Building on the roundup in today's paper:

The Ventura College women's basketball team opened its season with a 64-44 win over Los Angeles Southwest in the first round of the Vaquero Tournament at Glendale College on Friday.

Erika Ward scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and had four assists. Chanelle Brennan had 14 points and Kris King grabbed 10 rebounds.

Gabrielle Conn also contributed seven points and six rebounds and Amanda Padilla had eight points and five assists as Ventura, which had 19 assists as a team, opened up a 56-28 lead with 8:51 left in the second half.

VC plays Santa Ana today at 5 p.m. in a semifinal game of the three-day tournament.

Palomar 62, Moorpark women 33:The Raiders (2-3) didn't get their San Diego trip off to a good start against one of the top teams in the state.

Community College men's basketball

Long Beach City 76, Ventura men 69: Troy Watson scored 15 points, Pierce Brooks had 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks and Paul Batausa had six assists as Ventura (1-5) went two and out in the Irvine tournament.

Moorpark 69, Orange Coast 64:Dallas Rutherford scored 23 points, Matt Mazarei added 13 and Spenser Schulte 10 as Moorpark (1-3) won its first game of the season.

Building on the roundup in today's paper:

The Ventura College women's basketball team opened its season with a 64-44 win over Los Angeles Southwest in the first round of the Vaquero Tournament at Glendale College on Friday.

Erika Ward scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and had four assists. Chanelle Brennan had 14 points and Kris King grabbed 10 rebounds.

Gabrielle Conn also contributed seven points and six rebounds and Amanda Padilla had eight points and five assists as Ventura, which had 19 assists as a team, opened up a 56-28 lead with 8:51 left in the second half.

VC plays Santa Ana today at 5 p.m. in a semifinal game of the three-day tournament.

Palomar 62, Moorpark women 33:The Raiders (2-3) didn't get their San Diego trip off to a good start against one of the top teams in the state.

Community College men's basketball

Long Beach City 76, Ventura men 69: Troy Watson scored 15 points, Pierce Brooks had 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks and Paul Batausa had six assists as Ventura (1-5) went two and out in the Irvine tournament.

Moorpark men 69, Orange Coast 64:Dallas Rutherford scored 23 points, Matt Mazarei added 13 and Spencer Schulte 10 as Moorpark (1-3) won its first game of the season.

The Ventura College men's basketball team fell to 1-4 with a frustrating 63-53 loss to Imperial Valley Thursday night in Irvine despite a career high 22 points and six rebounds from Jeremiah Slowik and 10 points from Jordan Harris.

"We couldn't hit a shot," said coach Will Cowen. "We're not playing very well right now."

Ventura, which was just 8 of 18 from the line, faces Long Beach City in Friday's consolation semifinals. Imperial Valley improved to 1-0.

A loss would get the Pirates hope for Saturday night's playoff women's soccer game with Antelope Valley, rather than watching the football team's Orange County Bowl game against Golden West in nearby Costa Mesa.

The Ventura College men's basketball team falls to No. 3 Antelope Valley 69-59 in the consolation final of the "We Play Hard" tournament.

The Oxnard College men's basketball team currently trails 41-39 to Orange Coast at halftime of the third-place game.

Mixed results in the second day of the "We Play Hard" men's basketball tournament at Ventura College today.

Moorpark College dropped to 0-3 with a 78-73 loss to No. 3 Antelope Valley. Two tough losses this weekend for the Raiders

In the other consolation semifinal, a 16-3 run allowed Pasadena City to pull within 72-70 of Ventura College with 6:39 to play.

But the Pirates (1-2) held on for their first win of the season, 88-82, over the Lancers. Troy Watson had 20 points and Jordan Harris had 17.

Ventura will play Antelope Valley in Sunday's consolation final at noon. AVC eliminated VC in the state quarterfinals in 2005 and state semifinals in 2007.

Oxnard trails Los Angeles Valley, 44-38, in the first semifinal. James Ennis has 10 points.

Here's my preview of the "We Play Hard" basketball tournament at Ventura College, which features all three local program.s

This weekend's "We Play Hard" men's basketball tournament, hosted by Ventura College, is a special treat for local community college fans.

For the first time in recent memory, all three local programs will play in the same tournament. Oxnard opens Friday's quarterfinals against powerful Antelope Valley at 1 p.m., Moorpark follows against Los Angeles Valley at 5 p.m. and Ventura hosts Orange Coast at 7 p.m.

"It should be a great atmosphere," said Ventura coach Will Cowen. "With everyone's budget the way it is, we should all try to stay local... It's better for everyone."

The Ventura College men's basketball team trails powerful Citrus, 45-32, at the half in its season opener at the VC Athletic Event Center.

Former Ventura center Randy Hunter leads Citrus with 10 points.

Playing without a pair of starters, the Moorpark College men's basketball team fell to host Los Angeles Harbor, 74-53, in its season opener Friday night.

Basketball season opens up this weekend as the Moorpark College men visit Los Angeles Harbor Friday night and Ventura College and Oxnard College men play Saturday afternoon.

The Pirates host Citrus at 2 and the Condors visit Los Angeles Trade-Tech at 5.
Ventura is welcoming all alumni back for the game.

Former stars who have already RSVPed for the postgame event include Cedric Ceballos, Lester Neal, Brandon Jessie, Tony Walker, Kevin Tate, Stephane Brown, Alfred Kennedy, Chris Clayton and Steve Amar.

UPDATE: Please note that Oxnard is on the road. The first version of this post said differently.

-- I counted 106 people in the gym, besides players, officials and staff, during the national anthem at 11:59 p.m., prior to the tipping off of the Ventura College men's basketball team's Midnight Madness.
12:03  Guard Troy Watson, a Chicago native who played the Pirates two years ago, was just introduced to the crowd alongside his teammates. He's an interesting addition to the team.
12:04 --  PA announcer Ric Ruffinelli just handed the microphone to head coach Will Cowen, whose first comments of the 2009-10 season include "We really have the commitment here renewed to bring all the great traditions of this program back."
12:05 -- Looks like the proceedings include five 5-minute scrimmage periods. We'll be here for about 90 minutes. We'll see how many fans are still here at 1:30 a.m.
12:07 -- The opening scrimmage pits a Black team of Paul Batausa, Justin Jimenez, Jeremiah Slowik, Jordan Harris and Pierce Brooks against a White team of Nolan Smith, Jon Keen, Moises Barrera,Randy Gonazales and Eysan Toole.
12:13 a.m. -- The Black team wins, 11-4. Batausa, who became the first Ventura High product to play for VC tonight in more than a decade tonight, drilled a 22 footer.
12:29 a.m. -- Former Ventura College assistant coach Jon Wyers is here with his Villanova Prep assistant and former VC guard Andre Jamerson.
12:30 a.m. --  Jon Keen, a 6-foot-5 wing from Hawaii, looks pretty explosive in the open court. He's snuck away for a couple breakaway buckets. Batausa and Harris have buried a couple 3-pointers.
12:32 a.m. -- Done with three of the five short scrimmages. The head count in the gym is now 138.
12:43 a.m. -- University of San Francisco transfer PIerce Brooks tips in at the buzzer to win the fourth scrimmage, 12-10.
12:55 a.m. -- Troy Watson, Jon Keen, Jordan Harris and Jeremiah Slowik will compete in the dunk contest.
12:56 a.m. -- Watson throws down with one hand for a 9. Keen has a pretty catch and flush for a 9. Harris goes the length of the court Jordan-style for a 9.5.
12:57 a.m. -- Watson only get a 9 for a sick double pump flush. Watson then brings it down to his ankles and back up behind his head for the 10 that clinches the competition.
1:01 a.m. -- Batausa's gotta be the favorite in the upcoming 3-point shootout. Or maybe Slowik.
1:03 a.m. -- Looks like Batausa, Brooks, Barrera and Bradish will shoot.
1:05 a.m. -- Barrera beats Batauta, 14-9, in the first round. Brooks beats Bradish, 8-7 in the second round.
1:07 a.m. -- Ramirez ends the proceedings with "Thank you for coming and don't forget what's on that wall."

Joey Ramirez has only been back with the Ventura College men's basketball team for a month.

But the Pirates have already restored one of his favorite traditions from his playing career.

Ventura will celebrate the official opening of practice Friday night with a Midnight Madness that will include a 3-point shootout, slam dunk contest and intrasquad scrimmage.

The exercise reminds the assistant coach, who played at VC from 1992-94, of his playing days.

"People were fighting for position and the community was there to watch it," said Ramirez. "It was intense."

Entrance is free to the public.

"It's a chance to get a sneak preview of the season," said head coach Will Cowen. "We're bringing it back because we we're trying to restore the program's traditions."

Ventura returns three sophomores, forward Jordan Harris, Jermiah Slowik and Justin Jimenez, from its Western State Conference North Division co-championship group.

The Pirates lost forward Randy Hunter, who transferred to Citrus College, but newcomers include All-CIF guard Paul Batausa of Ventura High and 6-foot-7 forward Pierce Brooks, a transfer from the University of San Francisco.

Oxnard returns a full backcourt in Ryan McLucas, who sat out last season with an injury, Nick Molina and Craig Lee. Key newcomers include forwards Omar Abraham and James Ennis, the former Ventura High star who was selected second team preseason All-American by Sporting News.

Moorpark may only returns one sophomore, but the Raiders are boosted by the addition of former Simi Valley star Mike Meza, a transfer from Azusa Pacific, and former Cal State Northridge guard Dallas Rutherford.

Several outgoing sophomores from the group that earned the Ventura College men's basketball team a share of the 2009 WSC North title are playing at four-year schools, including Danny Benson (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Will Faiivae (Texas A&M International), Prince Abidoye (Cal State Stanislaus) and Pepe Araujo (Kansas Wesleyan).

Alex Jamerson has joined San Diego State as a student assistant.

Former assistant coach Jon Wyers, now at Villanova Prep, has also hired Eric Gray and Andre Jamerson, Alex's older brother, as his junior varsity and soph-frosh coaches, respectively.

Former Ventura swingman Kevin Menner, who spent last season at Saddleback, has joined Cal State Northridge.

On his first day as an assistant coach for the Ventura College's men's basketball, Joey Ramirez was asked to speak to the team.

Midway through an emotional sermon in the school's team room, Ramirez, who earned 1994 Western State Conference co-Most Valuable Player honors in orange and black, glanced over the door, where the painted "Eye of Tradition" had been during his playing days.

"I looked up there and it was gone," said Ramirez.

Joey Ramirez, who earned Western State Conference co-Player of the Year honors for Ventura College in 1993-94, has been hired as the Pirates' assistant coach, according to head coach and athletic director Will Cowen.

"There's several reasons why it's the ideal fit for VC," said Cowen. "The first reason is history, his legacy as a player, and the second is he's become an outstanding coach since playing here."

In the process, Ramirez stepped down as Oak Park boys' basketball head coach. He earned Tri-Valley Coach of the Year honors in 2007-08, having guided the Eagles to a league title and a 22-8 record. Oak Park was 16-11 last season.

Former VC assistant Jon Wyers was hired as Villanova Prep boys' basketball coach in April.

More to come on this developing story.

Assistant coach Jon Wyers has left the Ventura College men's basketball program after a pair of WSC North title campaigns.

Wyers accepted the Villanova Prep boys' basketball head coaching job in April, but expected to return alongside new VC head coach Will Cowen until the Ojai school also offered him their assistant athletic director position this month.

"I enjoyed my time at Ventura College," said Wyers. "We had two successful years."

Wyers added that the budget cuts at the community college level and the lack of a Master's degree, which kept him from applying for the vacant head coaching position earlier this year, made "moving to the high school level a smarter move for me."

Ventura College president Robin Calote e-mailed a statement Monday regarding the on-going VC men's basketball head coaching position:

"The selection of the men's basketball coach is an important decision that has significant implications for the viability of the men's basketball program in a community that enthusiastically supports basketball.

"Although two viable candidates have emerged through the screening process, after conferring with Chancellor Meznek, I have decided not to fill the position with an external candidate at this time. The primary reason for this is that there is movement at the state level to fund both physical education and athletics at the non-credit apportionment rate. This has serious financial implications for the college, which was already facing a multi-million dollar shortfall for the immediate future.

"Now, more than ever, it is becoming critical for the college to focus on the core classes that students need to transfer, to obtain a degree or certificate, or to acquire the skills leading to immediate employment. As the budget crisis deepens, already within the college and the district it has been necessary to pull back on several advertised full-time positions, and where possible, to either fill from within or to combine functions. Within the last two weeks, this has been done in counseling, in the student activities program, and in other areas as well.

"Depending on the state's and district's economic situation, it is my hope to reopen the men's basketball position in two years. In the interim, I have asked Will Cowen to add coaching duties to his faculty assignment. Will has a history of successful coaching experience at the high school level, and he has served the college well as the Assistant Men's Basketball Coach this last season. I have every confidence that he will be able to do a good job for both the students and the college.

Robin Calote, Ed.D.
President, Ventura College"

Ventura College men's basketball assistant coach Jon Wyers has accepted the head boys' basketball position at Villanova Prep.

In two years in Ventura, Wyers has helped Ventura to 50 wins and a pair of Western State Conference titles.

Wyers said assistant coach Dan Placial will remain with the program. He has also spoken to former Ventura guard Andre Jamerson about a potential role with the Wildcats.

Wyers will remain at Ventura, which isn't without precedent. Oxnard College men's basketball assistant Jeff Perrault also coached at Thousand Oaks High last season.

Wyers lives in Ventura with his wife Tonya and stepson Bryan, 7.

Former Ventura College men's basketball Greg Winslow will be paid while the Ventura County Community College district attempts to terminate him.

Ron Bamieh, the attorney for former Ventura College men's basketball coach Greg Winslow, distributed a news release today saying that Winslow has been notified by the Ventura County Community College district that the former coach will be recommended for suspension without pay at tonight's board meeting.

Click the jump for the full news release from Bamieh and Ericksson Law:

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.