Nick and Owen break-down the end of the Cal Poly men’s basketball season, what’s ahead for next year, and impressions from a fun Thursday at the Honda Center for the first round of the Big West Tournament. 

As you’ll hear in the jump, we taped this minutes before Josh Martin’s intention to transfer was announced. 

For the first time since 2015, Cal Poly won a pair of weekend home games in Big West play.*

For a team that was 1-6 in Big West play and had lost six straight games coming into the weekend, the pair of wins were just what was needed. 

Sizzling from 3

Cal Poly was red-hot from three point range this weekend. The Mustangs shot 11-16 on Saturday including 5-5, while making their first eight triples. On Wednesday against UC Riverside, Cal Poly was 11-21 from deep. That’s 22-37 on the weekend. In case you’re wondering, that’s an average of 59.5 percent and yes, that will get the job done. Something even close to 40-45 percent will get the job done for a Cal Poly team that depends on penetration and good three-point looks for its offense to be successful. 

We know Donovan Fields and Victor Joseph are good outside shooters, but for their part, Kuba Niziol shot confidently (7-15 from downtown) and so did Luke Meikle (3-5). 

Listen, a pessimist might say that Cal Poly couldn’t possibly shoot over 50% from deep in a three-games-in-three-days scenario, but they just did it in two straight games and, if you’re attached to the Mustangs, you would probably ask why the hell not?

Clear it out for Don

Cal Poly guard Donovan Fields gets to the basket against a Hawai’i defender on Saturday night. By Owen Main

Donovan Fields continues to prove he can get to the bucket and score against just about anybody. After nailing a go-ahead jumper on Wednesday night against UC Riverside, Fields got to the basket for a late left handed and-one play that helped seal the game. Fields turned, yelled, and flexed to the crowd, a grin spreading across the diminutive guard’s face. 

All smiles

Fields’ smile wasn’t the only display of pearly whites either. Looking at photos from throughout the game, it was clear that the Mustangs were engaged and taking joy in execution. Maybe it’s easier to smile when you’re winning, but the Saturday night Mustangs’ team had their highest score on the Official Fansmanship Body-Language Test of the season, coming in at 94/100.

For what it’s worth, the Chris Eversley-led Mustangs had the all time best Fansmanship Body-Language Test score of 96 when they stormed through the Big West Tournament. Smiling and being joyful isn’t the only measure of the FBLT, but it does account for a significant portion. (In case you’re wondering, the formula is still proprietary). Body language isn’t only a predictive measure or an outcome-based measure. For what it’s worth, both are factors. 

Matching-up

The return of Joe Callero’s matchup 2-3 zone could be a trump card down the stretch for Cal Poly. The calling card of Callero’s teams early-on in his Cal Poly career, the 2-3 zone has been something the Mustangs have moved away from over the past few years. The reasons are probably many. Personnel. Pace of play initiatives and new rules. A shorter shot clock.

But the ability to stymie a team like Hawai’i who struggles down the roster making three-pointers is something Cal Poly could use more and more, especially against other like teams. In the Big West, there are a few teams who would rather not shoot tons of three-pointers. Callero and co. might have something they can use against those squads in the second half of Big West play and into the tournament. 

Don’t think Dedrique Taylor and Dan Monson aren’t pulling out tapes from 2013 and 2014 to break-down some Callero matchup zones of yesteryear.

Deja vú all over again

Cal Poly now sits in a familiar place in the standings — seventh place (3-6 in Big West play). It’s the place the Mustangs have finished in the Big West for each of the past four seasons. The first of those four, the number seven was lucky indeed as Callero’s team went to the NCAA Tournament. Since then, Cal Poly has not fared as well, bowing out to the 2nd seed in each of the past three Big West Tournaments. With the win on Saturday, Cal Poly put themselves a full game up on CSUN and 2 1/2 games ahead of 0-8 (and 9th place) UC Riverside. 

Cracking the top-six may be tougher than getting into 7th place. Cal Poly is still 1 1/2 games behind sixth place Hawai’i (4-4) and two games back of Cal State Fullerton (6-4). Cal Poly will play the Titans in Orange County on Thursday night (ESPN3, 7:00pm) before traveling to Long Beach State on Saturday evening (FSW, 8:00pm). 

A win or two on the road — especially Thursday against Cal State Fullerton — could put the Mustangs in a position to take advantage of three straight home games after that and maybe get into the top-six. A pair of losses makes 6th place a lot harder to fathom, though anything could happen in this year’s edition of the Wild West.

* Cal Poly has had 7 weekends since they’re weekend sweep in 2015 where they’ve hosted two games in a row at home.

Photos by Owen Main.

For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Things haven’t been going well on the court for the Cal Poly men’s basketball team. After beating rival UCSB in their conference opener, the Mustangs have dropped six straight games. 

Coming up

This week, they’ll play two home games with a lot on the line. On Wednesday, UC Riverside comes to town, followed by Hawai’i on Saturday evening. While Cal Poly is currently in 8th place in the Big West, UC Riverside sits one game behind the Mustangs in the race to stay out of 9th place. In this conference, only eight out of nine teams make the conference tournament. 

Victor Joseph is Cal Poly’s second leading scorer this season (13.5 ppg). By Owen Main

For their part, UC Riverside has been somewhat dysfunctional this season. The university fired their head coach on New Years Day. In the aftermath, the athletic director wasn’t talking to the media, instead leaving an interim head coach and eventually the chancellor of the university to talk while the team’s best player was suspended. The Highlanders are the only team with a worse conference record than Cal Poly, sitting at 0-7. 

So, while Wednesday’s game is between the bottom two teams in the conference currently, it has big potential to make a difference for who even gets into the end of season conference tournament at the Honda Center. 

On Saturday, Hawai’i comes to town. The Rainbow Warriors don’t have a ton of marquee players, but they have a lot of length, athleticism, and players who understand their roles and what it takes to have success under Eron Ganot. Ganot has been very successful against Cal Poly since he took over at Hawai’i. The Rainbow Warriors have won six straight against the Mustangs, with the last Cal Poly win at the Stan Sherrif Center on January 7, 2015. 

Where will answers come from?

Cal Poly is the third-worst team in the nation in terms of three-point defense. For whatever reason, teams torch Cal Poly’s D from behind the arc. Part of this makes sense — Cal Poly has two small guards who are probably their best players. They are on the floor at the same time and, when other teams have long guards, getting shots off might be a little easier.

Another issue may be that the Mustangs’ interior defense is generally undersized. While everyone has been trying to keep up with UC Irvine over the past few years by recruiting bigger, more athletic players, Cal Poly’s front-court depth has been exposed. In their seven conference games, the Mustangs are out-rebounded by an average of 11.9 boards per game. 

Everything is in front of you

With a pair of wins this week at home, Cal Poly could be talking about trying to get up into a seventh seed and maybe even getting close to number six by the end of conference play. With a pair of losses, the reality of the Big West’s basement is one that could be staring Joe Callero’s team in the face. 

After Wednesday’s game, Big West play will be halfway over for Cal Poly. The Mustangs, who have finished in 7th place in the Big West’s regular season for four straight years, look like they’re probably going to have to battle to even get back to there. 

The Big West is not top-heavy this year. Or maybe it’s all top-heavy. There is no one team that has clearly separated itself from the rest. UC Irvine has the pedigree. UC Davis has Chima. Cal State Fullerton has a big three. Long Beach State has history and the conference’s most experienced coach. Hawai’i has a steady hand and a bunch of steady dudes on a roster that makes sense. UCSB may have the best overall talent and a fresh new coach that is probably both an advantage and disadvantage early in the conference season. 

On a given night there are 2-3 AMAZING games in the conference. Basically, this race is shaping up to be a mid-major Royal Rumble cage match where only one team will be left standing. 

So let’s continue the metaphor (not a simile — I didn’t use like or as). Which team matches up with which WWF early-90’s wrestler?

Hawai’i (4-1)

Hawai’i is 3-1 in conference play. Eron Ganot’s program has transitioned into one with players who also know their roles and play mostly sound basketball. For me, they are Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid was a solid wrestling personality. Hawai’i is a solid basketball team. (I picked them 4th going into the season.) That said, they are also very confident. They like to jaw and trash talk. They maybe think they’re better than they are, though they might be just that good. 

While you could probably say it about any wrestler, the irrational confidence and all-around classic personality of this team reminded me of Michaels. 

Cal State Fullerton (4-2) 

The Titans are off to their best start in years. They have three very good players at their core with a supporting cast that understands their roles. Fullerton knows exactly who they are and aren’t. They do a few things really well and playing against them is like staring into the cold eyes of The Undertaker. The Undertaker is big and physical and knows exactly who he is. He joined WWF in 1990 — a sort of new kid on the block at our targeted time period. So, too, are Cal State Fullerton. 

Long Beach State (4-2)

I used to never pick Dan Monson’s team out of the top 4. They were always in the hunt for a conference title and a chance at the conference’s NCAA tournament bid. Some of the sheen is off Long Beach State. Recent years have brought transfers in and out, but they still play the toughest non-conference schedule and probably have the biggest overall revenue of any program in the conference. For that, this team is the Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase. DiBiase’s upfront capitalist attitude (“Everybody’s got a price!”) made so many people uncomfortable and made him a classic heel. 

DiBiase’s character didn’t just elicit emotional responses. He made you introspective about why you did or didn’t like him. He brought all your own moral defects to your conscious mind. In the end, you had to respect the character because he did what he did. At some point, as a fan, you knew what was coming.

UCSB (3-2) 

In a week, UCSB could be right back on top of the conference. For me, they are still the team to beat, though currently they’re in SIXTH place. SIXTH. 

Because of their big start, UCSB is Hulk Hogan. Even into the early 90’s, Hogan was still dominant and still a good guy. Eventually he turned, but the bright yellow hulk tank from ’92 screams Isla Vista to me. 

Oh yeah, Brother!

Really though, Hulk Hogan was a centerpiece of WWF for most of two decades and UCSB has a rich history and is still the favorite in my mind. The Gauchos as Hulk just makes sense to me. 

UC Davis (3-2) 

UC Davis was my preseason #1 pick. Jim Les has an intense game demeanor that, under the surface, I know is basically Ric Flair. The Nature Boy was a top-3 dominant personality in the sport for years. Kids at my high school used to put up both hands and go WOOOOOOOOOO on a regular basis. One of our student body presidents used to read the announcements in homage to Flair just about every morning. 

A few years ago, I might have picked Long Beach State to be Flair. They were the team who was always there — year after year. Davis has become that team now. They have the marquee talent in the conference in Chima Monecke. They have worked hard to get relevant and they’ll do everything they can to stay there, even if it means turning heel sometimes. 

UC Irvine (3-3)

Russell Turner continues to amaze. He’s lost two seven-footers in recent years, but still boasts the biggest team in the conference in the paint. Between Jonathon Galloway, Tommy Rutherford, Elston Jones, and Brad Greene, UCI’s power forward nearly always has a post-up advantage against the opponent. Last night, the Anteaters outscored Cal Poly 44-16 in the paint. UCI has talented guards too, but for me they are Big Boss Man. 

Big Boss Man was, first and foremost, big. He didn’t let anybody get away with anything, and that’s the way UCI has played over the past 3-5 years. The Anteaters take advantage of opponents’ mistakes and don’t let them get away with anything either. To beat the Big Boss Man, you had to be on the top of your game. Same with UCI this season. 

CSUN (2-3)

I didn’t really know where to put the Matadors, so I enlisted some help. Ghizal Hasan, their radio voice, said Razor Ramon would be a good choice. So we’ll go with Ramon. 

Ramon was good times. CSUN can be good times too when things are going well. The hair is amazing. I had one other person vote for Hardy Boys for CSUN. 

Cal Poly (1-4)

The Mustangs won their first game in wild fashion, and thank goodness they did. Cal Poly has since lost three straight including last night in Irvine. They are at their best when their games are a little weird. They have some very specialized skills, and also some very specific weaknesses. 

I couldn’t find anywhere to put them, so maybe they’re Sgt. Slaughter. Maybe it works. Cal Poly is a pretty conservative campus overall. 

As a Cal Poly fan, I’ll say this — Sgt. Slaughter isn’t afraid of anybody. Neither is Cal Poly. Sgt. Slaughter is self-made. Lots of Cal Poly guys are too — many are JUCO transfers or transfers from other larger programs. Yeah, I think Sgt. Slaughter is a decent proxy for the Mustangs. 

UC Riverside (0-5)

I don’t want to pile-on. This group lost their head coach on New Year’s Day. They’ve been without their star point guard for all of conference play so far. What wrestler should UCR be?!

I thought about this one not very much, but the guy who I haven’t gotten on this list yet is Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Since it’s pretty unorthodox to fire a coach midseason, and having a huge python in the ring is also pretty uncommon, maybe this is a match made in heaven. Jake the Snake. 

Dude, how did they let Macho Man get bit by Jake’s snake? Holy crap. 

A lot can happen in one second. 

On Thursday night in a crowded-for-the-students-not-being-there Mott Athletics Center, Cal Poly overcame a 21-point first half deficit and a two-point deficit with one second to play to beat rival UCSB 80-79 in their Big West Conference opener. 

With fifteen seconds to play, Cal Poly’s Donovan Fields scored on a knifing left-handed layup to tie the game at 77. On the ensuing posession, UCSB’s Max Heidegger canned a long jumper to put the Gauchos up by two points with just a second left. 

The Gauchos celebrated. UCSB’s Jalen Canty gave a “shhh” signal to the Cal Poly fans. It was Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally all over again. Or so it seemed. 

Luke Meikle made three big free throws with the game on the line. By Owen Main

After a Cal Poly timeout, Fields used a Marcellus Garrick screen on the man guarding the in-bounds pass, and threw a length-of-the-court pass to Luke Meikle, who hesitated before shooting. It was less than a second, but enough to get the desired result. Meikle’s hesitation got Canty in the air. Canty bumped Meikle as he shot the ball and time expired. After a lengthy review, the officials determined that Meikle was fouled before time expired and awarded the fifth-year senior three free throws. Meikle made all three, sealing Cal Poly’s unlikely Blue-Green Rivalry victory. 

The win over the potential conference favorites moves Cal Poly to 1-0 in Big West play and dropped the Gauchos to 0-1. 

Blue start

I’m like 300-plus words in and I haven’t talked about the start. It was ugly for the home team. UCSB started the game up 23-2 and 27-6 with 11:09 left in the first half. Gabe Vincent couldn’t miss. Gaucho big men were getting to the line. Cal Poly was turning the ball over and getting really bad looks at the basket.

Joe Callero tried everything for about five minutes. He put Mark Crowe in the game and tried a 1-3-1 defense. Heidegger drained a three-pointer. He put Karlis Garoza in. Players rotated in and out like crazy, and it was hard to get traction. Trevor John came in and made a three-pointer. Things started to look up. Donovan Fields and Victor Joseph started to push the ball and not worry about running half-court offense. 

UCSB missed a few shots and the Mustangs inched closer. A single digit deficit at halftime would have been a huge win for Cal Poly. But the Mustangs did better than that, cutting the lead to four points at the break. less than a minute into the second half, Cal Poly tied the game. 

Second half rock fight

The second half went something like this. Cal Poly had no answer for Jalen Canty. The sophomore had just four points in the first half, but managed 17 in the second. UCSB had no answer for Donovan Fields. Fields played a great floor game with 22 points, 6 assists, and no turnovers.

Back and forth they went — the lead changed thirteen times in the final half, and twice in the final second of the game. 

Green Finish

Cal Poly doesn’t usually win these kinds of gams. I can remember distinctly a UC Irvine player open in the corner for a pass from Mamadou Ndiaye at the buzzer, a James Nunnally buzzer beater, and an Orlando Johnson shot that bounced off the rim, hit the moon, and barely touched the net as it went in at the buzzer. 

For once, Cal Poly found a way to win a game like this. It’s safe to say that this is a game fans will be talking about for a long time. 

Cal Poly hosts Cal State Fullerton at Mott Athletics Center on Saturday night. Tip-off is 7:00pm.

Photos by Owen Main

For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Jim Alexander is a sports reporter and columnist for the Riverside Press-Enterprise. After UC-Riverside men’s basketball coach Dennis Cutts was fired on New Years Day, I reached out to try to find out what happened. 

Just because Cal Poly’s roster is small doesn’t mean they have to take a ton of three pointers. On Wednesday night in an ESPN3 game, Cal Poly came out gunning, shooting 54% en route to a 85-71 route of CSUN at the Matadome. Cal Poly led by as many as 30 halfway through the second frame. CSUN’s press helped them make the final respectable, but the Mustangs (3-8 in Big West play) held on for the win. Cal Poly has now beaten each of the top-3 teams in the Big West this season. 

Fields in control

Donovan Fields scored a career-high 23 points in Cal Poly’s win at CSUN on Wednesday. By Owen Main

Sophomore guard Donovan Fields showed a diverse offensive game en route to 23 points on Wednesday to go along with six rebounds and four assists. The 23 points ties him for the second highest point total for a Cal Poly player this year. Fields, who is listed at 5′ 10″, was scoring any way he wanted to: pull up jumpers, floaters, three-pointers, and knifing layups. He and fellow small combo guard Victor Joseph have carried much of the offensive load in conference play for Cal Poly. While they do shoot three-pointers, the Mustang guards are at their best when getting into the lane in positions to finish. Joseph finished with 15 points and five rebounds on the night.

Kuba gets hot

Sophomore forward Kuba Nizioł was supposed to redshirt this season, but after injuries to Josh Martin and Josh Mishler early-on, he volunteered to take his redshirt off and play this season. He has never been shy to shoot open shots, but over the past few weeks, Nizioł has taken steps.

On Wednesday, the Polish national made his first three pointer and missed his second shot shortly after. Many young players might shy away after missing shots, but that hasn’t been Nizioł’s MO.  

Developing post depth

While Cal Poly’s offense generally does not go through the post this season, the center position remains an important one. After losing Martin, Cal Poly has relied on Zach Gordon along with Aleks Abrams and Hank Hollingsworth at the five position. Generally two of the three are in a rotation in a given game, with a third playing just a few minutes. This has seemingly changed game to game. On Wednesday, Hollingsworth got the start and the redshirt freshman showed some growth in terms of mental and physical toughness. 

After getting his shot blocked on Cal Poly’s first offensive possession, Hollingsworth rallied and played a solid defensive game, affecting multiple CSUN shots around the paint. He even threw down a few dunks, including a tip-jam. While Gordon and Abrams have had more time at the position this year, Hollingsworth’s development is a big deal for a team that’s thin in the front court without Josh Martin and will lose Zach Gordon to graduation following this season. Having three guys who can play legitimate defense inside and give opposition big men varied looks will go a long way toward Cal Poly being a potential upset threat in the Big West Tournament. 

Two Pointers a key

I told someone earlier this year that I expected Cal Poly to shoot 25-35 three-pointers in games kind of often this year. Against CSUN, Joe Callero’s team shot just 7-18 from three-point range and didn’t make any in the second half, but still won a game that was not really in question at any point in the second half. 

In the end, Cal Poly shot 62 percent on two-point attempts and 54 percent overall. Sometimes, when you can get and make lots of good shots, well, you’re a tough team to beat. 

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

It was a total team effort. Cal Poly used hot shooting early and clutch baskets and defense late to upend Big West frontrunner UC Irvine 79-66 at the Bren Event Center on Thursday night.

Victor Joseph played big for the Mustangs in Irvine on Thursday. By Owen Main

Victor Joseph led four Mustangs in double figures with 22 points. Donovan Fields score 15 and Ridge Shipley had 12. Luke Meikle scored 10 to go with six rebounds for the Mustangs, who are now 6-14 overall, 1-5 in Big West play.

Cal Poly came out hot, making eight of their first nine shots from the field, en route to an early lead. UC Irvine stormed back to take a 47-43 lead with 14:07 to play in the game. But Cal Poly stayed strong and didn’t flinch. Joseph and Fields took turns making shots, Ridge Shipley controlled the tempo, and Aleks Abrams and Zach Gordon set good screens and played good defense as the Mustangs began to pull away.

With three minutes to go, it became clear that Cal Poly was going to pull the upset.

Box score from UCI

Happy birthday coach Kirby

Cal Poly assistant coach Sam Kirby tweeted this before the game:

All I want for my bday is a W!!! Let's go @calpolymbb !!!! On ESPN 3 at 7pm vs. UC Irvine

— Sam Kirby (@coachkirb) January 27, 2017

Coach Kirb got his birthday wish, as Cal Poly did a really nice job digging on Ioannis Dimakopoulos just enough to keep him off balance.

Happy birthday coach Kirb!

Joseph gets hot

Victor Joseph, who had been in a mini-slump to start Big West play, lit it up for the Mustangs. Joseph shot 8-12 from the field to go with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

I hate to say I called it but….

With his confidence, he'll get back on-track sooner than later. #Victor CP vs. UCI at 7pm on ESPN3 tonight.

A photo posted by Fansmanship.com (@fansmanship) on Jan 26, 2017 at 6:46am PST

I’m mostly playing around, but it’s true that Joseph has a certain quiet confidence to his personality that is well-suited to not being in a slump for too long. He’s under six feet tall, but he packs a punch, especially when he gets his jumper going early.

Little dudes do it

Along with Joseph, Donovan Fields was a nightmare for UCI to stay in front of. Fields is lightning quick into the paint to start and then uses both hands really nicely around the hoop. Between Shipley, Fields, and Joseph, Cal Poly’s three point guard options combined for 49 points. Their movement with the ball and into the paint proved really disruptive for UC Irvine’s zone and man-to-man defenses.

They also combined for five assists and zero turnovers. That’s a ratio Joe Callero will be pleased with.

Don’t foul

Believe it or not, the taller (by a lot) UC Irvine team only got to the line six times in the game to Cal Poly’s 18. The Mustangs didn’t commit a lot of dumb fouls away from the basket and they played pretty straight-up on the rebounding side of things too.

Luke Nelson not being in the game probably contributed to Cal Poly not committing silly fouls, but the Mustangs had a good game plan and stuck to it until the Anteaters started to erode. Nelson, my preseason pick for Big West Player of the Year, was dressed out but didn’t play due to a hamstring injury.

Revenge trip?

Cal Poly has a chance to avenge a loss on the road for the second time in three days when they visit Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night. The Titans beat the Mustangs 87-74 at Mott two weeks ago in a game that wasn’t very close in the second half. Tip at Titan Gym is set for 6:00pm on Saturday and can be seen on ESPN3.

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.

Owen sat down to chat with CSUN men’s basketball and UCR baseball play-by-play announcer Ghizal Hasan. Ghizal had some unique perspectives on the Big West, college sports, and doing play-by-play. He’s a fun follow on Twitter and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!