ARCATA — It's the end of the calendar year, but not even mid-way through the season for the Humboldt State men's basketball team. Coming off a brief holiday break, the Lumberjacks continue their 2011-12 campaign this week with a drive to Rohnert Park for Saturday's California Collegiate Athletic Association game against Sonoma State. New Year's Eve will feature a special 3 p.m. start time in the Wolves' Den.
Travel partners HSU and Sonoma State meet for the second time this season, the first game a 73-68 Lumbejack victory on Dec. 10 in Lumberjack Arena. Saturday's game can be viewed and Live Stats tracked at
http://www.sonomaseawolves.com/mbasketball_live.
On-the-Air
Every Lumberjack basketball game is broadcast live over the local airwaves 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 courtside.
LIve Streaming
Audio and video of home games are also streamed live over the Internet. The 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 www.hsujacks.com. Real time statistics, momentum tracker and other information are included on the game viewer. The feature can be found at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/ .
Head-to-Head
Humboldt State leads the all-time series, 46-35, including the win earlier this season in Arcata and a pair of victories during the 2010-11 season. Sonoma State's last win came early in the 2009-10 season when the Seawolves took down the Jacks in Lumberjack Arena. That win came in the third game of the conference season, and HSU avenged the defeat two weeks later, 90-48 at Rohnert Park.
Head Coach Steve Kinder
The "Kinder Era" began last year with a 26-4 record and a regular season conference title, finishing Kinder's inaugural season of 2010-11 with high standards to match in the future. But the National Coach of the Year hasn't been resting on his laurels, instead attending to the myriad of duties from recruiting to planning another run to the title. After serving as the Jacks' No. 1 assistant for the 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 - Humboldt State
G - #4 Brandon Sperling, 6-3, Sr., Fresno
G - #2 Scott Clark, 6-4, Sr., Pleasanton
F - #21 Randy Hunter, 6-6, Sr., Santa Maria
F - #21 Kyle Baxter, 6-9, Sr., Sacramento
C - #5, Matt Lipski, 6-9, So., Ashland, Ore.
Projected Starters - Sonoma State
G - #12, Patrick Scott, 6-4, Jr., Grass Valley
G - #20, Will Olsem, 6-2, Jr. Sacramento
G - #24, Steven Pratt, 6-4, Sr., Pleasanton
G - #33, Sterling Arterberry, 6-3, Jr., Sacramento
D - #2 Andrew Bolton, 6-10, Jr., Gawler, Australia
Humboldt State in the National Rankings
No. 16 - NABC Division II Coaches Poll (as of Dec. 21)
No. 21 - Division II Bulletin Preseason Poll
Lumberjack Notes
As mandated by the NCAA, all Division II basketball teams are coming off a six-day break as part of the "Life in Balance" initiative. Humboldt State's players resume practicing Tuesday, benefiting from a single-game week that allows them to focus on one opponent. All players are due back in time for a 7 p.m. practice and conditioning session. …Wednesday's focus will be on shooting and returning to the rhythm the Jacks experienced prior to taking time off. According to Kinder, one area of emphasis will be free throw shooting. During their past four games, the Jacks have made only 64 percent of their opportunities at the line. "We obviously need to concentrate on free throw shooting," Kinder said. "We will address that problem face-on with a bundle of repetitions throughout the week." …Another valuable aspect of having days off is the prospect of becoming healthier. Previously injured players Matt Lipski (elbow), Randy Hunter (ankle) and D.J. Broome (thumb), are expected to be back at 100 percent this weekend. …Right before the break the Jacks experienced a pair of games with vastly different approaches and different outcomes. Against Chico State, Humboldt State's players made only two of nine three-point chances for a 22 percent effort. In a win over CSU Stanislaus, the Lumberjacks were 13 of 23 from long range, sinking 56 percent of their attempts. Sophomore guard Austin Bryan found his stroke, making five of nine chances, and freshman Ethan Dillard – who didn't play at all against Chico State – was a remarkable five of six from three-point range against CSU Stanislaus. "We are continuing to fine tune our personnel combinations on the floor, finding the best weapons that work well together," Kinder said. "Our team can be extremely hard to guard when we are playing high octane basketball."
Opponents' Notes
Coming off a 61-54 win over Chico State, the Seawolves are now 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the CCAA. Point guard Steven Pratt became SSU's all-time assists leader in the win, and now has 312 assists in his career at SSU. …Pratt leads his team with an average of 14.2 points scored per game, just ahead of Patrick Scott's 12.9 average. Justin Herald, a 6-7 freshman forward who became eligible following the semester break, put up 12 and nine points in his first two outings. …The Sonoma State athletics community is mourning the loss of long-time head men's basketball coach Dick Walker, who earned 190 victories over 18 seasons at the helm of the SSU men's basketball program between 1978 and 1994. Walker, a close friend of former HSU head coach Tom Wood, guided his team to a share of the 1988-89 Northern California Athletic Conference championship. SSU and HSU tied for the title that season. "We had some real battles over the years," said Wood, who retired two years ago after directing the Lumberjacks for 29 seasons. "His teams were always well prepared, and you'd better have your team ready to play your best if you hoped to win against him. He always claimed he had won more games against my teams than I had, and I claimed the same thing. I think both of us were afraid to sit down and actually figure it out because we might find out that the other guy was right."
Kinder's Comments
"Over the holiday break, I was able to reflect on our progress thus far, and I believe this is a group of players that will get better week by week, heading toward a peak at the end of the basketball season. I truly believe we will be a very good team by late February and early March." …"We need to learn how to recover from losses. After being exposed, we will improve
our weaknesses and become a tougher team top to bottom." …"Sonoma State is coming off a great victory of Chico State so they will have confidence and momentum going into our game this weekend. They play well at home and have caused us many problems over the years with this classic match up. They will be entering the game with a revenge factor. History has shown that edge is extremely valuable for the team coming off a recent loss."
