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LOCATION: San Luis Obispo, CA
CONFERENCE: Big West (Western Division)
LAST SEASON: 11-16 (.407)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 6-10 (5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 0/5
NICKNAME: Mustangs
COLORS: Green & Gold
HOMECOURT: Mott Gym (3,500)
COACH: Jeff Schneider (Virginia Tech '82)
record at school 55-59 (4 years)
career record 55-59 (4 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Kevin Bromley (Colorado State '83)
Kwanza Johnson (Tulsa '95)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 1-16-14-14-11
RPI (last 5 years) 302-253-218-228-251
1998-99 FINISH: Did not qualify for postseason.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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It was like trying to win a drag race with half your pistons burned out. The Cal Poly Mustangs wanted to run and gun. They wanted to fill the sky with three-pointers like everyone figured they would. But every time they put the pedal to the metal, the engine sputtered with another injury. As a result, Cal Poly, which was widely considered the team to beat in the West Division, didn't even finish in the top four of the six-team division. "In our system we can't play eight or nine guys," coach Jeff Schneider said. "We need everyone. It wasn't the year we thought it would be and, yes, we were very disappointed. Now we just have to bounce back and return to playing solid basketball." The Mustangs have potential. They return virtually every weapon that led the nation in three-pointers made per game (9.4) and placed fifth in scoring average (84.9). That's the good news.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C-
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES D-
This is a hard team to figure out. The Mustangs were the league's biggest disappointment last season, and not all of that can be attributed to their injury problems. But at the same time, they do have all five starters returning and were good enough to score 84.9 points per game last year. These are the same five starters who beat Long Beach State and Idaho last season. If the Mustangs develop better chemistry and get on a roll they will be a serious contender. Or they might implode again and finish dead last in a much-improved West Division. The key will be defense, rebounding and Mike Wozniak's shot. If he has a shot, so will Cal Poly. |
The questions, meanwhile, remain from last year. Can Cal Poly remain injury free? Can the Mustangs play enough halfcourt defense? Will they show the chemistry that they lacked so often last season? Schneider says yes. "Our kids are back with a fire to compete," he said. "Last year didn't go how we wanted it. The breaks didn't go our way, but the guys are back and ready to be as good as we think we can be." Schneider's up-tempo attack definitely has some experienced scorers to depend upon. And, surprisingly, the strength is on the front line with 6-8 junior Chris Bjorklund (18.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and 6-7 junior forward Jeremiah Mayes (10.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg). Bjorklund is the top returning scorer in the league. He has started in all 55 games he's been available for and is renowned for his consistency. He's also a terrible matchup problem for defenses. If teams match up their center against Bjorklund, who technically plays that position for Cal Poly, then Bjorklund simply takes the ball outside and hits a three-pointer. Put a smaller guy on him? Doesn't help. He'll simply take the defender inside and post him up. Basically, the only way to stop Bjorklund is to double-team him, but that just plays into Schneider's hands because virtually ever other Mustang can shoot the ball from beyond the three-point arc. While Bjorklund scores, Mayes rebounds. The returning starter had a huge start to the season before missing five games with a back injury. He never quite returned to that December form, but Mayes still led the team in rebounding nine times. Mayes' contributions are huge, because rebounding is the key to starting Cal Poly's fast break. When Mayes was at top form, Cal Poly was hitting 100 points with ease. When he was sidelined, so was the offense. There isn't much depth behind Bjorklund and Mayes. Reserve No. 1 is 6-7 junior forward Brandon Beeson (6.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg), an 11-game starter last season who is still recovering from a shoulder surgery performed in February. Beeson has the athleticism and experience to be a double-figure scorer and decent rebounder, but he's still trying to get his game to bounce back to its old form. The other frontcourt option with returning playing time is 6-7 sophomore forward David Henry (2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg). Henry is a bit thin (190 pounds), but did play significant minutes down the stretch last season. Schneider is hoping that the frontcourt won't have to rebound as many misses by 6-2 senior shooting guard Mike Wozniak (16.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg) as it did last year. "Woz" is already second on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,446 points and needs just 55 more to top the list. But, for all his scoring ability, last season was a disappointment for him. In fact he was even benched for a while after his shot left him (he hit just 38 percent of his field goals last season). "His first two years, Mike really shot the ball consistently," Schneider said. "Last year he didn't have the year he would have liked. I think he's ready. I think he's going to have a great senior year." If he doesn't, Cal Poly has other guards who won't mind picking up some of the shooting slack. The toughest of them is 6-2 junior Watende Favors (6.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg), whose numbers dipped significantly last season because of injuries. The first came in October, when a bicycle accident left Favors with a broken hand and a broken jaw, which was wired shut for six weeks. Then, during his first game back, he sprained an ankle. If Favors stays healthy, he will be a force. He's athletic enough to break down defenders, which he proved while averaging 10.0 points per game as a freshman. Jason King (6.5 ppg), meanwhile, will play the point especially after starter Jabbar Washington told the coaches in August that he wouldn't be returning to the team. King, a 5-9 sophomore guard, started the final six games last season and became a crowd favorite because he pushes the ball up the court so enthusiastically. He'll see his role expand this season. Schneider has three freshmen he expects to play this year. On the perimeter is 6-3 Mark Campbell, a true point guard who had 10 assists in an Oregon high school all-star game, and 6-3 Brandon Hulst, an excellent athlete Schneider said is one of his biggest recruiting prizes in his five years at Cal Poly. Both will play significant minutes. And Hulst could be a star. The front line will be bolstered by 6-10, 250-pound center John Hoffart. He'll help on defense and will be counted upon to rebound the ball, which was a weakness for Cal Poly last year.
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