Three Cuesta Cagers Earn All-WSC Honors
Korfas and Safra Make First Team
SAN LUIS OBISPO (March 4, 2020)— Cuesta Men's Basketball team worked through a rebuilding season and finished 4th in the Western State Conference with a 6-6 record against the loop. The Cougars were 12-16 overall, but recovered nicely from an injury-plagued 2-9 start to the campaign. The Western State Conference has just released the 2020 All Western State Conference seasonal awards and three members of Cuesta's starting line-up were honored by the circuit. Shooting Guard Jacques Safra (Zurich, SUI) and Point Guard Stef Korfas (Santa Barbara) were both named to the 2020 All Western State Conference First Team, while Small Forward Ali Pacaci (Izmir, TUR) earned all-WSC Honorable Mention.
Shooting Guard Jacques Safra (Zurich, SUI) was selected to the 2019 All Western State Conference First Team and was the backbone of the Cougars' season. On a roster with only one sophomore, Safra's steady consistent play set the tone and, despite numerous injuries to his teammates and setbacks, his quiet, consistent play in every game turned the Cougars around, after their disastrous start, and into potential playoff contenders. Safra led the Cougars with 17.2 points per game, which ranks 14th all time at Cuesta, but was at his best during WSC play. He was the Cougars' leading-scorer in eight of their 12 WSC games and averaged 21 points per game against the loop; including a team season-high 39 points against Oxnard on February 1. Safra is an effective scorer and also led the Cougars in shooting percentage (47.2%) and three-point accuracy (43.1%), which also tied him for 5th all time at Cuesta (min 50 3FGM) On offense, Safra was second on the team with 2.9 assists per game, but also led the Cougars with 56 steals on defense.
Freshman Point Guard Stef Korfas (Santa Barbara) returned from a Redshirt season in Oregon to take control of the Cougars' offense and was named to the 2019 All Western State Conference First Team. Korfas joined Safra to give Cuesta one of the best backcourts in the State. Korfas ran the show for the Cougars and his stellar ball control and quickness helped open up Cuesta's offense. He led the team with 4.0 assists per game, while also scoring 14.6 points per game. He netted a stellar 43.6% of his shots from beyond the arch and was nearly automatic from the Charity Stripe. He converted 83.2% of his free throws for the 10th best mark in Cuesta History (min 70 FTM).
Freshman Guard Ali Pacaci (Izmir, TUR) was accorded 2020 All-WSC Honorable Mention. Pacaci missed the first four games of the season with a back injury and didn't really find his groove until the Western State Conference schedule. He averaged a respectable 10.5 points per game in 24 games on the season, however, after fully recovering, he nearly doubled his first half scoring during the Cougars' dozen games on the WSC schedule. Pacaci also raised his shooting percentage from beyond the arch from the low 30s to over 40% in conference play and averaged 14.3 points per game against the loop.
2019-20 WSC Basketball Awards
Jacques Safra- First Team
Stef Korfas- First Team
Ali Pacaci- Honorable Mention
