# 2024 CIBACOPA season

The 2024 CIBACOPA season was the 22nd season of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA), one of the professional basketball leagues of Mexico. The regular season began on 1 March 2024 and ended on 18 May 2024. The 2024 CIBACOPA All-Star Game was held on 20 April at the Arena ITSON in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. The playoffs began on 23 May. The CIBACOPA finals between the Astros de Jalisco and the Rayos de Hermosillo started on 22 June, with the Rayos winning the championship on 27 June, for a league record fourth title.

## Format

10 teams participated in the 2024 season, playing in one single group. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs, which are three rounds in a best-of-7 format.

## Teams
### Changes from the previous season

* The Ángeles de la Ciudad de México joined the league as an expansion team.
* The Frayles de Guasave returned to the league after a five-year hiatus, having last played in 2018.

### Venues and locations

| Team | City | State | Arena | Capacity | Joined |
| Ángeles de la Ciudad de México | Mexico City | — | Gimnasio Olímpico Juan de la Barrera | 5,242 | 2024 |
| Astros de Jalisco | Guadalajara | Jalisco | Arena Astros | 3,509 | 2019 |
| Caballeros de Culiacán | Culiacán | Sinaloa | Polideportivo Juan S Millán [es] | 1,810 | 2001 |
| Frayles de Guasave | Guasave | Sinaloa | Gimnasio Luis Estrada Medina [es] | 1,850 | 2001 |
| Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | Ciudad Obregón | Sonora | Arena ITSON | 3,500 | 2016 |
| Ostioneros de Guaymas | Guaymas | Sonora | Gimnasio Municipal de Guaymas [es] | 1,200 | 2009 |
| Pioneros de Los Mochis | Los Mochis | Sinaloa | Centro de Usos Múltiples de Los Mochis | 3,000 | 2001 |
| Rayos de Hermosillo | Hermosillo | Sonora | Arena Sonora | 3,500 | 2009 |
| Tijuana Zonkeys | Tijuana | Baja California | Auditorio Zonkeys | 2,500 | 2010 |
| Venados de Mazatlán | Mazatlán | Sinaloa | Lobodome | 3,000 | 2015 |

### Personnel

| Team | Head coach | Captain |
| Ángeles de la Ciudad de México | Gustavo Quintero | Luis Andriassi |
| Astros de Jalisco | Jorge Elorduy [es] | Jerime Anderson |
| Caballeros de Culiacán | Bernardo Fitz-González | Michael Jackson |
| Frayles de Guasave | Lucas Zurita [es] | Michael Henry |
| Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | Guillermo Narvarte | Tony Farmer |
| Ostioneros de Guaymas | Ben Sanders | Markel Crawford |
| Pioneros de Los Mochis | Derrick Alston | Anthony Johnson |
| Rayos de Hermosillo | Walter McCarty | Terrence Drisdom |
| Tijuana Zonkeys | Enrique Zúñiga | Joshua Webster |
| Venados de Mazatlán | Fernando Rivero | Eliseo Murrieta |

## Transactions
### Draft

The 2024 CIBACOPA draft was held on 17 January 2024. Each team received one pick in a single round, though three teams declined to select a player. The order of the draft was reverse order of finish in 2023 while the sole expansion team, the Ángeles de la Ciudad de México, received the first overall pick.
| Round | Pick # | Team | Player | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Ángeles de la Ciudad de México | Luis Andriassi | G |
| 1 | 2 | Caballeros de Culiacán | Michael Jackson | G |
| 1 | 3 | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | Joshua Parker | G |
| 1 | 4 | Pioneros de Los Mochis | – | – |
| 1 | 5 | Venados de Mazatlán | Antonio Peña | F |
| 1 | 6 | Ostioneros de Guaymas | Juan Luis Ramírez | G/F |
| 1 | 7 | Frayles de Guasave | – | – |
| 1 | 8 | Tijuana Zonkeys | Reynaldo García [es] | G |
| 1 | 9 | Rayos de Hermosillo | – | – |
| 1 | 10 | Astros de Jalisco | Isaac Gutiérrez | C |

### Coaching changes

Coaching changes :
| Team | 2023 season | 2024 season |
| Off-season |||
| Caballeros de Culiacán | Froylán Verdugo (interim) | Bernardo Fitz-González |
| Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | Martin Knezevic | Guillermo Narvarte |
| Ostioneros de Guaymas | Pedro Carrillo [es] | Ben Sanders |
| Pioneros de Los Mochis | Guillermo Vecchio | Derrick Alston |
| Tijuana Zonkeys | Claudio Arrigoni | Enrique Zúñiga |
| Venados de Mazatlán | Eric Weissling | Fernando Rivero |
| In-season |||
| Caballeros de Culiacán | Bernardo Fitz-González | Gerardo Álvarez (interim) Juan Manuel Nardini |
| Venados de Mazatlán | Fernando Rivero | Gaston Essengué (interim) Derrick Allen |

#### Off-season

* On 23 November 2023, the Pioneros de Los Mochis fired head coach Guillermo Vecchio after two seasons with the team.
* On 29 November 2023, the Pioneros de Los Mochis hired Derrick Alston as their head coach.
* On 14 December 2023, the Caballeros de Culiacán hired Bernardo Fitz-González as their head coach.
* On 20 December 2023, the Halcones de Ciudad Obregón hired Guillermo Narvarte as their head coach.
* On 22 December 2023, the Venados de Mazatlán hired Fernando Rivero as their head coach.
* On 9 January 2024, the Tijuana Zonkeys hired Enrique Zúñiga as their head coach.
* On 3 February 2024, the Ostioneros de Guaymas hired Ben Sanders as their head coach.

#### In-season

* On 17 March 2024, the Caballeros de Culiacán fired Bernardo Fitz-González. Gerardo Álvarez was named the interim head coach.
* On 19 March 2024, the Caballeros de Culiacán hired Juan Manuel Nardini as their head coach.
* On 26 March 2024, the Venados de Mazatlán fired Fernando Rivero. Gaston Essengué and Leroy Davis, the team's assistant coaches, were named the interim head coaches.
* On 3 April 2024, the Venados hired Derrick Allen as their head coach.

## Pre-season

* The Tijuana Zonkeys played the San Diego Sharks of The Basketball League (TBL) in the inaugural Border Bragging Rights Series – a cross-border home-and-home series – held on 10 and 17 February. The Zonkeys beat the Sharks, 102–88, in the first matchup at Mira Mesa High School in San Diego before beating the Sharks, 91–61, a week later at the Arena Zonkeys in Tijuana.
* The inaugural Copa de Básquetbol DIF Sinaloa was played from 19 to 20 February between the four teams from the state of Sinaloa: the Caballeros de Culiacán, the Frayles de Guasave, the Pioneros de Los Mochis, and the Venados de Mazatlán, with proceeds going to local wheelchair basketball teams. The Caballeros beat the Venados, 102–98, in their first matchup in Mazatlán, while the Venados earned an 86–81 victory over the Caballeros a day later in Culiacán. Notably, the latter was attended by the Governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya. Meanwhile, the Pioneros beat the Frayles, 94–92, in their first matchup in Guasave before beating the Frayles again, 91–71, a day later in Los Mochis.
* The second annual Copa Salsa Huichol was played from 22 to 24 February at the Mesón de los Deportes in Xalisco, Nayarit, with the six participating teams being the Ángeles de la Ciudad de México, the Astros de Jalisco, the Caballeros de Culiacán, the Frayles de Guasave, the Pioneros de Los Mochis, and the Venados de Mazatlán. The Ángeles beat the Astros, 85–70, in the championship final and Will Yoakum was named the tournament MVP.

## Regular season
### Standings
#### First round

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Astros de Jalisco | 18 | 14 | 4 | 1646 | 1457 | +189 | 10 |
| 2 | Tijuana Zonkeys | 18 | 14 | 4 | 1609 | 1489 | +120 | 9 |
| 3 | Ángeles de la Ciudad de México | 18 | 13 | 5 | 1633 | 1552 | +81 | 8 |
| 4 | Rayos de Hermosillo | 18 | 12 | 6 | 1574 | 1519 | +55 | 7 |
| 5 | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 18 | 9 | 9 | 1592 | 1611 | −19 | 6 |
| 6 | Venados de Mazatlán | 18 | 8 | 10 | 1605 | 1625 | −20 | 5.5 |
| 7 | Ostioneros de Guaymas | 18 | 7 | 11 | 1577 | 1659 | −82 | 5 |
| 8 | Pioneros de Los Mochis | 18 | 7 | 11 | 1565 | 1622 | −57 | 4.5 |
| 9 | Frayles de Guasave | 18 | 4 | 14 | 1605 | 1709 | −104 | 4 |
| 10 | Caballeros de Culiacán | 18 | 2 | 16 | 1497 | 1660 | −163 | 3.5 |

#### Second round

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Tijuana Zonkeys | 18 | 14 | 4 | 1709 | 1533 | +176 | 10 |
| 2 | Astros de Jalisco | 18 | 13 | 5 | 1811 | 1660 | +151 | 9 |
| 3 | Rayos de Hermosillo | 18 | 11 | 7 | 1640 | 1589 | +51 | 8 |
| 4 | Venados de Mazatlán | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1610 | 1621 | −11 | 7 |
| 5 | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 18 | 8 | 10 | 1690 | 1656 | +34 | 6 |
| 6 | Ostioneros de Guaymas | 18 | 8 | 10 | 1714 | 1724 | −10 | 5.5 |
| 7 | Ángeles de la Ciudad de México | 18 | 8 | 10 | 1710 | 1758 | −48 | 5 |
| 8 | Caballeros de Culiacán | 18 | 7 | 11 | 1597 | 1674 | −77 | 4.5 |
| 9 | Pioneros de Los Mochis | 18 | 7 | 11 | 1610 | 1687 | −77 | 4 |
| 10 | Frayles de Guasave | 18 | 4 | 14 | 1733 | 1922 | −189 | 3.5 |

#### General table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Astros de Jalisco | 36 | 27 | 9 | 3457 | 3117 | +340 | 19 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Tijuana Zonkeys | 36 | 28 | 8 | 3318 | 3022 | +296 | 19 | Playoffs |
| 3 | Rayos de Hermosillo | 36 | 23 | 13 | 3214 | 3108 | +106 | 15 | Playoffs |
| 4 | Ángeles de la Ciudad de México | 36 | 21 | 15 | 3343 | 3310 | +33 | 13 | Playoffs |
| 5 | Venados de Mazatlán | 36 | 18 | 18 | 3215 | 3246 | −31 | 12.5 | Playoffs |
| 6 | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 36 | 17 | 19 | 3282 | 3267 | +15 | 12 | Playoffs |
| 7 | Ostioneros de Guaymas | 36 | 15 | 21 | 3291 | 3383 | −92 | 10.5 | Playoffs |
| 8 | Pioneros de Los Mochis | 36 | 14 | 22 | 3175 | 3309 | −134 | 8.5 | Playoffs |
| 9 | Caballeros de Culiacán | 36 | 9 | 27 | 3094 | 3334 | −240 | 8 | |
| 10 | Frayles de Guasave | 36 | 8 | 28 | 3338 | 3631 | −293 | 7.5 | |

## Playoffs

The 2024 CIBACOPA playoffs were played between the top eight teams over three rounds from 23 May to 27 June. All rounds were a best-of-seven series; a series ended when one team won four games, and that team advanced to the next round. All rounds, including the CIBACOPA Finals, were in a 2–3–2 format with regards to hosting.
| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Astros | 4 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Pioneros | 1 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Pioneros | 1 | 1 | Astros | 4 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Ángeles | 2 | | | |
| 4 | Ángeles | 4 | 4 | Ángeles | 2 | | | |
| 5 | Venados | 2 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Venados | 2 | | | | 1 | Astros | 0 |
| | | | | | | 3 | Rayos | 4 |
| 2 | Zonkeys | 4 | | | | | | | 3 | Rayos | 4 |
| 7 | Ostioneros | 1 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Ostioneros | 1 | 2 | Zonkeys | 2 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Rayos | 4 | | | |
| 3 | Rayos | 4 | 3 | Rayos | 4 | | | |
| 6 | Halcones | 3 | | | | | | |

### Finals boxscore

* 22 June 2024 6:00 p.m.
* Box Score
Astros de Jalisco 75, Rayos de Hermosillo 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 20–29, 19–21, 11–23 |||
| Pts: Mikh McKinney 21 Rebs: Demitrius Conger 9 Asts: Mikh McKinney 5 | Pts: Jeff Ledbetter 22 Rebs: Jeff Ledbetter 13 Asts: Jeff Ledbetter 11 |
* Arena Astros, Guadalajara, Jalisco Attendance: 3,506
* 23 June 2024 5:00 p.m.
* Box Score
Astros de Jalisco 91, Rayos de Hermosillo 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–28, 20–24, 30–20, 22–26 |||
| Pts: Michael Bryson 18 Rebs: Kavell Bigby-Williams 9 Asts: Jerime Anderson, Demitrius Conger 6 | Pts: Jimond Ivey 30 Rebs: Jeff Ledbetter 8 Asts: Jeff Ayres, Jeff Ledbetter 5 |
* Arena Astros, Guadalajara, Jalisco Attendance: 3,506
* 26 June 2024 9:00 p.m.
* Box Score
Rayos de Hermosillo 96, Astros de Jalisco 94 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–17, 12–21, 24–21, 16–21, Overtime: 16–14 |||
| Pts: Jimond Ivey 21 Rebs: Jeff Ayres 10 Asts: Jeff Ledbetter 11 | Pts: Demitrius Conger 28 Rebs: Kavell Bigby-Williams 19 Asts: Mikh McKinney 10 |
* Arena Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora Attendance: 2,000
* 27 June 2024 9:00 p.m.
* Box Score
Rayos de Hermosillo 107, Astros de Jalisco 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–25, 24–15, 26–26, 24–23 |||
| Pts: Jimond Ivey, Jeff Ledbetter 22 Rebs: Jeff Ayres, Anthony Tarke 10 Asts: Jeff Ledbetter 11 | Pts: Jordan Loveridge 25 Rebs: Lance Thomas 11 Asts: Mikh McKinney 5 |
| Hermosillo wins series, 4–0 |||
* Arena Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora Attendance: 2,000

## Statistics
### Individual statistic leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
| Points per game | Tony Farmer | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 23.1 |
| Rebounds per game | Torren Jones | Frayles de Guasave | 10.9 |
| Assists per game | Joshua Webster | Tijuana Zonkeys | 9.0 |
| Steals per game | Joshua Webster | Tijuana Zonkeys | 2.1 |
| Blocks per game | Raphiael Putney | Pioneros de Los Mochis | 2.7 |
| Minutes per game | Joshua Webster | Tijuana Zonkeys | 35.9 |
| FG% | Ruan Miranda | Venados de Mazatlán | 57.0% |
| FT% | Michael Jackson | Caballeros de Culiacán | 82.7% |
| 3FG% | Moisés Andriassi | Astros de Jalisco | 48.2% |
Source: CIBACOPA

### Team statistic leaders

| Category | Team | Statistic |
| Points per game | Astros de Jalisco | 96.7 |
| Rebounds per game | Astros de Jalisco | 35.1 |
| Assists per game | Rayos de Hermosillo | 21.4 |
| Steals per game | Tijuana Zonkeys | 8.2 |
| Blocks per game | Astros de Jalisco | 4.1 |
| FG% | Astros de Jalisco | 48.6 |
| FT% | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 76.9 |
| 3P% | Astros de Jalisco | 37.9 |
Source: CIBACOPA
Note: Playoff statistics are included

## All-Star Game

The 2024 CIBACOPA All-Star Game was played on 20 April 2024 at Arena ITSON in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. Zona Sur defeated Zona Norte, 150–145, with Jordan Allen earning All-Star Game MVP honors after recording 31 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists for the losing team.
Jordan Allen won the three-point shootout while Alonzo Stafford won the slam dunk contest. Additionally, pop singer Aleks Syntek closed the event with a live performance as part of his 3Decadas Tour.
Zona Norte :
| Player | Team |
| Jordan Allen | Pioneros de Los Mochis |
| Arinze Chidom | Tijuana Zonkeys |
| Jorge Camacho | Rayos de Hermosillo |
| Markel Crawford | Ostioneros de Guaymas |
| Tanksley Efianayi | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón |
| Tony Farmer | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón |
| Jahvon Henry-Blair | Ostioneros de Guaymas |
| Jimond Ivey | Rayos de Hermosillo |
| Tomas Nuño | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón |
| Duby Okeke | Tijuana Zonkeys |
| Raphiael Putney | Pioneros de Los Mochis |
| Joel Reynoso | Tijuana Zonkeys |
| Joshua Webster | Tijuana Zonkeys |
| Diego Willis | Rayos de Hermosillo |
| Coaches: Guillermo Narvarte (Halcones de Ciudad Obregón) Enrique Zúñiga (Tijuana Zonkeys) ||
Zona Sur :
| Player | Team |
| Luis Andriassi | Ángeles de la Ciudad de México |
| Kavell Bigby-Williams | Astros de Jalisco |
| Michael Bryson | Astros de Jalisco |
| DaQuan Bracey | Ángeles de la Ciudad de México |
| Michael Henry | Frayles de Guasave |
| Michael Jackson | Caballeros de Culiacán |
| José Miguel Martínez | Caballeros de Culiacán |
| Nana Opoku | Ángeles de la Ciudad de México |
| Jorge de la Serna [es] | Astros de Jalisco |
| David Sloan | Frayles de Guasave |
| Alonzo Stafford | Venados de Mazatlán |
| Robert Whitfield | Venados de Mazatlán |
| Coaches: Jorge Elorduy [es] (Astros de Jalisco) Gustavo Quintero (Ángeles de la Ciudad de México) ||

## Notable occurrences

* On 2 March 2024, Jordan Allen of the Pioneros de Los Mochis set the league record for most three-pointers made in a game by making 13 (out of 20) in a 98–90 win over the Ángeles de la Ciudad de México.
* On 12 April 2024, Wesley Saunders of the Ostioneros de Guaymas recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 104–90 win over the Astros de Jalisco.
* On 13 April 2024, Joshua Webster of the Tijuana Zonkeys recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 102–90 win over the Rayos de Hermosillo.
* On 17 May 2024, Jeff Ledbetter of the Venados de Mazatlán tied the league record for most three-pointers made in a game by making 13 (out of 18) in a 124–122 loss to the Frayles de Guasave.
* On 22 June 2024, Jeff Ledbetter of the Venados de Mazatlán recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 96–75 win over the Astros de Jalisco in Game 1 of the CIBACOPA finals.