Cuesta Men's Basketball began the season with only one returning starter and suffered through growing pains during their pre-conference schedule, including a 1-8 start to the season. The Cougars righted their ship heading into Western State Conference play and posted a 6-6 record against the circuit to finish in the middle of the table at 4th place in the seven-team loop. The Cougars 11-17 overall record kept them from making a second straight playoff berth but did help them land four players on the all-Western State Conference teams. The Western State Conference has released the 2024 All Western State Conference seasonal awards and four members of the Cougars' starting line-up were honored by the circuit. Sophomore Sharpshooter Drew Ardouin (Atascadero HS- pict), who enjoyed an historic season, led the group with his second all-WSC First Team selection. He was joined on the top squad by the Cougars' Center Ethan Walker (Fairburn, GA), while Forward TJ Maveety (Orangevale, CA) and Point Guard Stevie Waiters (Atascadero HS) earned all-WSC Honorable Mention.
Two-time all-WSC First Team Shooting Guard Drew Ardouin drove the Cougars' offense and enjoyed his second season with over 100 3-point conversions. He led the Cougars with 20.8 points per game, which is the third highest average on record and became just the 8th Cougar to eclipse 40 points in game, while becoming the first Cuesta player to clear 35 points in a game three times. He shot 43.4% from beyond the arch this year and now holds two spots in the Cougars' Top 10, as well as second-best for a career at 44.0%. His accuracy also earned him a new Cuesta record from the charity stripe spot from with a career mark of 89.1% from the free throw line. His team-leading average of 20.8 points per game makes him just the third Cuesta player to average over 20 points per game*. He averaged 19.5 points per game for a career, which ranked second behind fellow Atascadero High Alum Mecklen Davis at 20.1 ppg. Ardouin's 1,110 career points also put him two spots behind Davis for the Cougars' all-time scoring title in 4th place all time, behind #3 Josimar Ayarza(1,165) and all-time leader Martin Rajniak at an even 1,200. He is only the 21st player in Cuesta Men's Basketball history to be a two-time all-conference first team selection.
Freshman Forward Ethan Walker was the Cougars' Mr. Inside to Ardouin's Mr. Outside and joined him on the 2024 All-WSC First Team. Walker had to battle through a pair of near 7-footers to get on the floor, but by early December he became a cornerstone of the Cougars' success. On the season, he averaged 12.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, but those numbers jumped to 14.1 and 9.8 during WSC play, where he also converted an astounding 72.1% of his field goals.
Freshmen TJ Maveety and Stevie Waiters were both accorded 2024 All-Western State Conference Honorable Mention. Maveety and Waiters joined Ardouin as the only players to start more than 20 games on the season. Maveety was a triple threat for the Cougars and joined Ardouin and Walker as the Cougars' third player to average in double-digits, while also adding 7.6 rebounds and a team-high 2.9 assists per game. Waiters tied for the team lead with 1.3 steals per game and was second on the team with 2.6 assists per game. His tenacious defense also produced a team-best 1.3 steals per contest.
2023-24 WSC Basketball Awards
Drew Ardouin- First Team
Ethan Walker- First Team
TJ Maveety- Honorable Mention
Stevie Waiters- Honorable Mention
*Records complete from 1992-Present
