ARCATA — Another trip over route 299 stops in Chico for Friday's 7:30 p.m. tip-off between the Lumberjacks and Chico State Wildcats. The contest marks the start of California Collegiate Athletic Association action for both teams, and will follow the women's contest as part of a league doubleheader.
Heading far south down the Central Valley, the Lumberjacks will have to make a quick turnaround in time to face Cal State Stanislaus at approximately 7:30 p.m. in another league game Saturday. Once again, the women's matchup precedes the men's event.
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/. …This weekend's Chico State game can be tracked at http://www.csuchico.edu/athletics/livestatsmbk/xlive.htm, and the CSU Stanislaus game is at http://warriorathletics.com/sports/2007/custompages/livestats/mbb/index.html.
Head-to-Head
HSU trails the all-time series against Chico State, 70-105. The Jacks took both games in the season-series last year. …Humboldt State has built a 35-28 lead in the series with CSU Stanislaus. The past two games in Turlock have both been decided by two points.
Head Coach Steve Kinder
The "Kinder Era" at HSU is off to a 4-0 start after a pair of home victories and a sweep at the MacMartin Tournament. 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 - #21 Randy Hunter, 6-6, Jr., Santa Maria
F - #21 Kyle Baxter, 6-9, Jr., Sacramento
C - #32 Brian Morris, 6-9, Sr., Portland, Ore.
Lumberjack Notes
Junior forward Randy Hunter and senior post Brian Morris both earned selection to the Mac Martin All-Tournament team following the Jacks' sweep of their games in Chico last weekend. Hunter averaged 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting at a .619 pace in the Jacks' two wins. Morris put up a team-high 19.5 points per game while grabbing 7.0 rebounds per outing and shooting .600 from the field. "With Randy and Brian in there, our production from the floor has a high percentage," Kinder said. "Randy goes hard every game. And for Brian, I think this was the all-time high for effort that I've seen from him at HSU. He was diving for loose balls and going hard every play." …Playing at Chico one week before heading back for a league game allowed the Jacks to become familiar with the Acker Gym court. Winning twice on that floor didn't hurt, either. "We hadn't seen a 40-minute, collective effort from our team before Saturday's game," Kinder said. "We went out there and dismantled what I think is a very good Northwest Christian team. That bodes well for us heading into conference." …HSU leads the CCAA in scoring with an average of 88 points per game. The Jacks also lead the league in steals (11.8 per game) and three-point defense (.217 allowed). They're second in two other categories that are led by CSU Pomona, which has only played a single game, against Pacifica.
Opponents' Notes
Chico State swept its two tournament games last week, defeating Northwest Christian, 85-72, and Dominican University, 71-51. Those wins send the Wildcats into this weekend with a perfect 4-0 mark. …Chico State has already played a league game, opening its season against travel partner Cal State Stanislaus. The Wildcats claimed a 64-59 win in that game on Nov. 18. …Four players are averaging in double figures for the Wildcats, led by freshman guard Sean Park's 14.5 points per game. Demario Sims, a sophomore guard, was named MVP of the Mac Martin Invitational, and is averaging 14 points per game. Roderick Hawkins averages 13.3 points and 5 rebounds a game, and point guard Jay Flores has scored at a 12.8 ppg clip while dishing 24 assists. …Cal State Stanislaus is 1-2 heading into the week's games, having lost that opener to Chico State and dropping a 68-57 decision to Westmont College. The Warriors earned their lone win Saturday, defeating Menlo College, 65-65. …Junior forward Evan Scott is the Warriors' top scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game. Freshman guard Marcus Lever averages 11.3 ppg, and junior guard Dan Daviess scores 11.0 per contest.
Kinder's Quotes
"Winning both games at Chico was a solid accomplishment. In the second game, in particular, we played well for a full 40 minutes, and that was something we hadn't done previously." …"Chico State is playing great right now. They're well-coached, and they have a deep bench. Sims can get it going by penetrating or hitting the 3-pointer. Park comes off the bench and makes plays. Hawkins is a veteran who is their backbone guy. Flores is a leader who has a calming effect on his team, and provides a great contrast to the other players." …"We don't know a lot about CSU Stanislaus because we're continuing our one-game-at-a-time approach. We also don't have the luxury of an extra day between traveling, something the teams that come up here to play us enjoy.. Scott and Lever are doing well early, and they have added last year's JC Player of the Year (6-9 forward Reggie Jones), who was a teammate of our Scott Clark at Ohlone." …"We've anticipated the beginning of league play, and we should be ready for it. What presents somewhat of a challenge is going on the road to start. But I feel good about how we're playing and the progress we've made."
