The concept of the Big West Tournament as a crap shoot is not a new one. When the eight-team playoff happens next week, it will still be appropriate. 

In a season when UC Irvine looked like they might run away with the conference title early-on in conference play, there would be virtually nothing surprising at the Honda Center this season. 

Victor Joseph and Cal Poly have been labeled Giant Killers. They’ll have to keep that title if they want to compete for the Big West Tournament title. By Owen Main

After starting the conference season 0-5 Cal Poly has gone 5-4 over their last nine games. If the Big West Tournament were to start today, the Mustangs would be the six seed. With two wins in this final week of the regular season, Cal Poly could get to the five seed (they’d hold a tie breaker if both them and CSUN were 7-9). 

But seedings might matter as little as they ever have this season. Cal Poly has beaten four of the five postseason-eligible teams ahead of them in the standings and won’t fear anyone in Anaheim. While the past month has been topsy-turvy, Jim Les’ UC Davis Aggies and Russell Turner’s UC Irvine Anteaters are battling for the top conference seed. Both have lost to the Mustangs.

I always try to temper my fan expectations with the thought that the 2013-14 team got worked at home in their final regular season before rattling off four straight postseason wins in the wildest week and a half in Cal Poly sports history. That team had the traditional pieces that made a wild thought of a deep run seem plausible. 

This year’s roster is weird, but Cal Poly has won more than they’ve lost over the past few weeks and a little three-game winning streak, especially in this year’s Big West environment, seems within the realm of possibility. 

Senior Night Saturday

Saturday night’s game against UCSB is senior night for three Mustangs. Zach Gordon, Ridge Shipley, and Kyle Toth will be honored before the game. The three Cal Poly seniors have taken very different paths in basketball in San Luis Obispo. Having interacted with all three, I can say it’s been a pleasure to get to know them a little, and I wish them the best of luck. 

Kyle Toth came to Cal Poly a few years ago at a tough time for him. His final 2 games at Mott are this week. Have really enjoyed watching him and post-game interviews over this year. Congrats KT!

A post shared by Fansmanship.com (@fansmanship) on Feb 28, 2017 at 8:59pm PST

Look at this young kid from Texas! Congrats on a great four years Ridge. Been fun following your career. #SeniorWeek #4thYearSenior

A post shared by Fansmanship.com (@fansmanship) on Feb 28, 2017 at 9:05pm PST

This tall drink of water has spent five years in SLO. One of the better post defenders I've seen. Been fun to watch him develop. Congrats ZG! #SeniorWeek #FifthYearSenior

A post shared by Fansmanship.com (@fansmanship) on Feb 28, 2017 at 9:05pm PST

On this episode, I was joined by Cal Poly forward Zach Gordon and play-by-play announcer Tom Barket to talk about the Mustangs’ improbable Big West Conference Tournament run and what Dayton has in store for them.

Gordon, of course, is the Mustang who took the “charge heard ’round the world” on Saturday night, basically icing the tournament championship for Cal Poly.

This week, Joe Lunardi picked Cal Poly to win their opening round matchup against Texas Southern.

Here is the charge Gordon took, in case you missed it:

Enjoy the podcast. Feedback is welcomed.

Joe Callero’s swing looks pretty good, but yours truly squeaked out the best score on the day. By Owen Main

I hatched the idea in the upstairs interview/conference room at Mott Athletics Center last season. It was probably still called Mott Gym back then, but I digress.

Cal Poly had just lost a game at home… perhaps to Fresno State. Head coach Joe Callero used a golf analogy to describe leaving a bad game or “hole” behind you and going on to the next one.

A Mustang Daily writer asked him how much he played golf. And the idea for the following podcast was born.

I had to wait until Callero’s “personal maintenance” time of the year — when he schedules all his doctor appointments, dentist appointments, etc… . He started the day talking about the possibility of another knee surgery. As school starts this month, though, so does the grind of a basketball coach’s schedule.

Callero said he only plays a dozen rounds a year — all in the offseason — and he was kind enough to grace the podcast with one of those rounds.

So here’s the premise. Eighteen holes. Eighteen questions.

Two retired gentlemen joined us in our foursome. One talked about being a UCLA alumni before the fist tee shot. Instead of teeing up his ball, he’d teed one up for the Cal Poly head coach, who didn’t waste any time pulling a golf ball out of his bag with the score from Cal Poly’s win at UCLA last season imprinted on it.

He told the guy the story, gave him the ball as a souvenir, and we were off.

Last night I went to watch a Cal Poly game at one of the only places I could catch it. With the game being at TCU, there were two places in San Luis Obispo (Firestone and Woodstocks) and one place in Arroyo Grande (Rooster Creek Tavern) that was showing the game on Fox Sports Southwest Plus. The channel was basically “The Ocho”.

Members of the Cal Poly basketball family watch Friday’s game on the big screen at Firestone.

I thought I’d go to Firestone, get an ABC Burger, and see what the atmosphere was like. Knowing San Luis Obispo, I wasn’t sure whether there would be a lot of people there or whether the game would just kind of incidentally be on.

It turned out to be a nice little… well…. turnout.

There were a number of people in the bar and at the tables with their Cal Poly gear on. I shared a table with a pretty cool Cal Poly fan, and at the table next to us were members of the Cal Poly team that did not make the trip, including redshirts Zach Allmon, Max Betkowski, and Joshua Hall, medical redshirt Maliik Love, and senior from last year Jordan Lewis. Even Athletic Director Don Oberhelman was making the rounds along with several members of Cal Poly’s athletic department.

Overall, it was about as cool a “sports bar atmosphere” as I think you’ll find in San Luis Obispo. Firestone’s food never disappoints and neither did the atmosphere.

The Game

Oh, yeah. Cal Poly did play their game at TCU. I was impressed by the performances of the freshmen big men. Brian Bennett and Zach Gordon looked great down low while Reese Morgan was still finding his way. Joel Awich will have to, as Joe Callero says, “slow down” a little to be able to significantly contribute this year.

Chris Eversley had a subpar offensive game for him and Drake U’u got caught in some awkward spots. Dylan Royer had a hard time finding any open looks and, while Chis O’Brien and Jamal Johnson had OK games, the Mustangs offense looked like they needed more time. Callero said in the postgame show that they had to “loosen up” on offense, and I think that’s a pretty good way to put it.

Bennett had 11 points and 10 rebounds in his first game as a Mustang. Having watched him for one whole game, I think expecting something like 8-10 points and 7-8 rebounds per game is not outside of the realm of possibility. If Cal Poly can shore up their rotation at guard and wing, the Mustangs have to feel like they can once again be very competitive in the Big West.

Drake U’u is one of three seniors on the 2012-13 Cal Poly basketball team.

Joe Callero’s Cal Poly men’s basketball team will travel next week to Texas to play TCU. I had a chance to catch-up with the Mustangs today at practice. Coach Callero was in a happy mood, despite his Halloween costume. Callero dressed as a referee.

Callero let me know that the Mustangs would redshirt two freshmen this season: Forwards Zach Allmon (Mission Prep, San Luis Obispo, CA) and Joshua Hall (St. John’s Northwestern Military Acadamy via Hockinson High School, Brush Prarie, WA) will both sit out during this, their redshirt season. Part of the reason Cal Poly is able to redshirt both Hall and Allmon is the emergence of Brian Bennett and Zach Gordon at center. Bennett will be the starter at center along with Chris Eversley at the four. Gordon will back-up Bennett and Joel Awich, who redshirted last year, will back-up Eversley.

I talked with both Drake U’u and Callero after practice. The opener against TCU is a week from Friday.

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