Edmonds Community College Athletics

Tritons Enjoying Success in 2012-13

Lynnwood, Wash. -- Following a 93-75 triumph against Everett CC on Saturday, January 26, the Edmonds Community College men’s basketball team is halfway through Northwest Athletic Association of Community College (NWAACC) play. To say that the Tritons are off to a successful start in 2012-13 is an understatement. First-year head coach Kyle Gray has led EdCC to 10-straight wins and a 17-2 overall record -- including a perfect 7-0 start against NWAACC competition.

Moreover, the Tritons are the League’s No. 1-ranked team and have a two game lead in the competitive North standings. Edmonds has posted wins against Peninsula and Pierce, both teams that were ranked No. 1. EdCC has also beaten Whatcom, Bellevue and Everett – each received votes in the latest NWAACC Coaches Poll.

The team’s success is a tremendous turnaround from last year’s three win season. In fact, EdCC men’s basketball has suffered through some lean years recently; it's been nine years (2003-04) since the Tritons qualified for the NWAACC tournament.

“We are obviously very happy with how things are progressing for us to this point but know that there is a lot of work to be done,” said Gray. “We have taken the old cliché of one game at a time and are going to keep that mentality all the way to the end of the season. Our goal is to improve everyday little by little and we all believe if we keep that mindset our best basketball is ahead of us.”

The Tritons are getting the job done on both ends of the court. Offensively, the team is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from long-range. On the defensive end, EdCC plays hard and contests every shot.

Among the standouts are sophomores Tony Montano, Ricardo Maxwell, Joey Reavley, Jacob Spade and Shaquielle McKissic. The first three of those players played for Coach Gray at North Seattle Community College and transferred to Edmonds when NSCC’s basketball program was cut.

“Guys are buying in to ‘team ball’,” said Gray. “Even though we have a couple of players in Shaq and Ricardo that are putting up really great numbers, we have four players averaging double figures.  Everything those guys are getting are within the offense.”

McKissic (Kentridge HS), a 6’5” forward, leads the Tritons with 23 points, 9.8 rebounds and three steals a game. His scoring average and 3-5 thunderous dunks each contest makes him an understandable focal point of opposing team’s defenses. Maxwell, a 5’10” point guard from Cincinnati, Ohio, is averaging over 21 points a game and close to four rebounds and five assists. Montano (Woodinville HS) is the team’s big man. The 6’5” center contributes 13 points and five boards a game. Reavley (Woodinville HS) is a 6’0” guard who is posting 10 points and three assists a night. Spade, a 6'5" forward from Meadowdale HS, has provided a spark off the bench, scoring four points a game.

Everyone on the roster is contributing to the team’s success and getting court time, however, including freshmen Stefan Johnson (East Anchorage HS), Badhasa Margarsa (Nathan Hale HS), Tony Peloquin (Monroe HS), Jesse Nicholes (Sultan HS) and Destin Kawaka (Nathan Hale HS), as well as sophomore transfer Jordan Diel (Shorecrest HS).

Gray is pleased with how the first half of the NWAACC season has unfolded, but he knows that there is a long way to go before the championship tournament starts on March 2 at Tri-Cities. The Tritons have a target on their backs, every team has seen what EdCC offers and tough road trips to Peninsula, Whatcom, Olympic and Everett remain.

“I am looking for a killer instinct in the second half and making sure we don't show any signs of being satisfied,” commented Gray. “I want us to keep that mentality so we are playing our best basketball at the end of the season.”