Hartnell basketball

Hartnell College Panthers (13-12, 5-7)
 Cleaning house often translates to a season of growing pains. And there were plenty of those for the Panthers last season.
 Yet, when you go 4-21 the previous year, which included a winless conference season, last year was a step in the right direction for Hartnell.
 Head coach Andrew Vasher cleaned house after the 2015 season, bringing in a fresh group of players last year that helped resurrect the Panthers, bringing respect back to the program.
 "We made great strides last year and are looking to build upon that momentum this year,'' Vasher said.
 It won't hurt having two returning starters back in the fold in Riley Knowles and former Alisal High standout Jesus Salinas.
 Knowles was among the state leaders last year in scoring for Hartnell, averaging 21.3 points a game, shooting 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
 "I'm excited to be back,'' Knowles said. "There's a lot of talent on this roster. We have more height, which is something we were lacking last season.''
 Knowles was also a distributor last year for the Panthers, showing his unselfishness by averaging nearly six assists game.
 The 6-foot-5 Salinas started 18 games last season for the Panthers, averaging 8.6 points and four rebounds a night.
 Having made an immediate impact upon their arrivals this winter for Hartnell are Jonah Ross and Mark Wolf.
 Ross went into December leading the team in scoring at 17 points a game while Wolf is averaging double digits in the scoring column.
 The Panthers believe their is more depth coming off the bench, starting with Jessy Hurtado, who averaged over 20 points a game last year for Alisal.
 Hartnell has shown its ability to pile up points, producing 117 in one game. But it's also been prone to giving up points, allowing 98 in an early season loss.
 "The goal is to compete for a conference title and get into the postseason,'' Knowles said.