Harrison, Spencer, Davis earn top state honors for Pirates
COSTA MESA -- After a season for the ages for the Orange Coast College men's basketball team, three key pieces of the puzzle were honored for their contributions to the 2017-18 season.
Sophomore forward Kupaa Harrison and freshman Joshua Davis were named to the 2017-18 California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association's All-State Team, while head coach Steve Spencer was named the 2017-18 Southern California Coach of the Year.
Harrison, who shared Orange Empire Conference Most Valuable Player honors with Davis, finished the season averaging 15.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Pirates. With 459 points this year, is one of just 35 players in OCC men's basketball history to surpass 400 points in a season, joining teammate Lloyd Wright, who also achieved that plateau with 411 points.
Playing and starting in all 30 games, Harrison was a steady force for the OCC offense, reaching double figures 25 times this season.
Davis finished the season averaging 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, becoming just the 14th Pirate in school history to reach the 500-point mark with 549 total points. In fact, his 549 points is the 15th-highest point total in OCC history and the most since 1999-2000, when David Castleton scored 622 for the Pirates.
Davis played in all 30 games (28 starts) and saw his numbers get better and better as the season progressed. In fact, over the final eight games of the season (including the playoffs), Davis averaged 21.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Spencer, wrapping up his 17th season with the Pirates helped lead his team to a conference title for the first time since 1979.
The 2017-18 Pirates finished the regular season with a 22-8 record, a 14-game improvement in wins from last year's 8-19 campaign (the biggest improvement since 1966-67).
After a 2-5 start, Coast finished the season with 20 wins over its final 23 games. Only the 1956-57 Pirates finished their season with a better record, winning 21-of-24.
The Pirates won their first conference championship and advanced to the State Elite Eight for the first time since 1978-79.
OCC's 13-game win streak was the longest such streak for the program since the 1966-67 season.
