MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[stag44]

Stags play the Afghan National Team tonight at 730 in Ducey.

Nice test and segue into real games for them. I expect a pretty convincing victory.

[OxyBob]

Oxy opened their season tonight with an exhibition game against the University of San Diego.

From the USD web site:

USD runs past Occidental 91-52 in Exhibition
Five Toreros reach double-digit scoring

The USD men's basketball team dealt the visiting Occidental Tigers a 91-52 defeat in the Toreros lone preseason exhibition game. Senior guard De'Jon Jackson led five Toreros in double-digit scoring with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. All told, twelve of the thirteen Toreros that played scored at least one point. Jackson was followed in double-digit scoring by freshman guard Patrick McCollum (13 points), junior forward Clinton Houston (11 points), junior guard Matt Dorr (11 points) and freshman forward Chris Manresa (10 points, game-high 8 rebounds).

The Toreros jumped out to a 42-29 halftime lead as Houston scored the team's first 5 points of the game and 7 of 11 out of the gates. Occidental, behind Huston Conti's 14 first half points (4-6 in threes), were within two midway through the half (21-19 at 10:17 mark) before the Toreros closed out the half with a 21-10 run. USD's pressure defense and ability to push the ball up the floor helped them extend their lead in the second half and the game was never in doubt. USD, with both experience and youth this season, showed it will have some depth at both ends of the floor.

For the game USD shot 57.6% from the field (38-66) and outrebounded the smaller Oxy Tigers, 41-24. Additional tidbits included Dorr making all three of his treys; fifth-year senior guard Brandon Johnson chipping in with 9 points and 5 assists; and Jackson and McCollum each tallying three steals.

For Oxy, Huston Conti had 14, and Sean Anderson and Deshun McCoy each scored 12.

Oxy's next game will be a another challenging outing at Azusa Pacific on November 17.

OxyBob

[stag44]

The Stags took care of business against the Afghans, winning by a score of 82-66.

Friends at the game told me it was pretty sloppy, but the Stags were able to score at will. Look for this team to be far more explosive on the offensive end compared to the Stags of the past 4-5 years. They have 6 guys who can go for 20 on any given night, and could be 11 deep and not have much of a drop off.

They should have a great test opening up in Oregon vs Willamette and George Fox. It's always been tough for the Stags away vs the NWC, but I think this group should be able to get a sweep up there!

[gordonmann]

I know Chapman isn't in the SCIAC, but one of the Cougars, Justin Riley, is one of our D3hoops Insiders for this season.  He'll blog about Division III ball on the west coast, starting with his first entry.

[stag44]

Opening week for some of our SCIAC teams:

Game of the Week: CLU vs Chapman: Early season challenge for both teams. Both return their whole or bulk of teams so it should be a great matchup. This game is MUCH more important for Chapman as they are an independent. A win against a 14th ranked CLU would put them on the national radar make it easier for a possible bid.

Prediction: In talking with some of the guys, I like CLU in this game. The combo of Meier and Knudsen is as good as any guard-post combo I've ever played against or seen in D3. Chapman is ALWAYS a tough place to play at, and they're always well coached. Should be an excellent game. I wish I could be there, but I'll be slaving away in NYC.


As for my stags: We are travelling up to Oregon for an early test against the NWC. We face Willamette and George Fox. While they are both supposedly in down years, the Stags have always had trouble playing when they fly out anywhere. Seeing them play this weekend, though, I sense the Stags will be ready to put up some points and get 2 wins.

Other Games:

Chapman vs P-P: Saw Kats at the CMS-PP football game as well as the alot of the PP team. They dont lose much, and another good early season matchup. Pick: Chapman

Oxy vs APU: Don't know much about OXY, but should be an easy win for APU.

Caltech vs La Sierra: A new-look Caltech team should take this game by 6-10 points.

[oldchap]

Game of the Week: CLU vs Chapman: Early season challenge for both teams. Both return their whole or bulk of teams so it should be a great matchup. This game is MUCH more important for Chapman as they are an independent. A win against a 14th ranked CLU would put them on the national radar make it easier for a possible bid.

Prediction: In talking with some of the guys, I like CLU in this game. The combo of Meier and Knudsen is as good as any guard-post combo I've ever played against or seen in D3. Chapman is ALWAYS a tough place to play at, and they're always well coached. Should be an excellent game. I wish I could be there, but I'll be slaving away in NYC.

I wasn't at the game, but it appears that Chapman strolled through an easy victory against an always tough and well coached Pomona Pitzer team. The outcome was all but sealed by the end of the first half with a 41-25 lead for Chapman and a final score of 71-53.

Clearly, the Chapman team who was the number one defense in the nation last year, is proving once again where their strength lies, allowing only 53 points against a PP team who likes to run and shoot 3 pointers until the cows come home.

The matchup against CLU is going to be tougher but I know the men at Chapman have something to prove this year, having missed a spot in the post-season tournament by just a hair last season. However, I don't want to jinx it, so I will not give you my prognosis. But you know who I'll be rooting for....

[OxyBob]

Oxy played at No. 24 NAIA-I Azusa Pacific on Tuesday and lost 74-57. The Tigers led by as much as 8 in the first half, led 31-27 at the break, and were up by 6 in the second half at 16:30. It was tied at 48 at 11:45. APU then went on a 7-minute, 26-0 blitz and led 74-48. Those 26-0 runs will get you every time.

For Oxy, Deshun McCoy scored 18 and Sean Anderson had 12. The Tigers play at West Coast Baptist this Friday at 7:30 p.m.

I know the men at Chapman have something to prove this year, having missed a spot in the post-season tournament by just a hair last season.

So how many times is Chapman going to play La Sierra this season and not make the playoffs again?

OxyBob

[dahlby]

OXY BOB:
Lest you forget, Chapman defeated every SCIAC team they played last year. Can you refresh me on the OXY-CU score, as I can't seem to find it.

Also, I see OXY playing La Sierra twice, plus quite a few" do not count"  games. But, I can't seem to locate OXY on CU'S schedule this year either. I don't understand it, would beating Chapman hurt your SOS rating?

Good luck this year!

Cheers,
Dahlby

[OxyBob]

Also, I see OXY playing La Sierra twice, plus quite a few" do not count"  games. But, I can't seem to locate OXY on CU'S schedule this year either. I don't understand it, would beating Chapman hurt your SOS rating?

Oxy replaced Chapman with Cal State Fullerton and SMU.

I see that Chapman left UDallas off the schedule this season. Good move.

Which team had the 3rd lowest strength of schedule in all of D-III last season? I won't mention any names, but the team's initials are CU.

OxyBob

[oldchap]

So how many times is Chapman going to play La Sierra this season and not make the playoffs again?

OxyBob

Chapman is definitely returning a full team, however, the one returning in top shape this season, as always, is definitely OxyBob. That's going to be such a fun season and looking forward to exchanging barbs with you! 

[fhsutiger]

As for my stags: We are travelling up to Oregon for an early test against the NWC. We face Willamette and George Fox. While they are both supposedly in down years, the Stags have always had trouble playing when they fly out anywhere. Seeing them play this weekend, though, I sense the Stags will be ready to put up some points and get 2 wins.

The Stags have looked very good in the preseason with Scrimmages against Cal Poly Pomona and an Exhibition game with the Afghanistan National team where the Stags won by a convincing margin. It was good to see that the Afghan team came to play this year, with tough losses to Laverne, CMS, and Cal Lu. It should help get our SCIAC teams ready for the upcoming season play.

I am really looking forward to seeing how Scali and the boys do up in the Northwest this weekend. The Stags are loaded with Talent this year and should be able to have a very successful year this year. With the losses of two of my favorite players (Gala and Soldner), the Stags return a large portion of players that saw lots of action last year.  The Stags return SCIAC player of the year (Jr.) Chris Blees who led the team in scoring with (12.4/g) and rebounding (7.3/g). Blees has put on some extra muscle in the off-season and looks to dominate again this year. Jason Toney also returns to the Stags this year after receiving First-Team All-SCIAC last year. Toney's athleticism and leadership will help the Stags go a long way this year. Other notable returner's are Senior's Mike Bagby and Conner Faught. There shooting has improved even more over the summer, and as the Sagehen's know......You can't let Faught and Bagby go off on you from 3-point land or your in trouble. They have a tendency to make the big 3's when the Stags need them the most. In the middle is the big guy (JR) Patrick Lacey who I believe will have a break out season this year. Lacey brings a fierce competitor to the team this year, after having a so-so season last year. Look for big things from Lacey and (Fr) Greyson Blue who is out for the next month with a Wrist surgery.  
Players who will see a lot of action this year are (Sr) Ben Bergsma, (JR) Shane Davis, (JR) Beau Heidrich, (JR) Bryant Oberg, and (SO) Joey Anderson. Some Freshman who may make a splash this year for the Stags are Kevin Sullivan,  Greyson Blue and Alex Smith. These freshmen have a lot of talent and bring a lot of excitement to the floor. Look for these Freshmen to help the STAGS bring home another SCIAC championship this year.
It looks like Coach Scalmanini (Scali for those who know him) has done a great job keeping the foundation solid. Look for the Stags to bring two home from the Northwest this weekend as they get ready for there home opener next Saturday at the Wells Classic.

I would love to hear about your respective teams this year, so please give us a shout out on how you thing your teams will fair this year. I can promise you Stag 44 and I will do our best to bring you the news about our CMS Stags this season. Everyone have a great Thanksgiving next week, and Go Stags.


Edited by DC to add the missing quote information

[stag44]

CMS @ George Fox

CMS 76 - GFU - 67
CMS: Faught - 22pts 2rebs 2assist 2charges drawn!, Blees 16pts 7rebs, Bagby 9pts, Lacey 8pts.
GFU: Wiseley - 21pts 7assts, Smith - 13pts 15rebs, Stockner 16pts, Lingenfelder 10pts

Highlights and Observations:

CMS looked very nervous/anxious the first 8 minutes of the game as Fox jumped out to a 23-11 lead early in the first half. The stags had 10 early turnovers and Fox looked poised in their home opener. The Stag D then start to force turnovers and settled in and showed off their explosive offense. They went on a 25-7 run to go up 8 at half. The second half saw the Stags come out sluggish again, and the boost came from Faught again as he sparked the second unit. The Stags maintained a 6-8 point lead for most of the second half.

Blees couldn't get into much of a rhythm as he was saddled with foul trouble all game long, on some ticky-tack fouls. Faught looked really nice coming off the bench for the Stags. He even made me proud by drawing a player control foul followed by a HUGE charge that stemmed a late Fox rally. Joey Anderson has really developed this last year, and had a nice dunk in transition. The guard containment was an issue for the stags as it seemed Wiseley could get to the rim at will with limited weakside help until the second half. Lacey looked good when he got touches on the block, either getting to his shots or finding cutters or pitched shooters.

At times it seemed too easy for the Stags, as they scored at will and defended like the usual CMS teams. But, there was alot of the game where the offense stalled, either with one person or on one side of the floor. I dont have the stat, but I think when the Stags passed over 5 times in a possesion, they probably shot well over 60%.

As for Fox, their two new recruits, Smith and Wiseley looked very nice. The PG made our usually solid guard defenders look slow and unprepared. I could see Fox causing some noise and upsetting a few teams in the NWC if they dont come to play.

Overall, it was nice to see the Stags get a win on the road in another state. They stemmed an early run by Fox, and looked good in spurts. They'll need to put together a more complete effort tomorrow night against a solid Willamette team.

On a funny side note.. Apparently I have yet to graduate, and logged 3pts and 1asst in the live scores feed tonight. Sorry to Kevin Sullivan, as he is rocking the 44 now.

Good luck to the Stags tomorrow night!

[oldchap]

Chapman takes down No. 14 Cal Lutheran in home-opener by a score of 80-74. Here is where you can get a summary of the game:

Chapman site:
http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2009-10/news/1120

CLU site:
http://www.clusports.com/mens_basketball/news/6006/

[cmsme]

On Claremont vs George Fox, the link below is for pictures of the game.  I was hoping to find a copy of the video, but could not.

http://gfuathletics.smugmug.com/Basketball-Men/2009-2010/2009-11-20/10388317_Q89o8#719650670_AYr2B


I also wanted to thank you guys for your comments.  I don't understand very much about the game so it is interesting to read.

I do think that Claremont has a very strong bench but that may be prejudice on my part.

[FunkFootball]

Chapman takes down No. 14 Cal Lutheran in home-opener by a score of 80-74. Here is where you can get a summary of the game:

Chapman site:
http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2009-10/news/1120

CLU site:
http://www.clusports.com/mens_basketball/news/6006/

Chapman's crowd was brutal on Friday night. I was at the game. They were in Gregg Grimm's head. He was caught yelling back at the crowd 4 to 5 times. At the NCAA level you have to have the ability to mentally zone out the crowd, no matter how intimate the setting.

The stats may not show it, but he had some crucial mess ups.

As for my opinion on CU BBall. Don't worry I won't be making any posts on www.funkfootball.blogspot.com telling Coach Bokosky. He knows what he's doing.

Kyle Wood is real good too.