Preview 2006: Cochise ready for a run

The Cochise College Apaches finished last season 23-and-8 and were second in a very competitive conference before falling to Mesa College in the Region I playoffs. Look out, because in 2005-06, the Apaches expect to be better.

"We're real optimistic," admits head coach Jerry Carillo. "We think we should be really good."

Start asking about his players and it's easy to see why Carillo feels that way.

"We've got four Division One players back," Carillo said. "That's why we feel pretty good."

Leading the way for the Apaches this season should be Region I freshman of the year Orlando Griego. Griego averaged a double-double (18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds) in his first season at Cochise.

"Orlando is kind of a throwback guy," Carillo said. "He's a very good mid-range shooter, can make an 18-foot jump shot. He puts it on the floor well, has a really good feel for the game, he just knows how to play. I was talking to a college coach the other day and I coined him as a poor man's Luke Walton."

Griego wasn't recruited by any Division One schools out of Durango (CO) High School. That should change this time around.

"Right now, he's getting mail from all kinds," Carillo said. "The proof's in the pudding. He's an extremely effective player. Right now, he is probably a mid-major player that's going to get high major looks, but that could change."

Point guard Jude Roybal may have some questions due to his size, but Carillo thinks the 5-foot-10 sophomore to be is good enough to make the leap.

"He can really shoot it and he's a better athlete than people give him credit for," said the coach. "He's heady, smart, knows how to play. I believe in him, I think he's a D1 player."

Next up is Jason Hopkins, a 6-foot-7 post player who averaged 13 points and six rebounds last season.

"He's definitely a Division One talent, he's a Division One athlete," Carillo said. "He is really, really good with his back to the basket and he's getting a lot better facing the basket. There are schools recruiting him already."

To those three seasoned players, Carillo will add a couple more standouts.

"The one kid we're real excited about is Andre Smith," Carillo said. "He redshirted last year due to a broken foot. He is a six foot combo guard from Houston. He's a D1 prospect due to his athleticism and he can really score the ball. I think in Roybal and Smith, we'll have two guards that can really score and distribute."

One thing working in Smith's favor as far as recruiting goes is that he will have three years of eligibility remaining. He was a qualifier out of high school and had the redshirt season a year ago.

Finally, Carillo mentioned two more incoming players. Jerry Nash is a 6-foot-9 transfer from Northeastern Colorado. Jamie Ashwin is a 6-foot-7 freshman who is coming over from England.

"I think he's going to be an effective junior college player," Carillo said of Ashwin. "He played a pretty good level of club basketball in England. I really think he could be a really nice player."

Over the next few months, JucoJunction.com will be doing team previews from coast to coast to get junior college basketball fans set for an exciting 2005-06 season. To talk about this story with other juco hoops fans, check out the JucoJunction Board or our premium forum.