The final home game of the season is traditionally "Sophomore Night" for the Cougars and prior to this evening's regular season finale against Santa Barbara the Cougars celebrated their four sophomores and bid farewell to retiring coach, Rusty Blair.  Sophomores Nicky Frangie and Alessandro Perotti both spent their first seasons at other schools, while 2024 all-WSC Guard Stevie Waiters (pict) and fellow Returner Jayden Ares have been enjoying their second year in SLO.  Frangie, who graduated from nearby Templeton High, and Perotti, who hails from Torino, Italy, came to Cuesta from Pacific University of Oregon and North Platte Community College in Nebraska, respectively.  The Cougars send all five off with a win in front of a spirited Cuesta crowd. 

Cuesta Men's Basketball completed the regular season with a satisfying home win against visiting Santa Barbara City, 82-72. The Cougars finished the season with a 19-9 overall record and in third place in the Western State Conference.  Sophomore Center Alessandro Perotti came off the bench for the first time this year, but still led all scorers with 11 points in the first twenty minutes.  Thanks to Cuesta Guard Shinichi Itoh's sharpshooting, which forced the Vaqueros to chase him around arch, Perotti had plenty of room to work inside.  Itoh netted six three-pointers in the game for 18 points overall, while opening the paint for Perotti, who sank ten points more after the intermission to finish with a game-high 21 points.     

The Cougars own a 19-9 overall record and are hoping to make the field of 24 teams in the 2025 CCCAA Regional Playoffs.  There are only a dozen teams in the region with 20 or more wins, so the Cougars win total and the fact that they are only two-games behind the WSC Champion Moorpark Raiders and a game behind WSC Runner-up Allan Hancock, currently ranked 9th and 14 in the South, should help them find a space among the two dozen available playoff berths. 

The CCCAA Regional Seeding Meeting will take place this weekend and the Cougars are optimistic about their post-season prospects.