Fresno ‘system’ nets record 13th MJC tournament title

Each time the Fresno City Rams walk onto the court at the Modesto Junior College Tournament, they make history.

Yet it’s how they do it that makes them the most dominating program in the tournament’s 78-year history.

The Rams added to their legacy in Saturday night’s final with a thorough 101-76 dismantling of Cuesta of San Luis Obispo. It was their third straight MJC title, their eighth in 10 years and a record 13th overall. Few MJC title games have been more lopsided.

It’s known simply as the “Fresno System:” 15 good players buying into selfless basketball. They’re rotated onto the court in droves by coach Ed Madec, and they shoot, penetrate, post up, and hound opponents on defense from baseline to baseline. Few can match the Rams’ energy for 40 minutes.

“We want to be the hardest-working team in the country,” said Fresno guard Nick Hilton, the tournament’s MVP. “Our practices are much harder than our games.”

The matchup was stark – Fresno’s mostly California talent vs. Cuesta’s mostly international players, Fresno’s bottomless depth vs. Cuesta’s front-loaded lineup. It was the fourth game in four nights for both teams, but only Cuesta (11-5) seemed tired.

Hilton, Fresno’s leading scorer with 15 points and one of six to reach double figures, keynoted the rout with four three-point baskets. By halftime, the Rams (11-5) were rolling 41-25. Their lead ballooned to 36 points in the second half.

Tired legs resulted in weary shots by Cuesta. The Cougars netted 29 three-pointers in wins over Lassen, Modesto and Ohlone. Against Fresno, they fired blanks – one of 17 from the arc during the first half and an icy two of 23 for the night. Many attempts were front-rimmed, a sure sign of fatigue, but many also were contested.

“The coaches told us who the shooters were. We focused on them,” Hilton said. “It wasn’t by accident.”

Mike Crawley, another member of Fresno’s gold-mine-deep backcourt, finished with 11 points and joined Hilton on the all-tournament team. Consider that the Rams were missing two starters, and one was former Golden Valley High star Josh Sykes, who did not play after he received two technical fouls during the second-round game.

The Rams’ bench outscored their opponents’ by an average of 33 points per game, another reason why they love busing north on Highway 99 to Modesto. Fresno was extended this week in wins over Chabot and Allan Hancock, but there was no drama in the final.

“We can’t be the one to lose here and break the streak,” Hilton said. “We had not won a tournament yet this season, so we had extra motivation.”

Freshman guard Karem Ozel paced Cuesta with 19 points. Center Roberto Mantovani was named to the all-tournament team.

Fresno, 7-5 heading to MJC, doubled its confidence level at Modesto. Credit “The System” for the perfect marriage of a team to an event.

“We’ve gone through some growing pains. Our record reflects that,” Madec said. “But we don’t play for December. We play for March.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 8:16 PM with the headline "Fresno ‘system’ nets record 13th MJC tournament title."