There is no question about the the extraordinary quality of the Antelope Valley College guards and we expect a number of this group will receive D-1 scholarships. That another story however.
This story is about AVC’s 4 freshman “bigs” who will need to mature quickly and find their role on the team. If the “4 Freshman bigs” start to dominate at their positions, AVC, with its exceptional guards could become very very competitive. Lets look at the ‘big four.”
Dwan “Big D” Caldwell, 6’8”, 245
Dwan Caldwell, is a natural power forward. He is a powerful man that will not be moved from his position, has soft hands, great feet and a positive attitude. He has a solid midrange shot that will get better and better as his freshman season moves on. He runs the floor well and fits well which is needed in the “Taylor” style.
Dwan needs to improve on defense as any freshman does and will be “taken to school” a few times in the early season by an experienced center who is headed to D-1 basketball. All in the learning process.
Dwan had a successful début at the SoCalHeat Shootout where his presence in the middle changed shot trajectories and some shots all together. The following are the stats of the two final games:
Compton 3/9 fg 1/2 ft, 5 reb, 4 blk, 3 pf, 7 pts
Glendale 3/5 fg, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
This will all improve as he plays more games.
Larry Slaughter, 6’7”, 215
Larry will be expected to play the wing(3), PF(4), and the C(5) position depending on AVC’s competitor.
Larry decided to grey shirt last year to “get strong” and get used to college academics. He never missed a practice in his grey shirt year, grained 15 pounds of muscle in the weight room and successfully completed his 22 units. He is now ready for college basketball.
As expected, Larry without a college basketball game under his belt has a lot to learn. Due to his dedication, strength, and natural ability, I expect that he will learn from experience very quickly. Larry has a very nice 3 point shot that will make it difficult for the defenders play off him.
Most importantly, Larry will need to rebound, play defense, and dominate where ever he is positioned. It will take some time but expect Larry to be a beast by mid-season.
The SoCalHeat Shootout was Slaughter’s first taste of college basketball. In the two final games he had these stats:
Compton 2/2 fg, 2/4 ft, 5 reb, 1 stl, 2 pf, 8 pts
Glendale 3/6 fg, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 3 pf, 7 pts
Not a bad start for his first college ball competition. Again by mid season, expect more!
Faniel “V” Vadal, 6’6”, 205
See the first photo above? Faniel is a worker and a quiet tough guy. He is willing to do the dirty work in the middle; Rebounding, defense, and put backs. He runs the floor well and has great footwork around the basket. He has a great mid-range jump shot and quietly going to have a big impact on every game.
He will play the 4 or the 5 position this year. He missed the third game of the SoCalHeat Shootout due to a thumb in the eye. Within two hours he was ready for the game against Glendale. In spite of his thumbed eye he led the bigs in scoring against Glendale:
Glendale 5/5 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 12 pts
He is tough guy who is a hard worker and is not afraid to do the dirty work. You will be hearing a lot about “V” this year.
Khiari Swift, 6’4”, 235
Of the Antelope Valley College’s “Big 4 Freshman”, Khiari is the only true freshman just out of high school. Khiari was dominating in high school scoring 19 points a game and pulling down 14 rebounds.
As new college player he is searching for his identity and confidence and when he finds it he will be a beast. He is strong player with great hands. Khiari needs to get a “step faster”, improve his conditioning, and learn to use his body to protect his shots. Khiari will need to turn it on in practice and the weight room in the next several months and he will move toward his potential.
Antelope Valley College Men's Basketball 