Donovan Fields is one of the most joyous basketball players I’ve ever covered. His smile on the court was always infectious while at Cal Poly. Along with some friends from his hometown of Newburgh, NY, Fields has started a podcast. We talked about Donovan’s journey to Division I basketball and his impressions of Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo. 

On this episode of the Going on Break edition, Owen Main and Chris Sylvester are joined by Cal Poly head basketball coach John Smith. Coach Smith discussed the last week from the perspective of a Division I head coach and a parent of a Division I player across the country during the past week. 

Owen Main and Chris Sylvester kick off the “Going on Break” edition of the Fansmanship podcast. 

The mandated postponement and cancelation of so many sporting events is the best thing for everyone, but the ramifications for people whose daily life revolves around sports will be long-lasting. The “Going on Break” editions of the podcast, will explore how life is changing throughout this unprecedented time from a multitude of people.

Today’s guest was Ghizal Hasan. Ghizal is the play-by-play voice of CSUN men’s basketball and UC Riverside baseball. Topics are wide-ranging as we get our footing with this new format. 

Eight weeks after he was announced as Cal Poly’s new men’s basketball coach, John Smith joins the podcast. We discussed his first few months on the job and his outlook on the Cal Poly men’s basketball program. 

After Sunday night’s press conference with Don Oberhelman regarding the upcoming search for a coach, it seemed like a good idea to sit and pontificate a little about who the next Cal Poly coach could be. I tracked down Nick Wynne and Chris Sylvester to help me break it down a little. Sure, we’re probably all stuck on certain guys. None of us have any clue. Like Nick said in his post — you’d probably still take the field over anybody who we can think of off the top of our head or anybody who was even in Nick’s post.

With that in mind, hope you enjoy the conversation. 

As a fan, sometimes I hate sound bites. It’s always been illuminating for me to hear entire, unedited press conferences in context. In that spirit, here is the entirety of the press conference held on Sunday night at Cal Poly. In it, Don Oberhelman fielded questions about what he’s looking for in the next men’s basketball coach, his meeting with players on Sunday, and what his plans are moving forward to find a coach. 

The Joe Callero era is officially over at Cal Poly, and if the internet is to be believed, the search to find his replacement is already well underway. This will be Cal Poly Athletic Director Don Oberhelman’s first head coaching hire in the three major men’s sports, and speculation over who might be a candidate is already popping up on social media. What follows is a list of potential hires, somewhat comprehensive based on some things that are out there, but certainly not complete. If wagers were being accepted on the search, I would still take the field over any name on this list.

HUNGRY YOUNG ASSISTANTS

Omar Lowery – Butler University

If there’s a favorite right now for the head coaching job, Lowery would be it. An assistant at Cal Poly from 2009-13, Lowery was instrumental in recruiting a lot of the players that fueled Poly’s successful seasons during the beginning of Callero’s tenure, as well as the Big West championship team in 2014. Lowery is a highly regarded young coach who has worked his way up the ladder from high school and lower level colleges to the big time at Butler. His name has been whispered with the Cal Poly job for what seems like years now, and he obviously has familiarity with the Central Coast.

Drawbacks: Lowery isn’t a west coast guy – other than his stint at Poly, and one year at SJSU, he’s spent the majority of his career in the South and Midwest, and is originally from Wisconsin. There’s some question as to whether or not he may have an opportunity at a higher level than the Big West.

Adam Cohen – Stanford University

Cohen was promoted to Associate Head Coach at Stanford this year, his 3^rd year on the Farm. Has previous experience at Vanderbilt, Rice, and Harvard, so he’s no stranger to schools with strong academic requirements. Considered an excellent recruiter, and was named to the NABC top 30 under 30 list.

Drawbacks: Stanford hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire during Cohen’s tenure. Like Lowery, could be thinking bigger than Cal Poly. If you’re the kind of person who values high level playing experience, Cohen isn’t your guy – he was a student manager at Arizona under Lute Olson.

Jesse Pruitt – Stanford University

Pruitt has Big West experience – he graduated from Davis in 2005 and played there for two years. Has a Poly connection…kinda: he was an assistant at CPP from 2006-08. Also spent time at Santa Clara. Considered a bright young coaching mind.

Drawbacks: See note with Cohen. Also, he’s the third assistant at Stanford – it’s Stanford, but is that enough to take a head coaching job?

Mike Schrage – Ohio State University

Schrage has been mentioned in connection with the Poly opening in multiple places online, which makes me wonder if he’s putting his name out there for it. Lots of high level experience: OSU, Butler, Duke, Stanford, Indiana. Spent eight years with Johnny Dawkins at Stanford, so he should be familiar with the West Coast.

Drawbacks: Schrage’s not old by any means, just around 40, but he’s never been a head coach despite all that high level experience. The resume looks great, but he’s never been the head recruiter or off/def coordinator. Student manager under Bob Knight.

Jason Hart — USC

Lead recruiter for Andy Enfield and the Trojans. Is considered one of the best recruiters in the country. High level playing experience at Syracuse.

Drawbacks: USC is kind of a garbage fire right now. Hart came to the Trojans directly from Taft High School, though he has coached at Pepperdine in the past.

David Grace — Cal

Extremely respected recruiter – considered to be one of the best in the country, named top recruiter in the West by ESPN in 2016. Lots of Pac 12 experience. Neat story – was an Air Force veteran who came to coaching late.

Drawbacks: Unceremonious exits at UCLA and Oregon State. Has been mentioned with basically every HC opening on the West Coast for the past five years, but didn’t get any of them. May be a better recruiter than coach. 3^rd assistant at Cal.

Marcus Schroeder – St. Mary’s

Lead assistant for Randy Bennett at St. Mary’s. Played at Princeton, so academics blah blah. Originally from the East Bay, so knows the west coast.

Drawbacks: Super young, has only ever coached at St. Mary’s. Word is out on the success of the Bennett coaching tree.

Gus Argenal — Nevada

Helped Eric Musselman turn the Nevada program into legit national title contenders. Has head coaching experience at Cal State East Bay. Also spend time at Rice. Graduated from UC Davis.

Drawbacks: Wasn’t great at Cal State East Bay – sub .500 record with two 20 loss seasons.

Todd Golden – University of San Francisco

Considered an up-and-coming coach who played for Randy Bennett at St. Mary’s. Spent some time at Columbia, so should understand academic expectations. Also a stop with Bruce Pearl at Auburn.

Drawbacks: Super, super young – early 30s. 2^nd assistant at USF…on paper, you would think Poly could do better.

DOESN’T HURT TO CALL

Joe Prunty – Phoenix Suns

Graduated from Cal Poly in 1992. Currently the lead assistant for the Phoenix Suns, Prunty has spent time with several NBA organizations over the years, including a stint as the interim head coach of the Bucks last year. Has three rings with the Spurs. The Suns are an absolute mess right now, and Prunty will probably not be there next year (through no fault of his own).

Drawbacks: For now, at least, probably makes more than Poly can offer. Has never coached at the collegiate level.

Kyle Smith – University of San Francisco

Head coach at USF, has engineered a remarkable turnaround for the Dons. Previously head coach at Columbia, and lead assistant at St. Mary’s. Maybe he would rather have a chance to compete in a smaller pond than trying to take down the Gonzaga-St. Mary’s-BYU monster? In alternate universe where Poly doesn’t make NCAA tourney, might have taken over for Callero after 2016.

Drawbacks: Just signed an extension at USF, no financial info but probably makes more than Poly can offer. Might be a candidate for any number of Pac-12 or high major jobs. Will not be the next head coach at Poly, but fun to think about.

Rick Croy – Cal Baptist

Head coach at Cal Baptist, leading program through DII to DI transition. Has been extremely successful, 147-42 over five plus years. Was lead assistant at St. Mary’s after Kyle Smith. WAC could implode at any moment. Can’t go to the postseason for another few years.

Drawbacks: Cal Baptist is dumping all kind of money into the program – have you seen their arena? May already be making more than Poly can offer. Has a better resume than Callero, but this would kind of follow the path that led to the Callero hire, if that concerns you.

Rod Barnes — CSUB

Has engineered an amazing turnaround at CSUB, getting the ‘Runners to the NCAA tournament and NIT Final Four, along with an invite to the Big West. Makes $50k less than Callero. Poly offers some advantages that CSUB can’t match, including stability.

Drawbacks: After great success, has put together two mediocre years. Fired twice, at Ole Miss and Georgia State. Poly is a different place to recruit than Bakersfield, for good and for bad. CSUB actually has put money into the program recently.

Tommy Lloyd — Gonzaga

Lloyd has been Mark Few’s right hand man for almost two decades now, and is seen as instrumental in the success that Zags have had over that time period. He’s extremely well connected overseas and serves as Gonzaga’s lead recruiter.

Drawbacks: Many programs have tried to lure Lloyd away over the past 15 years, and he’s said no to all of them. Probably makes more than Poly can offer.

Steve Lavin – Fox Sports

Would be a huge splash, attracting national attention. Did you know Lavin is only 54? Went 81-55 at St. John’s, so wasn’t exactly a disaster. Knows of Cal Poly via Jim Saia.

Drawbacks: Has been mentioned with Pac 12 openings. Poly probably can’t match whatever he’s making on TV.

BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK

Scott Garson – Santa Clara

Garson could have gone under the “Young Assistant” header – he’s only in his early 40s. Putting him here because he was actually a candidate back in 2009. High level experience at UCLA. Head coaching experience at NAIA College of Idaho. Graduated from UCSB.

Drawbacks: Has been mentioned with every mid and low major opening on the West Coast for seemingly a decade. Just started at Santa Clara. 

Bob Williams – Just chilling at the beach

Incredibly successful at UCSB. Obviously, more than familiar with the Big West. Had some interesting thoughts on Poly while doing color commentary this year.

Drawbacks: I mean, as successful as he has been…we hated this guy for years! It would be weird for him to be Poly’s coach. He’s 65 – might be fine with staying retired.

Donny Daniels — Gonzaga

Donny has spent nine years with the Zags after seven at UCLA. Head coach at Fullerton from 2001-03, and also graduated from CSUF. Extremely well respected within college basketball.

Drawbacks: Left Titan head job to become assistant at UCLA. Does he want to take a HC job at this point in his career, especially at a rebuilding school? Wasn’t great at Fullerton.

Dave Rice — Washington

Lead assistant for a UW team that is going to win the Pac 12. Was head coach at UNLV from 2011-16 and pretty successful – three 20 win seasons, two NCAA appearances. Stops up and down the west coast.

Drawbacks: Was fired midseason by Rebels, never seemed to inspire that fanbase. Hasn’t spent time at any high level academic schools.

Greg Kamansky – Cal Poly Pomona

Has had a ton of success at the D2 level: .710 winning percentage, 11 NCAA appearances in 19 years, a national championship in 2009-10. While Pomona isn’t the same as SLO, probably has some experience with academic issues and recruiting.

Drawbacks: Was a candidate in 2009 and didn’t get the job. D2 is obviously a different beast. Team hasn’t dominated the CCAA the last few years.

Gregg Gottlieb – Oregon State

Famous basketball family. Started his career at Poly (94-97). Well respected on the west coast, stops at SDSU and Cal.

Drawbacks: Like Garson, Grace, etc, name gets kicked around for every CA opening. Doesn’t really have any wow items on resume – teams have underperformed. Doug’s brother.

DUDES WHO MIGHT GET FIRED

Andy Enfield — USC

Was successful in years 3 and 4 but now Trojan Nation has the pitchforks ready. Could Enfield replicate his FGCU success at another school by the beach?

Drawbacks: This should probably be under “Doesn’t Hurt To Call” – Poly can’t afford Enfield. Has a reputation as kind of a jackass. Vaguely involved in the FBI-NCAA stuff.

Marvin Menzies — UNLV

UNLV has high standards (see Dave Rice entry). Menzies dominated at NMSU – 5 tourney appearances in 9 years. West coast guy with stops at SDSU, USC.

Drawbacks: Hasn’t ever coached at a tough academic institution. Taking Poly job might complicate buyout. Could very well end up back at NMSU.

Wyking Jones – Cal

West coast guy from LMU, with stops at Pepperdine, New Mexico, and Louisville. Considered an ace recruiter, especially in southern CA.

Drawbacks: Dude…Cal sucks. They’re really, really bad. Has never been a head coach before taking over the Bears.

With the clock expiring in overtime, Cal Poly forward Mark Crowe banked in a three-pointer and the Mustangs beat Bethune-Cookman on Saturday night in Mott Athletics Center. After scrapping back from a late multi-possession deficit in regulation and once again in overtime, it was a finish fitting of the somewhat frantic game it was. Donovan Fields led all scorers with 28 points. Marcellus Garrick finished with 13 points and Crowe’s game-winning three pointer gave him 10 points on the night.

The game on Saturday was the Mustangs’ only game over a two-week span (Dead Week and Finals Week are to thank for that), but we did get to see some improvement in-person for the Mustangs.

Bethune-Cookman beat the Mustangs last season and won what is probably the weakest conference in all of Division I college basketball. Still, they took the Mustangs to the wire in a game that was really fun to watch. The win moves Cal Poly’s record to 3-5 on the young season. 

Find the box score from the game here. 

Chef Don

With 28 points on Saturday, Donovan Fields earned his first Big West Conference Player of the Week award.

Donovan Fields was flat-out cooking early in the game. The senior point guard from Newburgh, NY showed off from three point range, mid range, and off the dribble inside. For his 28-point performance, Fields earned himself the Big West Athlete of the Week award. The last Mustang to earn that was Victor Joseph last season.

Fittingly, Joseph was in the crowd on Saturday night with Fields and fellow senior Marcellus Garrick verbally engaging him throughout the game, resulting in a number of wide grins for all parties.

The win was Cal Poly’s third overall this season. 

The Crowe

Cal Poly hosted Bethune-Cookman at Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, CA 12/8/18

Mark Crowe has been developing steadily since his redshirt freshman season last year. In 2017-18, the Texas native scored just over 2 points per game and shot 25 percent from three-point range. With some work in the offseason, Crowe has been a much bigger contributor so far this year, averaging nearly 11 points per game (good for second on the team) while shooting 47 percent from deep.

Crowe’s versatility on the defensive end paired with improved shooting have earned him the second most minutes on this year’s Mustang roster, one that is probably as set in its rotation and roles as it has been at this time during any of the past few seasons.  

Who’s getting better?

A team picked in the preseason to finish eighth out of nine teams in the preseason, the question I’m always asking is, “Who is making little improvements game-to-game?”

Two players I noticed who finally seem confident and totally engaged are freshmen Daxton Carr and Junior Ballard. Ballard made his first three-pointer at home and Carr’s energetic dunk in the first half helped keep the Mustangs out in front. Freshman Tuukka Jaakkola has also shown some improvement in video streams that have been available. All three will need to be real contributors for Cal Poly to play the way they want to on both ends come conference play. 

The Road Ahead

After taking finals this week, Cal Poly will head to Haas Pavillion in Berkeley to take on Cal on Saturday, followed by a quick trip to Bakersfield next Tuesday to play future conference opponent CSU Bakersfield. The next home game will be the Saturday before Christmas, when the Mustangs host UTA. The Mavericks, who beat Cal Poly easily 77-56 last season are just 3-6 this year. 

Photos by Owen Main. For more photos, visit photos.fansmanship.com . 

Luke Meikle – Senior – 6’9”, 209 lbs

By the Numbers:

Luke Meikle celebrates after Cal Poly’s win over UCSB in January. By Owen Main

31 Games

25.5 Minutes per game

8.7 Points per game

4.3 Rebounds per game

1.2 Assists per game

37.2.% Field Goals

33.3% 3 Pointers

85.7 % Free Throws

Luke Meikle was one of the first transfers Cal Poly was able to get to commit to school after they won the NCAA tournament. The fact that he was 6’9″ with a diversified skill set and coming from a power school like Gonzaga seemed to bode really well for Joe Callero and Cal Poly. 

Early in his Cal Poly career, Meikle fought through some lingering injuries. In his senior season, he was one of just five Mustangs to play all 31 games, starting 29. Meikle’s polished offensive moves in the post and confidence from mid-range and three-point range were assets to the Mustangs’ attack during his senior campaign. 

Three freebies FTW

The highlight of Cal Poly’s season, and probably Meikle’s, came when the senior drew a shooting foul with .3 seconds left in Cal Poly’s season opener against UCSB. Meikle made three free throws to secure the first of Cal Poly’s four conference victories.

The craziest part was, when asked about it after the game, Meikle said it wasn’t the first time he’d made free throws with basically no time left to win. He said it was on YouTube. He was telling the truth. 

Meikle scored in double digits in 12 of Cal Poly’s games. He seemed at his best when he drew fouls and got himself to the free throw line, where he was very good. 

Watching Luke for three seasons, it always seemed he was between positions at this level and with this program. Meikle worked extremely hard and was savvy in getting himself decent looks without extreme athleticism. Defensively, he fought and generally gave what he could give. 

During the middle of conference play, Meikle probably found his biggest stride individually, scoring in double-digits in five of seven games, averaging 12 points per game during that stretch. 

I think in a perfect world, Joe Callero might have had the opportunity to play the versatile Meikle at different positions more often or against some of the other team’s reserves. Instead, on a team that didn’t have much in terms of real, back to the basket, offensively polished bigs, Meikle often bared the lion’s share of whatever load was put on Cal Poly’s forwards. 

Going Pro

Meikle’s polished skillset got him a look at the World Wide Invitational, which will give him a chance to show what he’s got and try to play hoops professionally. In reality, Meikle’s offensive game — range out to the three point line and nifty pivot moves around the hoop — could be a better fit for a professional league that is more based on individual matchups than stifling, lane-filling team defense like the Big West turns into late in the year. 

In another universe, Meikle’s sophomore or junior seasons might have been really successful for Cal Poly as a team and for Luke individually. I’m sure if you asked him, basketball didn’t go exactly as planned over the past three years. 

Hank Hollingsworth – Redshirt Sophomore – 6’10”, 235 lbs

By the Numbers:

Hank Hollingsworth was one of Cal Poly’s more effective players early in 2017-18. By Owen Main

31 Games

9 Minutes per game

3.1 Points per game

3.4 Rebounds per game

.2 Assists per game

1.7 Blocks per game

63.1.% Field Goals

35.1% Free Throws

Early in the 2017-18 season, Hank Hollingsworth looked as though he was probably Cal Poly’s best defensive player. The 6’10” center led the team in blocks and patrolled help-side in the paint extremely well. 

As the season wore on, teams began to scout a little more and sniffed-out the few offensive sets the big man was super comfortable in. 

In 13 of the team’s first 17 games, Hollingsworth played 20-plus minutes. He wasn’t getting into intense foul trouble — something that plagued him as a freshman — and he generally held his own against other bigs as Cal Poly began the season 7-10. 

In the team’s 17th game of the season, Hollingsworth recorded a career high (and program record) 7 blocks in a 101-97 loss to the Titans at home. 

Following that loss in the team’s second conference game, Hollingsworth’s time on the floor and effectiveness waned. Over the last 15 games, Hollingsworth eclipsed the 20 minute mark just three times, failing to score in eight of the final 15 games. Cal Poly went 2-12 during that span. For a players whose effectiveness was never measured simply by points and rebounds, Hollingsworth’s success seems at least like a kind of retroactive bellwether to this past year’s team. 

Looking forward

Having come onto campus as a tall, skinny freshman, past Callero bigs like Ryan Pembleton and Ben Eisenhardt instantly came to mind. But, unlike those players who didn’t stay on-campus long enough to make real impacts, Hollingsworth did make real and tangible positive strides. He improved his strength, his conditioning, and his confidence in the summer of 2017. 

Hollingsworth is also a company man in the locker room. After his seven-block performance when he didn’t see the floor late in the game and in overtime against Cal State Fullerton, Hollingsworth was pretty impressive at diffusing my question about him not being on the floor:

Whenever head coach Joe Callero talked this season about how great some of his kids’ character was, I always pictured that Hank was front and center there. 

If he continues to develop, Hollingsworth has the potential to be a rotation player on a winning team. He’s got all the off-the-court attributes. In his junior season, he’ll need to put a little more bite into his on-court demeanor. He was a great help defender, but resisting strong post guys like Tommy Rutherford in the post are the real tests. Hank is also going to be in his fourth year on campus. Intangibles like leadership will be increasingly important as well. In his fourth year on campus, Hollingsworth will be alone as the most tenured Mustang. With a team that will have at least six new faces, don’t underestimate the importance of the old guy setting the right tone. 

*Ed note: Over the next few weeks, we’ll be recapping the season of every Cal Poly player who played in 2017-18.