Moorpark College men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy has found his assistant. The Raiders have hired former Cal State Northridge director of basketball operations Ryan Dodd, who previously coached at Servite and St. John Bosco high schools.

"We really feel fortunate to have him available at this particular time of year," said McCarthy. "He's been at Cal State Northridge and anyone that knows Bob Braswell knows he's incredibly demanding."

Dodd won CIF and state basketball titles as a Servite High player, before walking onto the UCLA football team in 1992 and playing basketball at Cypress College in 1995-96.

"He's the kind of guy that's going to spend all his time in the gym," said McCarthy. "He's going to be able to recruit the Valley for us, which is critical.
"We're lucky as heck to have him."

The application deadline for the vacant Ventura College men's basketball head coaching position was Friday.

Camarillo native and Rio Mesa High graduate Ed Madec, who led Fresno City College to a state championship in 2007, said Friday that he did not apply.

Under Madec, who played for current Moorpark College coach Remy McCarthy at Oxnard College, Fresno won its first 34 games this past season before falling to eventual state champion Riverside in the state quarterfinals.

Several local coaches reported that interest in the position seemed to come more from the high school and Division I levels than community college.

Nebraska assistant Phil Mathews, already inducted in the VC Athletic Hall of Fame for guiding the Pirates to state championships in 1987 and 1995, has applied, although he is also in the mix at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported last week that Mathews was among several coaches with Division I head coaching experience to apply for the Mustangs job, including former San Diego coach Brad Holland, former St. Louis coach Brad Soderberg and CSU San Bernardino coach Jeff Oliver, the former Buena High star and VC assistant coach.

Moorpark College men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy on squeaking into the Southern California regional playoffs as the No. 20 and final seed and playing No. 13 Antelope Valley in the regional finals:

"We're in it, baby."

(on getting a second chance after almost seeing the bubble burst Saturday with a 81-79 loss to Oxnard)

"It absolutely is. There's no doubt about it. It's a chance for redemption. We didn't like that feeling we had Saturday night. We have a way to alleviate it. We just have to go do it.

(On AVC)

"They beat San Bernardino Valley three times and they won at Riverside. They're a good team. They've got a coach with a lot of state tournament experience. He's been to two state finals and won one.

"We've absolutely got our hands full."

(on the field)

"There's a number of teams that can win it, including Antelope Valley, by the way.
If I'm going to give you a team to watch, it's San Diego City -- another team in our bracket by the way -- because of Malcolm Thomas. He's a major force."

"He can dominate a game."

(more parity)

"(Defending state champion) Citrus has been consistently good all year but they haven't been blowing anybody out and they lost to Santa Monica. That tells you everything you need to know."

(on Moorpark making the regional final last time it was in this position as a No. 20 in 2005, upsetting Cerritos and Mount SAC along the way)

"Exactly."

The Moorpark College men's basketball team can expect a boost in its final game of the regular season. The Raiders will welcome back head coach Remy McCarthy, who expected to miss the rest of the season after spinal surgery Dec. 31, for their home game against Oxnard Saturday.

"If I was going to come back for any game, it would be (tonight) for the sophomore's last home game," said McCarthy Wednesday, when he attended the Ventura at Oxnard game without a neck brace.

Third-place Moorpark (17-10, 7-4) isn't out of the WSC North picture.

The Raiders, looking to improve their postseason credentials with a home win over fourth-place Oxnard (13-15, 6-5), can share the title with a win combined with Ventura and Cuesta losses.

Which isn't completely out of the question, considering the events of Jan. 28, when Hancock defeated Ventura, 64-59, and Cuesta needed a 23-5 second-half spurt to survive Pierce, 54-48.

With their fathers looking on, Pacifica High senior Annabel Davis and Camarillo High freshman Samantha McCarthy both scored six points Tuesday night in the Pacifica High girls' basketball team's 47-26 win at Camarillo Tuesday night.

Moorpark College men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy and Moorpark College athletic director Howard Davis have spent much of the last decade working together, first on the Raiders' coaching staff, then in the Raiders' athletic department.

Third-place Moorpark (13-8, 3-2) visits fifth-place Oxnard (9-13, 2-3) in a cross-county rivalry game. Both teams need a win to stay within arm's reach of first-place Ventura and Cuesta.

"From their perspective, they've got to win it to keep pace and so do we," said Moorpark coach Remy McCarthy.

Moorpark got its season back on track Saturday with an impressive win over Santa Barbara City.

"They're a tough matchup," said McCarthy. "They're really talented. (Jonathan Johnson) is a terrific floor leader and they have a solid nucleus around him. The big kid is a problem.
"We're going to have to have the same kind of effort we had Saturday to beat them."

Moorpark College athletic director Howard Davis on men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy missing the rest of the season after spinal surgery:

"We are most concerned with coach McCarthy's full and complete recovery."

"We have terrific assistant coaches, but his impact on our team cannot be overstated."

Moorpark College men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy, who had spinal surgery Dec. 31 to correct a bulging disc in his neck, will miss the rest of the season.

"I saw my neurologist last week and we decided that I take the year off," said McCarthy before his team faced cross-county rival Ventura on Saturday.

McCarthy attempted to return to practice days after his surgery, but found his emotional response to the game conflicted with his body's need to heal.

"It's the tension. Some people handle it better than others. It's been pretty well documented that I can't."

Moorpark was 10-2 and ranked in the state coaches' poll when McCarthy went under the knife, but the Raiders have dropped two of eight games without their veteran coach. Star guard Matt Hornbuckle has also been out during the span.

Without head coach Remy McCarthy (neck surgery) and second leading scorer Matt Hornbuckle (foot), the Moorpark College men's basketball team (11-6) visits San Luis Obispo tonight for a meeting between two of the WSC North's three 1-0 teams.

After breaking the Raiders four-game losing streak with a last-second win over Hancock Wednesday, coach Mick Cady looks for his first winning streak guiding the Raiders.

"It's been an issue for the last five games. We just have not shot the ball very well."

Moorpark lost a 14-point lead to Hancock by scoring 10 points in 10 minutes in the second half.

"Teams are going to come back when you score like that. We're just hoping it starts to turn a little bit."

Moorpark has been without Hornbuckle since its loss two weeks ago at Sequoias. Cady argued that the loss was bigger than the Raiders missing their head coach.

"Who would you rather lose, a coach or a player? I'm not going to score any points tonight."

Shane Foster will get the bulk of Hornbuckle's minutes tonight.

The WSC North men's basketball race may be its most competitive in years.

The conference campaign's first three games Wednesday were decided by a combined seven points.

Veteran coaches like Remy McCarthy of Moorpark and rookie coaches like Jason Cunningham of Oxnard had already agreed that a 9-3 season may be enough to win the division.

"It'll be three losses that wins this league," said McCarthy Tuesday.

The WSC North campaign may begin tonight against visiting Hancock, but Moorpark College men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy will not return to the Raiders' bench within the next two weeks.

"I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it's a case where it's later rather than sooner," said McCarthy Tuesday night.

The veteran coach is recovering from spinal surgery Dec. 31 in Ventura and, despite a visit to the Raiders' practice Tuesday, does not expect to return anytime soon.

Moorpark (10-6) , previously ranked in the state Top 20, has lost four straight games without its head coach.

"I tried to go back yesterday and today," said McCarthy. "When I was done with practice today, I said 'I shouldn't be out here.' "

"I thought to myself, 'If we hadn't have lost four in a row, I wouldn't be here.' "

It is just impossible for McCarthy to relax and coach at the same time.

"I'm not the guy to sit and watch. I get tense. It's just too hard... It's not my personality."

McCarthy doesn't have a timetable for his return.

"I don't know. I just know for the rest of the week. I don't plan on going to Cuesta (Saturday). I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it's a case where it's later rather than sooner.

"So much of the decision is based on my personality and how I coach."

In his current condition, McCarthy is unable to be in the same gym as his Raiders, but he will attempt to scout tonight's key game between Cuesta and Ventura at the VC Athletic Event Center.

One week before the start of Western State Conference play, the Moorpark College men's basketball team lost its head coach for an indefinite period of time after McCarthy underwent spinal surgery Wednesday at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura.

"They're a terrific group of kids," said McCarthy last week. "You don't try to get out of coaching this team.

"We're 10-4, it's not like we're 4-10... If you're 4-10 you might say, 'Well, jeez, my neck hurts."

Neurosurgeon Dr. Moustapha Abou-Samra removed the herniated C5-C6 disc in McCarthy's neck and fused the remaining space.

Moorpark athletic director Howard Davis termed the surgery "perfect." McCarthy, in his 12th season as Moorpark head coach, was in recovery by the time the Raiders tipped off against visiting Miramar College at Raider Pavilion.

Moorpark, ranked No. 20 in the state coach's poll, fell to 0-3 without McCarthy with an 87-80 loss.

A time table for his return isn't set, but McCarthy was confident he could leave the team in the hands of his veteran assistant, Mick Cady. The Raiders also added three more assistant coaches this season, Marvin Lea, Greg Murphy and Kenny Plummer.

Moorpark (10-5) visits College of the Sequoias Saturday in Visalia before opening WSC North play Wednesday with a visit from Hancock College. McCarthy's return isn't scheduled, but he isn't expected to be available for those games.

"You don't have to be a neurosurgeon to know that you're not going to Visalia three days after having your disk removed," said McCarthy.

The Moorpark College men's basketball team didn't get the best draw in this weekend's Rancho Vista Shootout at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster.

Or did it?

The Raiders (6-1), coming off its first loss of the season Friday against Fullerton, will open the tournament this afternoon against 9-1 Riverside, which is ranked No. 1 in Southern California and No. 2 in the state coaches' poll.

"We need to play teams like Fullerton and Riverside," said Moorpark coach Remy McCarthy. "They're big. They're physical. They're traditionally good.

"I know the object is to win the tournament, but unless you see some good, big teams, you're going to be in trouble.

Our league has some good teams and, to have any chance, we're going to have to know what we're going up against to have any chance."

Riverside is led by 6-foot-5 guard Robbie Robertson, who averages 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Matt Hornbuckle had 14 points and Redmond Parker added 12 points, but it was the quick thinking of sophomore point guard Dwight Jones who pushed the Moorpark College men's basketball team to 2-0 with a 82-80 win at College of the Canyons Saturday night in Santa Clarita.

After grabbing a rebound under his own basket with four seconds to play in a tie game, Jones looked up court and found teammate Shane Foster for an uncontested, game-winning layup at the buzzer.

"It was an unbelievably good play by Dwight," said Moorpark coach Remy McCarthy.

"With four seconds to go, he had the presence of mind to look up rather than putting his head down and going himself."

The buzz at Raider Pavilion is that the Moorpark College men's basketball team has its best team since the 2001 group that completed back-to-back state Final Four appearances.

Head coach Remy McCarthy isn't quite ready to agree with that sentiment, but he didn't quite disagree either.

"You just don't know how good everybody else is," said McCarthy. "But I will say this, we've never had this kind of depth."

In that vein, McCarthy has added three new assistant coaches, including former Moorpark College stars Greg Murphy and Kenny Plummer, to the staff.

"I'm glad we have five assistants because I'm afraid I wouldn't remember to put a guy in," said McCarthy. "Last year, Dwight played entirely too many minutes. We don't have to do that this year."

The Raiders' legions include former Westlake High backcourt Matt Mazarei and Kyle Olandt, former Oaks Christian star Matt Hornbuckle and Calabasas High product Redmond Parker, who redshirted at Long Beach State last year.

Hotshot freshman Justin Taylor had nearly 20 points and only missed one shot in the team's intrasquad scrimmage last week.

"Competition in practice has been fierce," said McCarthy. "Once they start playing together and stop killing each other all the time, we might develop some camaraderie."