From left to right: Darricka Hewitt, Joana Adams, Dejah Wright, Kane Daniels, Brae Ivey, Andre Wilson, Demetrius Murray.
From left to right: Darricka Hewitt, Joana Adams, Dejah Wright, Kane Daniels, Brae Ivey, Andre Wilson, Demetrius Murray.

Riverside Basketball Sends Seven Student-Athletes to Four-Year Universities  

Succeed and transfer – it is a simple yet crucial mantra that all of the Riverside City College athletic programs live by. While performing on the court and playing at the highest level, all student-athletes must remember that being a student always comes before being an athlete. A perfect example lies within the men's and women's basketball programs as they saw a combined seven student-athletes transfer to four-year universities on Wednesday. Sophomore guard Andre Wilson, sophomore guard Brae Ivey, sophomore forward Kane Daniels, and sophomore forward Demetrius Murray inked National Letters of Intent (NLI) on the men's side, while sophomore forward Joana Adams and sophomore guard Dejah Wright put pen to paper to transfer to four-year schools as well. Sophomore forward Darricka Hewitt was honored for transferring to a four-year university, but will not participate in athletics.

Wilson, a two-year starter for the Tigers, was an instrumental tool in the Tigers success. The Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Second-Team All-Conference award recipient will take his talents to Division II Dixie State University in the PacWest Conference. He will join a team that is coming off of a 23-7 season in which they were crowned 2018 PacWest Champions.

He was irreplaceable in the starting lineup. He started all 25 games he played and averaged 32.5 minutes-per-game. He averaged 16.4 points and landed in double-digit scoring in all but one contest. He was efficient in all facets of the game by boasting a 36.1 three-point shooting percentage and an overall shooting percentage of 40.5. While creating scoring opportunities for himself, he returned the favor to his teammates in an efficient manner. He recorded three or more assists in all but three games and recorded at least one assist in all but one contest. While owning many highlights, Wilson was the hero in a conference game against Santa Ana by hitting a game-winning floater with time expiring to help secure a playoff seed. He also hit a game-tying three-pointer in the second-overtime period against Cerritos College in the first round of the SoCal Regional playoffs.

Ivey, also a two-year starter for the Tigers, will join the forces of the Division I San Jose State University Spartans in the Mountain West Conference. Ivey will join a potential shift-in-culture program as the Spartans went 4-26 with just one win in conference play.

His talents will be a great addition as he was a dynamic and hard-to-contain playmaker for the Tigers in 26 games started. Ivey was a prominent scorer in the OEC by landing in double-digits in all but one contest. He was forceful as he surpassed the 20-point threshold in 10 games and reached 30+ points in a trio of times. His season-high scoring mark came in a win over Saddleback on the road. He finished with 37 points on an 11-for-16 mark that included a 6-for-9 clip from beyond the arc. Ivey was a savvy facilitator along with scorer as seen in his 4.7 assists-per-game average. He also recorded two or more assists in every game. Ivey earned his lone double-double of the season in a 12-point victory over Irvine Valley in conference action. He finished with 14 points and 11 assists. At season's end, Ivey was named to the OEC First-Team All-Conference list.

Daniels, a three-point specialist for the Tigers, will join the University of St. Katherine Firebirds - an NAIA affiliated school. He will be a member of the inaugural team as the Firebirds will undergo their first season in the history of the program.

Daniels was the fourth-leading scorer and was a member of the starting five for Riverside while started in 26 games. He averaged 10.7 points-per-game and carted a team-best 42.8 three point shooting percentage. He finished with three 20+ point games. In each of those games, he drained at least five three pointers. In a victory over East Los Angeles in the Riverside Holiday Classic, Daniels finished with 23 points and went 7-for-13 from downtown.

Murray rounds out the men's signees by putting pen to paper to attend the NAIA San Diego Christian College Hawks in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). He will join a squad that finished the 2018-18 season with an overall record of 4-19 with a 1-13 conference record.

Murray acted as a strong role player off of the bench as seen in 11 games played while starting in five. He averaged 4.7 points-per-game in just under 17 minutes-per-game. Murray held a nine-game scoring streak that stretched through all of December and streaked into mid-January. He reached the double-digit scoring mark once by scoring 10 points in conference action against Santiago Canyon.

Adams was a machine for the Tigers and was a huge part of the program's culture as a two-year starter. She will join the Division II California State University Los Angeles Eagles – a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). She will join a team that was one game below .500 at a record of 14-15 with a 13-9 conference mark.

Adams did it all for the Tigers as she was inches away from averaging a double-double. She averaged 14.1 points-per-game and 8.2 rebounds-per-game while notching five double-doubles on the season. She hit the boards with a vengeance by hauling in at least four or more rebounds in each game. She recorded eight double-digit rebounding games highlighted by a season-high 14 boards on two separate occasions. In a win against Orange Coast she had a perfect split of offensive and defensive rebounds at seven and seven. Offensively, she recorded a season-high 24 points against Cypress and landed in double digits in all but six games. Adams was selected as an OEC First-Team All-Conference member along with being named to the First-Team All-State squad.

Wright, a two-year player for the Tigers and OEC Second-Team All-Conference selection, will play for the NAIA Hope International University Royals who are a member of the GSAC. The Royals finished the season 19-13 with a 5-9 conference mark.

Wright was the strongest scoring option for the Tigers on the season by averaging 17.5 points-per-game and paced the OEC in scoring during the early stages of the season. She scored in every contest and held a double-digit scoring streak of 13 games to beginning the season. She surpassed the 20-point mark in 17 games and was highlighted by a 44-point outburst against Grossmont in the RCC "Earn Our Stripes" Tournament. The total now ranks first in RCC single-game scoring history as she passed current Head Coach Alicia Berber's previous mark of 41.  She accomplished the feat by going 14-for-23 from the floor that included a 6-for-9 mark from three-point territory.