South Mountain CC Men’s Basketball

ALT The SMCC Men's Basketball Team defeated Barstow CC 81-61 in a non-conference game as part of The Chris Laubenstein Classic in Joshua Tree, Calif., on the campus of Copper Mountain College.

ALT The SMCC men's basketball team faces Barstow CC at 12:30 p.m. in Joshua Tree, Calif., on the campus of Copper Mountain College as part of The Chris Laubenstein Classic. The Cougars defeated Copper Mountain College 75-57 yesterday. A game preview and a link to the free live stream are available at SMCCCougars.com

ALT The SMCC Men's Basketball team travels to Joshua Tree, Calif., to face Copper Mountain College at 2:30 p.m. in the Cougars' 2026-27 season opener. There is a link to a game preview and a free live stream available at SMCCCougars.com.

ALT The SMCC men's basketball team defeated Copper Mountain College (CA) 75-57 in a non-conference game in Joshua Tree, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2026. The Cougars play Barstow CC at 12:30 p.m. on Halloween and a link to a free live stream is available at SMCCCougars.com.

ALT The SMCC men's basketball is getting ready for the 2026-27 season with the first games right around the corner! Head to SMCCCougars.com to find a link to an Adobe Express season preview of the Cougars by second-year head coach Cory Hoff.

ALT South Mountain Community College head coach Cory Hoff has announced the 2026-27 recruiting class for the Cougar program. As Hoff and his staff enter year two at South Mountain Community College, they have put together a roster of eight returners and 10 freshmen.

ALT Sophomore guard Parker Escalante of the South Mountain Community College men's basketball team will transfer to Stanton University, an NAIA program in Anaheim, Calif. Escalante appeared in 60 games over his Cougar career, averaging 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.

ALT A Mesa, Ariz., native, Escalante earned Third Team All-ACCAC Division II honors in 2023-24 as a freshman after starting all 30 games. He averaged 13.1 points, 3.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.9 rebounds per game, and in conference play, averaged 13.1 points, 3.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game in 22 contests.

ALT After missing all of the 2024-25 season due to injury, Escalante returned to the Cougars in 2025-26 and appeared in 30 games. He averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.8 assists per game as a sophomore, helping SMCC finish second in the ACCAC Division II standings and host a postseason game for the first time since 2018.

ALT The Stanton University Elks compete in the California Pacific Conference, which includes Westcliff, Simpson, Pacific Union, and Northern New Mexico in men's basketball.

ALT Former South Mountain Community College men's basketball standout Jaylen Wesley has signed a professional contract with VfL SparkassenStars Bochum of Germany's ProA League for the upcoming 2026-27 season. At SMCC, Wesley earned 2023-24 First Team All-ACCAC and First Team All-Region I Division II honors, and was the 2022-23 ACCAC Division II Freshman of the Year. "I am excited that all the hard work has paid off," Wesley said. "This is a great opportunity to make my way in basketball, as I did going from South Mountain CC to Rockhurst. For me, the biggest thing has been defeating the odds to live my dream and inspire others. I have had a lot of great people in my basketball circle, from coaches to athletic trainers, who have believed in me."

ALT Following his time at SMCC, Wesley spent two years at Rockhurst University, an NCAA Division II program in Kansas City, Mo. He had a sensational senior season for the Hawks, helping them win their first Great Lakes Valley Conference Regular Season Championship and return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 2009. As a senior, Wesley averaged 21.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 steals in 30 contests to earn GLVC Player of the Year and NABC and D2CCA All-American honors. Additionally, Wesley received on the College Sports Communications First Team Academic All-American honors after posting a 3.65 GPA in Health Science.

ALT As a junior, Wesley averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds while starting all 29 games for the Hawks. He led the squad in points, field goals, and free throws, was second in rebounds, blocks, and steals, and third in assists. He also earned CSC Academic All-District Team and NABC Honors Court awards for his work in the classroom. "My time at Rockhurst was full of ups and downs, but we had a great coach and a great support system, and it was a cool environment," Wesley added.

ALT Wesley averaged 25.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game as a sophomore for the Cougars in the 2023-24 campaign. He led the conference in scoring, rebounding, and steals per game, finished second in blocks per game, and ranked 11th in assists per game. Wesley was the only conference player to average double-figures in rebounding and the only conference player to average a double-double. As a freshman in 2022-23, Wesley averaged 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 30 contests for the Cougars. He finished 12th among all conference players in scoring, and his conference average of 14.9 ppg ranked 16th in the league. VfL SparkassenStars Bochum is a professional basketball club based in Bochum, a city in western Germany. Bochum is best known for its rich coal-mining heritage, Ruhr University Bochum, and top cultural sites like the German Mining Museum.