ARCATA — Another tough pre-conference test looms ahead on the Humboldt State men's basketball schedule when the Menlo College Oaks visit for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game in Lumberjack Arena.
Humboldt State started the 2010-11 season with a 83-69 win over Bethany University on Saturday. Menlo has played four games already, falling to three NCAA Division I programs before defeating UC Merced last week.
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 and video are 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
Humboldt State holds a 3-0 lead over Menlo College in the all-time series between the two teams. The most recent meeting was a 96-52 Lumberjack win during the 2003-04 season.
Head Coach Steve Kinder
The "Kinder Era" at HSU began last week with the win over Bethany. After serving as the Jacks' No. 1 assistant for the past 20 seasons, Kinder took over for his mentor, Tom Wood, in 2010-11. As an assistant, he played critical roles in recruiting and coaching while helping the Jacks' 217-77 record achieved during the past decade. Kinder is a former HSU basketball player who was a member of the 1984-85 NCAC championship team. He previously served as a graduate assistant coach for the Lumberjacks (1986-88).
Projected Starters
G - #12 Ernie Spada, 5-11, Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
G - #4 Brandon Sperling, 6-3, Jr., Fresno
F - #15 Elliot Babcock-Krenk, 6-2, Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
F - #21 Kyle Baxter, 6-9, Jr., Sacramento
C - #32 Brian Morris, 6-9, Sr., Portland, Ore.
Lumberjack Notes
This week's game represents a step up in competition, and the Lumberjack coaching staff has been preparing accordingly. New players are being worked into the rotations, and the returning Jacks are getting accustomed to working with the new corps of point guards, including starter Brandon Sperling, following two years of outstanding floor direction from graduated senior Zac Tiedeman. "Brandon is a different type of point guard from Zac," HSU head coach Steve Kinder said. "He'll go past his man and then make the pass to an open shooter. We're looking at how that works and how best to improve the success of our three-point shooters." …Last week, against Bethany University, HSU employed a full-court press the entire game, something the Jacks hadn't shown in their exhibition with Southern Oregon. Humboldt State's depth, with 13 currently eligible players, allowed Kinder to frequently substitute and keep the press fresh, forcing Bethany into 28 turnovers. "We learned that we're capable of covering 94-feet of court," Kinder said. "As a result, we can play more of a transition game that gets us easier baskets."…HSU's preseason All-American, Brian Morris, started his senior season with an 18-point effort that included 2-for-2 from three-point range. …Overall, Humboldt State's three-point shooting has been sub-par in its exhibition game and opener. But with proven shooters on the court, Kinder expects that to change. "Our three-point shooting isn't on track yet, but it will come around as we become better at executing on offense," Kinder said. "We'll look for things on video, like if our passes are crisp, if the shooters are set, and our overall rhythm." …Junior transfer Randy Hunter has already impressed, adding 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds against Bethany. Hunter also had three blocked shots and three steals in 23 minutes of court time.
Oaks Notes
An NAIA program, Menlo has had the luxury of an early start to practices, and has logged three exhibition games against NCAA Division I programs. The Oaks season officially began last Friday with a 87-63 win over UC Merced. …Menlo's exhibition opponents were UC Davis, Sacramento State and University of San Francisco. In a narrow 84-78 loss to UC Davis, the Oaks were led by guard Julian Harris's 24 points and Tim Tatum's 12 rebounds. Harris also paced the Oaks with 20 points against Sacramento State before going 0-10 from the field vs. USF. In the victory over UC Merced, 6-4 forward Nick McCullar scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Tatus, a 6-6 forward, added 18 points. …Like the Lumberjacks, Menlo is coached by a former assistant coach who is in his first-year as head coach. Jon Surface was named head coach last spring after spending four years as an Oaks' assistant.
Kinder's Quotes
"Sperling, Morris and Hunter were obviously impressive in the first game. But we also found real plusses in the play of (guards) Scott Clark, J.D. Esters, DJ Broome and Emmett Duvall. They all did a nice job." …"I've seen Menlo play and they're a tough, well-coached team that executes their sets. They have guards that will go right past you. They're quick and have the advantage of having been practicing and playing longer." … "We celebrated our win and feel good about it, but the hard work doesn't stop. We're focusing on a decent week of preparation for a tough opponent."
