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The Pasadena City College men's basketball team didn't really know where it would be seeded going into the coaches regional committee meeting on Sunday. But the Lancers were more than happy to receive the #15 seed as they now host #18 Cuesta in the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Wednesday. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.
The Lancers (17-11 overall) finished in third place in the South Coast Conference behind #3 North Division champion East Los Angeles and #4 Mt. San Antonio, a team they beat in conference play.
Coach Ryan Frazer, who won his milestone 100th career game earlier this month, has directed his squad to a third consecutive postseason appearance in his third season in charge of the Lancers.
State unranked PCC faces a Cuesta team ranked #30 in the most recent State Top 30. The Cougars (19-9) were third in the Western State Conference North Division and defeated conference champ and #7 seed Moorpark while also splitting division games v. second place and #14 seed Allan Hancock.
Cuesta is paced by WSC North leading scorer and All-Conference First Team Alessandro Perotti, a 6-foot-9 center averaging 17.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. Another top player is guard Shinichi Itoh, who is scoring at a 15.7 points clip. The Cougars head coach is Rusty Blair, who is retiring from coaching following the playoffs after 33 years on the job.
The teams have only met four times since the 1996-97 season, but last played against each other in Round 1 of the 2019 regionals with then #17 Cuesta winning 72-60 at #14 PCC.
The winner of the playoff will visit state #2-rated and SoCal #2 seed Citrus (26-2) on Saturday, March 1 in a Round 2 quarterfinals contest.
SWILLIS, VAZQUEZ NAMED ALL-SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE NORTH DIVISION
Sophomore wing Dylan Swillis and two-year point guard Jalen Vazquez were selected to the 11-player, 2024-25 All-South Coast Conference North Division First Team.
Swillis averaged 17.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals while Vazquez tallied 11.9 points, 6 rebounds, 2.1 steals while leading the state in assists average at 8.0 per game.
Swillis is two points shy of joining the 800-point club and is tied with Jerry Major (1991-93) for 29th on the PCC All-Time Scoring List. Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and former NBA Lakers great Michael Cooper is seventh on the elite list.
Vazquez is still on pace to break the college's single-season assists average mark held by Corey Caston of 7.9 in 2008-2009. Vazquez's current total of 215 helpers this season is second most behind Caston (238) and the current sophomore career total of 364 is also second to Caston's 398.
Two Lancers received All-SCC North Honorable Mention in sophomore wing Kaiden Fine (8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds averages) and freshman wing Quinlan Daly, averaging 8.4 points and leading the team in 3-point baskets with 51.