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RUSTY BLAIR- MEN’S BASKETBALL - rblair@cuesta.edu
    In his tenure as head coach Rusty has turned Cuesta College into a force in the state.  He was named to lead the men's basketball program June, 1992.  In 1997, he led Cuesta College to its finest season ever, a 33-5 record and it’s only State Finals appearance.  He has led Cuesta to eight 20-win seasons, six Western State Conference titles and eleven playoff berths in his seventeen seasons as head coach.  He was the WSC Coach of the Year in 1997, 1998, and 2009. Rusty has placed 82 of his student/athletes with scholarships at four-year colleges and universities, including 27 at the NCAA D-1 level.  Rusty came to Cuesta and took over the reins of the basketball program following an extensive playing and coaching career. A 1968 graduate of San Luis Obispo High School, where he was California State High School basketball player of the year/ 1st team All American and a three-year starter at the University of Oregon. He played professionally for 12 seasons in Europe beginning in 1972 and returned briefly to the United States to serve as an assistant coach at Cal Poly SLO and later at Cuesta.    He went back to Europe to play full-time in Belgium and Holland from 1977 until 1985. He averaged 27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds as a professional and in 1984-85 hit a Dutch record 95% of his free throwsDuring the 1978-79 season, Rusty led Europe in scoring with 38.5 points per game.  Rusty coached several teams in Europe and while coaching in Holland's top professional league in 1989 led his team to within one game of the final eight of the European Championships on his way to runner-up Coach of the Year honors.    Rusty earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon and his Master's and teaching credential from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.    He and his wife, Kaatje, have two children, Casey and Kelly.  live in San Luis Obispo.  His daughter Kelly and his son Casey were both all-conference basketball players at Cuesta..

Schedule

2009-10 Men's Basketball Schedule

Roster

2009-10 Cuesta Men's Basketball click on name for photo [all photos] # Name Ht Wt Pos Yr Hometown/High School 0 Alexander Engel 5-10 160 G So Los Osos/ Morro Bay 1 Christian Koutras 6-2 200 G So Solnastad, Sweden/ Igelstavileus Gym. 3 Jonathan Henry 5-9 150 G Fr Torrance/ West Torrance 5 Ralphie Santos 6-0 180 G Fr Shafter/ Shafter 10 Roger Guardia 6-4 185 G So Barcelona, Spain/ Matadepera 12 Phillip Jimenez 6-0 190 G So Shafter/ Shafter 21 Joel Iventosch 6-1 165 G Fr Colfax/ Colfax 24 Seth Koenig 6-3 200 F So Templeton/ Templeton 32 Henok Yiszaw 6-5 200 F/G So Hallonbergen, Sweden/ Solna Gym 33 Carlo Galvez 6-2 215 F Fr Los Osos/ Morro Bay 35 XavierMylleville 6-7 190 F So Oostkamp, Belgium/ SHIM 44 Tomas Jonas 6-5 205 F Fr Solnastad, Sweden/ Solna Gym Head Coach: Rusty Blair Assistant: Ron Barba (1st) Record/Years: 313-245/ 18th Office Phone: (805) 546-3100 ext.2703 2008-09 Record: 24-11 2009 WSC Rec/Fin: 9-3/ 1st 2009 Playoffs First Round

 

Game Notes

Men's Basketball

Cuesta 80, Santa Barbara 66
1 2 T
SBCC 30 36 66
Cue 43 37 80
Scoring- (SBCC) Lucky Teeguarden 14, Willie Reese 14, Edgar Pineda 9, Daniel Koches 9, Chris Vines 7, Myron Jackson 4, Steven Saenz 4, Sergio Ortiz 3, Matthew Wolk 1, Bryan Gosselin 1 (66); (CUE) Seth Koenig 20 and 10 rebounds, Roger Guardia 14, Xavier Mylleville 13, Henok Yigzaw 13, Alex Engel 11, Phillip Jimenez 6, Christian Koutras 3 (80)

Notes- The Cougars were up 32-9 early in the first half and cruised to victory, although the Vaqueros did pull within nine at one point, and maintained a piece of first place in the Western State Conference. The Vaqueros hounded the WSC's leading scorer Roger Guardia into only four shots in the first half, but Guardia found other ways to lead the Cougars as the extended defense opened up Xavier Mylleville and Seth Koenig inside. Mylleville posted 13 points and nine rebounds, while Koenig led the Cougars with a double-double 20 points and ten rebounds. Guardia ended up with 14 points, but also added three assists, three steals and nine rebounds. The Cougars are 19-5 on the year and 5-1 in the WSC.

Next- The COugars play a WSC twinbill AT Pierce College in Woodland Hills this Saturday. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Cuesta, but the home-and-home dates were swapped and the COugars hosted the Brahmas on January 6th.

Assists- AHC (6): Riach Easton 3; Cue (18): Roger Guardia 6, Phillip Jimenez 3, Xavier Myllevile 3, Carlo Galvez 3

Notes- The Cuesta Cougars picked up their second win over local rival Allan Hancock without the services of 2009 All-WSC Point Guard Christian Koutras. Koutras sat out the game and the Cougars are optimistic that he will be ready in seven to ten days. Tonight's game marked the first time that Coach Rusty Blair has had to change his starting line-up and he inserted freshman Jonathan Henry into the point guard position to replace Cuesta's all time assist leader. The Cougars jumped out to an early lead and were able to overcome foul trouble by starting post players Seth Koenig and Xavier Mylleville, who were only in the game for a combined 37 minutes. The Cuesta bench stepped up and 2009 All-WSC Guard Roger Guardia filled several roles, especially when fellow starter Phillip Jimenez fouled out early in the second half, leaving the COugars with their starting frontcourt sitting on the bench with the starting backcourt. Guardia led the Cougars in points (24), rebounds (7), assists (6) and steals (3) and provided enough leadership to help guide the Cougars to the triumph on the strength of their reserves. Sophomore Henok Yigzaw netted 19 points in the win as the Cougars' bench accounted for 113 of 200 minutes of floor time and 33 points. The Cougars are 18-4 overall and remain undefeated in the WSC with a 4-0 record.

Next- Cuesta has a bye next week and will host Moorpark next saturday in a men and women's double header.

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Men's Basketball

Cuesta 79, Pierce 65
1 2 T
LAP 33 32 65
Cue 40 39 79
Pierce (65)
Ever Lopez 6-12 1-2 6-10 19, Jeremy White 5-9 0-0 04 10, Arash Riahi 3-3 0-0 2-4 8, Malcolm Collins 3-8 1-3 0-0 7, Josh Thomas 3-8 0-2 1-1 7, Terran Carter 2-6 0-0 1-1 5, Ryan Rubio 1-3 1-3 0-0 3, Daniel St Hubert 1-1 0-0 0-0 2, Bertrand Kamga 0-5 0-4 2-2 2, Anthony Morton 1-3 0-0 0-2 2, Javeal Boykins 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 Totals 25-60 3-15 12-24 65
Cuesta (79)
Seth Koenig 12-16 0-1 3-6 27, Roger Guardia 6-14 2-5 11-12 25, Phillip Jimenez 2-6 1-2 5-7 10, Henok Yigzaw 2-7 1-6 2-2 7, Xavier Mylleville 1-5 0-2 3-4 5, Jonathan Henry 1-3 1-2 2-2 5, Christian Koutras 0-1 0-0 0-1 0, Ralphie Santos 0-0 0-0 0-0 0, Tomas Jonas 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 24-52 5-18 26-34 79

Fouled Out- St Huberts (LAP); Rebounds- LAP 34 (White 9), Cue 31 (Mylleville 11); Assists- LAP 9 (Lopez 3), Cue 13 (Koutras 4); Total Fouls- LAP 26, Cue 19; A- 78

Notes- LA Pierce came into the Cuesta Gym planning to shut down the Cougars outside game and to rough up and disrupt the Cougars game plan. The Cougars average 7 three-point field goals per game and are second in the state in total three-point shots converted with 124, found that every spot up shooter had a Pierce player in their face. The Cougars made only five shots from beyond the arch, but took advantage of the Brahmas over aggressive defense to earn 34 foul shots. The Cougars 26 free throws and were able to close out the game with a successful title defense. The #16 Cougars are now 15-4 overall and 1-0 as they defend their 2009 WSC title.

Next- Cuesta host Ventura this Saturday January 9th in another WSC twinbill. The women play at 5 and the men at 7 PM.

2009-10 Season Preview

Peter J. Schuler For Immediate Release
SID-Women’s Water Polo Office (805) 546-3211
pschuler@cuesta.edu FAX (805) 546-3299

Defending WSC Champs Host Rabobank Tourney To Open 2009-10

SAN LUIS OBISPO (November 3, 2009)— The Cuesta College Men’s Basketball team won the 2009 Western State Conference and advanced to the post-season for the 11th time under Coach Rusty Blair and the 17th time in the program’s 44 years. The 2010 edition of Cuesta Basketball is in good position to defend that title and return to the playoffs. The Cougars return one of the state’s most potent backcourts and attracted two more international players, by way of Green River College in Washington, to bolster a strong California-based recruiting class. The Cougars are very deep at guard, but depth in the frontcourt will be a concern for the Coach Blair, “Depth is a concern for us, it is tougher to simulate game intensity in practice.” Frontcourt depth and talent has been the key to Cougars’ recent success in the guard-oriented California Community College Athletic Association, but this year they will face their opponents eye-to-eye. The Cougars field only one player over 6-5, compared to four last season. Coach Blair says, “We have three keys to this season. 1. Rebounding: We are small and aggressive. We must block-out and get second shots and keep our opponents from getting offensive rebounds. 2. Effort plays: We must get all the loose balls and take the charge (on defense). 3. We must shoot the ball well.” The execution of these keys to success is expected from a team coached by Blair, but he also noted his team’s high basketball IQ and work ethic as team strengths, but crucially that the leadership of his six sophomores has his team better prepared for the season than he expected. Blair said, “We have installed my entire playbook already. We do not usually do that until at least a month into the season.” These Cougars will get their chance to show what they have learned this week and will look to move to the head of the class and another conference title in 2009-10.
The 2009-10 Cougars will get their first test this weekend when they host the 41st Rabobank Tournament. The Cougars open the event on Friday with Barstow at 7:30 PM. The games begin at 1:30 PM on Friday and the event will run until Sunday with the title game beginning at 4 PM on that day.
Below is a breakdown of the Cougars Roster.
Point Guard- Guard play will be crucial to the Cougars success this season. The starting point job will be in the capable and experienced hands of Swedish star Christian Koutras (Solnastad, Sweden: Igelstavileus Gymnasium). Koutras has been recognized, as the top floor leader in Scandinavia and is a great communicator and leader on the floor. His physical strength as well as his ball handling and passing allows him to run the offense and distribute the ball effectively to the Cougars’ offensive weapons. He was selected to the 2009 All Western State Conference Honorable Mention squad and is one of the premier point guards in the State. He set a Cuesta record with 5.3 assists per game as a freshman and also added a team-high 1.9 steals per game. Koutras, who averaged 5.1 points per game in 2009, is expected to score more this season. Coach Blair says, “He can be too unselfish. He needs to drive to finish more this season and score from the outside.” Three-time All Bay League selection Jonathan Henry (Torrance) will back-up Koutras. Blair says, “He is our most athletic guard, but is still learning to run the system.” Henry can also move to the off-guard spot if needed. Sophomore Alexander Engel (Los Osos: Morro Bay HS) and Dominican University transfer Joel Iventosch (Colfax HS) add versatility and depth to the guard position. Engel redshirted at CSU Monterey Bay before helping the Cougars to the post-season last year. He has been working hard on his outside shot during the off-season and could be the Cougars’ top threat beyond the arc. Iventosch was a two-time All Pioneer Valley League selection before redshirting in 2009. Both players can come off the bench for either guard spot.
Off Guard- 2009 All Western State Conference Honorable Mention choice Roger Guardia (Barcelona, Spain: IES Matadepera) is the Cougars top-returning scorer and is expected to lead the Cougars in scoring this year. Guardia is a polished player, who gives the Cougars an option at any position, but center. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in 2009. 2009 redshirt Ralphie Santos (Shafter HS) was injured just before the start of last season, but is healthy for the 2009-10 campaign. He has added some strength in the off-season and adds toughness to the Cougars’ line-up. He is a strong ball handler and has demonstrated the ability to score. Joel Iventosch (Colfax HS) is a smart, hard working player with a strong fundamental grasp of the game. He will be used at both guard positions and will set himself up for the outside jumper when Koutras penetrates the lane. The Cougars will also use Alexander Engel (Los Osos: Morro Bay HS) and Jonathan Henry (Torrance) at the off-guard position.
Small Forward- Green River College transfer Henok Yigzaw (Hallonbergen, Sweden: Solna Gymnasium)) will fill the spot vacated by 2009 All State selection Tom Schumacher (Luxembourg). Blair says, “He is our top shooter and silky smooth. He could emerge as our top scorer.” Yigzaw played in 20 games for Green River in Washington and averaged 10.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. Sophomore Phillip Jimenez (Shafter HS) transferred to Cuesta after a season as a scholarship football player at Southern Utah. His toughness allows him to play either forward or off-guard, despite being only six-feet tall. Blair says, “He has a high basketball IQ and can shoot.” Freshman Carlo Galvez (Los Osos: Morro Bay HS) is an undersized post player, at 6-2, but is physically strong and does all the little things that do not show up in the scorebook. Coach Blair says, “He does the dirty work- blocks out, (gets) loose balls and takes a charge.” The Cougars can also use Roger Guardia (Barcelona, Spain: IES Matadepera) and Ralphie Santos (Shafter HS) at the small forward position.
Power Forward- The Cougars do not have a true center on their roster, so the play of their power forwards will determine much of their success. Sophomore Xavier Mylleville (Oostkamp, Belgium: SHIM) spent the 2009 season playing behind All State Forward Josimar Ayarza (Panama), however he has improved and developed from a role player off the bench into a vocal team leader. Mylleville averaged 2.4 points and 2.4 rebounds and played in every game last year, although he may have played more minutes if he did not average a foul every 6.7 minutes. The Cougars need him on the floor this year. He is their tallest player and can score from both inside and outside. Coach Blair says, “He must be a force! We need him to rebound and shoot from the outside. (We also) need less fouls.” Mylleville is a proven winner. He led his Belgian Club team to back-to-back Flanders Cups in 2005 and 2006 before helping the Cougars to a WSC title last season. The Cougars also return Seth Koenig (Templeton HS) from their 2006 squad. Koenig scored 5.1 points per game on a team loaded with scoring options and helped lead the Cougars to second place in the WSC as a freshman. He will play major minutes for the Cougars this year. Coach Blair noted, “He understands his role and is mature. He can also rebound and defend and is very crafty around the basket.” The Cougars will also use Tomas Jonas (Solnastad, Sweden: Solna Gymnasium) at power forward. Jonas transferred to Cuesta from Green River College, along with Yigzaw, but redshirted and sat out the 2009 season with injuries. He has also been battling pre-season injuries this season, but is on the mend. Blair says, “He is quick and strong and he must get healthy.”
Center- The center position will be taken over by either Xavier Mylleville (Oostkamp, Belgium: SHIM) or Seth Koenig (Templeton HS), however Mylleville is will jump center to start the game because of his height and leaping ability.

Stats

2009 Stats

Quick Facts/Record

Head Coach: Rusty Blair
Assistant: Ron Barba (1st)
Record/Years: 313-245/ 18th
Office Phone: (805) 546-3100 ext.2703
2008-09 Record: 24-11
2009 WSC Rec/Fin: 9-3/ 1st 2009 Playoffs First Round
Sports Information Director: Pete Schuler (805) 546-3211
Athletic Trainer: ( 805) 546-3225
Athletic Director: Bob Mariucci (805) 546-3100 ext.2709

Archives

Archives

Career Records | Season Records | Log | All State

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STATS: 91/92 | 92/93 | 93/94 | 94/95 | 95/96 | 96/97 | 97/98 | 98/99 | 99/00 | 00/01 | 01/02 | 02/03
03/04 | 04/05 | 05/06 | 06/07 | 07/08 | 08/09