SAME FEDORA-NEW CROWN?

[PointGuard]

6th seed Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners (3-1) vs #4 seed Cal Poly Mustangs (4-0) in Championship Game of Cabo Challenge Tournament

Coach Frederick Aura

I’m ecstatic to have us make it to the championship game of the Cabo Challenge. The guys really wanted it also and showed that by how they came back in the 2nd half to overtake South Carolina to get us here.

I didn’t know how this team would shake out. While we’re still evaluating the entire roster, I gotta tell ya, I’m damned happy with what the 5 guys we are starting have done thus far. And our bench players are contributing as well. We definitely still have a ways to go to become the strong team we all hope to have this season.

Our opponent, Texas-San Antonio, is highly underrated. And that means the Roadrunners have the ability to rise up and slap favorites and slap hard enough to pull out unexpected victories. I’m telling our guys that we need to play hard and play hard the entire 40 minutes against these guys. Thus far their guards, Lawson and Kapono, have carried their team.

We got turnovers on the Roadrunners’ first 3 possessions and scored after each one, giving us a 6-0 lead in just the first minute of play. After 4 minutes of play, all 5 of our starters had scored and we were on top 14-6. But I got on our guys during the media timeout to try to make sure they continued to be aggressive and to not let the Roadrunners turn things around and overtake us. The refs were calling things tight so I decided to work my bench in quicker than normal to avoid our starters getting into foul trouble. We did pretty well until the Roadrunners got hot late in the half. Our double-digit lead was reduce to 5 with 6 minutes left in the half and then to 2 with 1-1/2 minutes til halftime. We held a very tenuous 43-40 lead when we left the court to go to the locker room where I set up a tighter defense.

Texas-San Antonio scored on their first possession to cut our lead to a single point. SG Nikolos Ivelitsch was whistled for his 3rd foul with 19 minutes left in the game which meant our top scorer was relegated to the bench. We quickly reestablished an 8 point lead. But the pesky Roadrunners cut it back to 1 with 12 minutes remaining. Again we pulled away to go up 64-53 with 7 minutes left. The Roadrunners hung in as did we. And we came away with an 82-74 victory to pick up the Championship Trophy of the Cabo Classic. It wasn’t a particularly strong effort on our part but good enough to get the win.

Our scoring was spread throughout our lineup with C Dekker Chambers, PG Danny Preston and SG Nikolos Iletisch each putting 12 points on the board, SG Bryan Taylor and PF Darcel Aygar both scoring 11 points, PF Victor Collier hitting for 11 points, and SF Trey Small adding 9 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.

[PointGuard]

Mustang News

MUSTANGS OFF TO HOT START

Cal Poly’s mens basketball team is unbeaten after playing their first 5 games this season. This week they swept through the Cabo Classic Tournament, becoming the tourney champs by winning all 3 games. “It was a fun tournament. It was great to win the championship trophy,” said junior SG Bryan Taylor.
Three Mustangs players are averaging in double figures this season: sophomore SG Nikolos Ivelitsch (who transferred to the team this summer from Syracuse) is averaging 15.4 ppg; junior SF Trey Small (who played the past 2 years at a JC) averages 12.6 ppg; and freshman PG Danny Preston is averaging 11.2 ppg. Top rebounders for the team are: junior PF Victor Collier has grabbed 6.4 rpg; freshman C Dekker Chambers is averaging 6.2 rpg; and SF Trey Small had recorded 4.8 rpg. Tops for the team for assists are: PG Danny Preston with 5.0 apg; PG Edouard La Touche has 2.8 apg; and SG Bryan Taylor and SF Trey Small have both averaged 2.6 apg. The team is averaging 79.6 ppg while their opponents have averaged just 65.8 ppg.

Even though we have a lot of new players this year, the team is playing well together. Thus far we’ve shot particularly well and overall are doing pretty well in all aspects of the game,” said Coach Fred Aura. “We have 6 more pre-conference games to tune up for Big West competition.” When asked about his thoughts of the Mustangs being selected by the media as the top team in the Big West this season, Aura replied, “It’s way to early to know how we will do in conference play. I’m pleased with the players we have this year, but we’re definitely the most inexperienced team in the conference. We need to continue to meld together and improve how all our players implement our strategies and work together.”

The team journeys to New York to take on the Fordham Rams later this week and then returns to host the Saint Louis Billikens on November 29.

[PointGuard]

Cal Poly Mustangs (5-0) @ Fordham Rams (1-2)

KSBO-CD TV Sports Report for 11 pm News

Earlier tonight the Cal Poly Mustangs played the Fordham Rams in the Bronx, New York. The Mustangs entered the game with a spotless 5-0 record.

The Mustangs held a lead throughout the first 15 minutes of play as guards Danny Preston and Bryan Taylor carried them offensively. But the refs sent the Rams to the line 14 times while Cal Poly only had 2 free throw attempts with only 3 fouls called on Fordam players. This allowed Fordham to catch up with the lead shifting 13 times in the final 5 minutes of the half. Fordham held a slim 42-41 advantage at halftime. Preston and Taylor combined to knock down 7 of 10 three-point attempts and score a total of 27 points in the half.

Cal Poly went on an 8-0 run to take a 59-51 lead with 14 minutes remaining. The Rams continued narrowing the gap but could never catch up as the Mustangs continually reestablished a healthy lead. When the final buzzer sounded, Cal Poly had come away with an 84-79 victory.

SG Bryan Taylor was on fire, hitting 8 of 11 FG’s and 6 of 8 three’s and scored 25 points. PG Danny Preston also hit a high percentage of his shots and finished with 16 points. SF Trey Small scored 15 points and had 8 rebounds. SG Nikolos Ivelitsch added 10 points.

Here’s what Coach Fred Aura had to say during the post-game interview: “Tough game. But every time Bryan Taylor came onto the court, he provided an instant pick-me-up with instant offense and that was critical. Fortunately we had spurts early in both halves and then held on for dear life to get by the Rams.”

[PointGuard]

Zahara Carter, Assistant (sports administration)

Great news today.

First we got notified that PG Danny Preston has been named the Big West Freshman Player of the Week.

Then the new weekly polls came out, and to all our surprise, Cal Poly got ranked, but that they catapulted from being non-ranked to #15 in the Media Poll and #14 in the Coaches Poll. We’re ecstatic.

1st Assistant Coach Bryan King was bouncing off the walls. As the recruiting coach, he was saying how this was really going to help our abilities to attract good recruits. While we have not scholarships to fill this year, Coach King is busy contacting high school coaches and junior and sophomore high school players he has in his sites.

Coach Aura was more reserved. He said he was happy to see the team rewarded for their efforts thus far this season, but that it means the team needs to keep winning to remain in the polls since a loss is likely to drop a Big West team out of the polls.

[PointGuard]

Saint Louis Billikens (2-2) @ Cal Poly Mustangs (6-0)

Benny Tamago, local realtor (and Mustangs fan)

All the previous 6 games for the Mustangs were on opponents’ or neutral courts. So tonight’s game is their first home game of the season. I and many others in attendance tonight are excited to see the “new team”…”new” since 4 of the 5 starters weren’t at Cal Poly last year. And thus far this season, the starting 5 are all doing stellar jobs on the court.

The Mustangs jump out to a 14-4 lead by the time of the first media time out. They continue to outpace the Billikens throughout the first half and lead by a whopping 45-26 score at halftime. They had major advantages in shooting, rebounding and turnovers in the first half…total control of the game. C Dekker Chambers hit every shot he took and had 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Cal Poly continued to look and play offensively like a well-oiled machine in the 2nd half. But their tight defense of the first half went soft. No worries, though, since St. Louis could not make a major dent in the Mustangs’ lead and Cal Poly went on to trample the Billikens 85-66. The Mustangs outshot the Billikens 54% to 52%, outrebounded St. Louis 33-24, and made just 9 turnovers compared to 16 by the Billikens.

C Dekker Chambers had an awesome game with 27 points (hitting 13 of his 14 shots) and yanking down 14 rebounds. Reserve PF Darcel Aygar scored 12 points and SF Trey Small popped in 11 points while dishing out 5 assists.

I can't wait for the Mustangs next home game.

[PointGuard]

#15 Cal Poly Mustangs (7-0) @ Nothern Iowa Panthers (0-4)

Rob Benchley, Athletic Director

This is turning out to quite the season. Being ranked #14 and #15 in the two polls is unheard of for Cal Poly. Coach Aura had wanted me to schedule a ranked opponent at home. But try as I might I was unable to get any AD to agree to do that. I guess they knew something I didn’t. I was hoping that our new players would do OK, but they’ve certainly exceeded my expectations.

This game was extremely close the entire first half with 11 lead changes and 7 ties. The Mustangs hit some late buckets that gave them a 41-37 halftime advantage. But they’d been unable to control the Panthers’ C John Scott who scored 15 first half points.

But they came out in the 2nd half fronting and backing Scott which effectively neutralized him. Cal Poly steadily pulled away and led by as much as 19 points before decisively dispensing Northern Iowa 80-66. The Mustangs hit 42% of their 3’s (13 of 31) and were +8 on the boards.

SG Nikolos Ivelitsch had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. SF Trey Small scored 12 points and pulled down 7 rebounds. PG Danny Preston also scored 12 points plus blocked 3 shots. SF Ed Tenys scored 10 points during his 9 minutes of playing time. PG Edouard La Touche scored 9 points and dished out 5 assists. C Dekker Chambers and PF Victor Collier both grabbed 8 rebounds with Chambers scoring 8 points, handing out 7 assists and getting 3 blocks and Collier scoring 7 points. Scott was held to just 4 points in the 2nd half for Northern Iowa.

[PointGuard]

Oregon State Beavers (3-2) @ #14 Cal Poly Mustangs (8-0)

Kent Brothers, sophomore Cal Poly student and basketball fan

Oregon State brought their mascot, Benny Beaver, along on their trip south. Of course, Cal Poly countered with Musty the Mustang. So this game has two of the strangest looking college mascots cavorting around the court at the same time. Rather creepy, actually. I’ve met the guy inside our Musty the Mustang costume. Actually he’s a pretty cool guy so I’m surprised he acquiesced to becoming the interior part of our mascot. I mean, hell, it probably would have been better to handle cleanup for the university’s herds of beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, swine and chickens that are part of our Animal Sciences department and pre-veterinary program. And yeah, there are areas of the campus you just don’t want to walk near on a hot day.

Oregon State’s record is unimpressive but they’ve played a pretty tough schedule thus far, so they’re likely to be a tough foe for our team tonight. The Beavers have been to the NCAA Tourney 3 of the 4 past seasons and to the NIT the other of those four years.

Well enough of all that…here’s how the game against a middle of the pack Pac-12 team went:

1st half:

The teams trade baskets for the first 12 minutes but both teams are having problems so there’s not a lot of scoring. The Beavers are shooting poorly and the Mustangs are plagued by turnovers. So neither team was able to take more than a very small lead. Then Cal Poly jumped out to a 5 point lead and appeared about to pull away due to superior shooting. But 4 minutes later, not only had Oregon State recaptured the lead but they went up by 4 points at 32-28 with C Jason Young accounting for 18 of their points. With the Mustangs shooting in the deep freeze, they fall behind by 6 but rally in the final 2 minutes to leave the court at halftime down by just a 38-37 score. 12 turnovers were Cal Poly’s downfall in the first half. It also was evident that they team needed to figure out a way to cool of the Beavers’ Jason Young.

2nd half:

Each team begins the 2nd half by sinking a pair of 3’s. Even though the Mustangs have increased their offensive pace to try to get off shots quicker and cut down their turnovers, it isn’t working…turnovers continue to impede their efforts to gain the lead. 6-1/2 minutes into the 2nd half, the Mustangs hit back-to-back 3’s by PG Danny Preston and PF Darcel Aygar to forge ahead 55-51. Again Cal Poly fails to capitalize. Turnovers continue and Oregon State regains the lead at 62-60 with 9 minutes to play. Agony overtakes the home crowd. But…after hitting another 3, Cal Poly intercepts passes on 2 straight possessions by the Beavers and drives for power jams on both to take a 67-62 lead with 6:23 remaining. With the home crowd roaring, Oregon State is forced to call a time out. Defense then predominated for the next 4 minutes before the Beavers hit a 3 and then Nikolos Ivelitsch dropped in a floater to make it 71-67 with just under 2 minutes to go. The Mustangs’ defense stands tall to hold the Beavers to only a last gasp 3. Cal Poly pulls off a hard-fought 75-70 triumph. The Mustangs 20 turnovers are overridden by slight advantages by Cal Poly in all other team stats.

SG Nikolo Ivelitsch scored 17 and PG Danny Preston hit for 15 with PF Victor Collier scoring 9 and pulling down 8 boards. Cal Poly’s bench outscored OSU’s reserves 27-15. The Beavers’ C Jason Young’s scoring was throttled in the 2nd half, but he still finished with 24 points.

2nd Assistant Coach Justin Traore

Vincent Collier sustained a minor shoulder injury but is expected to be back to 100% for our next game.

Our narrow victory over Oregon State apparently didn’t impress any of the poll voters. We dropped to 19th in the Media Poll and 24th in the Coaches Poll. Well, actually I wasn’t impressed either…we didn’t control the ball (20 turnovers) and continually let the Beavers get back into the game. So a combination of sloppy play and a lack of a killer instinct.

[PointGuard]

#19 Cal Poly Mustangs (9-0) @ George Mason Patriots (4-3)

SF Benjamin Smith, freshman from England

George Mason is 4-1 at home this season. This will be our first game against a team that mainly uses a 3-2 zone defense. The coaches worked us hard in practice this past week to go up against it.

I’ve only gotten into one game thus far. I’m working hard in practice. The coaches are working with me to acclimate me to Division 1 college ball and have said I’ll get some playing time soon.

We got off to a good start, scoring on 3 of our first 4 possessions. But the Patriots put points on the board as well and the score was tied at 7-7. But then we had trouble putting the ball in the hoop while George Mason was shooting well, and we fell behind 23-14 midway through the first half. The refs were really working us over…after both of our PG’s (Danny Preston and Edouard La Touche) had 3 fouls apiece with 7 minutes still to go in the first half, Coach Fed went off on the refs and got T’d. Bryan Taylor took over at PG and he also picked up 3 fouls. With the Patriots trooping to the foul line 21 times to just 8 for us, we never could really cut into the lead and trailed 45-38 at halftime.

We nibbled away at the Patriots’ lead in the early going of the 2nd half and gained a 51-51 tie with 15:15 left in the game. George Mason quickly re-established a 9 point lead, though. We gamely fought back to cut the lead to 67-66 with 6 minutes remaining. We couldn’t get over the hump though and let the Patriots pull away again to defeat us 83-72.

Scoring in double figures for us were: C Dekker Chambers—14 (also 9 rebounds); PF Victor Collier—12 (also 8 rebounds); and PG Danny Preston—10 (also 3 steals and 2 blocks).

[PointGuard]

Kent State Golden Flashes (0-8) @ Cal Poly Mustangs (9-1)

Henry Williams, 2nd Assistant Coach at UC Santa Barbara

I handle scouting for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Our opening game in Big West play next week is against Cal Poly. The Mustangs have been getting stronger the past few seasons and they have had a great start this season. We haven’t played against most of the players they have on their roster this year, but have to figure out a way to stop what thus far has been a formidable starting 5.

1st Half:

Some good hustle by Ivelitsch…good positioning to pick off some rebounds. Cal Poly having problems figuring out Kent State’s 2-3 zone. The Mustangs’ 2-3 zone also is hampering the Golden Flashes. Collier also working the boards well. D by both teams in control for first 7 minutes. But Preston hits a couple big buckets to give Cal Poly a 13-8 lead with 11 minutes remaining. Mustangs have good positioning and are blocking out to control the boards. Keep Cal Poly from getting the ball inside…Mustangs hit just 2 of 15 from beyond the arc. When Cal Poly uses 1-2-1-1 full court press, need to beat it for some easy breakaway baskets. Low-scoring half: 27-26 in favor of Cal Poly.

2nd Half:

Cal Poly working ball inside more, but not shooting well. D continuing to predominate on both ends of the court. Both teams having trouble with zone defenses. Best to employ pressure D against the Mustangs. Both teams hitting well under 40% of their shots. The Mustangs eked out a 55-52 victory, but didn’t look good. Best part of their game was finishing +8 on the boards.

PG Danny Preston: 13 points, 5 assists; C Dekker Chambers: 10 points, 6 rebounds.

The Mustangs have some talented players but they’re young and inexperienced. So I believe if we put a lot of pressure on them, we can break both their offense and defense. Our 1-3-1 zone can do a number on opponents...and if a guy gets hot, our m-2-m ain't bad either and works well at shutting down players.

[PointGuard]

San Luis Obispo Tribune

BIG WEST COMPETITION BEGINS

Christmas is in the past and New Years is right around the corner. And this coming Wednesday Big West Conference basketball contests begin. While Cal Poly doesn’t play on the first night of competition, their conference opener will be Friday, December 28 when they host UC Santa Barbara.

The Mustangs breezed through pre-conference play, rolling off 9 straight victories before stubbing their toe against George Mason. That loss dropped Cal Poly out of the Top 25 in the polls. The Mustangs got back on the win track last week by beating Kent State. Their 10-1 record is far better than any of the other Big West teams. The next two best records this season have been posted by: UC Davis (6-3), UC Irvine (6-4), and Long Beach State (5-5). The remaining 7 Big West Teams all have sub-.500 records.

Cal Poly’s success thus far this season has led the media that covers Big West teams to predict that the Mustangs will come out on top of the conference standings at the end of the season. The teams the media feels are most likely to challenge Cal Poly are UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, and Cal State Fullerton, in that order.

After winning 21 games against 12 losses last season, the Mustangs’ roster was decimated by the loss of 6 seniors who graduated and then 2 more players who transferred this past summer. Many doubted Coach Aura and his staff would be able to structure a team this year that could do as well as last season with such massive personnel losses. But the team’s incoming recruits and transfer players have come on strong, providing 4 starts as well as some valuable reserves.

The team has averaged 77.2 ppg while giving up just 67.7 ppg in their 11 games thus far this season.

Leading the team in scoring this year are its 5 starters: SG Nikolos Ivelitsch (12.7 ppg); PG Danny Preston (11.5 ppg); SF Trey Small (11.3 ppg); C Dekker Chambers (9.9 ppg); and PF Victor Collier (8.0 ppg). Reserves that have added scoring are: SG Bryan Taylor (7.5 ppg); PF Darcel Aygar (5.9 ppg); PG Edouard La Touche (4.0 ppg); PG Tim Lepore (3.2 ppg); SF Ed Tenys (1.8 ppg); PF Rodney Boykin (1.6 ppg); and C Justin Clausen (1.5 ppg).

Principal rebounders have been: Chambers (6.9 rpg); Collier (6.6 rpg); Small (4.6 rpg); Aygar (3.5 rpg); Ivelitsch (3.3 rpg); and Preston (3.3 rpg).

Leading the team in assists are: Preston (4.3 apg); Chambers (2.5 apg); Small (2.4 apg); La Touche (2.1 apg); and Ivelitsch (2.0 apg).

Coach Fred Aura said, “Even with so many new players, our team really came together quickly. It’s a testament to the ability and work ethic that our guys possess. We’re still working to improve but overall, my assistant coaches and I are very pleased how the team has coalesced.”

When reminded that the team has been picked to finished atop the conference standings, Aura replied, “We might, but there are a number of very good teams that’ll be working hard to finish first. It’s a long season and a lot of things can happen. Our first conference game is against UC Santa Barbara and the Gauchos always give us a real battle. One thing I’m sure of, though, is that our guys will be fighting the entire season to win as many games as we possibly can.”