Men's Basketball begins Western State Conference (WSC) play this Wednesday (5 PM) as they host Oxnard.  The WSC took last season off, due to the pandemic, but before the lockdown in 2020 the Cougars and Condors finished the regular season in 4th and 6th places in the conference, respectively.  In 2020-21, Cuesta was 2-3 during their Covid season, while the Oxnard sat out the year.  The visiting Condors are 4-6 this season and have won their last two games, while the Cougars are 4-11, but also won their last game by scoring a season-high 123 points.  Cuesta has won five conference titles and reached the post-season seven times during the 2010's.

Cuesta participated in the Hancock New Year's Tournament last week, but was limited to only two of their three scheduled games, after LA Harbor pulled out due to Covid.  The Cougars played some of their best basketball over the tournament and appear ready for their upcoming conference schedule.  The Cougars narrowly lost their tournament opener in an overtime setback against Chabot, 71-67, and crushed Ohlone, 123-47, to snap a six-game losing streak and build momentum for the new year.  Freshman Forward Kobe Pearson (Melbourne, AUS) led the Cougars with 40 points in the tournament. He scored 16 points in the loss to Gladiators and 24 points in the win over the Renegades.  Pearson has become a bellwether shooter for the Cougars.  He is averaging a solid 10.5 points per game this season; however, the 4-11 Cougars are undefeated when he scores more than 20 points in a contest.  

Cuesta Men's Basketball is in its 57th season and is currently 859-857 overall.  The Cuesta Men's Basketball program, which began during the 1965-66 season, did not reach .500 as a program until 2015-16, its 50th season.  Coach Rusty Blair took over the helm in 1993 and has rebuilt the program over the past 30 seasons.  His teams have produced 524 of the program's 857 victories and earned 11 of its 13 conference titles.