With the first day of fall classes on Monday, community college basketball rosters for the coming season are beginning to take shape.

According to the coaches at Ventura College, point guards Danny Benson and Prince Abidoye have, as promised, returned for the 2008-09 season.

First-year head coach Ned Mircetic and staff also landed former Camarillo High point guard Mike Diacos, a transfer from the University of Nebraska.

Other potential returning players did not materialize in Ventura.

Guard Kevin Menner, who led the state's freshmen in scoring last season, was not in Ventura, as expected.

"He tells me he's going to Saddleback for sure," said Ventura assistant coach Jon Wyers.

The Star reported earlier this year that former coach Greg Winslow had encouraged Menner to leave the program, even taking the step of driving Menner down to Mission Viejo on at least one recruiting visit.

Wyers said forward Angelo Whitehead will not return and instead will attend a junior college in Colorado. According to the coaches, Ventura High product James Ennis and Oxnard College transfer Ryan McLucas also did not attend VC on Monday and will not be playing for the Pirates.

McLucas, instead, decided to return to Oxnard College, according to first-year Oxnard coach Jason Cunningham.

The former Rio Mesa High guard was instrumental in the Condors' success last year, averaging 11.3 points per game and a team-high 66 3-pointers. McLucas had spent much of the summer at Ventura College before changing his mind after Cunningham temporarily took over for Jeff Theiler as coach.

"We've got our All-WSC players back," said Cunningham of McLucas and point guard Jonathan Johnson.

Bernard Burrell, a high-scoring forward expected to be a key player before being lost for the season with a back injury, has also been retained. The 6-foot-5 wing scored 26 points against Los Angeles Valley in one of his only three appearances a year ago.

Boost for Raiders: Not all the local football recruits expected in Ventura actually arrived Monday.

With offensive line and linebacker being two potential problem spots, Moorpark coach Jim Bittner was boosted by the arrival of former Newbury Park High linebacker Chance Flaaten and former Thousand Oaks lineman Dan Pinsky.

"We met him with hugs and kisses, believe me," said Bittner of Flaaten, one of the key members of the Panthers' Marmonte League title team last fall.

"We were very happy to see him. He's a player. He'll help us."

Pinsky immediately finds himself in the mix for a starting job.

"He probably saw 15, 16, 17 offensive lineman (at Ventura) and suddenly figured, I might have a better chance to play at Moorpark," said Bittner.

Returning influence: With more than 40 returning players, the Ventura College football team is poised to take another step in the second year under head coach Jon Mack.

Perhaps the most influential returning player is quarterback Lee Mondol, who returned home from Michigan just as the 2007 season began and developed into the player who pushed the Pirates to victory in the Southern California Bowl.

"It's night and day having a veteran quarterback," said Mack. "He has a real solid understanding of the offense."