CULVER CITY --- West L.A. College men's basketball team made school history this past semester when the team posted a combined 3.6 GPA. Each of the student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA or higher, earning each member a spot on the dean's honor roll as well as the Athletic Department's Gold Team.

Since the fall of 2015-16, the program's classroom success has steadily climbed. In the fall of 2015, the program earned a combined 2.51 GPA. After a steady increase, in fall of 2018 the men's basketball program became the first athletic program in school history to record a combined GPA of 3.0 or higher (3.02 GPA).

Interestingly, in 2018, 93 percent of the student-athletes were African American. In 2019 and 2021, 100 percent of the student-athletes were African American. As West L.A.'s classroom success grew so has its graduation rates, with 100 percent of the program's sophomores graduating and transferring to a four-year university since Anthony Jones became the program's head coach in 2015. West L.A. also had success on the floor, winning two conference championships in the last five years.

African-American students in California face a number of barriers, including having the second-lowest rate of degree attainment compared to other major racial/ethnic groups. Just 32 percent of African-Americans will earn an associate degree or higher in California. Across the three public sectors of higher education Blacks have the lowest completion rate for both first-time students and transfer students.

The California Community Colleges system is the largest education unit in the country and the largest provider of workforce training in the nation. Students who earn a degree or certificate from a California community college can nearly double their earnings within three years and double the individual's chance of finding a job compared to those who failed to complete high school. To learn more about what a degree can do for you, click here.