Cal Poly basketball starts season with a lot to prove

After losing four seniors who were big contributors in the offseason, Cal Poly basketball has retooled. They’re a lot quicker, younger, and inexperienced. They were also picked 9th in the Big West preseason poll. Going into their opener at Pepperdine on Friday night, Cal Poly has a lot to prove.

Hey, I know that guy

Josh Martin’s progress going into his junior season will be worth watching this year. By Owen Main

Depth is once again this year’s Cal Poly team hopes to bank on, but based on last year there are a few key returners on the roster.

A trio of Mustangs are either fourth or fifth year players. Seniors Ridge Shipley (5.5 ppg in 2015-16) and Zach Gordon (3.6 ppg), along with junior Taylor Sutlive (6.1 ppg, 40% 3-pointers) all were on the team’s 2013-14 NCAA Tournament team.

A pair of forward from Seattle figure to play a prominent role this season. Junior Luke Meikle (8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg in 2015-16) is the team’s leading returning scorer. Josh Martin (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg) figures to play big front-court minutes in his first full season in Cal Poly green and gold.

Jaylen Shead could be Cal Poly’s most important returning player. By Owen Main

Cal Poly’s most dynamic and important returning player could be point guard Jaylen Shead. An athletic lefty out of Texas, Shead impressed down the stretch last season. From early February on, Shead was a starter and saw big minutes during the second half of conference play. His ability to get to the rim and make things happen off the dribble will be once again key for the Mustangs. Shead is also a strong guard who may be depended on to guard the other team’s best perimeter player.

After sitting out last season with an injury, center Aleks Abrams is back in the fold, joined at the position by redshirt freshman Hank Hollingsworth.

In the back court, Trevor John returns. Look for John to get more opportunities to heat-up early in games as a back-up shooting guard. Alec Raven made one appearance last season and is back this year.

New faces

With the departure of Paul Fortier, Callero hired Associate Head Coach Pawel Mrozik. On paper, Mrozik’s hiring is an interesting one. He has experience at the high school level, but is also sure to have some European contacts that could extend Cal Poly’s recruiting net around the world. I haven’t talked with Mrozik yet, but I imagine he’ll fit-in with a group of young, energetic assistant coaches on the Cal Poly bench.

The Mustangs have six new players on their roster. Four of them are junior college transfers. One is a freshman. One is a familiar face.

Victor Joseph is a guard who played his JUCO ball at Chaffey College. Though he’s probably smaller than what he’s listed at six feet tall, Joseph will probably see some time as a two-guard and be depended on to be another floor general in a faster Cal Poly pace. If he’s six feet tall, I’m 6 foot-five.

Joe Callero said Donovan Fields, a point guard from New York, might be the quickest player he’s ever coached. By Owen Main

Donovan Fields is another small, fast guard who Callero said might have stood out the most during preseason practice. Callero also said that he might be the quickest player he’s ever coached. With an emphasis on hand-checking and contact with perimeter ball handlers, the Mustang coaching staff hopes having a pair of quick guards pays dividends, despite their height. Fields is listed at 5’10”.

Josh Mishler is a transfer from Saddleback College in Orange County. Mishler is a 6′ 5″ wing player who may be a sort of jack of all trades. From the little I know, I think Callero would be really pleased if he could turn out to be a solid defender with versatility. For now, I’m envisioning Mishler as sort of a Chris O’Brien type.

Jakub (Kuba) Niziol is a former Polish U-20 National Team player who played his freshman year at Howard College in Texas. Niziol’s ability to rebound and defend an opposing forward and stretch the floor offensively could be an asset for Cal Poly. Niziol is still pretty thin, so his ability to play physically enough at this level will be important for his chances of getting on the floor.

Mark Crowe looked like he belonged in the one practice I have attended so far. At 6′ 5″, Crowe could probably play this year for the Mustangs if he had to — other freshman have played in the past when there was a need — but him redshirting will almost certainly be better for the program in the long-term. The Mustangs have a number of players who would probably play a similar position this season including Niziol, Mishler, and even Josh Martin in some bigger lineups.

It’s nice to see Kyle Toth back on the Cal Poly roster this season. By Owen Main

Of all the “new” faces on Cal Poly’s roster, the one I’m most excited to see is actually Kyle Toth. Two years ago, in his first season with Cal Poly after transferring from Army, Toth seemed to be coming into his own as conference approached, but was ineligible for the second half of the year. After sitting out last year completely, Toth is back on the roster.

Toth is a proven Division I player who shot over 41% from three-point range in 11 games at Cal Poly in 2014-15. I’m not sure exactly where he fits into the plans this season, but he is a very good shooter and can even handle the ball a little in a pinch.

By my count, Cal Poly has at least five players who can possible be a primary ball handler at point guard. They should have an OK time handling the ball and not turning it over. The big question to me is whether they can get into the lane and finish or find open outside shots for their teammates.

Defensively, I’m interested to see how the relative lack of size plays. Will the hand-check emphasis really be that big a deal? How will Josh Martin and Luke Meikle fare in their second season on the court at Cal Poly? Will Zach Gordon be able to provide consistent quality minutes in the paint in his senior campaign? Perhaps Aleks Abrams will help that workload on the glass after a redshirt season. What kind of a player will Jaylen Shead be now that he’s a focal point of the Cal Poly offense coming into the season?

There are lots of questions about this year’s version of the Mustangs, and only one way to answer them.

Tip off tomorrow is at 7pm.