Santiago or Schlemer? — A question worth asking

Molly Schlemer’s offensive game demands attention from opposing defenses. By Owen Main

One was a face-up big. The other loves to have her back to the basket.

One was a superstar from the beginning. The other took half her college career to blossom into a dominant force.

Their styles probably couldn’t be more different, but a pair of Righetti High School forwards have, over the course of the past six years, helped lead the Cal Poly women’s basketball program from a team that was perennially in the bottom half of the conference bracket into a four to five-year run of conference dominance.

The numbers bear it out. In the seven years leading up to Santiago’s freshman year (2000-01 year through 2006-07), Cal Poly had winning percentages of .445 (49-61) in conference and .438 (85-109) overall. In the six years since Santiago arrived, winning percentages have increased for the Mustangs to .684 (67-31) in Big West Conference play and .580 (109-79) overall. They have not won less than 11 games in conference since Santiago’s Freshman year.

It isn’t like these two have done it completely on their own. Building a winning atmosphere requires contributions from everyone from the assistant coaches to the last player off the bench.

Kristina Santiago enjoyed an MVP season in the Bulgarian League last year and is back in Ruse. Photo courtesy of Dunav 8806.

The year Santiago missed due to injury saw Rachel Clancy win Big West Player of the Year. Cal Poly players have won that award four straight years. Schlemer, the defending conference player of the year, has better numbers this year than last year. She has upped her activity rebounding and demands constant attention from opposing defenses as the conferences most dominant offensive player. Barring something completely unforseen or a collapse on the part of the team, Schlemer will raise that number to five this season.

There have been others. Point guard Jonae Ervin has led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Ariana Elegado is a constant outside threat who can create her own shot off the dribble — a valuable attribute at this level. Clancy, Kayla Griffin, and so many others have contributed to what has become a run of women’s basketball dominance that the Big West Conference hasn’t seen for some time.

Schlemer’s induction into the 1,000 point club is made even more remarkable by the fact that she averaged only nine minutes and 3.3 points per game during her first two seasons with Cal Poly.

Here’s a look at a few numbers from both Santiago and Schlemer:

* As of February 12, 2014

The two Righetti High School graduates have helped make the local school a perennial conference power. While coach Faith Mimnaugh loves great guard play, two post players with very different styles have helped the Mustangs establish a winning tradition at Mott Athletics Center.

If this March turns out the way San Luis Obispo fans hope, Schlemer could leave Cal Poly having won the program’s fifth consecutive Big West Conference Player of the Year award. Oh, and there’s also the matter of getting back to the NCAA Tournament.

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Post update – I just got back from the Cal Poly game against Cal State Northridge on Thursday night. That Matadors team looked REALLY good. They ran the Mustangs out of the gym. Like a buzz-saw. In a conference tournament it’s all about matchups and it looks like these two might be a good bet to meet in the conference final in March.

Photos by Owen Main