ARCATA — Two home games open the California Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball season for Humboldt State, both scheduled for this week in Lumberjack Arena. The Lumberjacks begin against Cal State Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, then are back on the court of Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Off to a 1-2 start, with all three games played away from home, the Jacks will try to start a string of victories on their own court. This week's pair of games begins a stretch of five straight in Arcata.
On-the-Air
Every Lumberjack basketball game is broadcast live over the local airways on KATA, 1340 AM, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to game time. Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action from Lumberjack Arena and HSU Assistant Athletic Director Dan Pambianco goes on the road with the Jacks. …Audio is also streamed live over the Internet through the hsujacks.com web site. The new UStream format allows an interactive chat between listeners during the webcast. The specific URL for access is located at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.
Live Stats
All Lumberjack basketball home games can be tracked online by using the Live Stats feature on hsujacks.com. Real time statistics, momentum tracker and other information are featured on the game viewer. The feature can be found at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/.
Head-to-Head
Cal State Los Angeles earned a late-season win against the Jacks a year ago in Lumberjack Arena, evening up the season series at one each. Humboldt State still holds the overall edge, 5-2, however. …HSU leads the series with CSUDH, 6-2 following last year's split of two games. Each squad earned a win on its home court in 2008-09.
Projected Starters
G - #12 Ernie Spada, 5-11, 175, Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
G - #22 Zac Tiedeman, 6-1, 180, Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif.
F - #21 Kyle Baxter, 6-9, 200, So., Sacramento, Calif.
F - #24 Kevin Atkins, 6-6, 220, Sr., Long Beach, Calif.
C - #32 Brian Morris, 6-9, 260, Jr., Portland, Ore.
Lumberjack Links
Following are links to more information on the Lumberjack basketball program.
Complete Roster
Schedule
2009-10 Statistics
Lumberjack Notes
Defense, and more of it, is the focus of current practice sessions, which began soon after the Jacks' return from last Wednesday's 73-72 loss to Western Oregon. The many reasons for that emphasis begin with opponents' .500 shooting percentage from the field thus far, and .380 mark from three-point range. "The best way I can put it is we're playing soft right now," HSU head coach Tom Wood said. "We haven't ratcheted up that level of intensity, and that's a coaching problem. We have to raise that to be competitive and win at this level." …Offensively, the Jacks placed four players in double figures in the loss to WOU and shot 47 percent from the field themselves. They were out-rebounded, 35-27, and are now -4 vs. opponents in rebounding this season. …Junior post Brian Morris re-injured a leg during the loss to WOU and will be limited in practice this week. His status for the two league games is in doubt, possibly leaving the Jacks without their leading scorer (15.3 ppg) and rebounder (7.0 rpg). "Brian has felt somewhat better each day," Wood said. "Regardless, he needs to be out their practicing to be able to be effective, and this is a serious setback for him." …Derrick Buchanan and David Howard rejoined the team last week following illnesses that had kept them out of games and practice the previous week. Neither played vs. WOU as they continue to regain their health. …Sophomore Kyle Baxter, last year's CCAA Freshman of the Year, has provided consistency is several categories already this season. Through three games, Baxter has averaged 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists per game. He added three blocked shots in last week's game. …Home court has provided many quick fixes to the Jacks' ailments over the past decade. Since the 2000-01 season, HSU has posted a 113-16 record in Arcata.
Opponent Notes
Cal State Los Angeles is 1-0, its lone game a 65-53 win over Hope International. Prior to opening the regular season, the Eagles dropped exhibition games to UC Santa Barbara (85-57), Cal State Fullerton (69-58) and Syracuse (97-54). …Senior guard Chris Fields tops the CCAA in steals with an average of 3 per game, and also leads in minutes played, averaging 38 per contest. He is also tied with teammates Chris Robinson and Leland Jones as the squad's leading scorer, all averaging 12 points per game. …Fields is back for his second season for the Golden Eagles and three other prominent players also return in sophomore forward Leland Jones, junior center Trenod Smith, and senior guard Dwayne Jones. Fields earned second-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honors despite missing nearly the entire second half of conference play with an injury. …Cal State Dominguez Hills is off to a 0-2 start, falling to Grand Canyon (67-57) and Dixie State (69-49) in non-league road games. … Last year's CSUDH team advanced to the second round of the NCAA West Region before falling to BYU Hawaii. This year's team, however, features just four returners from last year's squad, and is counting on a bevy of newcomers. Among the returners, senior Tim McGrath is leading his team in scoring with 11.0 points per game. Newcomer Tim McLaurin, a junior transfer from Chadron State, avearges 9.5 ppg.
Wood's Words
"We're not where I want us to be now, which leaves us with some decisions to make. We're making a tough decision to emphasize defense, which might impact our offensive execution." … "We're not suffering from anything terminal. Everything that has been a problem can be corrected. The best way to get the players' attention to that is by making them accountable." … "Both of our opponents this week are very athletic, and are working to fit in a number of new players. They're very similar in the strengths they bring to the court." … "I've been coaching for 29 years, and I've never liked the idea of road games in late November and early December. It's tough to win those games. Obviously, we've had great success here because of our loyal fans and this atmosphere. But I think players from other teams also enjoy that environment."
