ARCATA — Nine new Lumberjacks will experience their first California Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball roadtrip this week when they travel to Turlock and Chico, the longest driving experience of the 2012-13 season. Humboldt State, 3-1 overall and 0-1 in league, faces Cal State Stanislaus (1-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and after a sprint up I-5, takes on Chico State (1-1) at the same time Saturday.

"In my two years (as head coach) we haven't swept this trip," said HSU head coach Steve Kinder, whose teams are 1-1 against both CSU Stanislaus and Chico State on the road during his tenure. "There are logistics to deal with, including our shoot-around and practice times. Every team has the same issues, but what's different is we start every trip in Arcata."

Head-to-Head
Cal State Stanislaus has been a difficult challenge for the Lumberjacks in the past few years, but HSU was able to edge out the Warriors in both meetings last season. Those wins gave Humboldt State a 39-29 advantage in the all-time series. …One of their longest rivalries, the Lumberjacks had dominated the Chico State Wildcats in recent years. That trend came to an abrupt end last season, when the Wildcats took three out of four from HSU. Besides sweeping the regular season series, Chico State ended Humboldt State's season by defeating the Jacks in the first round of the NCAA Division II West Region Championships. The prior week, the Lumberjacks had earned their way into the NCAA tournament by defeating Chico State, 89-76 in the CCAA Championship Tournament. Spread over the program's history, Chico State holds a 108-73 advantage.

On-the-Air
Humboldt State basketball can be once again heard over the airwaves on KATA, 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN radio affiliate. BiCoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action. Airtime is 7:15 p.m. The broadcast will also be streamed live at http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kataam.

Streaming VIdeo
Friday's game will be streamed live from Turlock, but no viewing option is available for Saturday's match-up with Chico State. To view the Cal State Stanislaus game, direct your browser to http://www.warriorathletics.com/sports/2010/1/21/GEN_0121101850.aspx
 
LiveStats
Cal State Stanislaus offers live statistics viewable at http://sidearmstats.com/csustan/mbball/scoreboard.aspx. Live statistics for Saturday's contest against the Wildcats can be accessed http://www.sidearmstats.com/csuchico/mbball/xlive.htm

Projected Starters
Humboldt State Lumberjacks
Guard – #3 Brandon Woods, 6-2, So. from Compton
Guard – #22 Cody Kale, 6-3, Jr. from Rocklin
Forward – #2 Deaundray Robinson, 6-5, Jr. form Baton Rouge, La.
Forward – #4 Alec Williams, 6-7, Sr. from Laguna Niguel
Forward – #21 Aaron Chamberlain, 6-7, Sr. from Coronoa

Cal State Stanislaus Warriors
Guard – #15 Marcus Walters, 6-4, Sr. from Riverside
Guard – #12 Sam Marcus, 5-8 Jr. from Bakersfield
Guard – #4 Clinton Tremelling, 6-1 So. from Sutter Creek
Forward – #11 Phil Ward, 6-7, Jr. from Fresno
Forward – #32 Ray Mitchell, 6-7, Sr. from Los Angeles

Chico State Wildcats
Guard – #5 Demario Sims, 6-0, Sr. from West Oakland
Guard – #20 Sean Park, 6-2 Jr. from Goleta
Guard – #12 Spencer Moyer, 6-0 Sr. from San Diego
Forward – #15 Amir Carraway, 6-5, Jr. from Vallejo
Forward – #44 Jason Conrad, 7-0, Sr. from Gilroy

Injury Report
Following a plethora of preseason injuries, the Lumberjacks head into the weekend without any serious problems.

Lumberjack Notes
Reversing the slow start they suffered in last Wednesday's game against Cal Poly Pomona, Humboldt State raced away from non-league foe Holy Names in the game's first seven minutes Saturday. After building a 24-2 lead, the Jacks never allowed Holy Names to mount a comeback attempt. "What we took out of last week was confidence that we have enough athletic talent to compete with any of the 11 teams in our conference," Kinder said. …While senior transfer Alec Williams has emerged as a threat in the paint, two other Lumberjacks have also served early notice of their intent to impress. Deaundray Robinson was limited by a hand injury at the season's onset, but his 4-of-4 performance from the field and seven rebounds against Holy Names on Saturday indicate the healing process is complete. Also standing out was junior transfer Cody Kale, who asserted himself in the point guard position. "I'm pleasantly surprised with Cody's performance," Kinder said. "I'm very comfortable with him being our quarterback on the floor." Kale dished out four assists while committing only one turnover against Cal Poly Pomona last week, then followed with a 5-assist, 1-turnover effort against Holy Names. …Following four games, Williams is 1.7 rebounds short of averaging a double-double. His 17.8 points per game lead the Lumberjacks, as does his 8.3 rebounds per contest average. …Following four games, Kinder and crew are still looking for that elusive cohesiveness. He's faced with the dilemma of having the players learn the system or adjusting the system to fit the players. "As a coach, you have to be able to adapt your system to the type of players you have and their level of talent," Kinder said. "They have to adjust, too, but it's a steep learning curve. We have so many new players, and we can't force feed them."

Cal State Stanislaus Notes
Coach Larry Reynolds' top off-season task was replacing All-American Reggie Jones, who dominated the interior during his two seasons at CSU Stanislaus. The Warriors do have a solid floor general in Sam Marcus, who returns for his senior season after leading the Warriors in assists with 71 last year. …Newcomers Nick Hodge, Phil Ward and Marcus Walters are players to watch. "We recruited both Hodge and Ward, so I know they're good players," Kinder said. …Cal State Stanislaus began its season with a 69-59 loss to Dominican University. The Warriors bounced back to claim a 105-57 smack-down of UC Merced in their home-opener on Nov. 14. When the Jacks visit, the Warriors will have gone 15 days without playing a game.

Chico State Notes
Chico State begins the 2012-13 campaign as the CCAA coaches' choice to repeat as regular season champion. The Wildcats claimed that position a year ago before falling to the Lumberjacks in the CCAA Championship Tournament. …One major cog missing from Chico State's machine this year is point guard Jay Flores, last year's CCAA Player of the Year. Flores finished his four-year career, leaving the Wildcats searching for a replacement. …Returning starters Damario Sims, Jason Conrad, Amir Carraway and Sean Park are back on the floor, along with sixth man Jordan Semple. Sims and Carraway both averaged in double figures scoring last year. …Arcata High graduate Semple will face his former teammate, HSU's Thomas Witzel, for their first time in a collegiate contest. Another Jack Semple saw action against in high school is junior transfer Chris Pender, a McKinleyville High School graduate.

Kinder's Comments
"Cal State Stanislaus has a lot of new faces that look talented and athletic. Coach Reynolds will have them prepared specifically for us, and your can expect him to make mastermind adjustments during the game." …"We expect a hostile environment at Chico. The Lumberjacks and WIldcats have a great rivalry, and this will be yet another exciting rematch." …"We've yet to consistently establish the pace of play we want in a game. That's something we'll be working on."