Men’s Basketball 2019-20 Season Recap
The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team had strong showings from its sophomores throughout the 2019-20 season. The Cougars finished the year 11-19 overall and 7-15 in Arizona Community College Athletic Conference play.
Individually, sophomore Makael Rainbow earned Third Team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference and All-Region I Division II Second Team honors. He averaged 15.1 points per game and concluded his Cougar career with a career-high 49 points in a win over Mesa Community College and averaged 31.8 points over his final four games.
A 6-0 guard, Rainbow made 23 starts and shot 47.0 percent from the field for the year. He also averaged 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game in his final season as a Cougar. He finished with double-figures in scoring 21 times and had seven games of more than 20 points.
Kareem Clark, a 6-3 sophomore guard, finished second on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg, total rebounds (128) and steals (36). He shot 45.5 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from 3-point range for the year. He scored a season-high 28 points in a Feb. 5 contest against Glendale Community College.
A 6-6 forward, sophomore Damian Black averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds for the season. He scored a season-high 14 points on 7 of 12 shooting in a 90-67 victory over Phoenix Prep. Black also scored in double-figures in the Cougars' final two games, finishing with 10 points against Tohono O'odham Community College and 13 against Mesa Community College.
Cody Carmichael was the team's top distributor all season, leading the Cougars with 84 assists. He dished out a season-high seven assists in the win over Phoenix Prep and also had games of seven games with at least four dimes. He also averaged 4.7 points per game, finishing with a season-high 13 points twice.
Germain Remy was the team's fifth sophomore, and he averaged 2.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He had a season-high seven points in a 75-74 win at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in a contest against Cuyamaca Community College.
Freshman Anthony Jaramillo provided an offensive spark in his rookie season. He averaged 10.7 points per game and led SMCC with 65 3-pointers, producing a season-high 26 points in a contest at Central Arizona. In a win at Arizona Western, the Cougars' first road win in the series since 2016, he knocked down 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
The team also got strong performances from other rookies on the roster. Christian Allen appeared in 27 contests and made 19 starts, averaging 6.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. He had a season-high 16 points twice and season-best five rebounds three times.
Freshman center Jalen Gant made 23 starts and appeared in 29 games for the Cougars. Averaging an even 8.0 ppg for the season, Gant erupted for a season-high 22 points and 10 field goals in a contest at Eastern Arizona.
Another post player, Brandon Savage, appeared in 30 games for SMCC, averaging 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He scored in double-figures four times during the season, including a season-high 15 points in a win against Stone Child College.
Rookies Shawn Black and Isaac Garcia each played in 26 games this year. Black scored a season-high eight points against Mesa Community College while Garcia had a season-best five points in two games.
Finally, Johnathan Hunter averaged 2.2 points per game after appearing in 23 contests. He finished with nine points in the season finale, a one-point win over Mesa Community College.
The Cougars opened the season with a 116-73 victory over Stone Child and a thrilling 75-74 win against Chandler-Gilbert Community College in November. Rainbow and Jaramillo each had 25 points as SMCC held off the Coyotes.
In December, the team posted wins over Cuyamaca Community College, Phoenix Prep and Bismarck State College. All three wins came at neutral sites as the Cougars traveled for tournaments in San Diego and at Phoenix College.
January saw ACCAC action ramp up, and the Cougars opened the 2020 calendar year with a 74-69 win at Arizona Western. They followed that up with a home win against Pima CC and a road win at Tohono O'odham CC. South Mountain Community College also posted a 79-71 home win over Phoenix College during the month.
The Cougars closed out the season in thrilling fashion, defeating Tohono O'odham CC and Mesa Community College to wrap up the year. Against the Thunderbirds, SMCC scored 52 points in the second half to pull out the one-point victory, 95-94.
With a solid group of returning student-athletes, the 2020-21 South Mountain Community College men's basketball season promises to excite.
"We will have a strong nucleus of experienced players, and a few key additions will allow us to make a run at the conference title," said South Mountain Community College head coach Dan Nichols.