ARCATA — Three weekends remain in the California Collegiate Athletic Association season, and only two of the six games in that stretch will be on Humboldt State's home court. Those two contests occur this week when the Jacks host top rivals Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino in Lumberjack Arena.
On Thursday the Jacks (16-5 overall, 13-3 CCAA) tip off against the CPP Broncos (14-5, 12-4) at approximately 7:30 p.m., following conclusion of the women's game that opens the doubleheader. The CSUSB Coyotes (15-5, 13-3) will be in town Saturday for a game scheduled at the same starting time.
On-the-Air
Every Lumberjack basketball game is broadcast live over the local airways on KATA, 1340 AM, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to game time. Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action from Lumberjack Arena and HSU Assistant Athletic Director Dan Pambianco goes on the road with the Jacks. …Audio is also streamed live over the Internet through the hsujacks.com web site. The new UStream format allows an interactive chat between listeners during the webcast. The specific URL for access is located at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.
Live Stats
All Lumberjack basketball home games can be tracked online by using the Live Stats feature on hsujacks.com. Real time statistics, momentum tracker and other information are featured on the game viewer. The feature can be found at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/.
Head-to-Head
Cal State San Bernardino leads the Lumberjacks, 11-3 in the all-time series after defeating HSU, 71-66, in San Bernardino on Jan. 4. The Coyotes swept both games from HSU last season. The Jacks fell to Cal Poly Pomona, 58-55 on Jan. 6. They split their season series with Cal Poly Pomona in 2008-09, and are now 7-10 overall vs. the Broncos.
Projected Starters
G - #12 Ernie Spada, 5-11, 175, Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
G - #22 Zac Tiedeman, 6-1, 180, Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif.
C - #32 Brian Morris, 6-9, 270, Jr., Portland, Ore.
F - #34 Elliot Babcock-Krenk, 6-3, 205, So, Lake Oswego, Ore.
F - #24 Kevin Atkins, 6-6, 220, Sr., Long Beach, Calif.
Lumberjack Links
Following are links to more information on the Lumberjack basketball program.
Complete Roster
Schedule
2009-10 Statistics
Head Coach Tom Wood
Lumberjack Head Coach Tom Wood has announced that he will retire following the current season. In 29 years directing the Jacks, Wood's teams have compiled a 457-348 overall record and have won more than 20 games in eight seasons. During the new millennium, Wood's teams have posted a 211-74 overall record, including 123-17 on their home court (the East Gym and Lumberjack Arena).
Lumberjack Notes
Four seniors will play the final two regular season home games this week. Zac Tiedeman, Kevin Atkins and Colt Mathews have all been with the Lumberjacks the past two years, while Mike Kehrig is the only four-year player who is finishing his HSU career this year. All four will be honored in a ceremony preceding Saturday's game against Cal State San Bernardino. … Humboldt State has now won eight straight games, six of those games in Lumberjack Arena. The Jacks' home winning streak also stands at eight in a row, and they are 10-1 overall at home this year. …What's worked well during the current streak that wasn't quite clicking previously? "We've figured out who we are," HSU head coach Tom Wood said. "Each time down the floor, we get the ball in the hands of our better shooters. We've also done a better job of sustaining the intensity on defense." …Supporting those claims are a number of statistics. The Jacks shot 45 percent from the field as a team before the current streak, and 50 percent since it began. Opponents, meanwhile, have slipped from 45 percent to 43 percent. The Jacks were outrebounding opponents by just over one per game previously, but have increased that margin to nearly four per game. "We"ve worekd hard on getting a high quality possesion on offense, and we're stingier on defense," Wood said. …Humboldt State has forged its way to the top of several team categories in the CCAA statistics. The Jacks lead in scoring offense (74.7 points per game), scoring margin (+12 points), free throw percentage (.746), 3-point field goal percentage (.374), and field goals made (7.8 per game). …Individually, Zac Tiedeman leads the league in free throw persentage (.881) and 3-point shooting percentage (.479), and also assist/turnover ratio (2.9). Brian Morris is first in field goal percentage (.633) and second in scoring (15.4 points per game).
Opponents' Notes
While the Jacks have been winning, the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos have forged a seven-game winning streak of their own. Most recently, they defeated Chico State, 69-61, before destroying Cal State Stanislaus, 65-32. …Balance on offense and defensive intensity are key to the Bronco's success. Senior guard Austin Swift leads his team with a 12.6 points per game scoring average, but three other players hover in the 8+ plus range. …The Broncos shoot 48 percent from the field as a team while holding opponents to only 38 percent shooting overall. The also average 33 rebounds per game, six more than their opponents. …Cal State San Bernardino has remained even with the Jacks on top the CCAA standings by pulling out a pair of home wins last week. The Coyotes defeated Cal State Stanislaus, 71-57, then knocked off Chico State, 60-53. …Senior foward Brian LeDuc is the Coyotes' top scoring threat with an average of 14.1 points per game. "(LeDuc) can shoot the three, and he can go inside and rebound and score," Wood said. "He gives them confidence." …Also averaging in double digits are point guard Cory Caston at 11.3 ppg, Lawrence Tyson at 10.2 ppg, and Devon Davis at 10.1 ppg. LeDuc is the team's and the league's top rebounder with 8. 3 boards per contest.
Wood's Words
"We're taking on the two teams that beat us, and they've had success recently as well." … " We want to get a high quality offensive possession, and that hasn't been done against their unique, unorthodox defense. They make it difficult to get the typical shots you get off your offensive patterns. It puts a little pressure on us, getting a jump shot in a different spot on the floor. We've got to be able to put them down." … "Cal Poly Pomona has been in every game they've played, and they do that by hanging in there and not changing what they're trying to do. They keep running, big, tall strong guys at you. They recognize a mismatch and take advantage of that." …Cal State San Bernardino has athletes that can get after it. They're athletic and tough."… "We need to do a better job against them of getting to their shooters. But they can beat you off the dribble, too."