Posted By Press Democrat Staff Writer Michael Coit

Playing big for a pair of NCAA Division II schools gained one time Empire standouts Matt Cousins and Jacob Noisat all-conference honors.
Another former All-Empire selection Mani Maceira helped lead Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to the NCAA Division III tournament, earning all-conference honors along the way.
Cousins capped a great career at Chaminade University that included playing annually against some of the nation’s top major colleges in a famed tournament hosted by the school in Honolulu .
In his senior campaign, Cousins scored 15 points a game and grabbed nearly 8 rebounds per contest – both fourth overall in the Pac West Conference. The big man with the shooting touch also was a force down low, leading the conference in offensive rebounds.
The Cardinal Newman graduate was named to the Pac West first team.
Summer workout partner Noisat exceeded expectations at Dominican University , in San Rafael . Scoring a team leading 11 points and pulling down 6 rebounds a game, Noisat led an improving Penguins squad. He was sixth in the Pac West for field goal percentage.
After transferring from Chabot College , the Elsie Allen graduate helped Dominican navigate a difficult schedule and finish strong. Noisat, a junior, was named to the Pac West second team.
Finishing his college career with a fine season, Maceira was named to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first team.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won the conference tournament after sharing the regular season title. Maceira’s last collegiate contest was a close loss in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
An athletic wing for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the Rancho Cotate graduate averaged 12 points and more than four rebounds a game. Maceira was among the conference leaders in free throw shooting.