ARCATA — Thanksgiving break for most college students means a chance to escape the rigors of school for a week, reconnect with family and friends, and recharge their minds as they head into the final few weeks of fall semester.
Complete Game Notes
For Humboldt State men's basketball players, the feast week means longer practices, time in the weight room, and a home game on Saturday. And that's exactly how the Humboldt State Lumberjacks like it.
"We have a lot to work on," head coach
Steve Kinder said. "We're going to take a look at our defense, from top to bottom, and work hard on correcting the areas of concern."
While most students kick back and watch football, the HSU men's basketball team will be practicing late Wednesday evening, then back up to hit the court again Thanksgiving morning. After that, the fun begins.
Following a sumptuous team dinner in the afternoon, the Lumberjacks will gather in front of the television to watch pre-recorded coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
"That's going to be fun because we were just there a couple weeks ago," said Kinder, whose squad traveled to New York City to play St. John's University in an exhibition game earlier this month.
Seeking more enjoyment, the Jacks will take the court Saturday, welcoming the Simpson University Red Hawks to Lumberjack Arena. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Track the Jacks
Audio: Every Humboldt State men's basketball game is broadcast live on the local airwaves on KATA 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN affiliate owned by BiCoastal Media. J.B. Mathers handles the play-by-play responsibilities, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to tip-off. The audio is also streamed live online at http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kataam.
Video: HSU Athletics offers live streamed video online, coming direct from Lumberjack Arena at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.
Live Stats: Follow the action online via Humboldt State's live statistics viewer, located at the following link: http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/.
Head-to-Head History
Unbeaten in the schools' competitive history, Humboldt State stands 5-0 all-time against Simpson University. The last official meeting between the teams resulted in a 78-68 Lumberjack win during the 2008-09 season. In an exhibition contest played early in 2011, the Jacks defeated the Red Hawks, 96-46.
Statistically Speaking
Three hundred and 10 schools and their varying size rosters of athletes will be sorted weekly in the NCAA Division II statistical rankings. Here's a look at where the Jacks rank, team-wise and individually, in selected categories following four games.
Defensive Diligence
Assessing his team's most prominent shortcoming thus far, Kinder feels the Jacks will markedly improve in the coming weeks. "We're looking at the defense, top to bottom," Kinder said. "That includes getting back on transition, guarding opponents in the halfcourt, keeping them in front of you and finishing the other team's possession with a defensive rebound.. That's going to be our main focus." …After testing the Jack's zone and man-to-man defense in the first two games of the season, the HSU coaching staff unveiled its press in the second two. Moderate success was evident in the numbers – HSU forced opponents into a combined 24 turnovers and totaled nine steals against Dominican University and Academy of Art, then forced 40 turnovers and came up with 20 steals combined against Pacific Union and Pacifica University this week. However, opponents' shooting percentage is a clear indicator of much-needed improvement. Over four contests, the four teams the Jacks have faced are hitting on 53.2 percent of their attempts from the field, a mark that ranks the Jacks last among CCAA teams. They are giving up an average of 85 points per game, a stat that lists 11th among the 12 league teams. "As a staff, we're still planning to use a variety of defenses. We'll work on restructuring roles and focus on reducing mistakes."
Revised Role?
Since the season's beginning, freshman
Will Taylor has prospered in the role of super-sub, coming off the bench to give the Jacks a lift. His numbers reflect that success - a scoring average of 15.0 points, rebound average of 6.8 boards and total of 10 assists, marks that all rank second among the Jacks, and an accumulation of seven steals that tops the team. Along with those numbers, he's proven to be a solid team player, attitude-wise. "I don't care what role I'm in," Taylor said, following Saturday's win over Pacifica. "What I want is to be in at the end of the game so I can possibly make a difference." …Taylor's efforts have Kinder contemplating a potential change, however. "Will has certainly earned the opportunity to start, but he's also proven so versatile coming off the bench" Kinder said. "We've been toying with the idea of starting him."
Injury Update
The bumps and bruises that commonly accumulate as the number of games and intensity of practices both increase are common among HSU players. None of the issues is expected to limit HSU this weekend.
Probable Starters
Lumberjacks
#4
Parker Farris, 6-4, 180, Fr., G, Arcata
#10
Jordan Mackie, 6-6, 190, Jr., G, Los Angeles
#15
Brandon Pomrehn, 6-8, 230, Jr., C, Arcata
#25
Allan Guei, 5-9, 163, Jr., G, Los Angeles
#32
David Howard, 6-7, 230, Jr., F, Chicago
Simpson University
#0 Jonnie Washburn, 6-4, Jr., G, Puyallup
#1 Anthony Williams, 6-2, Jr., F, Redding
#3 Shaquille Jones, 5-9, Jr., G, Oakland
#20 Dalton Thacker, 6-2, So., G, Longview, Wash.
#34 Ian Corella, 6-7, Jr., C, Mira Loma
Scouting the Opposition
Simpson University (1-5) has stumbled to start the season, its lone win a 94-88 victory over Corbin University at the Menlo Tip-off Classic. The Red Hawks play at Northwest Christian in Eugene, Ore. tonight. …Sophomore guard Dalton Thacker leads Simpson in scoring with an average of 12.7 points per game. Junior post Ian Corella contributes 11.1 points per contest.
Looking Ahead
HSU opens CCAA action against UC San Diego on Dec. 5 in Lumberjack Arena, the Jacks play another league game on Dec. 7 vs. CSU San Bernardino.
The final non-conference outing is a Dec. 16 home game vs. Linfield College.
