Cuesta Men's Basketball returned to the post-season for the first time since 2019 after a late surge against the State's toughest division. The Western State Conference boasted four playoff teams and was the only circuit in the State with a champion that suffered multiple conference losses, which included one to the 4th place Cougars. Cuesta's season ended with a 15-14 overall record, after a first-round playoff loss at Mt San Jacinto. The Western State Conference has released the 2023 All Western State Conference seasonal awards and four members of the Cougars' starting line-up were honored by the circuit. Sophomore Sharpshooter Juani Dassie (Marcos Juarez, ARG) led the group with his second all-WSC First Team selection. He was joined on the top squad by the Cougars' backcourt duo of Drew Ardouin (Atascadero HS) and Aaron Russell (Prince George, MD), while Forward Mason Romano (Newington, CT) earned all-WSC Honorable Mention.
Two-time all-WSC First Team Forward Juani Dassie was the State's most prolific purveyor of three-point shots. He netted a State leading 105 shots made from beyond the arch and was also second in the State, and all time at Cuesta, with a 46.5 three-point percentage (Min 70 3FGM). He also holds Cuesta's two-year mark for long range accuracy at a 44.8%. Dassie concludes his career ranked 18th on Cuesta's All Time Scoring List with 786 points and 16th with a 13.8 career scoring average. The Argentinian Southpaw also enjoyed his finest scoring day, which tied for 14th all time at Cuesta, with a career-high 36 points against Cerro Coso on November 22. He also enjoyed another 30-point game in the Cougars' win over Oxnard on February 8, when he scored all of his points off a school, single-game record ten three-pointers. Beyond his shooting, Dassie was second on the team for both rebounds and block shots. In the program's 58-year history, he is only the 18th two-time all-conference first team selection
Redshirt Freshman Shooting Guard Drew Ardouin burst onto the scene to give the Cougars the best brace of shooters in the State, while earning himself a spot on the 2023 All-WSC First Team. Ardouin was second in the State, behind Dassie, with 102 three-point field goals and 5th in the State, as a well as 4th all time at Cuesta, with a 44.5 conversion rate. Ardouin led the Cougars with 537 total points for 18.5 points per game, which placed him 17th and 9th, respectively, on Cuesta single season points and scoring average lists. During his first campaign in green and black, he also added a pair of 35-plus scoring games to the Cougars' all-time list. His 37 points in a win over Merced on November 18 and his 35-point regular season finale against Los Angeles Pierce rank 9th and 16th on Cuesta's all time list.
Sophomore Guard Aaron Russell ran the show for the Cougars and was selected to the 2023 All-WSC First Team. Russell led the team with 3.9 assists, while also pouring in 17.2 points per game, which ranks 15th on the Cougars' single season list. Russell also tied Ardouin at 9th all time at Cuesta with a team season-high 37 points against local rival Allan Hancock on January 11. He also dished out a team season-high 10 assists in the Cougars' win over Oxnard on February 8, which is tied for 8th all time at Cuesta.
Sophomore Forward Mason Romano was accorded 2023 All-Western State Conference Honorable Mention after dominating the second round of conference play. Romano averaged 14.0 points, a team-high 8.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists on the season but slumped during the team's first swing through the WSC. He averaged only 7.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists as the Cougars trudged through a 1-5 record in the first round of conference, however he joined the team for a strong run to the end of the season. The Cougars went 5-1 in the second round as Romano added nearly 10 more points, three more rebounds and another assist per game to close the regular season. The Cougars strong finish vaulted them into the playoffs, where Romano posted team-highs with 23 points, 15 rebounds and two steals in their first-round loss at Mt San Jacinto. Romano made his one season in SLO count by making his mark among Cuesta's all-time leaders. His 64.5% single-season, field goal percentage is the new Cuesta standard and his 17 rebounds against Chabot on December 30 ranks 17th all time at Cuesta. Romano also showed off ability to guard the hoop. His team-high 46 blocked shots rank 8th all time for a season and 7th for a career at Cuesta.
2022-23 WSC Basketball Awards
Juani Dassie- First Team
Drew Ardouin- First Team
Aaron Russell- First Team
Mason Romano- Honorable Mention
