ARCATA — Coming off a big homestand that produced four wins over the past two weekends, the task gets even tougher when the Lumberjacks travel to face Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Dominguez Hills. On Friday, HSU battles the CSLA Eagles at 7:30 p.m., and at the same time Saturday the Jacks go up against the CCAA co-leader CSUDH Toros.
Friday's matchup features the feisty Eagles, who currently stand fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 7-3 record, and are 11-3 overall. On Saturday the No. 5 ranked Toros host the No. 20 ranked Lumberjacks in a game featuring the current CCAA co-leaders. Both CSUDH and HSU are 13-1 overall and 9-1 in league.
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 leads the all-time series with Cal State LA, 7-2 and is ahead of Cal State Dominguez Hills, 8-2. The Jacks swept the season series with both opponents a year ago.
Head Coach Steve Kinder
The "Kinder Era" at HSU is off to an 13-1 start, including a 9-1 record 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 - #4 Brandon Sperling, 6-3, Jr., Fresno
F - #15 Elliot Babcock-Krenk, 6-3, Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
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
Brian Morris' impressive performances earned him CCAA Player of the Week honors for the second straight week. Morris scored a Humboldt State school-record 50 points in the Jacks' win over Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday, going 21 of 28 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. He also hit 5 of 6 free throws and grabbed nine rebounds. On Saturday, Morris scored 23 points to lead HSU to a narrow win over San Francisco State. His performance was highlighted by an 11 for 13 effort from the free throw line, and he also topped the Lumberjacks with 10 rebounds. For the week's two games, Morris averaged 36.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. …Tuesday's announcement of the weekly NABC/Division II poll marked the first time this season the Jacks have been listed in the Top 25. Last week they were first among "others receiving votes." Regionally, the Lumberjacks trail the Toros and Central Washington among nationally ranked schools. …Morris has taken over the CCAA's top spot in scoring with an average of 19.5 points per game. The 6-9 post ranks third in rebounding with 8.1 per game.…Team-wise, the Jacks lead the league in scoring offense (80.4), field goal percentage (.477), scoring margin (+9.8), assists to turnovers ratio (1.1) and free throw percentage (.782). …Once again, the Lumberjacks will be facing the task of playing back-to-back games. Unlike their home schedule, which allows for a game between contests, CCAA road games for HSU are limited to the Friday-Saturday format.
Opponents' Notes
Cal State LA is 8-1 on its home court this season, the lone loss coming to travel partner CSU Dominguez Hills by only two points. The Eagles split last week's games, losing to UC San Diego in double overtime and narrowly escaping an upset bid from Cal State East Bay. …Franklin Session is CSLA's leading scorer with an average of 15.8 points per game. David Norris, a 6-6 forward, leads the Eagles in rebounding with an impressive 9.5 per game average. …Cal State Dominguez Hills has a 7-1 record on its home court, the Torodome. The Toros swept on the road last week, thumping Cal State East Bay, 70-52, and securing an 8-point win over UC San Diego. …Offensive balance has been one key to CSUDH's success, with three players averaging in double digits. Michael Cox, a 6-8 center, leads the way with 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Also scoring in double figures are senior point guard Marquintice Davis, who averages 11,4 points per game, and Zareh Zargaryen, a 6-6 senior forward who puts up 11.1 points per outing.
Kinder's Quotes
"Saturday's win was critical considering we're going on the road now. We're facing two more difficult teams, and if we had lost Saturday we'd be looking at a potential three-game slide." …"We're trying to project the outcome, and the first instinct is to turn to the coaches' cliche' of splitting on the road. Our goal is still to win two." …"CSLA is so talented and plays such good defense. They're especially tough on their own court. And after we face that challenge, we have to come back without much preparation and play what looks like the big game right now."
