After two weeks of play that saw both cupcakes and big-time opponents, Big West schools have been able to officially gauge the state of their basketball programs. UC Irvine is emerging as the dark horse on the court and on the recruiting trail, Cal State Northridge keeps winning and some teams need a little more practice.
Here are the top storylines in the Big West Conference this week:
Cal State Northridge is 6-0
The Matadors are off to their best start since 1990, the year the program transitioned to the Division I level. The team that was picked to finish eighth in the preseason media poll rolled through four games in as many days last week at San Diego’s National Urea Cycle Disorders Foundation Challenge. It survived two close calls against San Diego and Siena before exploding for 92 points against Tulsa and its new head coach Danny Manning (15-year NBA veteran and former Kansas assistant). The Matadors easily dispatched the Norse, 69-58, as three players put up double-digit point totals in the finale.
Stephan Hicks has been the go-to guy in this hot opening stretch. In San Diego alone, Hicks scored 75 points, pulled down 36 rebounds and had nine steals. The former Big West Freshman of the Year and Mid-Major All-American has seemed to get better with each game this season. Hicks is averaging nearly a double-double per game, putting up 19, 25 and 20 points in a three-game stretch in wins over Eastern Washington, San Diego and Siena. He was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and was also named Big West Player of the Week.
"People know who he is, and a lot of defenses are locking in on him,” said Northridge head coach Bobby Braswell. “But he still is finding a way to rebound the ball and is still finding ways to score and get to the free throw line."
The play of Stephen Maxwell and Josh Greene also can’t be overlooked. Greene has been efficient at the charity stripe, which has proved key in tight situations, going 41-for-44 from the line, while scoring 28 points (14 free throws) against Tulsa. Greene was also named to the all-tournament team.
"Josh had a fantastic tournament," Braswell said. "He hit some big shots when we needed it. He also knocked down his free throws. Josh has shown great leadership. He has great energy. Josh and Stephan (Hicks) certainly deserve to be on the all-tournament team.”
Dan Monson wants to talk about practice
Unlike Allen Iverson, Dan Monson wants to talk about practice, or more accurately, a lack of practice.
In the week leading up to Long Beach State’s much-anticipated matchup against No. 11 North Carolina, The Beach had a poor showing against USC and, according to head coach Monson, an even poorer showing at practices all week. Monson lamented his team’s practice habits following the 78-63 loss to the Tar Heels, saying that the first-half lead may not have slipped away had the team prepared efficiently.
“If we would practice with that energy and if we would have had that focus the last month, we would have had a chance to win that basketball game,” Monson said. “But unfortunately, we’re behind where we need to be as a basketball team because, as a lot of new teams do, we haven’t practiced hard.”
49er forward James Ennis blamed it on practice when asked about the defense in the second half.
“In practice, we don’t go hard for rebounds,” Ennis said. “That’s what coach has been saying. We need to talk honest about it as a team.”
On the other end, Long Beach forced up bad shots instead of running designed plays.
“I think we need to focus a little more on our plays,” said point guard Mike Caffey. “In the second half, we only ran like two or three plays.”
Long Beach’s brutal schedule, injuries to key reserves - Branford Jones in particular - and NCAA waivers that still have yet to be granted on transfers Tony Freeland and Keala King, are severely limiting the 49ers depth right now. As a result, it is putting more of an emphasis on the need for good practice habits for those healthy and eligible.
Captains Ennis, Caffey and Peter Pappageorge understand this, with Caffey saying that the three of them need to lead both vocally and by example. Monson needs the rest of his team to buy into the program’s philosophy.
“If this team would focus and be coachable, they have a chance to be all right,” Monson said. “But we’ve got to make sure that everybody is trusting the coaches and trusting each other.
"It’s like any other human relationship. Trust is a big thing that you need to get solved.”
Anteaters’ 'big' week
UC Irvine had a big week in more than one way – three ways, to be exact. The first was an exciting game at Pauley Pavilion, in which the ‘Eaters took then-No. 13 UCLA down to the wire in overtime. Jordan Adams was able to come up with a last-second layup to clinch the 80-79 win for the Bruins, but it was still an impressive performance from a team looking to make its mark outside of the Big West.
Michael Wilder led UCI with 23 points and Daman Starring had a solid overall game with nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Adams was difficult to contain, scoring 26, and UCLA ran a balanced offense and a defense that forced the Anteaters into 18 turnovers. But UC Irvine’s guard play was its strong suit, and the Anteaters put a good scare into UCLA with Ben Howland saying the team was “lucky” to win.
On the recruiting trail, Irvine picked up two commitments from two of the biggest – literally – recruits of this year’s class. On Thursday, Mamadou Ndiaye – not the former Denver Nuggets Mamadou N’Diaye – the 7-foot-5 Senegalese center who is thought to be the tallest high school player in the country and 7-foot-2 Diannis Dimakopoulos both signed on to be Anteaters.
Ndiaye, ranked No. 79 on ESPN’s Top 100, is prepping at nearby Brethren Christian in Huntington Beach and has been dominating California prep hoops since coming to the U.S. Ndiaye’s journey here wasn’t a traditional one. He came here not to play basketball, but to have a large tumor removed from his pituitary gland. Adopted by a Huntington Beach couple, Ndiaye is still somewhat new to the game and very raw, but a 43-point, 14-rebound, five-block performance in CIF playoffs last season speaks for itself.
"I chose UC Irvine because I felt very comfortable at the university and with the coaching staff,” Ndiaye said in a statement. “It is an excellent school that will help me develop as a student and basketball player."
Dimakopoulos, a member of Greece’s U-18 team, is currently prepping at Los Angeles Cathedral High under the guidance of William Middlebrooks, who is known for his work with big men. His father, Dimitris, is also a former Greek national team player.
"This is another example of my staff's hard work in identifying international recruits that will be great fits for UC Irvine,” said head coach Russell Turner. “I give my staff credit for this exceptional signing.”
The additions not only give UC Irvine a distinctly international profile that will be sure to attract other top international recruits, but it also gives them considerable depth at the five spot, which is a position many mid-majors have trouble filling. The Anteaters already boast the 6-10 John Ryan, a redshirt sophomore transfer out of Fresno State, and a 7-footer in freshman Connor Clifford. Three 7-footers is almost unheard of, even in the NBA, and with a young team already on the upswing, UC Irvine is guaranteed to be dangerous for the foreseeable future.
In brief
UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara have both stumbled out of the gate. Riverside engaged in an ugly defensive battle with Fresno State last week, losing 39-30 and the Highlanders' lone win this season was against Division III Whitman College. The Gauchos are also winless against Division I opponents with their only win coming against The Master’s College.
At Cal State Fullerton, Andy Newman is officially 2-2 to open his head-coaching career after the Titans recorded wins against Southern Utah and Green Bay. But the Titans lost their first two this season with Newman serving a two-game suspension for a minor recruiting violation. Newman’s guard-oriented offensive produced 112 points, the sixth-most in school history, in a 112-69 route of Southern Utah last week. But Fullerton didn’t do much in its first true tests – road games at Stanford and Nevada – and won’t get another legitimate test until it travels to Seattle to play Washington in early December.
Much like UC Irvine, Hawaii’s overtime loss to Illinois was a statement win that got away. The Warriors fell 78-77, with Vander Joaquim posting his second-straight double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
