Ventura College men's basketball head coach Ned Mircetic has turned the keys over to his assistant coaches, Will Cowen and Jon Wyers.

While the No. 10 Pirates (24-8) arrived in Riverside for its regional semifinal against the No. 7-seeded Tigers (25-7) Thursday night, Mircetic had planned to attempt to drive east for the game following the Ventura women's practice this afternoon.

"I'm turning it over to Will and Wyers," said Mircetic by phone as the Pirates went through a shootaround at Wheeler Gym at 3 p.m. "If they go on to play next week, they're going to be without me then too.

"It's less disruptive. They took the team out there last night. They got the flow going. I would disrupt the flow they got going."

The Pirates were 9-1 without Mircetic in November and December.

"I have absolute conference in Will Cowen, Jon Wyers and the players. My rushing out there can't make things any better... My expecation is that they will win, as they so many times did in December."

Instead, Mircetic will scout the women's regional semifinal between No. 7 Canyons and No. 10 Mount San Jacinto, the winner of which may come to the VC Athletic Event Center next weekend.