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 . 

Josh Martin – Junior – 6’7”, 220 lbs

By the Numbers:

Injuries were once again a factor in Josh Martin’s final season at Cal Poly. By Owen Main

25 Games

19.9 Minutes per game

7.4 Points per game

5.0 Rebounds per game

1.3 Assists per game

36.7.% Field Goals

33.3% 3 Pointers

65.5 % Free Throws

A transfer from Minnesota, Josh Martin’s highlight reel and skillset were all high-major. When he came in, I remember thinking about the potential of what he could allow Cal Poly’s coaching staff to do in terms of schemes. Could they put him at the five, use the physicality of their guards at the time, and go with some kind of super-small death lineup? What would it look like to play Martin at the three with two bigger players around him? With a relatively mature individual offensive skillset, Martin seemed like the kind of player you could maybe plug-in and go with. 

But it was never that easy. 

Injuries early in his Cal Poly career caused limited practice and game time. He missed the first nine games of his first eligible season at Cal Poly in 2016-17. We saw flashes of his dynamic athleticism going to the bucket. It made you wonder what he could do with a full season. Early-on in what was supposed to be his junior year, Martin had a 17 point, 21 rebound game against Pepperdine. In the team’s fifth game, he broke his foot and missed the rest of the season. 

In his true junior season (fifth in college) this past year, Martin again sustained an early-season injury, missing six games during what was probably Cal Poly’s best stretch and only three-game win streak of the season. When he returned, he again seemed like he was playing catch-up. He scored 19 points in a loss at Bethune-Cookman, 24 points in a loss at UC Irvine, and 20 points in a loss at UCSB. But his production was mercurial. Martin scored in double digits in just two of 10 home games against Division I teams and went five straight conference games late in the season without scoring more than 2 points. 

At season’s end, Martin announced he would be finishing classes to graduate from Cal Poly, making him an eligible grad transfer, eligible immediately. 

When he came to SLO, I asked around and all anyone ever told me was how much time Martin liked to spend in the gym. During his first redshirt year, I arrived early to games to see Martin and then associate head coach Paul Fortier working to get shots up. Maybe it was all in my head, but there was so anticipation about what impact he could have. 

Martin’s career at Cal Poly will be remembered in flashes. A soaring left handed dunk. A blocked shot. That two-footed takeoff. One of those same feet in a boot more than once. Crutches. That consistent weapon that Cal Poly thought they had in the holster never quite got calibrated while in San Luis Obispo.

Looking forward

Assuming he ends up at another Division I school (no announcements have been made yet), Martin can be an impactful contributor. Wherever he ends up, a guy who has gone through everything he has with injuries will be an easy guy to root for and a very interesting player for Cal Poly fans to keep track of throughout next year. 

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

The Cal Poly men’s basketball team has finished 7th place in the Big West standings for five straight seasons. In 2018-19, at least seven names on the 17-18 roster will be gone, including four that have been announced since the season ended. As this school year nears its end, the 18-19 roster has started to come into focus.

Players leaving include seniors Luke Meikle and Victor Joseph, graduating junior Aleks Abrams, and Josh Martin and Trevor John — both of whom announced their intention to graduate and leave the program after the season ended. 

Joining those departures are Eric Toles, who redshirted last season, and walk-on Jared Rice. The departures left a bunch of question-marks, many of which were filled last week.

Incoming Freshmen

Four of the seven open spots will be filled by incoming freshmen. Junior Ballard and Daxton Carr figure to contribute on the wing. Tuukka Jaakkola, a center from Finland was announced later in the school year. Cal Poly is not a deep team in the front court, leading me to believe the Jaakkola will likely be a candidate to play and not redshirt, though I never know with players who I’ve never seen in-person. (I actually never know with anybody…). 

One guy I have seen play in person — a lot — is Mission Prep’s Kyle Colvin. Colvin was announced by Cal Poly after accepting enrollment into school. I’ve seen him play for the last three seasons and think he can be a contributor during his career at Cal Poly. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a Division I player. Getting him as a presumed walk-on (?) will add depth to the Mustang roster. 

Transfers

Cal Poly has been active in making offers to junior college players. Last week, Job Alexander committed. Alexander is another lanky wing who can shoot from long range. While depth is always a plus, the Mustangs seem to have a lot of those. 

More to come?

Currently, their roster has 12 players on it, one of whom may be a walk-on. So Cal Poly still has 1-2 scholarships available, if they choose to use them (I can’t imagine they wouldn’t). Just four of the 12 players currently listed on Cal Poly’s roster will be upperclassmen next season. We’ll see who the Mustangs have up their sleeve and whether they can get one more impact player. The depth on the front court seems really thin with the current roster construction. Getting some kind of 6’9″ beefcake who can defend and rebound to commit to Cal Poly would seem to be a priority, though getting a real impact player this late seems like it would be difficult. You never know. 

Kevon Davis (left) was announced as a new assistant coach at Cal Poly after Paul Mrozik (second from left) left for a job at Mercer. By Owen Main

Mrozik moving on

After just two seasons, Associate Head Coach Paul Mrozik will be leaving for a job at Mercer. Taking his place on the coaching staff is Kevon Davis, who was Cal Poly’s Director of Player Development last season. Davis joins Sam Kirby and Mitch Reaves on Joe Callero’s staff. 

Kuba Niziol – Junior – 6’7”, 210 lbs

Kuba Niziol’s best two games may have been during Cal Poly’s best two-game stretch of the season. By Owen Main

By the Numbers:

30 Games

18.2 Minutes per game

7.2 Points per game

2.3 Rebounds per game

.53 Assists per game

36.3.% Field Goals

34.5% 3 Pointers

81.4 % Free Throws

Kuba Niziol is a player who came into 2017-18 looking more physically ready to compete at the Division I college level. The lanky, sharpshooting forward from Poland had put on some muscle and looked primed to make a big contribution. During Cal Poly’s best two-game stretch — wins at Santa Clara and vs. College of Charleston in Alaska — Kuba played two of his best games. Against College of Charleston — the Mustangs’ best non-conference win — the junior went 5-5 from downtown en route to 15 points. 

After shooting under 30 percent from three-point range as a sophomore, Niziol was much closer to his true talent level as a 34 percent shooter from downtown. But if three-point shooting is his only dimension, Niziol isn’t tapping into what he can be. Somewhat like our last subject, Marcellus Garrick, Niziol has a lot more potential to be more of a versatile playmaker instead of only a spot-up shooter. 

While his percentage wasn’t great, Niziol isn’t as far away as it seems from being a much more consistent and deadly shooter. He always just seems super relaxed when he releases his shots. 

In the first half of conference play, Kuba missed a game at UC Irvine and sat out all but the final two minutes at CSUN. Coach Joe Callero pointed to a minor injury he picked up during that week. Niziol scored in double digits in three conference games. In Cal Poly’s final game of the season, a frustrating blowout first-round loss to UCSB, Niziol was ejected after committing a flagrant foul under the basket. It seemed like a microcosm of the way the Mustangs’ season ended.

** Story Break** 

I was at the Cal Poly Rec Center sometime probably in like July or August. There were a few Cal Poly basketball players running in a pick-up game. When Niziol and Donovan Fields had to shoot to be the last guy, they went pretty quickly to three-pointers. Nobody was missing. They each made like 20 threes in a row while battling each other. It got to the point where the other 9 guys waiting to play started to run around and shoot on the other hoop to stay loose. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that at a pick-up game. I don’t even remember who missed first, I just remember everyone else saying “finally” and shaking their heads when one of them missed.

Looking forward

Niziol is one of the Cal Poly players whose basketball skills seem tantalizing. In some games and in some situations, Niziol was one of the most dynamic and dangerous players on the floor. At other times, he seemed frustrated by his threes not falling. When he’s got his all-around game working, Niziol has the potential to be a consistent contributor on both ends of the floor on a good team. 

Six would-be seniors on the 2018-19 team have left in past years. Niziol, Garrick, and Donovan Fields are slated to be seniors next year. They’ll all have a chance to break the Mustangs out of the 7th place rut they’ve been in. 

With his length, Kuba has a high ceiling. He is more athletic than you think and his ability to defend multiple positions and rebound could easily improve in a kind of important, understated way year-to-year. Being a 10-12 point, 5 rebound guy while playing good defense and improving his all around game is totally within reach for Niziol in 2018-19. 

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

Marcellus Garrick – Junior – 6’4”, 190 lbs

By the Numbers:

Marcellus Garrick has potential to be an impact player on the 2018-19 iteration of the Cal Poly men’s basketball team. By Owen Main

27 Games

16.7 Minutes per game

6.5 Points per game

1.6 Rebounds per game

.4 Assists per game

41.2.% Field Goals

38.4% 3 Pointers

75.8 % Free Throws

A native of South Carolina, Garrick transferred to Cal Poly from local Alan Hancock College in Santa Maria prior to the 2017-18 season. The junior immediately showed some maturity and made an impact. Garrick scored in double-digits in four of Cal Poly’s first five games and had a season/career high 20 points in 30 minutes during a win over Pepperdine in the Mustangs’ 9th game of the season. When he’s rolling, Garrick’s energy on the floor can be electric. 

As conference approached, Cal Poly’s effectiveness started to wane and Garrick’s stats and playing time faded. Starting January 31st, Garrick did not play in three of five games. Over the last 10 games of the season, Garrick played in 7 contests, averaging just 10 minutes per game. 

Garrick’s versatility is something that should get fans and coaches excited. There are lots of creative ways he can be utilized on both ends of the floor. Garrick’s three-point shooting proved translatable to the next level, but he’s probably contributing best when that is only a part of his offensive repertoire. Garrick’s ability to be a secondary or tertiary decision-maker on offense will go a long way to how effective he is next season. One thing that can improve some is his handle. Joe Callero likes his seniors and guards to be primary  Better understanding how opponents are reacting to his attacking with the ball could help him find open teammates and be a playmaker for the Cal Poly offense. Getting him on the move offensively should probably be a priority.

On the defensive end, Garrick’s strength and length can be a real asset for the Mustangs.

As a recruit from a local junior college, Garrick’s appearance on the Cal Poly roster signaled the first time in the Joe Callero era that the Mustangs have tapped a local junior college (Cuesta or Hancock) recruit. For a low/mid-major program that doesn’t have great grad transfer options and has a hard time getting players into school, it seems like local JUCO interaction is something the Mustangs should be looking at on a more regular basis. Perhaps Garrick will signal more student athletes feeding from local JUCOs. 

Looking forward

For a team that doesn’t have many outspoken leaders, Garrick’s ability to lead as a senior next season could go a long way toward stabilizing the team’s confidence, attitude, and work ethic. Aside from Donovan Fields, Garrick I think has the most potential to be a force of nature on the court for Cal Poly next year. If he can improve his handles a little and make great decisions under duress, it would go a long way toward freeing-up Fields, Cal Poly’s post players, and taking some pressure off incoming players like Junior Ballard and Daxton Carr.

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

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.

Aleks Abrams – Graduating Redshirt Junior – 6’8″, 240 lbs

Aleks Abrams had a career high 18 rebounds in a game this season against UC Davis. By Owen Main

By the Numbers:

24 Games

13.4 Minutes per game

2.4 Points per game

4.3 Rebounds per game

0.4 Assists per game

44.7% Field Goals

72.7% Free Throws

I saw Abrams play in one of his last high school games against Mission Prep in San Luis Obispo. His team, which featured Kenny Smith’s son, beat the Royals that night. After redshirting his first year on campus, Abrams showed he wasn’t afraid to push in the post defensively. While it wasn’t for lack of effort, Abrams, who is listed at 6’8″, wasn’t the longest big man in the world. His offensive game only developed incrementally over the past two seasons, and his effectiveness was matchup-dependent. He had 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in an overtime loss at home against UC Davis this past season and a four point, 18 rebound effort in Cal Poly’s final win of the season, a 90-86 double overtime victory over CSUN. 

In a conference that has gotten bigger across the board, Abrams was a somewhat undersized center.

Abrams never put up huge numbers consistently, but he had some sneaky-good defensive and rebounding games in his career and hustled and got his work done in class over four seasons at Cal Poly. 

Looking forward

As a redshirt junior, Abrams was on-track to graduate and was honored at Cal Poly’s senior night. Abrams will be a graduate transfer and eligible to play immediately somewhere else in 2018-19, if he so chooses.

On a related note, head coach Joe Callero talked after their season-ending loss to UCSB about how difficult it was to get graduate transfers into school at Cal Poly. Part of that context was that UCSB relied heavily on a few graduate transfers this season. The other part of that is that Cal Poly is losing at least 2-3 players via the grad transfer. 

Best of luck to Aleks, wherever he ends up.

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

Iziah James – Freshman – 6’0″, 180 lbs

Iziah James could have a few clear paths to improvement and more playing time in 2018-19. By Owen Main

By the Numbers:

26 Games

9.8 Minutes per game

2.2 Points per game

0.8 Rebounds per game

0.7 Assists per game

33.3% Field Goals

36.4% Three Point Field Goals

87.5% Free Throws

In his freshman season, James didn’t see much of the floor. While he appeared in 26 games, he averaged only 9.8 minutes per game. At times, the speed of the game looked quick for him — something that’s not abnormal for some freshmen. James tried to play physical defense. I thought before the season that his physicality reminded me a little of Maliik Love, though James isn’t as quick or physically developed as Love, who was the Big West’s freshman of the year, was at that age. 

James’ shot is more of a set-shot than a jumper and looks a little different, but he shot it at a 36 percent clip that was fourth on the team. James got more playing time during Big West play as his freshman year wore on. 

Looking forward

Point guard Donovan Fields figures to dominate the ball once again in 2018, and with good reason. To get Fields more open looks, Cal Poly might be well-served to have other ball-handlers on the floor. Incoming freshman Junior Ballard figures to get lots of guard/wing minutes, but having James and Fields on the floor at the same time is an option. If James can bring his three-point and field goal shooting percentage closer to 40%, this will open things up a lot more for more playing time. 

As with other players trying to get off the end of the bench, improvements are likely in store for James. His ball security, physical development, decision-making, and consistent shooting are all things that he can improve on, as can all young point guards. If he really wants to make himself indispensable, getting really focused on his own physicality and defense can really be a difference maker. This is a team that needs more physical defensive players and a defensive stopper is a great role for a young player to develop. 

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

Karlis Garoza – Freshman – 6’9″, 230 lbs

By the Numbers:

20 Games

12 Minutes per game

2.0 Points per game

2.8 Rebounds per game

0.6 Assists per game

41% Field Goals

63.5% Free Throws

Listed at 6’9″ and 230 pounds, many had very high hopes for Latvian freshman Karlis Garoza in 2017-18. During his first year in San Luis Obispo, it was hard to get a good read on what he can be on the court. While 6’9″ is a liberal estimate of his height, Garoza’s long arms and timely jumping allowed him to be effective in spurts against opposing centers. Garoza’s aggressive mentality and ability to mix it up physically and resist opponents defensively in the post was good at times early-on this season. 

An early-season upper-body injury and a knee injury midway through the season certainly hampered Garoza’s development. He missed several conference games and was clearly hobbled during the time he was on the floor during Cal Poly’s Big West Tournament loss. Garoza was scheduled for knee surgery after the season.

Looking forward

Assuming he comes back healthy from injury, Garoza is one of just two returning bigs currently on the Cal Poly roster. As things stand, Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero is likely to rely on Garoza for similar production next season to what the Mustangs got from Aleks Abrams in 2017-18. Abrams averaged nearly five rebounds per game while providing the best post defense on a team that was 349th out of 351 Division I teams in defending 2-point shots. If Cal Poly wants to get better in this area, improved post defense — especially in an increasingly physical Big West landscape — would be a good place to start.

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

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.