ARCATA — Though its seed and opponent are yet to be determined, the Humboldt State men's basketball team knows the 2009-10 season will continue this week. After earning an at-large berth in the NCAA Division II West Region Championships, the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season co-champion Lumberjacks will travel to Bellingham, Wash. to compete this week.
Humboldt State enters the week with a 22-7 overall record. Following the completion of Monday evening's Pacific West Conference games, the Jacks will learn who they play and at what time in Friday's opening round. Their potential opponents include host Western Washington, BYU Hawaii, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly Pomona, Central Washington, Dixie State and Seattle Pacific.
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. Tournament host Western Washington University will stream live video of all tournament games this week through the event web site at http://wwuvikings.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/WestRegional.html.
Live Stats
Live statistics for all tournament games can be accessed through links at the tournament web site at http://wwuvikings.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/WestRegional.html.
Head-to-Head
Humboldt State is now 4-12 against Cal State San Bernardino in the all-time series. The Jacks lost to the Coyotes, 64-55, in last week's CCAA semifinal. They also dropped a 71-66 decision in San Bernardino on January 4, then bounced back to earn a 71-67 win over CSUSB in Lumberjack Arena on February 13. …Humboldt State lost both games to Cal Poly Pomona the team it shared the CCAA regular season title with, and is now 7-11 all-time vs. the Broncos. …The Lumberjacks played Western Washington twice a year throughout their tenure in the Pacific West and Great Northwest Athletic Conferences, and are 10-11 all-time against their old rivals. …Another former GNAC opponent, Seattle Pacific leads the historical series against HSU, 20-6. …Humboldt State fell to BYU Hawaii in the first round of last year's regional tournament, hosted by the Seasiders, and is now 4-4 all-time vs. BYUH. …The Jacks trail Central Washington, 10-13 in the all-time series.…Humboldt State and DIxie State have never met.
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 463-350 overall record and have won more than 20 games in nine seasons. During the new millennium, Wood's teams have posted a 217-76 overall record, including 125-19 on their home court (the East Gym and Lumberjack Arena).
Lumberjack Notes
In 10 previous tournament appearances, Humboldt State has posted a 9-10 record. The Jacks' best showing was in 2004, when Humboldt State claimed the West Region championship and advanced to the Elite Eight in Bakersfield. HSU posted a first-round win on that occasion, knocking off UMass Lowell before falling to eventual national champion Kennesaw State in the national semifinals. …Heading into the postseason, Lumberjack players Zac Tiedeman and Ernie Spada continue to move up the Jacks' all-time list in career statistical categories. Spada, a junior, now ranks sixth in career 3-point field goals with 166, while Tiedeman, a senior who is in his second year with the Jacks, ranks 10th in that category. Tiedeman has taken over as the all-time HSU leader in free throw percentage at 89.3 percent. He also ranks seventh in career assists with 272, trailing six players who all had four-year careers at HSU. …Tiedeman, the CCAA Player of the Year, achieved career single-game highs with 10 assists in each of last week's league tournament games. …Brian Morris, the Jacks' junior post, was named to the all-CCAA tournament team last week after putting up 20 points and 15 rebounds in the opening game against Sonoma State, and scoring a team-high 16 points against CSU San Bernardino. Morris continues to lead the CCAA in field goal percentage, making 63 percent of his attempts. …Senior forward Kevin Atkins has been an impact player for HSU since transferring in from Alaska Fairbanks prior to his junior season. The former GNAC rebounding leader, Atkins is averaging 11.9 points and 5.1 rebounds. …Senior guard Mike Kehrig is the only member of the Lumberjacks who will be making his fourth NCAA postseason appearance. Junior guard Ernie Spada has been to the regional three times.
Opponents' Notes
With tsunami warnings forcing the postponement of the Pacific West Conference's games the final weekend of February, the NCAA made the decision to hold off on seeding the regional field of eight until the games could be played. Those contests, involving tournament qualifier BYU Hawaii, will be held tonight, and the seeding conference call will follow. The NCAA expects to release the field's pairings early Tuesday morning. …One likely opponent for HSU is CCAA tournament champion CSU San Bernardino. The Coyotes got by the Jacks, then out-battled Cal Poly Pomona for the title. Named to the all-tournament team were Coyote players Corey Caston and Bryan LeDuc. LeDuc also earned tournament MVP honors, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds against HSU and putting up 17 points with 12 boards against Cal Poly Pomona.
Wood's Words
"It doesn't matter who we play (in the first round), we should be fired up. If you're good enough to be win the CCAA, and to have been earned your way into this tournament, you have to believe you can go all the way." …"We'll have to get the best out of all our players to be successful. Zac Tiedeman is obviously a key player who earned the CCAA MVP, and Kevin Atkins has come a long way for us since transferring in two years ago. Mike Kehrig and Colt Mathews are two other players who have provided a great deal of senior leadership. Having a successful tournament is a great way for them to finish their collegiate careers."