Ventura College sophomore Jacob Alonzo has been named the Western State Conference North Division Most Valuable Player. Sophomore Isiah Reyes and freshman John Williams were named first team All-WSC North, joining Alonzo while sophomores Malcolm Ruff and Isaac Ramirez each earned honorable mention nods. Pirate head coach Joey Ramirez was named conference Coach of the Year for the three-peat conference champions.
Alonzo, a Camarillo High School product, had a stellar sophomore campaign which landed him the top award. He averaged 16.2 points a game this past season on 54.2 percent shooting from the floor, 45.7 percent shooting from three, and 94.4 percent shooting from the charity stripe. The clip at the free-throw line is a Western State Conference record. In addition to his scoring contributions, Alonzo averaged 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 3 steals a game this past season.
Reyes, the other half of VC's dynamic back court, averaged 15.9 points and 4.1 assists per outing this season. The Newark, NJ native also went to the free throw line nearly seven times per game, nearly twice as often as any other Pirate. Williams, who came to VC from Augusta, Ga., averaged 11.9 points and 5.1 boards per game. Ruff, who is from Chicago, put up 8.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. Ramirez, a Santa Paula High School product, shot 48 percent from behind the 3-point arc for Ventura this season.
Coach Ramirez earned his third straight Coach of the Year nod and his fourth overall in his seven year career with the Pirates. Ramirez's squad was 21-8 in 2017-18 and finished 9-1 in conference play, earning the No. 9 seed in this week's SoCal Regional Playoffs.
