McGovern's Heroics Rallies Compton Men's Basketball Past Pasadena

Trailing for nearly the entire game, the Compton College men's basketball team chipped away until getting the big play when it counted in the final minute. Ley McGovern followed a missed shot by teammate Deuce Roberts on a thundering, put-back dunk with just 21 seconds left to give the Coyotes a 56-53 road victory over Pasadena City on Tuesday night. 

Roberts closed out the contest with a steal that resulted in him making two free throws that sealed it with one second remaining.

Compton (3-6 overall) only had the lead twice, once at 2-0 and again at the finish and roared back from down 12 points in the first half and an 8-point deficit midway through the second half.

McGovern came off the bench to score 19 points with seven rebounds while Jeremy Cook also had nine points in reserve. Israel Nansha led the starters in contributing nine points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Roberts totaled seven points, six boards and three assists and Nathan Ibarra had six points. 

The Coyotes, the defending South Coast Conference South Division champions and a Regional Playoff qualifier at 20-10 overall, have won two of their last three games after a slow start to the '25-26 season. On Nov. 16, Ibarra scored a team-high 23 points in an 82-62 victory over Santa Monica at the San Bernardino Valley Alvin Hunter Classic.

McGovern led five players in double figures with 27 points in a wild 100-97 defeat at state #13-ranked East Los Angeles. Roberts added 16 points, seven rebounds and dished out seven assists. 

Under head coach Keith Hollimon, Compton, a pre-season #14 ranked team in the South Region, is carrying a 16-player roster, including returning sophomores in All-SCC honorable mentions Elijah Evans and Rey Daniels as well as fellow lettermen from the '24-25 champions in Cook and Ibarra.

McGovern is a highly-touted transfer guard who was the Central Valley Conference Freshman of the Year last season as well as All-Conference First Team at College of the Sequoias. The Indiana native originally was to play at Cal State Bakersfield but decided to join the Coyotes' family for his sophomore season. Already in nine games, he is averaging a team-best 19 points. 

Evans and Ibarra each are averaging in double figures in scoring at identical 11.3 points averages. 

Roberts is a bounceback sophomore point guard from Temple University (played as a freshman in '23-24). The 6-foot-7 Roberts is from Kansas City (MO). Nansha is a top recruit as a 6-8 freshman forward who played originally at Hillcrest High in Dallas (TX).

The rest of Compton's roster is comprised of freshman in guards Keyshawn Ross Jr. (Culver City High), Jesse Graves III (from Georgia), Damian Dobson (from Miami, FL), Cameron Atkins (Venice HS), Lesean Maxwell (Dominguez High) and sophomore transfer Christian Smith (from New Orleans, LA). Forwards include freshman David Ibarra (South East HS), Khalil Sheard (from Kentucky), and 6-10 center Mekhi Grant (from North Carolina). 

McGovern's game-winning dunk/photos below by Richard Quinton

Nathan Ibarra defends

Roberts dribble drives