second state championship under Head Coach Perry Webster. The Hornets earned the title in 2019 after beating San Francisco 85-79. A state tournament was not held in 2020 or 2021. The victory now gives Webster his fourth CCCAA State Title- two as a head coach, one as an assistant with Saddleback, and one as a player with Saddleback.
The team won the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) title earlier in the season after defeating Orange Coast College, earning them back-to-back OEC titles. The team was undefeated in the OEC regular season and earned the first 16-0 record in OEC history. The Hornets earned their 31st conference title since the program began in 1927.
Their near-perfect winning streak couldn’t have been accomplished without the team’s bond and support for one another. “I think the biggest difference with this team was that we wanted the guys to love each other and care about each other,” said Coach Webster. “When you see guys crying tears of joy and hugging their teammates like they are brothers, you realize that that works.”
KCAL9 interviewed the state champs, and a surreal moment occurred when Kobe Newton and Shaquil Bender were compared to NBA basketball legends Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Hornets Kobe and Shaq had just realized the comparison when an announcer mentioned it during the championship game. Shaquil Bender was named the All-Tournament MVP, while team captain Sean Newman Jr. was shooting 90 percent on the season.
An Orange County Register article chronicled Sammy Howlin’s journey to state champ after spending more than a year overcoming severe injuries suffered in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. Coach Webster said that Fullerton would have fallen short had it not been for the contributions of 6-foot-11 sophomore Howlin, particularly throughout the postseason run. Howlin, a 2019 La Habra High graduate, started all 33 games this season, leading the team in rebounds and blocked shots.
Three players from the team have already received full-ride scholarships to continue their education at a four-year university, and several players are currently weighing their options.
The team was honored at a North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) Board of Trustees meeting and received a standing ovation from those in the audience. The festivities continued with a campus celebration to applaud the team’s victory as state champs. Buzzy the Hornet made
a special appearance and posed for photos with the championship-winning team. The Fullerton College community beamed with Hornet pride as they celebrated the team, and the electric energy was palpable throughout the celebration. To commemorate their hard-won victory, the Office of the President gifted each player a championship ring so that they will never forget this experience of a lifetime.