Chaffey Panthers Men's Basketball: Season Expectations
By Andre Manzo
Chaffey College's Men’s Basketball looks to maintain their impressive program as the 2025-26 season looms closer. The Panthers finished with an overall record of 25-6 (.806) last season, going 15-1 (.938) in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference.
The Panthers finished last season with a third-round playoff loss to Fullerton College.
Nonetheless, the Panthers shined collectively with assistance from outstanding individual performers. Last season’s sophomore guard, Uriyah Rojas, received honors to the 2025 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America Team.
Rojas led the program with 25.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
Last season’s sophomore guard Nate Simon also upheld an impressive season, averaging 15.1 points and 5 assists per game. He shot 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.
The team executed well from the three-point line, with four players shooting above 35 percent from last season, and the overall team holding 36.5 percent.
The Panthers also have the advantage of continuity on their side. Jeff Klein, head coach, just completed year 24 with the Panthers, and heads into year 25 strong.
Klein holds an outstanding 23 win-per-season average with Chaffey, with 15 seasons achieving 20 or more wins. His resume includes ten championships for Chaffey, spanning three conferences. He holds 10-time conference coach of the year and three State coach of the year honors.
Ultimately, the program can hold the upmost confidence in their foundation, with established coaching built around a winning culture.
Thus, with top performers on the court and on the sidelines, the formula calls for high expectations. Setting them is one thing, and executing is another.
It calls for discipline and off-the-court work that not very many see. Yet, the fruits of labor are gifted in the form of team success.
In their best victories last year, the Panthers shot 38 percent from three.
Their deep range shooting significantly dipped to 29.9 percent in their six losses.
It raises the question of whether that trend translates to the upcoming season. Consistent shooting has proven to be the path to success against formidable opponents, especially when last year’s roster only had one player that exceeded 6’7".
If Chaffey wishes to dominate in their conference as they did last year, their shooting must emulate the success of last season. San Bernardino Valley and Cerra Coso followed close behind them in the conference, going 14-2 (.875) and 13-3 (.813) respectively.
The only loss Panthers faced in their conference was to Cerra Coso by three points. A loss that stained a perfect conference record.
That is a minor illustration of the success that the Chaffey Panthers wish to maintain.
Chaffey College's Men’s Basketball begins its season on Sept. 19 at the SoCal Fall JuCo Jamboree at Cerritos College. The tournament will be hosted until Sept. 21.