Men’s Basketball: Five Raiders Keep Playing

Five former Central Community College men's basketball players have signed to play at four-year institutions.

Josh Baker (upper left) will play at the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. He played in all 33 CCC games in 2022-23, averaging 5.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Baker dished out 55 assists and played nearly 22 minutes per outing.

Jayden Byabato (upper middle) signed with York University, where he will join former CCC guard Dwight Glover on the Panthers' roster. Byabato started in all but one contest last season and averaged 11 points and 3.4 rebounds. He shot 31 percent from three-point range and 71 percent at the free throw line.

Trey Deveaux (upper right) inked a letter of intent with Wayne State College. He was named to the NJCAA Division II All-America First Team following the season after leading CCC in scoring with 18.9 points per game. Deveaux scored 20 or more points in 14 games.

"We have been impressed with Trey's development over the past two seasons and believe he will have an immediate impact in our program on both ends of the court," said Wayne State head coach Jeff Kaminsky.

Derek Merwick (lower left) is set to play at Midland University. He was CCC's second leading scoring with 12.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and five assists per outing. Merwick was named as the NJCAA Men's Division II Basketball Player of the Week after scoring 48 points, hauling in 12 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists during the week of Feb. 20-26.

"Derek is a true point guard. [He is a] pass-first guy who is always looking to get his teammates involved. He will bring instant leadership qualities," said Warriors head coach Tyler Erwin in a Midland athletic news release.

Preston Thomas (lower right) will play at Houghton University in upstate New York. He played in 27 games and averaged 3.4 points and two rebounds per contest.

"There are a lot of way to win in junior college athletics and these five guys improving their skills, graduating and moving on to four-year schools is a big win I'm very proud of," said CCC head coach John Ritzdorf. "It's no secret that to have good team, you need to have really good players and these guys led the way to a very successful season. I can't wait to follow each player's career at their next school."