He’s baaaack! By Gamerscore Blog from USA, via Wikimedia Commons

The first word that popped into my head when I watched Kobe Bryant return to the lineup last night was “rhythm.” After being sidelined for nearly eight months with reconstructive Achilles surgery, Bryant is now back and full-go with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Many anticipated Kobe to come firing out of the gate, like he never left the game. At same point we all have to realize that yes, Kobe is still human and now matter how good he was before his injury it will take him some time to get his “rhythm” back. The question is, how long?

I was sidelined for nine months of my college career after a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in my right knee. Similar to Achilles tears, blowing out a knee like I did is one of the worst and toughest injuries to come back from in sports. It is an interesting feeling knowing that I can relate to what number 24 on the Lakers is going through. With that in mind, I am not worried at all about Kobe’s return.

The stat line for the Black Mamba in his first game back against the Toronto Raptors (a team Kobe once scored 81 points against) was 9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and the most uncharacteristic stat for Kobe — 8 turnovers. He was also -16 on player efficiency after logging nearly 30 minutes of play. The last thing Laker fans need to do is start to freak-out.

Injuries like Kobe’s require complete remodeling of the body; you have to understand how to keep yourself healthy by dedicating more time to nutrition, fitness, sleep patterns and social life decisions. This is where I believe Kobe has the advantage with his experience, wisdom and knowledge of the game.

Every year is one year older for Kobe and his reconstructed Achilles, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t stopped trying to improve his body. Another thing I noticed was his upper body size and strength. After being sidelined with an injury that keeps you from using your legs much, Kobe has clearly been in the weight room becoming stronger for his return. No longer will he be the fastest guy, most explosive, or just the best athlete on the floor and that’s something he has to accept. With the combination of an Achilles injury and an aging body, Kobe has to now be even smarter than before and be able to use his body more to create plays for his team and himself.

I will give Kobe until Christmas to get his “rhythm” back and hopefully get the Lakers in playoff contention. Until then Lakers fans shouldn’t worry about Kobe’s ability to play the game of basketball. It will come, even if it’s a little ugly at first. For me, it is just damn good to see number 24 back in the purple and gold.

Chris O’Brien will be a contributor to Fansmanship.com. By Owen Main

After a college basketball career that took him from the University of San Francisco to Cal Poly, Chris O’Brien graduated from Cal Poly last year. Back in his hometown of Irvine, O’Brien still is passionate about sports, competition, and health and fitness. The son of a high school basketball coach, O’Brien has a great perspective on sports and life.

We are pleased to announce that O’Brien will be contributing sports and health and fitness posts for Fansmanship this year. He is a smart guy with a unique perspective and we’re thrilled he’ll be giving it here.

I didn’t really know what to expect Friday night. As a player, coach, or family member, I’ve been to probably 20 high school end-of-year awards ceremonies, but I didn’t know what to expect for an end of year banquet for a Division 1 basketball program. Cal Poly’s event at the Performing Arts Center was a fun one. Here are some of the things I learned and some things I was reminded of.

Dylan Royer, Drake U’u, and Chris O’Brien shared the Cal Poly captain’s award. by Owen Main

Seniors mean a lot

Sometimes in the middle of the season, fans might look at a player and wonder why someone is in the game over someone else. Often, it comes down to intangibles, and it was clear that this year’s seniors have earned a ton of respect from head coach Joe Callero.

“The maturity of three seniors was the absolute key to the season,” said Callero.

The personality of a team at this level can be shaped by the leaders on the team and it’s clear that, along with Chris Eversley, the personality of the past year’s team was driven by the three seniors — Dylan Royer, Chris O’Brien, and Drake U’u. Look for Eversley, Jamal Johnson, and Kyle Odister to quickly establish themselves as dominant personalities on next year’s roster.

And the winners are…

Chris Eversley took home the team’s Most Valuable Player Award. In other news, the sky is blue, Avila Beach is warm, and SLO is a great place to live.

Dylan Royer won the Mr. Hustle award, Drake U’u took home the Academic Excellence and Media Darling Awards. Chris O’Brien won the Inspiration Award, lamenting “I really am an old man, and I feel like it.”

All three seniors split the Captain’s Award and junior point guard Jamal Johnson netted the Coach’s Award.

Men’s college basketball news can be broken on a Friday night in June

About two hours before the awards ceremony, head coach Joe Callero tweeted that Reese Morgan would undergo surgery on the 24th of this month and miss the entire 2013-14 season. Morgan redshirted in 2011-12 with an injury of the same knee, but came on to have a strong freshman campaign last year, starting in at least 10 games down the stretch. Morgan’s best game of the year came in his first start, when he scored 26 points at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara. With the loss of Morgan and Dylan Royer, look for senior Kyle Odister to be Cal Poly’s main three-point threat next season.

Ryan Darling, Shawn Lewis, and other former Mustangs were on-hand at the 2013 Awards Banquet. By Owen Main

The Cal Poly basketball family continues to grow

Joe Callero and basketball alum Alex Lambertson have worked over the past year to develop a Cal Poly basketball alumni network, and that network was represented with several recent graduates from the Cal Poly basketball family. Among others who attended Friday night’s awards ceremony were Shawn Lewis, Will Taylor, Ryan Darling, and Jordan Lewis. For someone who is a Cal Poly basketball fan, it’s fun to see players past and present interacting and to get a chance to talk and catch-up with all of them. Taylor, for example, recently returned from a stint playing basketball professionally in Germany.

Cal Poly has a Media Darling Award

And it went to Drake U’u. Take a few minutes and watch. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. (props to Chris Giovannetti)

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAo32kaDmZY

The UCLA win was nice…

But the team has other milestones it’s hit during the past few years. They’ve won at USC and UCLA, finished with back-to-back 18-win seasons, become a team Big West opponents implicitly respect, and raised the bar for future Mustangs teams. The change is one of culture and, while not all Cal Poly fans agree with everything that happens all the time, it’s hard to argue that the culture around the basketball team at Cal Poly has changed from five years ago, when the team finished 7-21 and expectations seemed almost impossible to have.

The event overall was really fun

I wasn’t sure how much fun I would have, but if you followed the basketball team at all this year, there were lots of inside jokes, fond memories, and other fun things. The location was pretty great too — inside a side hall of the Performing Arts Center I had never seen before. For the $5 admission, I think it was totally worth it.

The Future

The awards ceremony got me thinking about the future of the program. Questions about who will improve the most from last year to next stand-out. The unknown can be the most exciting or terrifying thing in the life of a college basketball coach or fan. How will David Nwaba fit-in and is he really the physical specimen they’ll need him to be with Morgan out and O’Brien graduated? Can any of the three freshmen next season (Markel Leonard, Ridge Shipley, and Taylor Sutlive) break through and make significant contributions? How will Kyle Odister move into a role where his shooting and energy are needed night-in and night-out? Will Jamal Johnson’s efficiency continue to improve? Can Chris Eversley take a next-step to being a candidate for Big West Player of the Year?

I could go on and on. the point is, the future is a fun thing to play with, as anticipation builds toward next year.

Next year’s schedule is ambitious

The non-conference schedule for Cal Poly includes games at Arizona, Pitt, Stanford, Delaware, and Fresno State and a home game against Nevada, among others. To build a reputation and get teams to schedule home-and-home series, you have to play good teams on the road, and Callero has once again put several BCS schools on the schedule.

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OK, so I\’ve never made a Highlander joke about UC Riverside. Until now. Sorry. UC Riverside has struggled this preseason, losing notably 39-30 to Fresno State and 70-26 at USC.

The Highlanders did beat Northern Colorado, another common opponent with Cal Poly, but that was the only thing that resembles a quality win for Jim Woolridge\’s team.

If Cal Poly is to really compete for a top-4 seed in the Big West Tournament, winning games like this, against a team that was picked to finish last in the conference in the preseason coaches poll, is imperative.

An upset loss is not outside the realm of possibility for Cal Poly, though. Three weeks after beating Cal State Northridge 100-54 at Mott Gym last season, the Mustangs went to the San Fernando Valley and lost to the Matadors 94-81.

The UC Riverside game is made more important by a pair of TOUGH games next weekend at Mott Gym vs. UC Irvine (6-7, picked 3rd in the preseason coaches poll) and Long Beach State (4-7, picked 1st in the preseason coaches poll)

I caught-up with Chris O\’Brien and Chris Eversley before the Mustangs boarded their bus to Riverside on Thursday afternoon. They talked about what the team has learned over the first 10 games, what they did on Christmas vacation, and O\’Brien changed course to give us a movie review of The Hobbit.

Cal Poly @ UC Riverside

Saturday, December 29

1:00 PM, The SRC Arena

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTYVfOodh50

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=GomcyPdnBqc

Chris Eversley throws down two of his seven first-half points. By Owen Main

Cal Poly and Fresno State are squaring-off tonight at Mott Gym and it’s a battle of contrasting styles. Fresno State has pressed full-court for the entire game. They are the longer and decidedly more athletic squad and seem to be getting their hands on almost every 50/50 rebound. Fresno State guard Kevin Foster can’t seem to miss with 15 first-half points.

Cal Poly was led by (surprise) Chris Eversley, who scored seven points, but the real story is that Fresno State is playing their up-tempo style and leading Cal Poly 37-30.

Fansmanship Notes –

* Cal Poly implemented a 1-3-1 defense for the last 5 minutes of the second half to keep the Fresno State lead within single digits.

* Lots of Fresno State fans here. Bulldog nation is representing.

* Fresno State was 6-11 from 3-point range in the first half. Cal Poly shot 3-6. Cal Poly was outrebounded 16-11.

Photos by Owen Main

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Behind 21 points and 10 rebounds from junior Chris Eversley, the Cal Poly men’s basketball team came back from a six-point first half deficit to beat Northern Colorado 64-53 on Thursday night. The win was their first of the year.

Senior Chris O’Brien seems to always be in the right place at the right time. By Owen Main

The victory marked Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero’s third home opener victory in four years.

Cal Poly has seen a big contribution from freshman center Brian Bennett. After posting a double-double in his first college game, Bennett scored 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds against Northern Colorado. Senior Dylan Royer contributed 13 points — 10 in the second half. Royer was only 1-6 from the field in the first half before he, and the rest of the Mustangs got hot. Cal Poly was 5-10 from 3-point range in the second half after going only 1-11 in the first.

First Half Photos Here

For Cal Poly, shooting 43 percent from the field in the second half had to have been a relief after shooting just 31.7 percent combined in their first three halves of the season.

The matchup with Northern Colorado was an interesting one. Cal Poly, known for their defensive efficiency, vs. Northern Colorado, the nation’s top 3-point shooting team from a season ago. Just five days removed from a 127-point performance in an exhibition game, Cal Poly held the Bears to just 53 points on 3-18 from behind the arc.

Jamal Johnson, who had 7 assists and 2 turnovers in the contest, found his way into the lane much more consistently in the second half. By Owen Main

Jamal Johnson gave his coach everything he wants from a point guard, racking up seven assists to go along with five points and only two turnovers in 32 minutes of play.

While it’s still early in the season a few things are shaping up already for this Cal Poly team:

* Chris Eversley is going to have to be in beast mode every game for the Mustangs to have a shot. Whether it’s drawing double-teams, scoring, or rebounding, Eversley is clearly the Mustangs most talented offensive player. He’s going to put up big numbers this season.

* The Freshman Question: Callero addresses it in the press conference (below), but one big question Cal Poly has had coming into this season has been with freshmen. Center Brian Bennett has looked like he belongs right from the beginning. At 6’9”, Bennett is not getting pushed around by anyone. Fellow freshman center Zach Gordon saw more minutes at TCU last week than vs. Northern Colorado. While he will be a less-consistent contributor than Bennett early-on, his play, and playing time, should become more consistent as the season goes on and he gains more experience. Reese Morgan who was so highly-regarded as a recruit, still looks like he’s getting his confidence back in his knee. Morgan has had two surgeries already since he’s been on-campus and, for a shooter, having a base that you aren’t fully comfortable with is a hard thing. Morgan seems to be moving well, playing good defense, taking charges, etc… but he’s missed a lot of basketball and getting your rhythm back as a shooter isn’t an easy thing after a leg injury. Just ask Kyle Odister.

* The O’Brien Factor: Senior Chris O’Brien was out all of last year with a knee injury. O’Brien, the son of a high school coach, is like another coach on the floor for Callero. While he went only 1-4 from the field, O’Brien still managed 9 points in 20 minutes of play, hit a 3-pointer in the middle of the decisive Cal Poly run, and helped to hold Norther Colorado’s 3-point shooters down. Callero has preached the virtues of senior leadership for each of the past two seasons and O’Brien, Royer, and Drake U’u will be those seniors Callero will be leaning on this year.

Post-game comments below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTXRNznR6NA

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7oOfCXHJfw

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJwOG4QuaI4

Photos by Owen Main

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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.