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.

Joe Callero’s Cal Poly men’s basketball team had their first official practice of the season on Friday afternoon. With six brand new faces to the program and two other players who didn’t really play at all last season, this team will go as far as it can
Roster construction

In terms of total number of players who can be solid contributors, this team looks a lot like the Mustangs of two years ago to me. There are probably 12 guys who could easily be in the top seven in the rotation. That could be really good for things like depth, withstanding injuries throughout the season, and competitive practices. Still, there are only five players on the court at any one time, and players who can separate themselves will be something fans can look for early in the season. 

New guys

Other than DeAndre Stallings not coming to campus, I outlined Cal Poly’s new guys here. One thing that struck me is the real length of Marcellus Garrick and Eric Toles. They are both listed at 6′ 4″, but they are well-sized for wings in the Big West Conference. When you have to go against longer wings like Khalil Ahmad and Jackson Rowe from Fullerton, CSUN’s Michael Warren and Kobe Paras, and others, it’s nice to have some depth to match-up with those guys. Here are a few thoughts about some of the new players, based on one day of practice:

• 

  Iziah James is a strong looking freshman. By Owen Main

  Iziah James (Freshman, Chesapeke, VA) — He’s slightly taller than Donovan Fields and Victor Joseph, but is built a little stronger. James seems to have a confident floor presence. Being a young point guard under Joe Callero can be tough. It will be interesting to see how James responds throughout the season. James’ social media accounts refer to him as ManMan, and I actually heard some guys calling him this in practice. So, he’s instantly got the best nickname on the team. 

• 

  Eric Toles has a nice all-around game with length to be disruptive on both ends as a guard. By Owen Main

  Eric Toles (Junior, Sierra College) — Toles is long and thin. He handles the ball well for how long he is. The big thing I wanted to see about some of the new guys was how they shoot, and nobody’s shot looks broken. Toles has been around campus and I caught him at the Cal Poly vs. San Jose State football game, so he’s already engaging in some school spirit and what’s going on around campus. Toles has a smoothness about his game that makes me think he’s the kind of guy who could fly under the radar and end up with like 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in a given game while filling-in gaps all over the floor. 

• 

  Marcellus Garrick is probably the most physically impressive of the incoming players. By Owen Main

  Marcellus Garrick (Junior, Alan Hancock College) — Garrick could be the yin to Toles’ yang. They are roughly the same size (about 6’4″) and the two players do a lot of the same things. Callero discussed using both of them at the top of a 1-3-1 defense. In contrast to Toles’ fluid movement, Garrick is a whirling dervish. The Hancock College product is the stronger of the two, but also has a good looking jumper and figures to be disruptive on defense as well. 

• 

  Paulo Cruz shouldn’t have a problem with poise and his jumper looks niiice. By Owen Main

  Paulo Cruz (Junior, University of Arizona) — Cruz sat on the bench in a top-25 program for the past two seasons. He’s Cal Poly quarterback Khaleel Jenkins’ former high school teammate and, like Garrick and Toles, is a legit 6’4″. Cruz’ jumper might be the most pure out of the three. You have to think that having practiced with and against some high major talent over the past few years will be impactful in terms of experience and ability to step into game situations Cal Poly experiences, especially at the beginning of the season. 

• 

  Kārlis Garoza has been a decorated youth athlete in Latvia. By Owen Main

  Kārlis Garoza (Freshman, Latvia) — Gāroza started as the center on a U-18 Latvian National Team at the end of 2016. His finishing under the hoop was confident, but playing time for Gāroza will likely depend on how quickly he can pick up on defensive concepts, protect the rim on that end of the floor, and finish possessions with rebounding. With Luke Meikle, Josh Martin, Hank Hollingsworth, and Aleks Abrams all upper-classmen, I wouldn’t be surprised if Garoza redshirted. But that was not a question I asked Callero on Friday and that would be pure speculation on my part. Maybe a three-man center rotation along with Hollingsworth and Abrams will be an effective and competitve thing too. 

• 

  Jared Rice will look to compete all season as a walk-on from Modesto. By Owen Main

  Jared Rice (Freshman, Modesto, CA) — Rice is a walk-on who Callero praised after practice on Friday. He already has the thickest shoulders of any of Cal Poly’s small guards and plays with some swagger. His shot looks confident too. Like I said about James, it’s demanding to be a young point guard at Cal Poly. Rice will likely give Cal Poly some roster flexibility if there are injuries. He’s already impressed the coaching staff. 

Back on the floor

I’m convinced Mark Crowe will be an impact player as a redshirt freshman during his second year on campus. By Owen Main

Two players who will probably have big impacts this season are back on the floor for Cal Poly. Josh Martin, who missed all but the first few games last season with an injury, is back. Martin had 21 rebounds in the season opener last season before injuring his leg. He was practicing without any kind of brace or observable ill effects on Friday. 

Mark Crowe will be kind of a wildcard for the Mustangs this season. Crowe redshirted during his first year in San Luis Obispo. He has an athletic, 6’5″ frame, allowing him to play probably either the 3 or 4 for this year’s Cal Poly team. He has a decent looking jumper and good instincts from what I saw. For anyone who saw Cal Poly’s layup line last season, you have to be excited about what Crowe might bring. 

So, that’s eight players who are “new” faces on a 15-man roster. Aside from Victor Joseph and Donovan Fields getting significant minutes alongside veterans Luke Meikle and Josh Martin early in the season, I am completely clueless about how the rest of the minutes shake out right now. There are guys competing for time at virtually every position. 

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. 

Joe Callero’s team could look REALLY different next season. By Owen Main

It’s the Spring, but it’s looking like Cal Poly basketball could look a whole lot different in the Fall. As many as five or six new faces could be on the roster in 2017-18. Cal Poly announced two weeks ago incoming freshmen Karlis Gāroza (6’9″ forward from Latvia) and Iziah James (6’0″ guard from Chesapeake, VA). Over the past few weeks, the Mustangs have received verbal commitments from three junior college players, including Eric Toles Jr. (6’4″ guard from Sierra College vis Consumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove), Marcellus Garrick (6’4″ guard from Hancock College via Columbia, South Carolina), and DeAndre Stallings (6’7″ forward from Columbia College via Liberty Ranch High School in Galt). 

Stallings is a player who I profiled below who Cal Poly has not announced, though a newspaper article and twitter chatter indicated he had been offered and committed to the Mustangs for next season. All signs point to Stallings walking-on in the Fall. More information below on Stallings. 

There are now four scholarship players that are confirmed gone from the program. Zach Gordon and Ridge Shipley were seniors, Jaylen Shead left the team during last season, and Lucas Clark tweeted this week that Taylor Sutlive wouldn’t be back next season. 

Spoke with Cal Poly MBB coach Joe Callero tonight, who confirmed fourth-year junior guard Taylor Sutlive won't be back for a fifth season.

— Lucas Clark (@LucasClark_SLO) April 26, 2017

Cal Poly now sits at their limit of 13 scholarships.

Here’s a quick break down (and video if I could find it) of each of the new faces confirmed by Cal Poly.

Karlis Gāroza

He’ll be a 6’9″ center as a freshman and, if things go well, could compete for significant playing time. It’s hard to find any video on Gāroza — at least recent video. If you want to watch him play like two years ago, here’s just about the only thing I could find. The game is from the Latvian U-18 team playing against Sweden. 

Being a young student in a new country might seem tough, but Associate Head Coach Pawel Mrozik and teammate Kuba Nizioł would be reasons that the transition isn’t as difficult. 

Iziah James 

James is a 6-foot guard who, while taller than both Donovan Fields and Victor Joseph, seems to be in the mold of a small guard who can create and be a playmaker. 

Nicknamed “Man Man,” James’ highlight tape shows that he likes to run the middle of the fast break, played tough defense in high school, and can hit shots off the dribble. 

Because of his size and overlapping position, it’s unclear where James fits in in 2017-18. He could be a guy who redshirts and gets stronger while laying in wait. Or he could be a big-time playmaker who plays a complimentary role with Fields, Joseph, and the two incoming JuCo shooting guards. It’s hard to tell a lot from one tape, except that there are some translatable ball-handling and court awareness skills that James will bring to SLO. 

Eric Toles Jr. 

Eric Toles comes to Cal Poly after averaging 17 points and four rebounds per game at Sierra College last year. He can shoot off the dribble and scored 27 or more points in a game five times last year. His size as a guard gives Joe Callero s0me flexibility to use a number of different ways. I couldn’t find much recent video aside from the all star game at the bottom of the post, but here are a few high school highlight films from Toles. 

COMMITTED✅ pic.twitter.com/fZTBqBitVX

— Eric Toles⛹ (@Etoles_32) April 23, 2017

Marcellus Garrick

Garrick seems like he might be the most exciting of the three Junior College players. With two local JuCo’s in the area, I always thought it was interesting that Cal Poly hadn’t inked players from either Hancock or Cuesta in recent memory. 

Garrick fits the bill in terms of size, shooting ability, and athleticism. He made an official visit to Cal Poly this week and didn’t waste any time verbally committing on Twitter today. 

pic.twitter.com/ODl4F2YiDb

— M.Garrick (@CellusFlocka) April 27, 2017

His excitement to be at Cal Poly is something that locals will appreciate. “The 805 is like a second home to me,” the Columbia, South Carolina native said in his announcement. 

Garrick’s highlights aren’t as easily found on YouTube, but if you go to his Hudl page here, you can find some video. 

DeAndre Stallings

DeAndre Stallings has been something of a mystery, but things were cleared-up some when I was told that he’d likely be a walk-on next season. The Mustangs on Thursday announced the signing of the other two junior college players, but there has been no word on Stallings, which would be the case if he had agreed to walk-on. We’ll keep an eye on things moving forward. The link to the newspaper article below has a pretty sure tone to it in favor of Stallings going to Cal Poly.

Stallings is one of the more enticing players on paper. He scored 18 points and grabbed almost nine rebounds per game as a sophomore at Columbia College. He’s 6’7″ and seems to have an offensive skill set away from the basket. He shot almost eight threes per game last season, making 37.5 percent of them. How well those numbers translate to Division I basketball remains to be see, but with a big body and a somewhat polished junior college offensive game, it will be interesting. This video is of him in high school, but there are some more recent highlights in the longer video of the all star game above.

Here’s a good recent article about Stallings. It seems he impressed at a recent open gym and the Mustangs were quick to make an offer. 

The All NORCAL Games

First of all, sorry for subjecting you all to my deep dives, but found this gem from earlier this month.

At about 13:30 of this video, the game goes from being unwatchable to two Cal Poly guys going back to back from downtown as Toles and Garrick drain three-pointers. Stallings gets into the mix and the three all have their moments. If you have 80 minutes to kill (and don’t want to watch the grass grow) you can watch this game. Once you’ve scrubbed the timeline on it, the right arrow will help you get through it faster. Look for number six on both teams and Stallings is one of the tall guys in gold. 

Garrick actually hits a pair of threes in a row. If you keep watching and can stand the pace and style of play. I guess if nothing else you can get an idea about how they move, how big these guys are, and how they look on a basketball court against other players who are probably being recruited to play at the next level.

Odds and Ends

I was sad to see that Taylor Sutlive won’t be back next season. Taylor has always been kind, gracious, and nothing but positive in my interactions with him. He seems to carry himself with a little more grace and maturity than most athletes his age. He’s a player whose body didn’t hold its end of the bargain. Multiple injuries contributed to him not being on the court as much as anyone originally planned last season. I have no doubt that he’ll be successful in whatever he sets his mind to. 

Here’s a Sutlive highlight video:

Sutlive’s departure along with Gordon, Shipley, and Shead, seems to leave the Mustangs one scholarship short. 

Perhaps the release we’re expecting Thursday will have more details.

As I said last night, expecting a full release Thursday from Cal Poly with official news on the most recent additions.

— Lucas Clark (@LucasClark_SLO) April 26, 2017

Six or SEVEN(?!) Different guys?

With the addition of five new players, Cal Poly could have seven players contributing in 2017-18 who didn’t see any time in the Big West last year. Mark Crowe is an athletic swing man who redshirted last season and Josh Martin was injured shortly after starting last season with a 22 rebound performance at Pepperdine. 

While we don’t know exactly what next year’s roster will look like, we have a general idea now. Cal Poly is infusing a lot of new players. The question of how good they really are and how well they gel together is one for the Fall.

Another development I saw this week was the commitment of a player from the Central Valley. Jared Rice is a 5’11” guard with decent handles who will apparently walk-on for Joe Callero’s squad. This is as much as I know about him. 

Committed pic.twitter.com/Sy0UFgLXMD

— JayRice (@jayyyrice) April 18, 2017

With the knowledge that one or two things could easily change, here’s the roster as we know it now:

Aleks Abrams

Trevor John

Donovan Fields

Mark Crowe

Josh Martin

Victor Joseph

Luke Meikle

Josh Mishler

Hank Hollingsworth

Kuba Nizioł

Karlis Gāroza

Iziah James

Eric Toles

Marcellus Garrick

DeAndre Stallings 

Jared Rice

In the Fall the Cal Poly men’s basketball team will have at least two freshmen on-campus. On Thursday Cal Poly announced that Iziah James (Chesapeake, VA) and Karlis Gāroza (Saldus, Latvia).

Gāroza, a 6’9″ forward, was a starter on the Latvian U-18 team that competed in the FIBA European Championships in December, where he averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds. 

His club team, BK Liepājas Lauvas, is the same club that Kristaps Porziņģis played for. 

Usually, I can look up and find video that is somewhat representative of what players have looked like within the last year. With Gāroza, the proved difficult. The only video that seemed readily available was from 2014. Here it is:

Karlis is number 15 in the red jerseys It’s hard to tell how tall he was then, but I think he throws it down once or twice. What I can take away from this is that he knows how to work the pick and roll and he is somewhat defensively aware at a young age. He contests shots, goes for rebounds, and seems active for a big guy.

Seeing him in-person and seeing him play in-person will be something Cal Poly fans will be waiting all Summer for.

Along with Gāroza, Cal Poly also signed a Virginia-based high school senior. 

Iziah James (Cape Henry Collegiate School) is a 6’0″ guard who did have a little video I could find. James seems to know how to find his teammates, play a little defense, and seems to have the good court sense a college guard needs in order to be successful. 

James is smaller, but reminds me a little of Maliik Love in terms of being a guard with a strong build coming in.

Here’s a recent James video:

And a longer, less recent one:

James isn’t huge, but figures to fit-in well with the small guard penetrating style Cal Poly played most of last year with. Victor Joseph will be a senior in 2017-18 and Donovan Fields will be a junior. If James can play the distributor he seems to be in high school, he could facilitate for Cal Poly’s other two small scoring guards while he gets his sea legs at the college level. 

Don’t forget

Cal Poly will also have Mark Crowe next season. Crowe, who redshirted in 2016-17 and will be a redshirt freshman, is in-between James and Gāroza in size. He is an athletic wing player who should compete for time at the three and maybe the four in a small lineup, much like Kuba Nizioł. 

Prior to signing the two incoming freshmen this week, six of the twelve players on Cal Poly’s roster for next season began at Cal Poly as freshmen. One of those is a walk-on. The other six are transfers. With the addition of these two, my unofficial scholarship count at the limit of 13. 

Players who were hurt all or part of last season who should be back at full strength include seniors Josh Martin and Taylor Sutlive.