By Melody Hanatani
Daily Press Staff Writer

SMC There’s something special about being on a winning team.

Nobody understands that feeling better than the players on the Santa Monica College men’s basketball team, a squad that after suffering four straight losing seasons is now the proud holder of a 13-6 record entering tonight’s game against Los Angeles Valley College.

“It feels good to be on a winning team,” Ryan Avilez, a freshman shooting guard, said on Tuesday, a grin on his face.

The Corsairs finished 11-17 last season.

The team is under the direction of first-year Head Coach Jesse Teplitzky, a 29-year-old Colorado native who spent nearly 10 years as an assistant coach at a Division II school and various junior college programs before leading the Corsairs from a low-profile program to the 12th ranked team in Southern California.

The key to the early-season success according to Teplitzky, whom players call “Coach T,” is convincing the young group of student athletes to play together as a team, unselfishly.

“The secret as a coach is can you get the kids to buy into that (philosophy)?” Teplitzky explained on Tuesday.

The Corsairs start Western State Conference play tonight after suffering the first home loss of the season — a 77-60 defeat at the hands of El Camino College. With six of the seven teams owning a winning record — College of the Canyons being the lone exception — thus far, Teplitzky believes the conference is one of the most competitive in Southern California.

All of the schools to which SMC fell victim to were ranked higher than the Corsairs, but the most recent loss at home seemed to sting more than the others.

“The first time losing on your home floor, it’s not a great thing,” Avilez said. “That’s something we’re trying not to repeat, hopefully not lose any more games at home or period.”

Their setback last weekend could be attributed to its performance from three-point range, making five-for-21 three-pointers and going scoreless in their first 12 shot attempts. But while the team could make up for those slip ups by taking care of the ball and rebounding, those aspects of the game also seemed to have also gone awry against El Camino.

“We came back yesterday (Monday) and had a good practice,” Teplitzky said. “We’re mentally very focused ... on our next game.”

Ranked 10th in Southern California, Los Angeles Valley College enters tonight’s match-up with an 11-5 record, also coming off a close loss against Irvine Valley College last Saturday.

The Corsairs are led by Venice High School graduate Noah Gottlieb, a sophomore guard who is averaging roughly 14 points a game and has recorded 29 steals this season.

A battle between ranked teams, the game will also be a match-up against familiar on-court foes — the Monarchs are coached by Virgil Watson who coached at Contra Costa College while Teplitzky was an assistant coach at Ohlone Community College and Chabot Community College, all schools in Northern California. The SMC coach said his previous teams have come out victorious on numerous occasions against Contra Costa.

This could be the first time in five years that the Corsairs make the playoffs. SMC has not won a conference championship since 1999 and a state championship since 1972.

“I think we’ve accomplished a lot for being what I consider being a first-year program,” Teplitzky said, referring to the new coaching staff and players. “We’ve come a long way and there’s still a long way to go.”

melodyh@smdp.com