ARCATA — One week after their California Collegiate Athletic Association season-opening roadtrip, the Humboldt State Lumberjacks are ready to host men's basketball action. But instead of the usual home Thursday-Saturday schedule of games, the Jacks will only play once, facing travel partner Sonoma State at 4 p.m. Saturday in Lumberjack Arena.
Last week's trip produced a split for the Jacks, who are now 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the CCAA following a win over CSU Monterey Bay and a loss to Cal State East Bay. The defending CCAA regular-season champions will attempt to fight off the Seawolves and gain their 19th straight home win.
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 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 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, 45-35, including 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. 6 - NABC Division II Coaches Poll (as of 11/29/11)
No. 21 - Division II Bulletin Preseason Poll
Lumberjack Notes
Humboldt State men's basketball is used to winning, so when an occasional loss occurs, the Jacks have to remember that they're human. They also know that the CCAA offers a test every time on the court. "I predicted we'd have a setback some time during the season," HSU head coach Steve Kinder said, following HSU's 88-82 loss to CSU East Bay on Saturday. As far as history, we've had losses early in the season before and bounced back." Last year is a clear example. The Lumberjacks were upset by Cal State Stanislaus on their first CCAA roadtrip, but won 20 of their next 22 games on the way to earning the CCAA championship. In 2009-10, HSU lost to Sonoma State in its third game of the year, but went on to grab another league title. In 2006-07, Humboldt State started conference with two losses on the road, dropping games to CSU San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona before winning 19 of its next 20 for another CCAA championship. …Injuries that have plagued big men Greg Leslie and Tavin Hurley have limited their participation, in the case of the former, or kept them out completely, as with the latter. Leslie returned to action last weekend and saw sporadic court time on the road. Hurley may make his return this week, but is overall doubtful for Saturday. …D.J. Broome played both games last week after severely injuring his thumb during practice. The Jacks' senior, who has 11 steals coming off the bench, also fell hard during the CSU East Bay game and will be checked out by medical staff prior to this week's practices. …Following the all-night bus ride back to Arcata, the Jacks were given a day off from practice Monday. Having only one game to prepare for instead of two allows for recovery and a timely focus on academics. "They can shoot or do weights today, but that's optional," Kinder said. "Being home for only one game not only gives them a respite from the frantic schedule, but it allows them to study for final exams, which begin next week." …During their four practice sessions this week, the Jacks will return to basics, according to Kinder. They'll try to stimulate a stagnant offense. …Another element of the game Humboldt State will address is free throw shooting. The Jacks suffered a baffling 28-of-45 effort (51 percent) from the line against CSU East Bay, a statistic that changed the game. "We're going to shoot a lot of free throws this week," Kinder said. "We're not going to talk about it, but we're going to shoot more free throws than we have since September.
Opponents' Notes
Sonoma State, Humboldt State's travel partner, faced the same two teams as the Jacks last week and found the going rough. Cal State East Bay rallied for a 89-85 win over SSU on Friday, and the Seawolves lost in overtime to CSU Monterey Bay, 80-72 on Saturday. They stand at 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the CCAA. …Senior guard Steven Pratt needs just 8 assists to break SSU's all-time assists record of 305 and is nearing 1,000 career points (he has 937 right now). Barring injury, Pratt should become the 11th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Pratt currently leads his team with a 15.3 points per game scoring average, and junior guard Patrick Scott is adding 13.2 ppg. Also averaging in double figures are junior guard Will Olsem (11.2) and junior forward Ryan Stanley (10.7).
Kinder's Comments
"Sonoma State has experience in Olsem, Scott, Pratt and (Sterling) Arterberry. They know how to compete in the CCAA." …"Coach (Pat) Fuscaldo and his staff scout us better than anyone else in league does. They know what to prepare for, they know all of our sets. It comes down to us executing well." …"Our loss to East Bay was tough, but we have to give them credit. They were prepared to beat a top 10 team. It meant a lot to them. I'm not surprised they're 2-0 in league now. I predicted they had the ability to go from worst to first this year."
