The men’s and women’s basketball teams ended the 2005-2006 season with
disappointing records, but both came away with a lot of learning
experience and formed lasting bonds that will carry them toward the
next season.

With its proud history in men’s basketball, the team was confident to
continue that tradition, but the season started with three of their
potential starters going down with injuries. The team never recovered, as
lack of depth kept them from winning close games. They finished the season
with an overall record of 10-20 and 4-8 in the Western State Conference (WSC).

“It was completely out of our hands,” said Conrad Amba, Assistant Coach
entering his third season.

The injury-plagued season was not at a total loss;
Jovan Jester, and Owen Duckworth were both named 1st team all conference,
Jamar Eubanks also received honorable mention.
The team kept a positive attitude and played hard all season. Only a few
games got away as they stayed competitive in spite of their issues.

“We’re very proud of our guys, the effort was there each and every game,” said
Amba.

“It’s hard to say we weren’t disappointed,” said Jamar Eubanks, one of the
stars from last year’s team who missed six games due to an injury. “I wasn’t
able to contribute as much as I wanted,” said Eubanks.
The 2006-2007 season has a lot of promise. Coach Brian Beauchemin, Glendale
College’s most successful basketball coach, will be entering his 28th season.

Coach Beauchemin will soon be surpassing a milestone of 500 wins. He is known for his great motivation skills and is still going strong after 27 years of complete dedication to the basketball program.

“I still feel the juices,” said Coach Beauchemin, “I still get plenty of joy from coaching.”

A strong nucleus of players are returning, Owen Duckworth, who averaged 20
points per game, and Jamar Eubanks, with his strong presence in the post, look
to lead the Vaqueros toward the WSC title.

“I’m very excited about next season,” said Eubanks. “A lot of our players
are coming back, which will make us even better.”

With an all-new coaching staff, nobody knew what to expect from the women’s
basketball team. Bringing with her an impressive all-around basketball
resume, Coach Monica Hang instilled a lot of her mental toughness into her
Lady Vaqueros.

“I had lots of fun playing last year,” said Julie An, team captain. “It
was a great experience throughout, even with an all new program.”

The women’s basketball team ended the season with a 3-9 record in the WSC
south and 7-22 overall. With only three returning sophomores and the rest
freshman, the ladies still kept all of their games close. Jasmine Stanley
was named 1st team all-conference and Vanessa Escobar also received
honorable mention.

“I would say it was a successful season,” said Asst. Coach Stan Watson.
“The 12 girls that we had were well prepared and played hard every
game.”

The Lady Vaqueros are looking to improve next season, but most importantly, they are looking to keep the same great chemistry they had all season long.

“They gave me 110 percent and every body worked well together,” said Coach
Hang. “Our goal for next year is to find that same chemistry and build on
it.”

With her basketball knowledge the women’s basketball team should fare
well in the WSC south next season.

Both teams encouraged the student body to continue their support toward the program and would like to thank the cheerleading squad for rallying the crowd at the games.