Posted: Jun 17, 2016

Santos and Williams to Continue Careers at Four-Years

Mark Williams (left) and Jeriko Santos (right) have accepted offers to continue their academic and playing careers at four-year universities next Fall.

Glendora, CA - Citrus College sophomore men's basketball players Jeriko Santos and Mark Williams have become the first two student-athletes from the 2015-2016 Citrus College Men's Basketball team to accept offers to continue their playing careers at four-years next season. Williams has signed a scholarship offer from NCAA Division II Colorado State University – Pueblo, while Santos will suit up for NCAA Division III Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.

"I felt like out of the schools that I was deciding between, Pueblo offered me the most on and off the court," Williams said. "It has a strong academic setting, and the coaching staff made me feel welcome. I felt really comfortable, and I can see myself have a good future there."

Williams was a 1st team All-WSC South selection as a sophomore for the Owls, starting and appearing in 28 of Citrus' 30 games in 2015-2016, while averaging a team high 15.8 points per game, while averaging 7.9 rebounds from the floor (the second highest average on the team). Williams shot 52.3% from the floor and 39.7% from three, adding 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per contest to his name.

"Citrus has played a key role in all of this," Williams said. "Coming here straight out of high school helped me grow as a basketball player and a student. It has prepared me for the next level. It's made me ready to go."

"Mark is a really good player and an unselfish competitor who made a huge impact on this program during his two years at Citrus. Coach [Ralph] Turner and Coach [Tommie] Johnson did a tremendous job recruiting Mark and I am confident that he will have a successful career at CSU-Pueblo," said Citrus College Head Men's Basketball Coach Patrick Johnson. "Mark will be sorely missed at Citrus but I can't wait to see what he does in this next chapter of his life."

"[Assistant] Coach [Jerod] Gibson gave me the opportunity to keep playing. It's giving me the chance to still go to school and play basketball. It feels like a good fit," Santos said. "I grew up here at Citrus. Coming in here as a teenager still, it has helped me mature as both a student-athlete and as a person. It's taught me to always trust the process and stay patient."Santos was a key bench contributor for the Owls during his sophomore campaign in 2015-2016. He came off the bench to the tune of 4.1 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound per game. Santos also shot 35.9% from beyond the 3-point arc.

"Jeriko has represented everything it means to be an Owl during his three years at Citrus. He's worked extremely hard to get to this point and will be a great addition to Pacific University on and off the court," Johnson said. "I know Coach [Tim] Cleary is going to love having Jeriko in his program."

Santos and Williams are the second and third Owls to accept offers this season. Brian Chambers (above left photo by Ricky J. Lin), who redshirted with Citrus in the first half of the season, was a mid-year transfer to NCAA DII Concordia University, Irvine.