MEN’S BASKETBALL: SEASON OPENER, A VICTORY

The Hornets rang in the 2018-19 season with a resounding 93-73 home-win over El Camino College Friday night.

The California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association ranks Fullerton No.4 in the state according to their pre-season poll, and they showed why playing some great basketball on their home court.

After a couple of missed jumpers by FC, El Camino dropped in the first bucket to take their only lead of the night. The Hornets took over at 18:10 on a layin by Rodrick McCobb,  and then Ronne Readus drove the lane giving the Fullerton a 6-2 lead.

Jailen Moore knocked down a three-pointer at 8:56 giving the Hornets a 29-18 lead. From there, FC maintained their distance from the Warriors finishing the first half 52-35.

The Hornets had an answer for everything that was thrown at them in the second half. Speed, outside shooters, an inside presence, and good coaching helped the Hornets take their largest lead of the game at 28 (83-55) with five minutes left in the game.

Lance Coleman II had a team-high 19 points nearly missing double-double with 9 rebounds. He also chipped in 3 assists. Rodrick McCobb scored 16 points, had 5 boards, and 3 assists. Ronne Readus locked down his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 19 rebounds. Jailen Moore put up 13 points and Ezekiel Alley scored 10. Dylan Banks managed 8 points, had 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.    

Up Next: The Hornets (1-0 overall) will play again on Thursday, November 8^th when they host San Diego Mesa College in the first annual Walt Simon Basketball Classic that will run from Thursday, November 8th through Saturday, November 10^th. 

The tournament will showcase six top-tier teams that have some of the best talent in the state. Broken up into two pools, Pool A will feature Saddleback, West Hills, and Fullerton. Pool B will consist of Citrus, San Diego City, and San Diego Mesa. The Hornets will begin play in the tourney against Mesa on Thursday night at 7:00 pm.

Prior to tip-off, Walt Simon will be honored by the Hornet coaching staff. Representing the Simon family will be Walt's son Miles. Miles Simon is the 1997 NCAA Final Four MVP that helped his University of Arizona team to the National Title. Simon worked as an assistant coach at Arizona under legendary coach Lute Olson and is currently working as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.  

Click here to view the bracket.

About Walt Simon
Hornet basketball star Walt Simon is one of the most prolific scorers to ever come out of Fullerton College. Playing in the 1964-65 and 1965-66 seasons, Simon not only led the Hornet team in scoring (893 points in 64-65 and 815 points in 65-66), but also holds the two-year scoring state record (1708 total points in 63 games). Simon was named State Player of the year for both of those seasons as well.

After his playing days at Fullerton College ended, Simon received a full basketball scholarship to the University of Utah where he averaged 15 points a game and was voted first team All-League. He was also voted Best Defensive Player in the conference his senior year.

In 1968 Simon was drafted by the Seattle Sonics of the NBA and the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association. His professional experiences include playing with and against many professional basketball players in the United States and in Europe.

Simon's coaching experiences include working with youth basketball, high school, junior college, NCAA Division I & II, and professionally in America and Europe. At the college level, he has worked for Fresno State, CSU Fullerton, Fullerton College, Concordia, and Point Loma and has also helped at Mater Dei High School and with AAU Basketball. In the mid 1970's, Simon was the head coach for a European professional team. In addition, he is the founder of Basic Basketball School where he and other instructors work to develop players' basketball skills and their knowledge of the game. Simon also had a run of 10 years working with both the men and women's Vanguard basketball programs.

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