Two Men's Basketball recruits officially sign with Maritime
The Cal Maritime Men's Basketball team made the signings of incoming transfers Miles Pennington of Yuba City College and Eric Figueroa out of Victorville Valley College official this week, as they will play their first season with the Keelhaulers in the 2021-22 school year.
Figueroa arrives from Victor Valley College where he was a key component to the team, leading them in points per game with 12.5 and in minutes per game at 26.1. He was also fourth in his conference in rebounds per game bringing down 9.2 and fifth in total rebounds compiling 258 boards while playing in 28 games.
While facing the challenges of the pandemic, both players found themselves pondering if they would have another opportunity to continue playing after finishing their final seasons at their junior colleges. However, Figueroa kept optimistic during these challenging times focusing on the brighter side of things in hopes of being recruited at some point and letting things fall into place as they would.
"With the pandemic, I was hoping for a lot of promise after my last season at Victorville," Figueroa native. "Things started to thin out as the process went on but then Coach Bross contacted me and now here I am."
"I'm looking forward to the opportunities on and off the court. There's a really good education system here which is intriguing to me," Figueroa added. "This decision is going to set me up for my future whether I play basketball or not."
Pennington comes from Yuba City College where he was known for his defensive game and hopes to bring that to the four-year collegiate level. When asked what he is most looking forward to playing at Cal Maritime, Pennington laughed and talked about how badly he wants to be out on the court again.
"Honestly, I just want to play," the Yuba City College transfer said. "I'm tired of sitting at home and not being able to play but I can't wait to meet new people, and especially get to know my teammates. I'm not that far away from home either so my family can come to my games and watch me so that is a really cool factor to it too."
First-year Head Coach Tim Bross thinks both players fit into the program well with the attributes they bring to the team.
"Miles is a special young man and brings a winning mindset to our program, as he experienced much success at both the high school and junior college levels." said Bross." "He is a strong defender, and we will be counting on him for his energy and presence.
"Eric has an infectious personality, and his positive outlook will help our team reach new heights," Bross Added."He will fortify the interior for us and will be looked to continue his productivity as a rebounder and efficiency as a scorer."
Cal Maritime did not participate in the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In their 2019-20 campaign, they were 20-9 giving the program their fifth 20-win season in program history.
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