ARCATA — Having already secured at least a share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship, the Humboldt State men's basketball team will try to claim the title outright when it finishes the regular season against a pair of highly-regarded opponents. Ranked No. 10 nationally and No. 3 in the region in last week's polls, the Jacks could also make some noise on their respective position in each of those rankings.

The Lumberjacks, 22-2 overall and 18-2 in the CCAA, begin their task Wednesday against a team responsible for one of their losses. Cal State Dominguez Hills is a squad that could still share the league crown with HSU. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Friday's contest is against another team already qualified for the CCAA postseason tournament, Cal State Los Angeles. Humboldt State will honor seniors Ernie Spada and Brian Morris with a ceremony prior to the 7:30 p.m. tip-off. 

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, 8-2 and is ahead of Cal State Dominguez Hills, 8-3. The Jacks lost to CSUDH on their swing through Southern California in January, and picked up a win over the CSLA Eagles.

Head Coach Steve Kinder
The "Kinder Era" at HSU is off to an 22-2 start, including 1n 18-2 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
Besides securing lone possession of the CCAA championship, the Lumberjacks have several other motivating factors heading into Wednesday's game against CSU Dominguez Hills. The Toros dealt the Jacks one of their two losses, HSU finishing on the short end of a 76-59 decision in Carson on Jan. 22. Humboldt State suffered from two limiting factors in that game, however. One was point guard Brandon Sperling's ankle injury, which held him to eight minutes of court time. Another was the ejection of starting post and leading scorer Brian Morris, who was tossed after reacting to the physical style of play. "Sperling is healthy now and we'll obviously have Morris in the lineup," HSU head coach Steve Kinder said. "We're approaching this game much the same way we did when we played Cal State Stanislaus at home after losing to them on the road. We're playing at home and would like to avenge our loss." …Morris' impressive performances last weekend earned him CCAA Player of the Week honors for the third time this season. Morris scored 37 points in the Jacks' win over San Francisco State on Friday, going 15-of-20 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. …Morris, along with Ernie Spada, will be honored in pregame ceremonies Friday. Morris has attended Humboldt State for the past three years, redshirting and then playing for the Jacks his junior and senior seasons. Earlier this year, Morris broke the HSU single-game scoring record, contributing 50 points in the Jacks' win over Cal State Monterey Bay. "Along with his obvious skills on the court, Brian had made great accomplishments, both academically and physically during his time at HSU," Kinder said. "He worked hard, first as a redshirt, then through a nice junior season and now a prolific senior year. "He's also been our emotional leader this year." …Spada joined HSU as a freshman out of Lake Oswego, Ore., and has been a major contributor all four of his years playing for the Jacks. His 196 3-point field goals to begin the week ties him for first place with Vince Zinselmeier on the Lumberjacks career 3-pointers list. "Ernie had bled green and gold from the minute he stepped on the court," Kinder said. "He's truly a pleasure to be around and to coach. I'm looking forward to continuing a relationship with Ernie and his family long after he graduates."

Opponents' Notes
Cal State Dominguez Hills has been in a battle with HSU for the conference lead throughout the season. The Toros come into the week with a 20-4 overall record and 16-4 league mark. …Leading the Toros in scoring is senior forward Michael Cox, who averages 12.4 points per game. Senior point guard Marquintice Davis is right behind at 12.2 points per contest. …Cox is also the team's leading rebounder, with 6.8 per game. …Last week the Toros split a pair of home games, losing 61-59 to UC San Diego and defeating Cal State East Bay, 72-57. …Cal State LA broke a four-game losing streak with two home wins last weekend. The Eagles defeated UC San Diego, 64-62, and beat Cal State East Bay in overtime, 71-61. …Cal State LA's record is now 14-10 overall and 10-10 in the CCAA standings. Last week's wins secured the Eagles a berth in the conference's postseason tournament. …Guard Franklin Session is CSLA's top scorer, averaging 16.4 points a game. Also in scoring in double figures are senior forward David Norris (12.1) and junior guard Chris Robinson (10.7).

Kinder's Quotes
"Cal State Dominguez Hills is really deep and balanced in every position. They have great guard play, and their inside players give them toughness and a physical style." …"They have a lot to play for, including a co-championship with us if we were to stumble. They also want momentum heading into the CCAA Tournament." …"Cal State LA is one of the most dangerous teams in the conference. Their talent pool is so deep they look like the Lakers." …"CSLA has been a little up and down this year, but they are a team that can beat anybody on a given night." …"Our players are focused on winning an outright championship. They're focused on earning sole possession of that banner."