SMCC Men's Hoops Hosts Benedictine-Mesa (JV) in Home Opener

PHOENIX --- The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team is at home in the Cougar Den for a non-conference contest against Benedictine University Mesa (JV) on Monday night at 7:30 pm.

Game No. 5

South Mountain Community College (3-1, 0-0 ACCAC)

vs. Benedictine University Mesa JV (0-2)

November 10, 2025 | 7:30 PM MST | Phoenix, AZ | The Cougar Den

Click Here for the free video live stream 

South Mountain CC Projected Starters (3-1)

G – I'yar Shadowvine, 5'8, FR., Tacoma, WA, 12.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.5 APG

G – Blake Carabio, 6'1, SO., Peoria, AZ, 19.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG

G – Travis Vasquez, 6'3, RS FR., Glendale, AZ, 11.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 6.3 APG

W – Jadden Jones, 6'2, FR., Glendale, AZ, 5.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.5 APG

F – Gak Kueth, 6'6, FR., Peoria, AZ, 3.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG

Benedictine University Mesa JV Projected Starters (0-2)

G – Ryan Leggitt, 6-1, FR, Mesa, Ariz.

G – Leo Scott Jr., 6-1, SR, Parker, Ariz.

G – Dylan Alvidrez, 6-2, FR, Chandler, Ariz.

G – Adrian Taufaasau, 6-4, FR, Florence, Ariz.

C – Awan Kueth, 6-8, SO, Glendale, Ariz.

Up Next: Home vs. College of Southern Nevada | Saturday, November 15 | 4 p.m. MST | Phoenix, AZ | Cougar Den

Last Time Out

A back-and-forth affair ultimately tipped in favor of the home team as the South Mountain Community College men's basketball team lost 73-70 at Yavapai College in a non-conference game on Friday, Nov. 7. Tied at 36 at halftime, the Cougars and Roughriders exchanged leads in the second half before Yavapai pulled ahead late in the game. SMCC knocked down its free throws to stay in the game, but a 3-pointer at the buzzer was offline. 

Click Here for the complete recap and box score. 

The Coaches

Cory Hoff enters his first season at the helm of the Cougar program. Hoff takes over the program after serving the past two years as Associate Head Coach at New Mexico Military Institute, a NJCAA DI program located in Roswell, New Mexico. During Hoff's Career, his programs have achieved a NAIA DI National Championship, two Conference Tournament Championships, one Regular Season Championship, seven Playoff Appearances, 23 Top 25 wins, four All-Americans, 19 All-Conference awards and 14 professionals.

Scott Nicholson enters his second season on the Benedictine University Mesa staff. 

SMCC Team Leaders

South Mountain CC is 3-1, 0-0 in the ACCAC.

Points: Blake Carabio (19.5 PPG), Parker Escalante (14.0 PPG), I'yar Shadowvine (12.8 PPG)

Rebounds: Jadden Jones (6.0 RPG), Semajay James (5.8 RPG), Travis Vasquez (5.3 RPG)

Assists: Travis Vasquez (6.3 APG), Parker Escalante (2.8 APG), Jadden Jones & Semajay James (2.5 APG)

Benedictine-Mesa (JV) Team Leaders

Benedictine University Mesa JV is 0-2.

Points: Ryan Leggitt (26.0 PPG), Adrian Taufaasu (4.0 PPG)

Rebounds: Adrian Taufaasu (4.0 RPG), Ryan Leggitt & Amoljeet Singh (3.0 RPG)

Assists: Adrian Taufaasu, Amoljeet Singh, & Leo Scott Jr. (1.0 APG)

Watch Live & Stats

Video webcasts for all of SMCC's home games are available at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/southmountaincc/ on Game Day. Game Previews will be posted prior to game day & Game Recaps will be posted after the conclusion of each contest on www.SMCCCougars.com.

Tough Scheduling

SMCC MBB will play 18 conference games against ACCAC opponents, which is one of the toughest conferences in the country. Additionally, SMCC has scheduled five non-conference games against NJCAA DI opponents with College of Southern Nevada, Community Christian College (twice), Miles Community College, and Yavapai College on the schedule.

ACCAC Play

The ACCAC Division II is made of seven  programs. Each team plays 18 conference games during the season. Last season saw Pima Community College take home the ACCAC Regular Season & Region 1 Championships. Chandler-Gilbert CC, Glendale CC and South Mountain CC joined them in qualifying for the Region I Playoffs.

South Mountain Community College Notes

SMCC is an NJCAA Division II member of the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC)…The Cougars concluded the 2024-25 season with a 12-19 overall record with a 7-11 record in ACCAC play…South Mountain CC qualified for the opening round of the NJCAA Region I Division II playoffs as the No. 4 seed…The Cougars fell to top-seeded Pima Community College, 80-55…Season Highlights include sophomore guard Cash Callaway being named All-ACCAC DII First Team and a season high of 29 points scored on Dec. 13 against Community Christian College…

Benedictine University Mesa Notes

Benedictine University Mesa is located in Mesa, AZ and is a NAIA member of the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC)…The Roughriders finished 13-15 last season with a 2-12 record in GSAC play…Last season Benedictine University Mesa averaged 80.9 PPG and were led by guards Seth Dawson (16.1 PPG) and Deven Franks (10.9 PPG)…

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