Veterans steering Pirates’ ship

After losing two straight games last week, the Orange Coast College men’s basketball team will be looking for its sophomores to help it bounce back, beginning with Wednesday’s game at Riverside.

One sophomore who could help is Joe Nwabuzor. He’s no stranger to battling adversity.

As a freshman in 2004, he was declared academically ineligible. With hard work and determination, Nwabuzor improved his grades and regained his eligibility. After being away from the game for 18 months, Nwabuzor has had time to mature and improve.

He joined the basketball team after playing football last fall, and he has become a major contributor to this year’s band of Pirates.

The 6-foot-5 forward is averaging 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

“He has provided some rebounding and is a physical force in the paint that we definitely needed,” OCC Coach Steve Spencer said.

The Catch-22 for Nwabuzor is that the same aggressiveness that makes him so effective, can also work against him. Before losing his eligibility in 2004, Nwabuzor regularly found himself sitting the bench because of fouls.

“When I was on the team the first time, I was immature and got into a lot of foul trouble,” Nwabuzor said. “I try to do a little too much and I don’t play as well as I can. But if I keep my head cool and listen to Coach Spencer, I’ll be able to adjust.”

Nwabuzor and the other sophomores stepped up as Orange Empire Conference play began.

Orange Coast won its first three conference games — over Cypress, Fullerton and Irvine Valley — adding to expectations that this year’s sophomore class could help the team return to the Southern California playoffs.

But, OCC (12-11, 3-2 in conference) has hit a speed bump since, with consecutive losses to Santa Ana (Wednesday) and Saddleback (Friday). The Pirates remained competitive in each game, hanging with Saddleback, ranked No. 4 in Southern California and No. 7 in the state, before falling, 75-61.

“I’m pleased, but we have a long way to go,” Spencer said before his team’s two-game slide.

Even though the Pirates lost all their starters from last year’s playoff team, Spencer wasn’t surprised by the early success against conference opponents.

“We’ve had good sophomore leadership so I thought we could be a pretty decent team throughout the year,” Spencer said. “I’m not shocked … The guys are doing a good job and they’re working hard. If you work hard, good things can happen.”

Steve Cornett is taking his title as team captain very seriously, and is leading by example. The 6-8 center leads the team, averaging 18.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He is shooting a team-best 46.5% from the field.

With all the talent on last year’s squad, playing time was a commodity and Cornett started in only a few games. But he is flourishing this season as the go-to guy.

“It’s new for me, but I’m enjoying it,” Cornett said. “I know the team depends on me a lot, but, it’s no extra pressure.”

As freshmen, Cameron Wise and Miguel Gonzalez both saw limited minutes off the bench. By the end of the 2005 campaign, however, Wise was awarded for his tenacious play by getting into games more often.

As sophomores, Wise and Gonzalez have seen increased playing time, and their leadership roles have been instrumental in the maturation and development process of this year’s freshmen class.

Gonzalez’s selfless contributions to the team haven’t gone unnoticed by Spencer.

“Miguel has always been a good leader, always works hard, brings the same work ethic and the same positive attitude to practice everyday.” Spencer said. “He’s very consistent with that; the most consistent player I’ve ever had in that sense, especially for a guy who didn’t get a lot of time last year.”

Gonzalez, a 5-11 guard, is averaging 6.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest.

Wise, a 6-2 guard, is averaging 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

“I knew at first it would be kind of tough but, later on, we would get a hold of it and we would start winning our games,” Wise said.

After beating Cypress in the conference opener, the Pirates thumped defending state champion Fullerton, 81-59. It was especially satisfying for the sophomores, who were trounced twice by Fullerton in 2005.

“That felt real good to beat them, especially after last year,” Gonzalez said.