Congratulations to the men’s basketball team and coaching staff on a hard-fought season that brought home the Panhandle Conference Co-Championship banner for the first time since 1998.
Head Coach Pete Pena also was named Panhandle Coach of the Year. Assistant coaches are Joey Murdock, DeAntoine Beasley, Michael Dimick and Dwayne Kelley with Scott Jackson heading basketball operations.
In a season filled with breath-taking moments, the Pirates beat Gulf Coast State College in overtime, 78-76, to be named Panhandle Conference Co-Champions along with Chipola College. At the state tournament in Ocala, the Pirates overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half of the quarterfinals to defeat nationally ranked Daytona State College 63-62. In the last 15 seconds of the semifinals, St. Petersburg College scored 3 points to end the Pirates’ run, 74-71.
Pirates named to the First Team All-Panhandle Conference are sophomores Leonard “LJ” Livingston and RaAnthony Sanders. On the Second Team All-Panhandle Conference are freshman Shamar Johnson and sophomore Oskars Reinfelds. Receiving honorable mention is freshman Rozelle Nix.
Coach Pena, a PSC alum (’85), is in his fourth year as men’s basketball head coach.
Although Pena enjoyed a distinguished career as PSC’s volleyball head coach from 1999 – 2009, with numerous conference championships, he first came to PSC because of his love for basketball. Pena was assistant coach under PSC head coach Chip Boes for the 1979-82 seasons, and again from 1987-89 while Kirk Speraw led the team.
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