ARCATA — Now that the dress rehearsal is finished, it's time to officially begin the Head Coach Steve Kinder men's basketball era at Humboldt State. Last week's successful exhibition tuneup against Southern Oregon provided a glimpse of the 2010-11 Lumberjacks, but was only a precursor to Saturday's season-opener.
Visiting to help celebrate or spoil the occasion are the Bethany University Bruins. Tip-off in Lumberjack Arena is scheduled for a rare 3:30 p.m. matinee, sandwiched between the afternoon's football game and that evening's volleyball match.
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. …Saturday's game will be broadcast live from Lumberjack Arena by News Channel 3's sports director, Manny Machado.
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
It's been awhile since these two teams met, going back to the 1996-97 season when the Jacks earned a 69-38 win over the Bruins. Humboldt State leads the all-time series, 5-0.
Head Coach Steve Kinder
Saturday's game marks the first competition officially guiding the Lumberjacks for head coach Steve Kinder. After serving as the Jacks' No. 1 assistant for the past 20 seasons, Kinder takes 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
HSU's defense was a major plus emerging from the evaluation of HSU's exhibition game. Having recruited players with known defensive skills, it wasn't a surprise to the coaching staff that HSU held Southern Oregon to 27 percent from the field. …Humboldt State's press wasn't unveiled at the exhibition contest, leaving it another weapon in the Jacks arsenal that has yet to be seen. "We didn't press, which is often a remedy to our shooting," Kinder said. "When we press we tend to get easier baskets in transition." …Shooting woes plagued the Jacks throughout their exhibition game, especially from 3-point range. Even the usually reliable veterans struggled to find the mark, leaving the Jacks 3-of-23 from long range. "We looked at the Southern Oregon game, and we did a good job of executing our offense and getting the ball to the shooters. We're hoping it was just a case of early jitters, and we got them out of the way." …Junior guard Scott Clark continues to recover from an ankle sprain, and should be 100 percent by the weekend. Sophomore forward Derrick Buchanan suffered an illness that kept him out of practice, but has since returned. …Sophomore post Matt Lipski is sill waiting for eligibility paperwork to be processed. Once cleared, he'll be able to join the squad immediately. …Players impressing Kinder in the opening exhibition included newcomers Brandon Sperling and Randy Hunter. Sperling directed the offense effectively and also scored 18 points, while Hunter had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. "I was really happy with Hunter's debut," Kinder said. "He played solid and was consistent. He's far ahead of where most transfers would be coming into our system."
Bruins Notes
Bethany University has already played four games, but the outcomes have not been in the Bruins' favor. Their latest game – an 89-87 loss to Pacifica College – leaves Bethany with an 0-4 record to start the season. …Other opponents have included Hope International (67-51), Cal Baptist (67-50) and Master's College (88-63). …Guard Marcus Crawford has been the Bruins' most consistent scorer, hitting double digits in all four games. His best effort was a 31-point performance against Pacifica. …Travis Derochowski, a 6-9, 250-pound post, has also had an impact in early games. Derochowski achieved a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds against Cal Baptist.
Kinder's Quotes
"Bethany has some players we need to be concerned about. Crawford is a legitimate point guard who can score, and we'll have to stop him from penetrating. Derochowski is a real force inside. He's aggressive and he can finish. And (senior guard Milton) Brown is a shooter who has great range and will pull up from anywhere." … "I'm grateful that we had our exhibition test last week against Southern Oregon. For myself, as a head coach, it was my first pregame, halftime and postgame talks. It was a great rehearsal for many reasons."
