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. 

After coming back from a seven point deficit with 1:24 to play in regulation, a five-point deficit with under :49 seconds left in regulation, and a three-point deficit in the first overtime, Cal Poly forced a second extra period and picked-up an important 96-92 home victory over visiting Long Beach State.

Cal Poly senior Joel Awich throws down a dunk in the first half of Saturday night’s thriller. By Owen Main

Cal Poly was down by five points with only 49 seconds left in the game when Long Beach State’s Travis Hammonds rebounded a missed Reese Morgan free throw. When Josh Martin pressured Hammonds in the back court, he picked up a foul, but also something much more valuable — a Hammonds elbow to his nose.

The foul — judged by officials to be a flagrant — gave Cal Poly two free throws and the ball. It was also Hammonds’ fifth foul. After Roschon Prince missed a pair of free throws, Morgan made a pair. On the ensuing possession, Morgan sized-up a three-pointer from about 26 feet out and knocked it down, completing a five-point possession that erased the five-point Cal Poly deficit.

The review of the flagrant foul lasted at least 5-10 minutes. I know there were at least three songs that were played in completion during the review, making an agonizingly close game seem even more so.

2 OT,s 188pts 2 lead changes 3 ties Only 23 total turnovers Clutch shots & FT's. Crazy student section. One of the best CP games ever.

— Tom Barket (@TomBarket) January 17, 2016

Back-to-back sell outs & an energized Mott lifted our team to a double OT victory over Long Beach St.! Total team effort! Loved #Area12

— Joe Callero (@CoachCallero) January 17, 2016

Packed to the gills

For the first time in the Joe Callero era, Cal Poly sold-out back-to-back home games this weekend. The crowd played a big role in Thursday night’s big comeback against UCSB, though it fell short in the end. Many, including myself, wondered whether the students would be burned-out by the tough, emotional rivalry loss.

The fans — students and community alike — answered resoundingly, helping to carry the Mustangs to another comeback. Saturday night’s was one that the home team could finish.

The way the first two conference games went at Mott, 3,032 might become a common number to see on Cal Poly box scores the rest of the way. Seriously, the place was kind of a zoo. Good stuff San Luis Obispo!

Going full Monson

Dan Monson is one of my favorite coaches to watch in the Big West. By Owen Main

With Cal Poly down by two in the first overtime, Joel Awich was fouled by Gabe Levin going to the hoop and awarded two shots with 1:46 to play. After Awich made the first free throw — his third , Long Beach State coach Dan Monson challenged that Levin committed the foul.

While Awich stood at the free throw line waiting, the referees took about a minute to review the play and confirm that the foul was on Levin.

Lo and behold, Awich’s next shot was way off and Long Beach State maintained a one-point lead that they quickly turned into a three-point lead. I suppose Awich had the last laugh when he nailed a three-pointer to tie it less than 30 seconds after being iced, but Monson’s late-game ability to ice-out an opponent was a move that less savvy coaches might not have made.

Bennett rounding into shape

Brian Bennett started the season injured and out of game shape. Over the last eight weeks or so, Bennett has done a lot of extra work to round back into shape and get back to the form that earned him second-team all-Big West honors last season. He’s much more active over the past week or two — six offensive rebounds on Saturday night are evidence of that.

He didn’t start in either game this past weekend, but the senior averaged 17 points and eight rebounds anyway. This Mustang team is 10 players deep and matchups are going to play a big role against some conference teams, but Bennett’s ability to dominate the offensive paint will be vital moving forward.

Brian Bennett is playing much more like the second-team all-conference player he was a year ago. By Owen Main

Bench Work

Cal Poly’s bench out-scored Long Beach State’s 58-32 for the game. 32 bench points seems like a lot. 58 is just obscene. Four Cal Poly players — Martin, Taylor Sutlive, Joel Awich, and Bennett tallied double-figure point totals on Saturday night.

After outscoring UCSB’s bench 40-6 on Thursday, Cal Poly’s bench outscored opponents 98-38 on the weekend. Cal Poly’s bench has bested their opponents in each of their first three conference games.

I know Joe Callero would like to start the players he feels are playing the best, but who starts doesn’t really matter on this team. If you are one of the players in the 10-man rotation, you’ll get your chance. If you play well, you’ll probably be on the floor in the second half when it matters most. The Mustangs switch-out for offense and defense in close games anyway, so you better know your role and you better be ready to play that part if you want time on this Mustangs team.

On the road again

Cal Poly hits the road in Southern California next week for two winnable road games — both of which can be found on ESPN3. On Thursday, the Mustangs will play the CSUN Matadors at 7:00pm. Reggie Theus’ team isn’t eligible for the postseason this year, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hungry to play spoiler in the regular season. Kendall Smith, a UNLV transfer, is someone the Mustangs will have to keep track of on the perimeter and Tre Hale-Edmerson is an inside threat to contend with.

On Saturday, Cal Poly will play at Cal State Fullerton. The early 4:00 ESPN3 tip-off time will be an interesting one. If Cal Poly thinks they’re a top-half team in the Big West, these are two road wins that are important to get.

Programming Note

It was announced this week that Cal Poly’s home game againstconference frontrunner Hawai’i on February 6th will be televised on ESPNU.  Previously, Cal Poly didn’t have any televised or ESPN3 games scheduled to be broadcast from Mott Athletics Center this season.

Photos by Owen Main

To view all photos, click here.

They fought. They clawed. They pressed.

To erase a 15-point deficit against rival UCSB, Cal Poly pulled out all the stops. In front of a sold-out crowd at Mott Athletic Center, the Mustangs took control and took the lead on a Joel Awich three pointer with 1:29 left.

The lead only lasted 1:18.

With 11 seconds to play, UCSB’s Gabe Vincent took a baseline pass and finished inside to give the Gauchos the lead. Vincent’s free throw didn’t go, and neither team had any timeouts. David Nwaba went coast-to-coast, but his runner didn’t fall, UCSB escaped with a one-point victory.

Shades of Orlando

All I could think about during the last few minutes of the game was Orlando Johnson, and this shot.

Vincent’s shot didn’t require nearly the lucky bounce that Johnson’s did in 2012 — how many corner threes hit the rim like four times and roll in?! — but the play was just about as clutch.

Young basketball players, take note. The wide-short corner is a great place to hide-out while your buddy drives to the hoop. Even if you have 25 points already.

Three-ball unkind

Cal Poly’s three-point shooting kind of let it down on Thursday. The Mustangs, who hadn’t played at home in about a month, shot just 4-16 (25%) from behind the arc. It was the fewest three-pointers they’ve made all season and the second-worst percentage game of the year from downtown.

The usually-dynamic duo of Taylor Sutlive and Reese Morgan — both of whom are high percentage shooters from distance — managed just 1-8 combined.

If you’re a Cal Poly fan, you might look at that number and feel not horrible about it. The team isn’t likely to shoot that poorly from three-point range moving forward. They only shot 16 threes, which is a very low number for them, and their two-point offense still managed to put up enough points to be right in the game.

Of course, if you’re a pessimist, you might look at the 13-21 free throw night and think about that a little too long.

Bennett back on-track?

Brian Bennett is looking a little more svelte, and Cal Poly went to him inside against UCSB’s big men. Bennett mostly had his way, shooting 6-9 from the field and scoring 13 points off the bench. Cal Poly fans should be happy with his increased activity, too. The senior had six rebounds.

Bennett will need to find ways to be effective and active down low for Cal Poly to continue to stay in games in Big West Conference play.

Nwaba does it all

David Nwaba continues to be Joe Callero’s Swiss Army knife. The senior forward leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists. Oh, yeah, he’s also guarding the other team’s best player most nights.

Against UCSB, he scored 16 points, grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and dished-out three assists. His final shot didn’t fall, but nobody else on the Mustangs could have gone coast to coast to get themselves the kind of shot that Nwaba got.

The Mott Athletics Center crowd got real hot, real fast on Thursday night. Can they bring the noise again on Saturday? by Owen Main

Digging a hole

Cal Poly started the second half nicely. A Luke Meikle drive to the hoop made the score 43-40 with 18:55 to go in the game. After a few calls the Mustangs didn’t like, the wheels started to wobble, if not fall-off.

Over the next 11 minutes, the Gauchos really took control, running their four-guard offense, cutting, weaving and driving for buckets. Their patience and execution helped them build their lead to 15 points with 7:41 to go in the game.

Each time Cal Poly felt they’d been wronged in some way, the Gauchos seemed to take advantage and score on the other end. The crowd grew somewhat quiet.

Then the Mustangs pressed. With the athletes they have, maybe they’ll press more. It seemed to engage the crowd, invigorate the bench, and get some of the anxious or negative energy flowing toward more positive ends.

It will be interesting to see if the Mustangs try to use the press as a more regular part of their attack moving forward. They are 10 or 11 guys deep and whatever they might lose in terms of offensive and defensive execution with that much depth (because of everyone who gets practice reps), they may be able to recover by making the game a little more frenetic at times.

49ers coming to town

Cal Poly will be looking to bounce-back and get their first conference victory on Saturday against Long Beach State. For their part, Dan Monson’s team loves to play a frenetic pace. Gabe Faust is a Big West Player of the Year candidate Monson always seems to have his team ready and focused. Long Beach State lost a close game to UC Irvine on Thursday night and will be looking to stay above .500 in conference play. Cal Poly is still trying to get their first win.

For match-ups, keep an eye on Faust. Cal Poly allowed UCSB’s Gabe Vincent to get going on Thursday, and Faust is every bit as deadly a scorer. Two other players to keep an eye on for Long Beach State are Justin Bibbins and Gabe Levin.

Bibbins is a sophomore point guard who is probably smaller than Ridge Shipley. He’s also a really efficient player who can knock down open three-pointers. He seems to have learned a little something along the way from guys like Mike Caffey who (finally) graduated last year. Levin, a transfer from Loyola Marymount, is a sneaky inside player. If fans are frustrated at weird plays the Mustangs’ defense is forced into, it’s a safe bet that Levin is probably in the middle of it.

Doubleheader

Tonight’s game is the second half of a doubleheader. Faith Mimnaugh’s Cal Poly women’s hoops team plays at 4:00 against Cal State Fullerton at Mott Athletics Center. The Mustangs are looking for a little revenge on Saturday. The Titans are the team that bounced them from the 2015 Big West Tournament last season.

Cal Poly Women’s Basketball vs. Cal State Fullerton – 4:00 PM

Cal Poly Men’s Basketball vs. Long Beach State – 7:00 PM

Photos by Owen Main

Click here to view all photos from the game

Try as they might, Michael Bolden and co. just could not cut into UC Davis’ double-digit lead in the second half. By Owen Main

It was the last home game for four seniors on the Cal Poly roster, but front-running UC Davis showed zero concern, beating Cal Poly 66-56 in the Mustangs penultimate regular season game of the year.

With the win and a UC Irvine loss in Santa Barbara, the Aggies’ magic number to win the regular season Big West title stands at 1 with two games to play. After losing to both UC Irvine and UC Davis, Cal Poly seems set to play one of them or UCSB in the first round of the conference tournament.

Shipley continues hot shooting

Sophomore Ridge Shipley continued his torrid pace on Saturday night. Shipley hit two early three-pointers and had eight points quickly en route to 16 for the game. Shipley’s skill set and confidence are things that Joe Callero always likes. When the shot clock winds down, it’s nice to have a point guard like Shipley, who can get his own shot and who the team can have confidence in.

Cal Poly fans remember Callero point guards Lorenzo Keeler and Amaurys Fermin, who could both get their own shot virtually any time at the end of shot clocks. Shipley is turning into that kind of player, and he’s only a sophomore.

Right where they want em?

Similarities to last season abound for this team.

Last season, their conference record was 6-10. This year, they are 6-9 going into their final game in Isla Vista against the Big West’s third-place team.

Last season, the team lost on senior night in a game that seemed somewhat disheartening.

Last year, Cal Poly ended up with the seventh seed in the Big West Conference Tournament. This year, that’s exactly where they’re lined-up going into the final game of the year.

You get the idea.

One thing that may be going against Cal Poly is a sort of raw, positive emotional leader. For all the great scoring and rebounding the Mustangs got from Chris Eversley last season, his most important contribution may have been his relentless positivity and vocal leadership on the court. His vocal outbursts seemed to always come when Cal Poly needed a pick-me-up, and was a major part of the emotional stamina the team exhibited. I’m not sure who is going to bring that if Cal Poly is to match the final, and most important part of their 2014-15 season.

Going for them? Well, David Nwaba is back in the rotation. He’ll get a chance to practice this week and get his feet under him. The team will also get a full week of rest prior to next Saturday’s game against UCSB. Cal Poly fans and coaches will hope a few days’ rest can give a weary team a big boost this time of year.

Saturday’s game at the Thunderdome will start at 3:00 pm and will be televised on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.

With a Cal Poly win and losses this week by Hawai’i and UC Riverside, Cal Poly could vault into the five-seed for the Big West Tournament. The top four teams are currently UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and Long Beach State.

Photos by Owen Main

Morro Bay High School product Hannah Gilbert scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds in Cal Poly’s Saturday win. By Owen Main

The Cal Poly women’s basketball team beat UC Irvine on Saturday to improve their conference record to 6-2 and maintain their half-game lead over Long Beach State and Hawai’i in the Big West.

The Mustangs were in control for pretty much the entire game behind a balanced scoring attack.Dynn Leaupepe and Hannah Gilbert scored 14 points each to pace Cal Poly. Kristen Ale and Ariana Elegado both added nine points.

Cal Poly has Thursday off before a gauntlet of three games against the three other best teams in the conference — all on the road. First, they travel to Hawai’i for a Saturday game before traveling the next week to Cal State Northridge for an ESPN3 game and Long Beach State. While the first half of conference play is over, the conference tournament seeds could easily be decided for the Mustangs over the next 14 days.

Photos by Owen Main. To view on an iPad, click here.

Over 2,000 fans showed-up to Mott Athletics Center on Saturday afternoon. By Owen Main

They didn’t break the attendance record, but Faith Mimnaugh’s Cal Poly women’s basketball team won the prize they valued most on Saturday, beating defending conference champion Cal State Northridge 63-54 in front of 2,047 fans. The crowd was the second-largest showing in the history of the program.

Ariana Elegado led Cal Poly, tallying 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while playing 39 minutes.

Cal Poly got out to a 30-17 lead in the first half before CSUN cut the deficit to six at halftime. The Matadors continued their charge with a 21-4 run that straddled both halves to take a four point lead.

The lead didn’t last long though. Beth Balbierz answered with a three-pointer, Elegado a jumper, and Mary Kate Evans a three-pointer of her own to spur a 15-0 Mustang run, as Cal Poly once again built-up a double digit lead.

Cal Poly lost to the Matadors all three times they faced off a year ago, including in the Big West Tournament final. As Elegado detailed in the video below, revenge was definitely a motivating factor in this game.

Kristen Ale was the only other Mustang in double figures with 10 points to go along with six rebounds. Hannah Gilbert led the team in rebounds with seven while playing the game with strep throat.

Cal Poly is now 8-8 overall and 3-1 in Big West play, where they sit tied for second place behind Long Beach State. CSUN, the preseason conference favorite, drops to 2-2 in conference play.

Photos by Owen Main. To view on an iPhone or iPad, click here.

Saturday night is Senior Night at Mott Athletics Center, so I thought it was probably a good time to take a look back at the past five seasons and the contribution the three Cal Poly seniors have made to the program.

This season has been disappointing so far, but over the past five seasons, the Mustang men’s basketball program has clearly made strides under head coach Joe Callero. Kyle Odister is the only player on this year’s roster who was on the team during Callero’s first season, when the Mustangs improved from seven wins the previous year to 12 during Callero’s inaugural campaign.

This year’s senior class is really a study in changing expectations for the program at-large. Looking at just this year might be disappointing for fans who had big expectations, but a look back at the Cal Poly careers of Jamal Johnson, Chris Eversley, and Kyle Odister reveal a program that went from also-ran to contender.

Here’s a quick break-down of this year’s seniors and their careers.

CE usually prefers to throw down with his left hand. By Owen Main

Chris Eversley

After a season at Rice University, Eversley transferred to Cal Poly. The 6’7″ transfer had to sit-out a season before seeing time off the bench backing up David Hanson and Will Taylor. At the end of his sophomore campaign, Eversley saw some bigger minutes and was one of the team’s top scorers late in the season — sparking the team off the bench.

In his junior season, Eversley had what was possibly his finest year, averaging 15.4 points and 7 rebounds per game en route to first-team All-Big West Conference honors. With a sick Eversley, the team was thwarted in the conference semi-finals by a last second tip-in by eventual conference champion, Pacific.

At the beginning of this year, Eversley showed he could score from the outside as well. Against teams from the nation’s top conferences, CE poured in long-range jumper after long-range jumper. Open shots have been more difficult to come by in conference play, but the senior still leads the team in scoring and rebounding.

For me, the lasting image of Eversley will be his smile, exuberance and positivity both on and off the floor. His love of everything Cal Poly including Mott Athletics Center, the band, and his fellow students has ingratiated him to anyone watching throughout his career. He is a guy who is really easy to root for.

Recently, despite Cal Poly’s rough stretch in conference, Eversley has kept his bright-side attitude. His mantra of believing in his teammates until he’s played his last game in the green and gold is a testament to the kind of leader he seems to be. He is also one of the most eloquent college athletes I’ve ever heard with the media, coming off as more mature than players ten years his senior. His shoes will be hard to fill.

I told you you cannot leave him open. By Owen Main

Kyle Odister

When Kyle Odister entered the Cal Poly lineup in 2009-10, the freshman dazzled, playing point guard and making what seemed like clutch shot after clutch shot. It was Joe Callero’s first year as head coach, the Odister was named to the Big West All-Freshman team, averaging almost eight points per game.

Things looked promising for Odister until he suffered an injury that put him out of basketball for almost a year and a half. Once he returned, injuries seemed to always follow. For a player who always seemed to be playing hurt, Odister’s best game so far has probably been this season’s opener at Arizona. In his first game as a senior, Odister knocked down seven three-pointers en route to 21 points against a team that has been ranked first in the country for most of this season. At his best, Kyle Odister could shoot the ball with anyone.

Cal Poly was off to a great conference start this season until Odister went down with a foot injury in the fourth game of the conference season. While he’s dealt with his stress fracture, the team has gone 3-8 with one conference game left this season.

KO Buckets, as he is affectionately known, has never been afraid to shoot the ball and seems like he’s always most-clutch with the game on the line. Like a few others on this Cal Poly roster, Odister fans examining his career in San Luis Obispo will probably have some “what could have been” sentiment. I have it, too. Rarely does one see such a fearless, deadly shooter who also has enough athleticism and strength to play point guard effectively as a freshman.

Odister had all that and more. Unfortunately, he never really seemed to have a fully healthy season after his freshman year. On one foot or two, teams better know not to leave him open in the conference tournament next week.

In fact, in 35 years, when Odister is in his late 50’s, I’ll still advise that opponents don’t leave him open. He has a shooting stroke that is that smooth and a shooting mentality that is that vicious.

Jamal Johnson has run Cal Poly’s offense as the starting point guard the past two seasons. By Owen Main

Jamal Johnson

Jamal Johnson was thrown into the fire as one of two freshman point guards in 2010-11 when Amaurys Fermin went down with an injury. Over the past two seasons, Johnson has grown more solidly into his role as one of Cal Poly’s more vocal floor leaders.

Callero, a former point guard himself, is notoriously tough on point guards. He is also trusting of point guards he starts, and Johnson has been that since his junior year. Point guards in Callero’s offense aren’t usually big scorers, but Cal Poly has been at its best this year when Johnson has scored more. In fact, if I were going to predict how Cal Poly would do in the upcoming Big West Tournament, I might say that Johnson must have one or two double-digit scoring outbursts, which would be unusual for the lefty from San Antonio.

Johnson’s legacy at Cal Poly will be efficiently running the offense during his junior and senior seasons. Last year, his assist/turnover ratio was almost 3/1, something Callero usually points to as an indicator of success. Johnson’s passage to Cal Poly also perhaps helped pave the way for fellow Texans Ridge Shipley and Taylor Sutlive to come play in SLO.

___________________________________

Tomorrow night’s game against Santa Barbara has already sold-out the general admission seating, a somewhat surprising fact considering the team has lost 8 of its past 11 games and is battling for a seed somewhere between 5 and 7 in the conference tournament. Perhaps that’s the real legacy of these players, along with Callero, over the past five seasons. When the program won seven games in 2008-09, Division I attendance hit rock bottom. This group’s ability to slowly and methodically bring fans back to Mott Athletics Center and re-establish a loyal fan-base for the program over the course of five seasons is notable.

At the end of the game Saturday night, the seniors will lead a team around the gym to high-five and shake hands with a group of adoring San Luis Obispo fans. Then they’ll salute the band. Just don’t expect it to be quick nor, for either side, easy.

Coming into Saturday’s Big West conference game against UC Riverside, Cal Poly men’s basketball had lost four in a row and head coach Joe Callero was doing everything he could to find a rotation that worked.

In fact, Cal Poly had used five starting lineups in the past eight games prior to Saturday night, when they broke-out an all-new one that included junior Michael Bolden.

Not Michael Bolton:

Or Michael Bolton:

Michael Bolden. With a D, and an E. And, on Saturday night, with four 3’s and a career-high 13 points. He looks like this:

Michael Bolden. Cal Poly fans will probably want to get to know him a little better. By Owen Main

Bolden provided a big spark and helped propel the Mustangs to their second conference win in their past eight games.

Eversley back to the block

After the Long Beach State game, Chris Eversley went to Mustangs head coach Joe Callero with a plan — get Eversley the ball down low. For much of the season the senior power forward has spent time on offense around the three-point line, facing-up and shooting from the outside. Over the past two games, Eversley has had more touches on the low block, resulting in a little better offensive consistency.

“Instead of a mobile four, we made him an inside-out four,” said Callero. “The biggest thing is getting to the free throw line… . That gives us rest and I can play him 39 minutes because he goes to the line, catches his breath.”

Eversley took his inspiration from probably the greatest basketball player in the world right now.

“You look at the teams that are successful and the guys that need to do what they need to do to win,” said Eversley, who scored 22 points against UC Riverside. “I mean you have guys like LeBron saying the same thing last  year: ‘Put me on the blocks and we do whatever we want to,’ and they win championships. So it’s just me trying to step-up and be that guy that can kind of facilitate, maybe help others create when they get in trouble… . It feels good to be able to be multi-dimensional.”

Bolden gives some long-range spark

Cal Poly junior  Michael Bolden started just his second game of the season. Bolden saw a lot of bench time during the first half of conference play but has re-emerged over the past few games, looking more confident and comfortable.

On Saturday, Bolden scored a career-high 13 points, including 4-5 from three-point range, to help give the team a third-option offensively that they so desperately needed.

Bolden has been through adversity in the past and has made it a habit to stick things out and find success. This summer, he played in a summer league with Eversley.

“I knew he could shoot, that’s never been a question,” said Eversley, who also lives with Bolden. “He’s hyper-athletic. Him and Dave (Nwaba) are two of the most freakish athletes I’ve ever seen in my life and they both work hard. I played against David in the summer too and just knowing those guys were going to be my teammates and playing in the summer leagues I saw good things I knew were going to transfer to our team as well.”

Bolden said he’s learned a lot from his senior roommate.

“Chris is like a big brother to me. I live with Chris and he’s just always encouraging me and trying to make me a better person, a better player. Chris is awesome.”

Without a lot of consistent three-point threats, Cal Poly has struggled to find much traction offensively. Now that Eversley is down on the block more, the Mustangs needed someone with some confidence to knock-down open shots and play strong defensively. That’s where Bolden fit-in. The junior made his first shot and was off to the races.

“It always feels good to hit the first shot,” said Bolden. “It’s always a confidence-builder, and then I just kept getting open shots. My teammates were finding me, setting good screens, giving good passes as well.”

Starting Bolden also allows Callero to bring Nwaba, who also scored 13 points on Saturday night, off the bench.

Keep an eye out for three-pointers

In Cal Poly’s six Big West Conference wins this season, the Mustangs are 48-100 from three point range. For those of you who aren’t good at math, that is 48 percent (an average of 8/16.7 per game).

In their seven conference losses, the Mustangs are 41-135 (30.4 percent) from behind the arc, shooting more three-pointers and making less (an average of 5.8/19.3 per game).

Whether the three-point numbers are a cause or a symptom of good or poor play, three-point shooting is something that fans can look at as an indicator of how the team is moving the ball and playing offensively.

Callero contextualized his team’s offensive progression.

“I thought before we reversed the ball kind of begrudgingly because we weren’t sure where it was going to go or why it should go there,” said the Cal Poly coach. “Right now we, as a team, know it’s going to go to Chris Eversley. That’s not a secret. We can tell [UC] Davis, ‘watch the film.’ Chris Eversley’s going to get a bunch of touches.”

Playing inside-out through Eversley is something you can look for Cal Poly to do in their final three games and into the Big West Tournament.

Tinkering

Callero has tinkered with the lineup, but the changes have also been based on the health of the team. Reese Morgan is working his way back into the rotation and Kyle Odister has a stress fracture in his foot that has caused him to miss games throughout conference play.

“We were 3-0, we lost at the buzzer, Kyle Odister had a stress fracture,” said Callero. “From that point on, we haven’t gone a practice or a game without wondering what we’re going to do and playing guys out of position really.”

Cal Poly is now (6-7) in Big West Conference play, good for a tie for fifth place, and have three games remaining. Two of their remaining games are against the two teams tied for first place — UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine. The only remaining home game this season will be against UC Santa Barbara in the regular season finale on Saturday, March 8th.

Photos by Owen Main

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]

Whose responsibility is it to make this happen regularly? By Owen Main

What is it that really motivates fans to show up and be loud in this town? What responsibility is on the fan-base to show up and be loud and have a good time no matter what the team’s record? What responsibility is on the team and its coaches to be consistently good? Where does the Cal Poly’s men’s basketball team (or any team in this county, for that matter) fall into this mix?

We discussed these topics and more on this episode of the podcast. The above circular argument from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is the first thing Owen thought of when Andy and Luke started to tell him that fans will show up if the team is better.

If you substitute “Triumphant Video” for “filling Mott night after night,” and  “Eddie Van Halen” for “better players,” then it’s almost a spot-on analogy to the argument Owen hears from lots of San Luis Obispo County fans, including the two guys who sat across from him at this podcast.

You can also use “decent instruments” for “new facility” or something and now the Bill and Ted analogy works even better for Andy and Luke.

Where do you fall on the topic? Should fans show up all the time no matter what or should an atmosphere be completely dependent on how good the team is?

Mott was hopping on Saturday night. By Owen main

“I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!”

It was a soccer chant in the middle of a basketball game. It should have come while the Mustangs were on defense. As about a thousand students jumped and chanted in a trance-like state, Cal Poly freshman Taylor Sutlive took a three-pointer that could have brought the crowd into a huge frenzy and the UC Irvine lead to single-digits. I got chills as the shot went up, almost in slow-motion. It was a glimpse into the best timeline at what Cal Poly basketball has the potential to become — for everyone involved.

On this night, though, in what was basically a microcosm of the game, Sutlive’s shot rimmed out, Irvine scored consecutive baskets, and the game was effectively put-away.

Even though Cal Poly lost, fans who were able to get into a sold-out Mott Athletics Center were big winners on Saturday night. For at least the past two years, Cal Poly basketball fans have been ripe for some encouragement and organization. What better place to draw inspiration from than the Mustang Manglers, and their chant of faith?

This atmosphere is what every sports fan in San Luis Obispo should want. By Owen Main

Pregame

Fans showed-up early for this one. The 8:00 pm start helped, but the student section was over half-full by 7:15 and by 7:45, the bleachers across from the opponents’ bench — in the student section — were filled to the brim with black-clad Mustang supporters.

Instead of a typically late-showing student section, Saturday’s was early and excited, creating an energy in Mott Athletics Center that I don’t think I had ever felt.

Signs

Lots of fans brought signs for the nationally-televised game — some more appropriate than others. The heads of Joe Callero, David Nwaba, and Joel Awich were some of my favorites. In a twist on bringing in signs, one fan brought an umbrella and briefly opened it following each of Cal Poly’s eight three-pointers. You see, it was “raining threes” inside of Mott.

The Dunk

Chris Eversley’s first-half dunk on 7′ 6″ Mamadou Ndiaye was the highlight of the night. Actually, it was third in SportsCenter’s Top-10 countdown.

Here’s the Eversley dunk from another angle. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Irvine was not phased beyond Russell Turner’s technical foul that immediately ensued. By Owen Main

Eversley’s dunk was one of the last moments of pure elation for the Mustangs. Their second unit came in shortly thereafter and Irvine pounced, building a double-digit lead at halftime that they held tightly to throughout the second half.

Irvine is good

The Anteaters were the media’s pick in the preseason to win the Big West and might be even better in-person. Like last year’s Cal Poly team, it’s not always clear where the points will come from, but there are probably six or seven guys who can really score and gain a mismatch on offense on a given night.

Their zone defense was well-prepared and well-executed, too. Most zones give up a lot of offensive rebounds, but Irvine out-rebounded Cal Poly 20-12 overall in the first half and never looked back.

Keep it up

I heard at least five or six fans who are there a lot say some variation of, “We need this to be the way it is all the time.”

I agree. Cal Poly has always had the potential for an obnoxiously loud fan-base. The best part about the fans making noise was when it was student-led. In the second half, at least three students, who I would guess are part of the Mustang Manglers, were leading cheers and chants, keeping the student section riled up. A group of organized students and fans can make the game more enjoyable for other students and fans and continue to foster a great college basketball atmosphere.

It’s not like Mott has never been a madhouse before. If you want inspiration, look at this video from 1985-86.

The kind of environment any Cal Poly sports fan wants is right there in front of them. In soccer, fans will come out no matter how good or bad the team is. It’s become engrained in the culture of going to school at Cal Poly. In two weeks, when the Mustangs return home, I suppose we’ll find out whether students and fans from the community are really ready to fully commit to making that a reality in Mott Athletics Center as well.

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]