Joe Callero Preparing for Fourth Season at Cal Poly (Podcast)

Is Joe Callero “The Most Interesting Coach in the World?”

Cal Poly men’s basketball coach Joe Callero has a big job ahead of him. An ultra-young front court and seven players (6 freshmen) on the 2012-13 roster who have yet to play in a game for the Mustangs might be his biggest coaching challenge yet. An 8th key player (Chris O’Brien) is still recovering from a torn ACL that caused him to miss all of last season. With such a young team, improving on their record for a fourth straight year may be a challenge for this year’s Mustangs.

Practice starts in a few weeks, so I spoke with the Cal Poly coach earlier this week. Days away from his 50th birthday, Callero seemed relaxed — sporting a beard and a smile. We discussed the upcoming year, whether the team can shoulder the load of losing six seniors, the Mustangs’ defensive philosophy, and (perhaps most importantly) Coach Callero’s love of the History Channel.

With a pre-season schedule that includes road games versus St. Mary’s, Nevada, UCLA, Washington, and TCU, Cal Poly’s inexperienced front-court will be well-tested by the time Big West Conference season rolls around.

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