ARCATA — Southern California is the first destination of 2012 for the Lumberjack men's basketball team, who'll take on Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Dominguez Hills this week in California Collegiate Athletic Association match-ups.

Friday's game against Cal State Los Angeles tips off at 7:30 p.m. in the Eagles' Nest, and Saturday's battle with Cal State Dominguez Hills is set for the same time in the Torodome. Last week's road loss to Sonoma State leaves the Lumberjacks at 7-3 overall and 3-3 in the CCAA, while CSULA is 8-2 and 4-2 in league. Cal State Dominguez Hills brings a 5-3 overall record and 4-2 CCAA mark into weekend action.

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 . This week's video and Live Stats from Cal State Los Angeles is available at http://www.calstatela.edu/athletics/live and the feed from Carson and the CSUDH campus can be found at http://www.gotoros.com/sports/2008/7/23/TorosLive.aspx?path=mbball.

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
Three wins over the Eagles last year, including a victory in the CCAA Championship Tournament semifinals, gave Humboldt State a 10-2 record against CSLA in the all-time series. HSU split the regular season games against CSUDH, but dropped a 51-50 decision in the CCAA tournament title game that cut the Jacks' historical record to 9-4 vs. the Toros.

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 - Cal State Los Angeles
G - #1, Chris Robinson, 6-5, Sr., Irvine
G - #2, Ryan Weatherell, 5-11, Sr., Alberta, Canada
F - #15, Quinton Watkins, 6-4, So., Inglewood
F - #21, Leland Jones, 6-6, Sr., Houston
C - #25, Carl Hoffman, 6-9, Jr., Rancho Palos Verdes

Projected Starters - Cal State Dominguez Hills
G - #5, Robert Willhite, 6-3, Sr., Ridgecrest
G - #11, Myron Green, 6-4, Jr., Irvine
G - #21, Wayne Andrews, 6-3, Jr., Compton
G - #24, Van Girard II, 6-2, Sr., Los Angeles
F - #33, George McGrew, 6-8, Jr., Chicago

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
Despite being even-up in league games thus far, the Lumberjacks haven't dropped off noticeably in any statistical category. Their 82.2 scoring average per game has slipped to 76.3, but that mark still ranks No. 2 among all CCAA squads. Humboldt State has in fact improved in one critical offensive category, shooting  39 percent from three-point range to rank first in league games and 37 percent overall, a mark that ranks fifth among CCAA squads. Sophomore guard Austin Bryan is second in league with a .538 three-point percentage and freshman guard Ethan Dillard ranks fourth at .485…After running the table with a 5-0 record in preseason games – all played at home – the Jacks have gone 2-1 at home and 1-2 on the road in early league games. Two more road games piggybacked on a single roadtrip offers yet another challenge for the Jacks to overcome. "We have to play unselfishly on both ends of the court and have the ability to respond to competitive, non-friendly environments on the road," Kinder said. …Senior forward Kyle Baxter has emerged as a rebounding force in the CCAA, and currently ranks fifth in league with 6.9 boards per game. Teammate Randy Hunter is a hair behind at 6.8 rebounds per game. …One category the Jacks have dominated throughout their years in the CCAA is fan support. Even with students missing from campus via break for at least three games, Humboldt State tops the league in attendance with an average of 1,023 loyal supporters per game. …Senior guard D.J. Broome is still recovering from a thumb injury suffered two weeks before the break. Also nursing various maladies are Austin Bryan (ankle) and Scott Clark.

Opponents' Notes
Cal State Los Angeles made waves in the CCAA with a much-improved team last year, and has started the 2011-12 season with signs of even more success. Key to the Eagles' efforts is balanced scoring and stiff defense. They top the CCAA in both scoring defense, allowing only 53 points per game, and in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to a mere 37 percent shooting mark. …Big-man Carl Hoffman, a 6-9 forward, is averaging 10.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard Quinton Watkins leads his team with a 11.8 ppg average. …Cal State Dominguez Hills has won four straight games, and also features a tough defense that has held opponents to 61 points per game. No Toro is scoring in double-digits, but plenty of players have led the offense on different occasions. Most consistent has been Wayne Andrews with a 9.9 scoring average. George McGrew is the top Toro with 5.9 rebounds a game.

Kinder's Comments
"We face a daunting road trip this weekend.  Both Cal State L.A. and CSU Dominguez Hills are teams that could be mistaken for the Lakers – they look the part. They're tall, long, and extremely athletic.  …"We will have to play together, our best basketball of the season to beat these teams."… "I am concerned about the back-to-back road trips in consecutive weekends, and the challenge of playing back-to-back nights."…"Individually, we understand our strengths and weaknesses, however as a team, collectively, we need to become more cerebral and learn how to feature our strengths and camouflage our weaknesses."