ARCATA — Travel partner Sonoma State visits Arcata for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. men's basketball game in Lumberjack Arena. It's the first California Collegiate Athletic Association meeting of the year in the home-and-away series.
Both schools split on the road last week, losing to opposite opponents. They enter the single-game weekend with 1-1 league records, while the Jacks are 5-1 overall and the Seawolves 3-3.
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
HSU and Sonoma State split a pair of games last season, the Seawolves earning a 72-68 early season decision in Arcata, and the Jacks bouncing back to rout SSU, 96-55 in late December. …All-time, Humboldt State holds a narrow 40-35 edge over Sonoma State.
Head Coach Steve Kinder
The "Kinder Era" at HSU is off to a 5-1 start, including a 1-1 records in the CCAA. 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
Just when the Jacks appeared to be hitting full stride, they stumbled and fell to Cal State Stanislaus on the road Saturday. The loss followed an exciting overtime win over Chico State the previous evening, leaving HSU 1-1 in conference play. …"From start to finish that game (chico state) was a big-time collegiate basketball game. The game was played at a high level and a huge crowd witnessed it, every possession was played with hustle and determination" …It its first four wins, Humboldt State held a heavy advantage at the free throw line. With the advent of CCAA action on the road, the opponents earned 22 more appearances at the charity stripe, including an extra 16 for the CSUS Warriors. …Brian Morris was the Jacks' leading scorer before the CSU Stanislaus game, in which he was forced to sit out 17 minutes of the first half after being whistled for two quick fouls. Morris ended the game with six points in only 19 minutes on the court, while Brandon Sperling contributed 18 points for HSU to bring his team-leading average up to 15.7 points per game…"The long trip to Turlock, limited rest in the hotel, and playing in front of a less-than inspiring crowd became a real the biggest challenge of the weekend," Kinder said. "We may have had tired legs after our overtime win from the night before and didn't have the maturity to respect our opponent. We will learn from our loss".Morris contributes to top the Jacks in rebounding with 7.7 per contest. Those numbers rank Sperling third in the CCAA in scoring and Morris sixth in rebounding. …The last time HSU began a season with a 5-1 record was 2007-08. … Among the 12 games played in the CCAA last weekend, only three were won by the visiting team, including HSU's victory over Chico State. …"We are pleased with our first weekend of conference play," Kinder said. "Anytime you can split on the road in the CCAA you must feel pretty good about team"
Opponents' Notes
Senior forward James Sandoval leads the Seawolves into the weekend with team-high averages of 13.2 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. The offensie is balanced, veterans Ben Washington and Sterling Arterberry both scoring in double figures at 12.0 and 10.3 points per contest. …Sharpshooter Will Olsem has made 13 of 27 3-pointers for a .481 percentage. …Sonoma State's losses have been to Central Washington (83-72), Northwest Nazarene (83-71) and Chico State (69-65).
Kinder's Quotes
"After being on the road for four straight games, we are looking forward to playing against SSU in our own Lumberjack Arena. Our players appreciate the local support and atmosphere it provides for an excited basketball game." …"Sonoma State is well-coached. They prepare as well as anyone in the conference. It's been a traditional match-up problem for us, but I believe our coaching staff and players will become extremely focused this week and prepare to compete this Saturday night in the arena."
