Mustangs Are Seeing Success

There is something cooking at Mott Gym for Cal Poly Men’s basketball. And it’s not the hot dogs or nachos.

How do I know? The 7-8 record isn’t exactly remarkable. The team’s 54.6 points per game going into Thursday night’s game ranked them fourth from the bottom in all of Division 1. That’s 332nd – in case you’re keeping track.

Several key Mustangs have missed games, including guards Drake U’u and Kyle Oddister, both of whom figured to log big minutes for Coach Callero this season. On paper, the Mustangs look like a team whose chance to be a great team was never really there.

Like most things in life however, the success of Cal Poly Men’s Basketball can be seen in the details. The first such detail is with body language and attitude. In previous years, Cal Poly teams seemed to always wear their frustration and emotion on their sleeve, on their face, and with their body language. After a furious rally to go up by two points midway through the 2nd half on Thursday night, the Mustangs gave up a three-point play to Cal State Fullerton on the next possession- a turn of events that might have caused previous Mustangs team to lose focus, become anxious, and give up a devastating run to the other team. On this night, the players never showed frustration or angst. They maintained their composure and won an ugly game.

Composure typically isn’t something a team gets from freshmen. Redshirt freshmen big-men Ryan Pembleton and Ben Eisenhardt provided a spark off the bench Thursday when starting center Will Donahue had to leave the first half early with foul trouble. With U’u and Oddister still injured and watching from the bench, true freshman Malik Love kept the Mustangs’ offense running at the pace coach Callero wanted. Another freshman, Jamal Johnson, also provided some back court minutes off the bench. When U’u and Oddister return, Cal Poly will have a deep and experienced back court, something that makes a difference at the end of the year.

If freshmen need to remain composed, then so too does your most talented player. Standing 6’ 4’’, senior Shawn Lewis displayed how his decision-making on the court has continued to improve. An alley-oop dunk that saw Lewis hang in the air for what seemed like forever will be the lasting memory of those in attendance Thursday night. But details during the game like not repeating the same mistake twice and reading Cal State Fullerton’s offense to steal a cross-court pass are little things that show signs of progress for Lewis. In games I saw last year, the ball tended to stop when it came toward Lewis. After watching Thursday night, you can’t help but think that Lewis and the rest of the team are understanding what sharing the basketball and a patient, deliberate, and team-oriented offense can get them.

Any good team needs role players – guys who sacrifice themselves for the team and who know exactly what they are on the court to do. In Will Donahue and Jordan Lewis, the Mustangs have those guys. Donahue’s clear role is to play defense, rebound, and score inside when given the opportunity. He is the last line of defense and when he fouled out with seconds remaining Thursday night, I felt like he had used all of his fouls wisely and hadn’t wasted a moment of his time on the court. His ten rebounds and three blocks were hard-fought and well-deserved.

Jordan Lewis put his stamp on the game as well. Midway through the second half, Lewis stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for a slam dunk that ignited the Mott Gym crowd and the Mustangs comeback. The junior sealed the game for Cal Poly in the final minute when he poured in a fadeaway three pointer from the corner at the shot-clock buzzer to put the Mustangs up by five. Though Lewis contributed nine points during the game, his defense, strength, and leadership kept the Mustangs steady through tough times and helped them pull away at the end.

Junior David Hanson will be the story in the newspaper. A player with a line like his – 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks – always will be the lead. Hanson, like Donahue, Jordan Lewis, and on this night Pembleton, always looks like he’s giving just a little more effort than everyone else on the floor. Whether he just airballed, made, or even banked in a 3-pointer, Hanson runs back on defense with purpose and seems to play the next possession as if his life depends on it. In this game, a noticeable difference in effort or explosion can mean the difference between winning and losing. Hanson’s 38 minutes was a team-high. Hanson’s spirit has become the Mustangs spirit.

After the game, the players walked around the court- as I imagine they do after every home game. Their clapping for the fans and showing their appreciation is a bigger deal than even they understand. San Luis Obispo is a small town, but that doesn’t mean people don’t have other options for entertainment. The crowd that was loud and raucous in a mostly-full Mott Gym, had a feeling of being connected and excited, to come back and do it all over again Saturday night. I know I’ll be there.

There is something cooking at Mott Gym. Nobody, except perhaps Joe Callero, knows exactly what’s cooking or when it will be done, but it sure smells good.

–Owen Main