SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN?

[PointGuard]

Coach Frederick Aura

Yesterday I spoke with Ronnie Kirkland. As a freshman last season he subbed for us at SG. He didn’t get a lot of playing time (3.1 mpg in 21 games) and wanted to play more. So he transferred to Vermont. He’s still a reserve with the Catamounts but has played in all their games and is averaging 7.8 mpg. But those have been very effective minutes. He’s hit 53% of his FG’s and an amazing 52% of this 3’s and is averaging 5.2 ppg. He likes going up against the strong competition that is within the Big East Conference. He said that for the most part he’s enjoying the New England winter, but that he had to buy a lot of new clothes.

Looking at Vermont’s roster and stats, I note he’s playing behind a senior who this season is starting for the first time. And looking at that guy’s stats, I think Vermont might be well ahead to play Ronnie a LOT more. But no matter what, it looks like Ronnie should be in good shape to become a starter next season. Vermont had just the one scholarship to fill and they recruited a SF, not a SG.

[PointGuard]

Cal Poly Mustangs (15-7, 7-2, 1st place) @ Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (6-14, 4-5, 6th place tie)

Omari Aura, 3rd Assistant Coach (player development/practice)

Injuries continue to mount on our team. Louis Taylor banged up his knee while riding a skateboard the other day. He may play as will Estell Luton (whose back spasms haven’t completely subsided), but having those two not at 100%, while Steve Hastings’ broken leg is keeping him off the team, gives us a lot of concern about depth. We played Estell some in our last game, but he wasn’t very effective. Kenyon Farrell has areas of his game that need a lot of work but also some strengths, so hopefully he can backfill at SF more than usual which will allow us to rest Louis. The same goes for DJ Morse playing more minutes at PF so the Estell can take the night off. But Louis and Estell will suit up in case they’re needed. We may also go with a short lineup at various times during the game, using one or more of our guards at SF or PF. Danny Preston has already volunteered for that and seems excited about it. It’s also possible that walkon PF Tyris Gunn could get some playing time.

Hawaii’s freshman SF Steven Angner is averaging 21.2 ppg. He’s hit 46% of his FG’s and 40% of his 3’s. He also averages 4.3 rpg and 1.8 apg. All that from a guy who was the 776th highest RANKED recruit. Hawaii’s got to be counting their lucky stars about that recruiting coup. C Kenny Graves is also hitting a high percentage of his shots (58%) and is averaging 12.6 ppg. In our game at home against Hawaii a month ago which we won 77-45, we held Angner to 2 points, but some of that was due to him getting into foul trouble. Our challenge tonight will be keeping him from igniting since he’s scored 20+ points in twelve of the Rainbow Warriors games and 30+ points in two of those games and never below 13 points in any game other than the one against us.

1st Half: We played well in the early going but couldn’t get a shot to go down until Jase Carroll hit a baseline jumper 3 minutes into the game. We opened a 9-2 lead but let the Rainbow Warriors edge up on us. Eddie (Erskin) did a good job defensively on Angner. When he tired, we brought in Kenyon (Farrell) who played well and drew 2 fouls against Angner, sending him to the bench with 2 points with 9:33 remaining in the half. The refs were calling the game much too tightly on both teams. Brandon (Bailey) and Calvis (Barnes) were both tagged with their 2nd fouls within a minute of each other on either side of the 7 minute mark. That meant we HAD to bring Estell (Luton) into the game. Hawaii took a 22-20 lead with just over 5 minutes left in the half. With fouls mounting up, we had guys playing out of position throughout our lineup as we tried to protect witout starters for the 2nd half. Due to a late steal and driving layup we escaped the half leading 28-27. But we didn’t escape the refs who saddled our team with 14 fouls and 2 fouls apiece on Preston, Carroll, Bailey, Barnes, and Luton. The only saving grace was that beside 4 of our starters having 2 fouls each, Hawaii had 3 starters with 2 fouls and one with 3 fouls. The zebras were brutal. We held Hawaii’s Angner to just 5 points on 2 of 7 shooting.

2nd Half: We hadn’t been running a real tight defense in the first half and we sure as hell couldn’t amp it up in the 2nd half with these refs on the floor. But we ran out foul-laden lineup back onto the court to start the 2nd half with the hope the refs were tiring. Wouldn’t you know it, the refs tagged Carroll with his 3rd ticky-tacky foul just 7 seconds into the half. This game was looking like which team could survive the “wrath of the wrefs”. Chirping at the refs sure didn’t help….3 minutes into the half, we had 4 fouls called on us in the 2nd half and now 6 of our players had 2 fouls each with Carroll warming the bench with 3. Preston joined him on the bench with 3 fouls 90 seconds later. We had 7 team fouls against us with 12 minutes left in the half, but led 44-41. Not to be outdone, the Rainbow Warriors picked up foul #7 a minute later. With the parade of players to the foul line, I was forgetting what a FG looked like. We went ahead by 9 at the midpoint of the half, but with Angner warming up with lots of free throws and then from the field, the lead shrank to 2 before we went on a 10-2 run to go up by 10 with 4-1/2 minutes left. Fortunately for us, with the exception of Angner, Hawaii’s players ran out of gas. Both teams were frustrated by the refs taking over the game, but we took down the Rainbow Warriors 77-62.

Combined stats: 48 team fouls, 60 foul shots, 44 points at the free throw line, 8 players with 3 or more fouls and 8 players with 2 fouls. There were more officials’ whistles in this game than in a complete 5 set volleyball game where they blow the whistle before each and every serve.

Top Scoring Players: PG Danny Preston—20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals (he did OK at SF but think we need to keep him at PG); PF DJ Morse—11 points; SF Eddie Erskin—10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals; SG Jon Overton—10 points, 2 steals (he made all 3 of his FG’s including 2 from 3 point distance and both his FT’s); PF Calvis Barnes—8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals. Hawaii’s Steven Angner scored 22 points (8 of those on free throws) but was 6 of 17 from the field (including 2 of 9 from 3 point distance)….give him credit though, he pretty much carried his team on his shoulders in the 2nd half. Damn, we’re going to have to face him for 3 more seasons. Our bench players were on the court a total of 90 minutes.

[PointGuard]

Long Beach State (8-14, 5-5, 5th place tie) @ Cal Poly Mustangs (16-7, 8-2, 1st place)

Jack Stevens, neighbor with of the Aura’s

The Mustangs have a 6-game win streak on the line tonight. Also, if they win this game they’ll be 2 games ahead of UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton which are tied for 2nd place in the Big West Conference. And…rumor on the street is that Steve Hastings is about a week from returning to the team. I do believe I’ve observed Fred walking around our neighborhood with a new spring in his step!

My wife got together with Janeka who told her their son Malik is still starting for the Milwaukee Bucks. I don’t follow pro basketball, but Janeka said even though Malik has been playing pretty well, his minutes are being reduced as the talented rookie the Bucks drafted last summer has developed. She said Malik is sure the rookie will become their starter and that Malik will be regarded as an extra piece after this season and thus will be trade bait.

The only thing I know about Long Beach State is that they beat the Mustangs earlier this season 93-87.

With all that said, here’s how tonight’s game went:

Cal Poly didn’t waste time…on their first possession, Jase Carroll hit a 15 footer on which he was fouled and he converted the free throw. With 14 minutes yet to play in the half, the Mustangs were ahead 16-5. The Mustangs continued to hold onto a solid lead with Carroll on fire. But the 49ers wouldn’t let them get too far ahead. The halftime score was 48-37 in favor of Cal Poly with Carroll scoring 14 and Preston adding 10.

The Mustangs scored the first 8 points in the 2nd half to expand their lead to 19. With Fred shuttling players in and out to keep fresh legs on the court, Cal Poly went ahead by 27 points with 8 minutes to go. Other than lofting up too many 3’s that didn’t connect, the Mustangs looked really good. That was evident by the final score with Cal Poly blowing away Long Beach State 93-62. The Mustangs totally dominated all aspects of the game.

SG Jase Carroll scored 22 points and had 3 assists; PF Calvis Barnes had a big double-double with 19 blocks; SF Louis Taylor returned to the lineup and added 11 points and 6 boards; and C Estell Luton scored 9, grabbed 3 rebounds and handed out 2 assists. The Mustangs had advantages of 30-12 on points in the paint and 20-2 on 2nd chance points.

[PointGuard]

Cal Poly Mustangs (17-7, 9-2, 1st place) @ UC Davis Aggies (9-13, 6-5, 4th place tie)

Mustang News

MUSTANGS BUCK AGGIES

Cal Poly’s men’s basketball team continued their march toward the Big West championship by getting by UC Davis last night 80-72. Since the Mustangs had barely gotten by the Aggies 76-74 when they played a month ago here in San Luis Obispo, it was expected that this would be a really tough game.

UC Davis jumped out ahead and went on top by 9 points midway through the first half. Estell Luton and Scotty Lee came in off the bench to rally the Mustangs. After capturing the lead, Cal Poly moved out to a 41-32 halftime lead. But when the 2nd half began the Aggies began cutting into the lead. In the final 10 minutes of the game the lead shifted back and forth. Trailing by 2 with 3 minutes to go, Brandon Bailey drove to the basket and banked in a shot. He was fouled on the play and sank the free throw to put Cal Poly on top 71-70. The Mustangs then clamped down defensively and pulled away to gain the victory which keeps them 2 games ahead of 2nd place UC Irvine in the conference standings. Cal Poly now has an 8 game winning streak.

Leading the way to the Mustangs victory were Estell Luton with 17 points and 7 rebounds, Scotty Lee with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Brandon Bailey with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, and Calvis Barnes with 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Coach Aura said, “Had we not shot a little better than the Aggies from the field and at the foul line, we may not have won this game. Scotty and Estell came in and saved our bacon.”

[PointGuard]

UC Irvine Anteaters (14-9, 8-4, 2nd place) @ Cal Poly Mustangs (18-7, 10-2, 1st place)

Eddie Erskin, senior SF

The Anteaters edged us 70-68 when we played them earlier this season on their court. We really want to win this one. It’s not revenge. It’s because we may well meet them again in the conference tourney, and we need a win that will instill doubt in their players and give us an edge should we play them in the tournament.

Most of UC Irvine’s scoring comes from inside with SF Lamont Clark averaging 17.5 ppg, C Paul Dye averaging 16.4 ppg, and SF James Green averaging 10.5 ppg. Because that the team has dropped in 52% of their FG’s (2nd best in Division 1).

Steve Hastings is back and ready to put some points on the board for us. He’s starting at C for us. He was leading us in scoring before he broke his leg. I hope he comes back strong. This’ll be Steve’s first Big West conference game since he went down just before the start of conference play. His return gives us tremendous inside depth…so much so that I think our coaches will have difficulty giving all our strong big men enough court time.

As for me, I don’t know what my problem was early this season. But I’m now feeling much more in sync and it’s nice to be able helping the team again. This is my last season playing college ball and I’d hate to spend it sitting on the bench. Looking at the stats, one thing that is quite obvious is that I’m much better working the left side of the court (I’m hitting 50% or better of my shots from all segments of the court on the left and center of the court whereas I’m hitting under 50% of the shots from almost all segments of the court on the right side). Overall though, I’m hitting 52% of the FGA’s, 45% of my 3PA’s and 96% of the FTA’s.

Glad we have depth inside because Calvis (Barnes) got called for 2 quick fouls. Coach Aura was steaming. I made 2 early free throws tying the game at 3-3. Steve (Hastings) followed Calvis to the bench with 2 fouls just 4 minutes into the game. Dye and Clark scored the Anteaters first 15 points (9 at the line) at which time we were 10 points behind. Then I got an outlet pass after a steal and laid it in and Bailey scored and hit a free throw to get us going and the crowd back in the game. The fouls continued to mount and Brandon (Bailey) picked up his 2nd as our big guys were getting victimized by the refs. We finally tied the Anteaters at 26-26 with 6:15 remaining in the half. With 5-1/2 minutes left Danny (Preston) was called for his 2nd foul. With 2:37 on the clock, I got to the line and made 2 more foul shots putting us up 34-33. We scored the next 6 points. The half finished with us on top 43-35 even though UC Irvine had gotten to the line 14 more times and scored 9 more points on free throws than us.

After just 2 minutes of play in the 2nd half, Hastings, Barnes and Bailey were all on the bench with 3 fouls apiece. Dye and Clark were killing us inside and we lost the lead with 12-1/2 minutes to go. We wrested the lead back and it became a dog fight. I made a couple more free throws with 6 minutes to go and we led 74-67. UC Irvine cut our lead to 3 with 2-1/2 minutes remaining. We played tough and held off the Anteaters to take them down by a score of 88-82. Party time!

C Steve Hastings, C/PF Brandon Bailey, and PG Scotty Lee each scored 12 points. PF Calvis Barnes, SF Louis Taylor and I all scored 10 points. SG Jase Carroll added 8 points. I felt good about my game since I also had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. For the Anteaters, Clark scored 21 (11 on free throws) and Dye hit for 17. In our 2 games against the Anteaters this season, those 2 guys have combined to score 67 points. They definitely know how to draw fouls. In this game UC Irvine was 31 of 43 at the foul line.

The win was our 9th straight and gave us a 3-game lead in the standings over UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. Brandon Bailey experienced back pains toward the end of the game, and the rumor is that our athletic trainers feel it may take 2 weeks for him to fully alleviate his pain.

[PointGuard]

Cal Poly Mustangs (19-7, 11-2, 1st place) @ Cal State Northridge Matadors (6-18, 5-6, 10th place)

Omari Aura, 3rd Assistant Coach (player development/practice)

We ripped the Matadors 92-47 when we played them at home a month ago. But as we’ve been telling our players, we have to realize they will be a totally different team when we play them on their court tonight. While they have yet to explode offensively, their defense is pretty good. Although they’ve lost 5 straight games, their last win was over UC Irvine so it’s obvious a win here isn’t a given.

Dad came down with the flu, so it’s up to we 3 assistant coaches to get us a win.

We jumped out ahead and played pretty well throughout the 1st half as we carved out a 39-28 halftime lead. But our D faltered in the 2nd half and that allowed the Matadors to very gradually shave our lead. Our offense was ineffective and we couldn’t infuse life into it. The game got closer and closer and downright worrisome as the clock wound down. We barely held on to gain a 71-68 win.

Not much to brag about other than Calvis Barnes who scored 23 points, grabbed 5 boards, and handed out 2 assists. Even though his back is still bothering him, Brandon Bailey played and scored 9 points while dishing out 4 assists. Danny Preston added 8 points. But overall, it was a weak effort on our part. But I think maybe our tough game against UC Irvine a few days earlier took a bit out of us.

[PointGuard]

UC San Diego Tritons (13-12, 5-9, 8th place tie) @ Cal Poly Mustangs (20-7, 12-2, 1st place)

Al Miller, father-in-law of Coach Fred Aura

The Mustangs defense was strong when they went up against the Tritons last month to allow Cal Poly to post an 18-point road victory. After 3 straight close wins, Fred wants his team to dominate tonight. He’s also hoping that Steve Hastings gets back to how he was dominating inside before his lengthy injury layoff.

Cal Poly led almost the entire first half but the Tritons kept within reach. Both teams shot well: the Mustangs 62% and UC San Diego 54%. Barnes scored 12 points while Preston added 10 to lead Cal Poly to a 45-37 halftime lead.

UC San Diego began whittling down the lead in the 2nd half and captured a 51-49 lead with 14-1/2 minutes left to go. After falling behind by 4 points, Lee came in and hit a pair of 3’s to try to stimulate the Mustangs’ moribund offense. The lead shifted back and forth. Another close game in which Cal Poly slipped ahead in the final 3 minute to win 80-71. That extended the Mustangs win streak to 11 games.

A second straight big game for PF Calvis Barnes who scored 24 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. PG Danny Preston put in 14 points while dishing out 5 assists. Both C Estell Luton and PG Scotty Lee hit for 11 points with Luton pulling down 5 boards and Lee recording 4 assists.

[PointGuard]

Cal Poly Mustangs (21-7, 13-2, 1st place) @ Cal State Fullerton Titans (13-13, 9-6, 3rd place)

Cal Poly Mustangs Sports Message Board

MUSTANGS LOCK DOWN 1ST PLACE

It looked like Cal Poly would storm to an easy victory when they travelled to play Cal State Fullerton. The Mustangs raced off to 41-27 halftime lead. They held onto a nice double-digit lead in the 2nd half only to see the Titans cut into their lead throughout the final 6 minutes of the game. Trailing by 3 with 10 seconds to go, Cal State Fullerton hit a last second shot by Gerald Vidoni that they were sure was a 3 to tie the game. But it resulted in a review by the refs who picked up that Vidoni’s toe was on the line thus reducing the shot to 2 points which preserved an 86-85 victory for Cal Poly. With a 3 game lead over UC Irvine with just 2 games remaining in conference play, the Mustangs have ensured a first place finish in the Big West.

PG Danny Preston topped the Mustangs’ scoring with 23 points. He also had 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. SG Jase Carroll had 17 points and 6 rebounds. C/PF Brandon Bailey added 13 points. The Titans were led by Vidoni’s 29 points.

Coach Fred Aura said, “We shot extremely well, but nearly blew the game by making 20 turnovers. We’ve been fortunate to nail down 12 straight wins, but our opponents in the last 5 of those games have been gunning for us and we’ve had to scratch out narrow victories. But hopefully having to fight hard the entire 40 minutes is toughening our guys up for post-season play.”

[PointGuard]

Cory McCreight, 1st Assistant Coach

Our coaches’ meeting today centered on Steve Hastings. Before he broke his leg, he was dominating inside…scoring and rebounding extremely strongly. Since he’s returned, he’s definitely not yet dominated inside. In the 4 games since his return he’s averaging a little under 5 ppg and less than 4 rpg. Additionally, in 2 of the 4 games, while not fouling out, he’s got himself into foul trouble.

It doesn’t appear that the leg is bothering him. We think that he’s having difficulty getting back into the flow of the game, that he’s not working himself in down low where he can do significant damage, he’s not getting good position on the boards, that his confidence is suffering, and that he’s getting frustrated.

While we’re concerned, the consensus was to work hard with him during practice and to continue to start him to maximize the opportunities for him to knock the rust off and to get his game back.

[PointGuard]

Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (11-17, 8-8, 5th place tie) @ Cal Poly Mustangs (22-7, 14-2, 1st place)

Devany Aura (10th grade)

I’ve got so much homework in high school this year that I don’t get to go to many of the games for my Dad’s team. So tonight is a treat. Dad has the Mustangs playing well, which is pretty typical for a team coached by him. And now that Omari is helping to coach the team, I think they’re even doing better than in the past. Omari’s been working with me also to improve my game…and our high school team is doing pretty well. I avoided doing much with basketball when I was younger as I played soccer and danced, but then in junior high the basketball bug bit me. Omari told me to focus tonight on the Mustangs’ guards and let him know tomorrow what things I pick up from them.

PG Preston did a nice crossover dribble, got his defender to reverse direction and commit, then quickly pulled up and was clear for a 3 that went down making it 6-4 in favor of the Mustangs.

After SG Carroll already had a foul on him, his decision to press too much on defense when there really was no need wasn’t wise…and left him with 2 fouls and a trip to the bench just 4 minutes into the game…I think Omari would call that a freshman mistake.

The thing I most liked about the steal by SG Jon Overton, was not the steal, but the way he made his defender think he was passing to a streaking teammate, but then turned it on to speed past his primary defender to drive for a clear layup.

PG Lee did a sweet pick and roll capping it with a soft underhand layup to make it 19-12. Then on Cal Poly’s next possession, he made some nice moves and cuts to get free on the right baseline for an easy 12 foot jumper.

After the Mustangs let the Roadrunners take a small lead, you could almost “feel” the energy revive when Preston came back on the court. That resulted in an 11-2 run at the end of the half giving Cal Poly a 38-30 lead going into the 2nd half. Preston scored 10 points in the first half.

With the Mustangs playing poorly in the early stages of the 2nd half, Preston is carrying the team in its efforts to maintain a small lead. He’s already got 20 points and there’s 12 minutes left in the game.

With the Mustangs trailing by 4, Preston comes back on the court and 2 minutes later Cal Poly has a 3 point lead…great leadership by Preston.

Trailing 72-71 with just over a minute to go, Preston put up a contested 15 footer than went cleanly through the net.

Dad and Omari are going to be upset. The Roadrunners missed a 3 but the Mustangs failed to rebound and gave up a clear 12 footer from the edge of the key that went in.

Erskin was fouled with 13 seconds left and made the first to tie the game, but missed the 2nd. Cal State Bakersfield brought the ball up court and swung it over to the left corner for a shot, but Erskin made up for his missed FT by blocking the shot and sending the game to overtime tied at 74-74.

The Mustangs could not fit a field goal in the OT and ended up losing 83-78. Yes, Dad and Omari will definitely be in a rotten mood.

PG Danny Preston—24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals; PF Calvis Barnes—11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks; C Steve Hastings—9 points, 3 rebounds.