Amaurys Fermin is moving from the Dominican League to Cypress to continue his career. Photo courtesy of Amaurys Fermin

I always thought Amaurys Fermin’s game was best suited for a professional game.

During his single season playing point guard for Cal Poly, his will to compete individually and showcase a series of skills sometimes had to take a back-seat to the team’s defensive-minded goals and grinding style. His spectacular ball-handling and swagger was sure to translate to the professional ranks.

Amaurys has continued working on his game, playing with NBA players in pickup games in Los Angeles, and getting ready to go to Cypress to play with Etha. 

I caught up with him weeks before he travels overseas to continue his career on the Mediterranean Island.

Amaurys Fermin hopes to make a big impact in the Dominican Republic professional league this Summer. Photo by Will Parris

But first, he has to complete a final task that all college students have to do — he has to move out.

Fermin spent much of the past month training and playing with the Dominican Republic National Team, which won a recent Tournament, Centrobasket, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Now Fermin will spend the next several months in the Dominican Republic to prove himself as a professional. Recently, he was drafted in the first round (7th overall selection) by a team in San Pedro de Macoris.

I caught-up with Amaurys over lunch earlier this week in a San Luis Obispo as he took a break from packing boxes and moving things from his college residence into storage. We discussed the aftermath of playing on a team that included Al Horford and Francisco Garcia, matching-up with JJ Barea, and his future prospects as a professional in the Dominican Republic and overseas.

Amaurys Fermin is doing his best to impress for the Dominican Republic National Team at Centrobasket this week in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Weeks removed from walking in Cal Poly’s 2012 graduation ceremony, point-guard Amaurys Fermin is happy to be where he is — a rookie on an up-and-coming national team trying to make its mark. Fermin has always been soft-spoken and humble — deflecting any praise to his Cal Poly teammates and coaches throughout last season — but he came off even more so during his recent interview with the Fansmanship podcast.

Fermin is a young guy trying to make an impression — a far cry from the leader and elder statesman role he played for the Mustangs a year ago. Playing with NBA stars like Francisco Garcia and Al Horford, Fermin is trying to make his mark as the Dominican Republic competes in Centrobasket this week.

Happy listening!

Amaurys Fermin drives the lane against a host of Highlanders on Thursday night. Fermin led the Mustangs with 15 points in the game. Photo by Will Parris

Cal Poly used a big second half to beat the Highlanders last night and move on to the Big West Conference Tournament semifinals. Below is a photo gallery of Will Parris’ handywork. Below that, there are some photos from Bryce Ashland too!

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Thanks to Will Parris from Parris Studios for taking the photos. Great job Will!

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On this night, the Blue/Green rivalry lived up to the hype.

In the first Big West Conference game for both teams, UC Santa Barbara’s Orlando Johnson made a three-pointer that bounced off the rim at least three times to give the Gauchos a 58-57 win over Cal Poly Tuesday night.

The loss was maddening for a sold-out Mott gym crowd that saw its team claw back from a 13-point deficit despite making only 13 of 24 free throws in the game. Just like last year, a late shot from a Gaucho helped UCSB escape Mott Gym with a victory.

Will Taylor blocks a shot in the second half of Monday night's game. Photo by Jamie Pereira

“If that thing would have came off, I would have grabbed it,” said Mustang forward Will Taylor, who netted a game high 17 points and 11 rebounds. “I thought it was coming into my hands, I’m not going to lie. I thought it was coming right to me… it felt like forever just watching it bounce and bounce and bounce, like on a cartoon I guess.”

“I thought it was coming off,” said Cal Poly point guard Amaurys Fermin “It bounced off three or four times. But that goes to tell you that anything can happen. He’s considered the preseason player of the year and that was a tough shot.”

Johnson’s game-winning shot was set-up by a series of Cal Poly misses at the free throw line. The Mustangs were 11-21 from the charity stripe in the second half including 1-4 in the last 36 seconds.

Unexpected Contributions

The Gauchos were paced by four players in double figures, including two unlikely heroes. Freshman forward Alan Williams scored 13 points and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench. Nate Garth also came off the bench with a hot hand, knocking down all four of his shots from the field including 3-3 from behind the arc.

Despite stars Johnson and James Nunnally being held mostly in-check throughout the contest, Garth’s 3-pointer witth15:19 remaining in the game put UCSB up by 13 points.

That’s when the Mustangs started to scrap back into the game. Cal Poly used a late 13-4 run to earn a two-point lead with 18 seconds remaining. That set the stage for Orlando Johnson to once again break the hearts of the Mott Gym faithful.

Mustang guard Jamal Johnson, who has seen sporadic minutes this season, came off the bench and helped to spark the Mustang comeback, connecting on two three-pointers and giving Cal Poly another ball handler on the floor.

“Jamal gave us a tremendous shot in the arm,” said Mustangs head coach Joe Callero. “I thought Jamal was a real catalyst.”

Resilience

While they have lost some close games (losses to CSU Bakersfield by 2, Saint Mary’s by 5, DePaul by 5, and now UCSB by 1), the Mustangs have kept themselves in games when it looked as though things were getting out of reach.

“We’re just as good as they are,” said Taylor of what the Mustangs can take away from the game. “We’re not going to quit, we’re not going to roll over. We’re just going to keep playing Cal Poly Basketball. We’re still learning.”

Mott Sold Out

The game was the first sell-out at Mott Gym since the UCSB game two years ago. Even with a team that finished second in the conference regular season standings, the Mustangs did not sell out any of their home basketball games last season.

“It was exciting. Every time I step out on the court and play with the team here, it’s just really exciting,” said Fermin. “I’m excited for the next 15 [conference games].”

The crowd, which was anxious through most of the game, came alive during Cal Poly’s second half run.

“I love it. I love playing at Cal Poly, I love playing in this atmosphere, and I know they’ll be back,” said Fermin of the fans. “That’s what gets us going. We’re going to get excited for them. They know they’re excited for us, and we’re happy to have them.”

Bouncing Back

The Mustangs won’t have much time to think about the UCSB loss. They turn around and travel to Long Beach to play conference favorite Long Beach State on Thursday night. The 49ers won their conference opener at UC Irvine by 14 points after trailing 32-31 at halftime.

“We know UCSB was going to be a tough match-up,” said Taylor. “At the end of the day, we were right there with them. We know we’re good enough to play with any team.”

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Photos by Jamie Pereira

Amaurys Fermin is averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 assists per game during the first 10 games of the season. Photo Courtesy of Jamie Pereira

I met Amaurys Fermin two years ago. It was Joe Callero’s first season at Cal Poly and Fermin was with a group of redshirt players. Most of them were freshmen. It was clear Amaurys was not.

Talking to the others, I had to look up. Literally. A few of them were 6’ 10” or above. With Amaurys, I got eye contact. Intensity. Confidence. Two years later, it remains a memorable first impression of a kid who was confident and who the other players already looked to as a spokesperson. A leader.

I asked other players where they were from. I talked to them about basketball, but they were clearly not as comfortable as Fermin.

When Amaurys was hurt last season, I once again had the chance to talk to him early in the season. Still oblivious to the man’s talent, I asked him a somewhat ignorant question – “Would you have started?”

Fermin, who had been hurt only days before, looked at me, rubbed the back of his neck, and shrugged/nodded. He wouldn’t acknowledge his on-court prowess verbally to a random person he was talking to, but I got the point. Amaurys would have been a starter. He wanted to be out on the court. The anxiety of being injured was clear.  And yet this was a young man who was anything but unsure of himself. It was clear that a second straight year without game action was killing him.

The impact of Fermin’s injury was felt throughout the program. Freshmen Maliik Love and Jamal Johnson had to share point guard duty as Kyle Odister, who handled some point guard duties as a freshman, was also injured for the entire 2010-11 season.

Until this Fall, Amaurys hadn’t suited-up in a regular season game for the Mustangs. This is clearly, though, already Fermin’s team and will go as far Amaurys and fellow seniors David Hanson and Will Taylor, among others, can take them.

“Amaurys is not just a senior point guard, I think Amaurys’ a mature senior point guard,” said Mustangs head coach Joe Callero. “He’s been around the world. He’s a New York guy… he’s seen a lot, and he’s been around a lot of basketball. I think what he brings us is not just his stats, I think he brings us a confidence and a comfort.”

Fermin is almost always soft-spoken, but clear in the message that team comes first.

“For me, it’s just setting my guys up, being that leader out there who’s going to be out there, making their game easier,” said Fermin after a recent win over NAIA Menlo College. Fermin dished-out seven assists in the game.

Fermin added, “We come with the mentality in practice and everything to go hard. We don’t look at the name on the jersey, we just try to do things coach wants us to do.”

Which gives a fan a glimpse into the coach-player relationship. Callero’s first words after a game are about the assist-to-turnover ratio for his team and his point guard. It is the first statistic he talks about after games. And Fermin seems to be Callero’s floor leader — an extension of the coach on the floor.

Against Menlo, all five Mustang starters scored in double-figures and everyone who was available to play did.

“I didn’t even know we had five players in double figures… I love distributing the ball and being the guy that makes plays and makes the game easier for us. Whatever it takes to win, that’s what I’m going to do for this team,” said Fermin.

Fermin is quick to rattle off other players’ names as keys to success, including fellow senior-captain Hanson, whose shooting has begun to come around since a slow start to the season. Hanson leads the team, averaging almost 11 points per game.

Photo by Owen Main

Callero is pleased with the depth Cal Poly has shown through their first ten games.

“What’s surprised me is that we are getting as much contribution from everybody on any given night,” said Callero. “Our concentration level and our maturity level to be ready for any night when your number might get called. Titch doesn’t play for two or three games and his number gets called and he produced. Dylan being able to adjust… just different guys stepping up is big for our program.”

As excited as he is about the early-season depth his team has shown, Callero always comes back to Fermin, calling him the “head of the snake.”

“When he walks into a gym, when he walks into a city – sees a place – he’s feeling like ‘I’m a basketball player. I can play with anybody anywhere’ and help my team, said Callero. “I think that confidence permeates through the rest of the team.”

Cal Poly is now tied for their best Division I start in the history of the program, and they continue to build confidence. And, as Tribune writer Joshua Scroggin has tweeted this season, “#that’sAmaurys.”

The Cal Poly Men’s basketball program was off to their best start (5-2) since the 2001-2002 season coming into Saturday’s contest versus the St. Mary’s Gaels (4-1) at Mott Gym. The Mustangs entered the game riding a modest 3-game winning streak after their 77-51 rout of Sacramento State Wednesday night.

Wins weren’t the only thing streaking for Cal Poly coming into the game. Forward and vocal team leader David Hansen came into the contest just 48 points short of 1,000 for his career, something only 16 other Mustangs have done in the history of the program.

Senior forward David Hanson led the Mustangs with 15 points Saturday night vs. Saint Mary's - Photograph by Owen Main

Junior guard Dylan Royer from Morro Bay High School also came into the contest having begun the season on fire from behind the arc, draining 19 of his first 29 3-point attempts (65.5%).

The Mustangs and their somewhat gaudy individual numbers however were in for a fight against the Gaels. Over the past five years, St. Mary’s has the 7th most wins in division I in the entire nation. The Gaels have a lot of everything you need to be a successful program – speed, quickness, size, depth, and an experienced coaching staff, just to name a few.

As the clock counted down toward tip-off, the student section began to fill with an unruly bunch, which is just the kind of support the rising Poly basketball program needs. To see this kind of excitement for a non-conference game is a clear sign that Coach Joe Callero is building something special in San Luis Obispo.

Both the Gaels and the Mustangs opened the contest in a “feel them out” type of sagging, man to man defense. Poly quickly went to work on offense, opening the game with a 5-0 run, capped by an early-clock 3-pointer by Hansen.

After an extended seven-minute start to the game without a timeout, Poly ran out to a slight 11-8 lead. The lack of stoppages would prove to be a trend for the entire game, as there were only 20 combined total fouls whistled against both teams in the first 39 minutes of the contest.

“The refs let us play – both teams. They didn’t call a lot of things out there either way, which was good,” said Senior forward Will Donahue.

Midway through the first half a Cal Poly scoring drought saw them only drop one field goal in the five minutes between the thirteen and eight minute marks. Poly broke the drought with a Hansen layup after a big offensive rebound that seemed to ignite the Mustang faithful.

Defense ruled the vast majority of the first half, as the frustration of offensive futility could be seen on the court. Pure hustle and effort began to trump execution.

As a testament to the scrappiness, senior guard Amaurys Fermin, who opened the game going 0-7 from the field, hit his first field goal at the halftime buzzer, a 3-pointer to give Poly a 26-25 lead at the break.

“Amaurys is a super-competitive kid. He’s is very skilled and his court awareness has improved immensely game by game,“ said Coach Callero.

Senior guard Amaurys Fermin netted seven points and three assists Saturday night. - Photo by Owen Main

The second half began with much more of an open-floor feel than the way first half ended. The Gaels came out seemingly motivated by some adjustment at the half, be it on the chalk board or via tounge-lashing. The back and forth that ended the first half however still remained. With 15:36 remaining the Mustangs held onto the slimmest of leads, 35-34.

Over the next 5 minutes the game turned on its head. St. Mary’s went on an 11-4 run that was highlighted by a superb level of defensive intensity, coupled with Poly’s mismanagement of the basketball.

The Gaels locked the Mustangs down with a ball-denial man to man defense that would rival anyone’s in the nation. The fact that the Mustangs decided to make extremely errant passes and lose continual loose ball situations during this time proved to be the crux of their undoing.

Cal Poly had four turnovers in the first 25 minutes of the game. Those four doubled to eight in the next five minutes, and then ballooned to ten total turnovers at the under 8:00 timeout. At that point, Poly found themselves down seven, 46-39.

“Our goal is to be a single-digit turnover team. When you’re up against a team that has so much ammunition, it goes to show how precious possessions can be,” commented Callero.

With Poly on their heels at this point, they either could have gone completely in the tank, or they could have lit a fire and given it their all to turn things around. They chose the latter, and I think this is a testament to the type of ‘never say die’ attitude Coach Callero and his staff have instilled in this team.

Out of the timeout, crowd favorite Dylan Royer hit a big 3-pointer, which brought him to a clean 20 for 30 (66.7%) from behind the arc to start the season. At the 4:00 minute mark the Mustangs had crawled to within five.

Rob Jones, the Gaels top scorer and rebounder, wouldn’t let the game slip away from his St. Mary’s squad at this point. Jones seemed to take over, as during one notable possession he backed down Poly’s undersized guard Blake U’u for a much needed late-game lay-up. Undettered, U’u then evened the score on the next Gaels possession as he ripped the ball away from Jones. The back and forth battle was extremely entertaining for all that were present.

At the 2:46 mark, Hansen had another big offensive rebound tip-in to bring Poly within three. During the timeout, Coach Callero noticeably was exhibiting his displeasure with the officials. To this point, there had been only two fouls called on St Mary’s in the entire second half.

The crowd got behind the coach throughout the timeout, and as the final portion of the game was about to unfold, for the first time, their effort was entirely in unison and Mott Gym was a ruckus.

The Mustangs fed on that energy and had a key defensive stop that resulted in a St Mary’s shot clock violation with 28.2 remaining and Poly down three. St. Mary’s then ratcheted up the ball-denial pressure on the inbounds as the Mustangs barely avoided a 5-second violation.

The Gaels then chose to defend the perimeter against a 3-pointer during this possession, and Poly was able to find Will Donahue completely uncovered underneath for an easy lay-up.

After a Poly timeout, some intense backcourt defensive pressure forced St. Mary’s to use one of its last two timeouts. The Gaels then inbounded to Australian sophomore guard Jorden Page, who was fouled immediately. Page’s first attempt was perfect, his second rattled home. Another timeout ensued, the Mustangs down 3 with only a few seconds remaining.

What then transpired was beyond deflating if you are a Mustang fan. 6’8” senior forward Will Donahue was assigned by Coach Callero to inbound the ball, and with the 5-second count looming, Donahue looked to make his pass, had a second thought, tried to stop himself, and let the ball roll off his fingertips inbounds, harmlessly into the possession of a surprised yet elated St. Mary’s defender.

Cal Poly then fouled, St. Mary’s sunk two more free throws, as the final score read 59-54 Gaels.

Post-game, Donahue showed a definite amount of disappointment, and wished things could have ended differently.

“Obviously we could have done a lot better and we’re not satisfied. There were some things we could have done different, but we did what we did and I’m proud of my teammates.”

This was a tough way to end the contest for Poly fans, but a lot can be taken from a matchup and an outcome such as this.

“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to St. Mary’s and coach Randy Bennett,” said Coach Callero post-game. “Playing a team like this raises the bar for us and prepares us for conference play.”

“St. Mary’s is right up there with UNLV as the toughest team we have faced so far this season,” said Hansen, who scored a team-high 15 points.

The loss drops Cal Poly to 5-3 as St. Mary’s rises to 5-1 on the young season.

The Mustangs don’t take the court again until next Saturday when they travel North on the 101 to take on the San Jose State Spartans for the second time this season. Cal Poly opened their season with a win at Mott Gym over the same Spartans, 79-52.

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For many dedicated Mustangs fans, the campus was one-stop sports shopping. Eight hours of Cal Poly Basketball and Football, with only a short tailgating session to divide the two.

Basketball

Coach Callero’s basketball team got off to a great start, leading 20-4 early-on. San Jose State came back with a 16-5 run against the Mustangs’ second team and it looked like the game might be close. But the Mustangs closed the first half with a spurt to lead by 13 at halftime.

The Mustangs defense clamped down in the second half and the scoring kept on coming — a welcome sight for the fans who remember the offensive droughts the team experienced at times a year ago. By the middle of the second half, Coach Callero was emptying his bench. All twelve Mustangs saw time during the game and eleven of the twelve got into the scoring column.

What I learned about the 2011-12 team

While a defensive purist might have enjoyed Cal Poly’s tempo last year, Mustangs games will be much more aesthetically pleasing this season. Coach Callero calls it “spurtability,” but the truth is that the Mustangs will probably be in the 70’s more often than the 50’s this year. Callero talked about not caring how ugly games were as long as they were winning last year, but if they can have continued success playing with a little more offensive tempo, I don’t know any observer who will complain.

Experienced “additions” who are easy to root for

For the Mustangs, the game marked the regular-season return of three players who will play key roles this season. Point guard Amaurys Fermin played in his first game as a Mustang, despite the fact that he has been on-campus for the past two seasons. A junior college transfer from Hagerstown, Maryland, Fermin suffered season-ending injuries each of the past two seasons. As a senior, Fermin started his first game for the Mustangs and scored a game-high 17 points.

Joining Fermin in his return to the Mustangs was a slimmed down Will Taylor. Also a transfer from Hagerstown, Taylor sat out last year as a redshirt. In his first game back, the senior looked aerodynamic and spry, scoring 12 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Callero says that Taylor gained four inches on his vertical jump during his absence and Taylor confirmed post-game that he has lost 40 pounds since arriving in San Luis Obispo.

Lost in the great games of Fermin and Taylor was Kyle Odister’s return. A sophomore, Odister reshirted last year due to an injury. The point guard who earned All-Big West Freshman Team honors two years ago came off the bench in the second half and knocked down a three-pointer. Odister clearly has some rust to knock-off to regain his form of two years ago, but his return adds a fifth guard who has some experience running the point. While he has had a limited off-season due to his lingering injury, Odister’s getting in the box score rounded out the return of the three key players Callero’s Mustangs missed in 2010-11.

Guard Play

At any time, this year’s Mustangs can have 2-3 guards on the floor with some experience at the point. Maliik Love and Drake U’u both have the ability to play out of the post and with only one true post player (Donahue or Taylor) on the floor at any one time, they should get some opportunities to show their strength and post skills against smaller guards.

Bottom Line

Cal Poly basketball is much more dynamic this year. With their guard play and deep bench, the Mustangs should be even more fun to watch than last year while maintaining their trademark defensive style.

Football

After losing the Golden Horseshoe rivalry game and their playoff hopes last week in Davis, the football team had pride to play for Saturday on Senior Night.

Fansmanship?

While the basketball team got a decent showing (almost 2,000 fans in Mott Gym for a 2:00 PM Saturday game), the football crowd was less-than-stellar. Nearly two whole sections on the eastern side of the field were empty as Eastern Washington drove for an early score. The irony is that students who chose not to attend missed what was probably one of the most entertaining home games of the year, despite the loss.

Senior Night

Senior Jake Romanelli (Templeton High School) led the Mustangs with 74 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Romanelli came out of the game with what looked like injuries at least three times during the game only to return to his duty, racking up consistent four and five-yard runs. On senior night, Romanelli ended the triple overtime contest with a career-high’t be kept out for long, rushing for 143 yards and a touchdown.

Comeback Kids

It seems like every home game for the Mustangs has been close. While Cal Poly has pulled out earlier games, they couldn’t keep Saturday’s game from going into overtime.

After Eastern Washington kicked a field goal in the first possession of overtime, Cal Poly’s James Langford evened the score with a field goal of his own.

 What I learned

College football is a fickle beast. When you fail to move the ball on a defense as porous as Eastern Washington’s, you leave your team susceptible to losses like the one Saturday night. It was surely a game the Mustangs feel like they should have had.

Bottom Line

The football program remains solid. And with increased pregame festivities, tailgating, etc… , going to a Cal Poly Football game is more fun than ever for even the casual fan.

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From a fan’s perspective, and isn’t that what we’re trying to provide here, Cal Poly Football and Basketball games on Saturday were a really great time. From the optimism of a first-game blowout to the excitement of a late-night triple-overtime thriller, a San Luis Obispo sports fan has plenty of worthwhile opportunities to display his or her fansmanship.