Monterey Peninsula basketball

Monterey Peninsula College Lobos (20-10, 9-3)
 With only seven healthy players down the stretch last season, the Lobos went on a remarkable run, rattling off six straight wins to reach the quarterfinals of the Nor Cal tournament.
 It might have been some of the best coaching Blake Spiering has done in his decade plus tenure at MPC, getting to the 20 win plateau, the most wins since capturing 18 in 2005.
 But the core from that significant seven are gone. All of them were sophomores last season, with six of them playing at four-year schools, leaving the cupboard bare at MPC.
 The Lobos are starting from scratch with an all-freshmen roster, bringing in two dynamic scorers in Isaiah King and Marcus Wallace, both of which averaged over 24 points a game in high school.
 "There will be an adjustment period at this level,'' said Spiering, who has never had an all freshmen roster. "We have a lot of guys that are unselfish, but can score.''
 Spiering restocked his roster with a pair of 6-foot-8 posts in Damarius Johnson and Jalen Carson, who prepped at Kings Academy in Sunnyvale.
 In addition, 6-5 DeShawnte Collins can float around the court. The Lobos will have no shortage of shooters on the perimeter with the addition of Santa Cruz High grad Darnell White.
 Last season White averaged nearly 12 points a game for Santa Cruz, who reached the State Northern California Division IV quarterfinals.
 "The closer these guys become and truly have team spirit as a priority, then they will learn from each other,'' Spiering said. "We're improving a little more each day.''
 Elijah Nesbit, a point guard from Los Angeles, opened the season with a team high 14 points for the Lobos while Collins finished with 12.
 "My expectations for this group are the same for all my teams,'' Spiering said. "I expect them to be great teammates, work hard unconditionally, and be better citizens."