Pirate basketball forward Vida Faniel has been named first-team All-State by the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association. Faniel, a sophomore from William Knight High School in Palmdale is one of 11 players from Southern California to earn the honor announced earlier this month. Faniel is the third player to earn first-team all-state honors under head coach Joey Ramirez.
Faniel, the Western State Conference North Division Most Valuable Player, led the Pirates to the 2017 WSC North Division championship. He averaged 14.4 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor and a team-high 82.4 percent from the free throw line. He also led the team in rebounding with 8.4 boards per contest.
VC finished the season atop the WSC North Division for the third time in the past five seasons and the second year in a row. The Pirates defeated Irvine Valley in the opening round of the CCCAA SoCal Regional Playoffs before bowing out with an 18-13 overall mark and an 8-2 record in conference play.