The Big West basketball story cannot be told through trailers.
“Looking at everybody’s preseason is a misnomer,” Cal State Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor said of the nine-team Big West, which opens league play with two games today. “With a lot of teams, what you saw in the preseason, there were players missing academically or injury wise. It’s an ever-revolving door in terms of who’s going to be who at the end of the road.”
Last year’s MVP, Cal State Northridge’s Lamine Diane, is back after missing the fall semester because of academic issues. Fullerton’s Jackson Rowe, one of the league’s top posts and rim protectors, is healthy after missing most of the preseason because of an injury. UC Riverside power forward Arinze Chidom was recently cleared to play, and UC Santa Barbara is hopeful guard Max Heidegger will be back soon. Hawaii, which opens at Fullerton on Thursday, received a boost with 7-foot Owen Hulland’s return to good health and the addition of 6-5 guard Junior Madut. Hulland is part of the Rainbow Warriors’ traveling party.
“Our league tends to add guys at the semester,” said UH head coach Eran Ganot, who returned to the sideline two weeks ago after missing 13 games while on medical leave. “It’s no different this year.”
Taylor said there are no clear favorites in the league.
“More than any year, it’s wide open,” Taylor said. “There’s a lot of parity between the one and nine teams. I don’t know if you can ask any coach: ‘Hey, who do you want to play,’ and he would be comfortable saying, ‘This group or that group.’ Every night is going to be competitive. Every night, every team is going to feel it has a chance to go in and win, whether it’s at home or on the road. During those times and those years are when the conference is really competitive. We have to mark our territory and stay on our ground and hold that spot.”
UC SANTA BARBARA
GAUCHOS
Record: 11-4
Head coach: Joe Pasternack
Story line: The Gauchos rolled up the best preseason record with an unheralded schedule (Menlo? Westmont?) and without dynamic guard Max Heidegger, who has missed the past nine games with what reports describe as a “head injury.” This follows a junior season in which he missed nine of the first 11 games with a concussion. But the Gauchos have prevailed with four starters who began their careers at other schools — guards JaQuori McLaughlin (Oregon State), Devearl Ramsey (Nevada) and Brandon Cyrus (DePaul) and forward Matt Freeman (Oklahoma) — and a rising star, 6-9 Amadou Sow (14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds). Robinson Idehen, a 6-10 post with a 7-3 wing span, and forward Jay Nagle, who has launched 97 of his 115 career shots from behind the arc, provide reserve power.
UC RIVERSIDE
HIGHLANDERS
Record: 10-6
Head coach: David Patrick
Story line: The Highlanders were a preconference surprise, jump-started by opening 2-0 for the second time as a Division I member. Point guard Dikymbe Martin was projected as a leader, but he was held out of the first four games because of “a personal matter.” He has started only one of 12 games. Khyber Kabellis, a transfer from Pacific, is directing the offense. Callum McRae, a 7-1, 270-pound sophomore, is a traditional back-to-the-hoop center. Arinze Chidom, a 6-9 power forward, was cleared in December after transferring from Washington State. In just five games, Chidom tops the team with averages of 13.0 points and 7.8 rebounds. Dragan Elkaz is an all-or-little shooter: 79 of 85 shots from 3-point range, only three free throws.
HAWAII
RAINBOW WARRIORS
Record: 9-5
Head coach: Eran Ganot
Story line: It was a unique preseason for the ’Bows, who did not conduct a fully staffed practice until two weeks ago because of ailments and other issues. The ’Bows redesigned with 6-9 Zigmars Raimo moving to power forward, where he leads the league in rebounding (7.4 per game), and Eddie Stansberry expanding his game from deep shooter to cutter and defender. Point guard Drew Buggs has a league-high 5.7 assists per game, and has unwrapped a consistent jumper. Freshman Benardo da Silva is providing quickness and length in the post.
UC IRVINE ANTEATERS
Record: 8-8
Head coach: Russell Turner
Story line: The Anteaters, who went 31-6 while advancing to the 2019 NCAA Tournament’s second round, are seeking to become the league’s first repeat champion in nine years. But they are doing it without last season’s leading scorer, point guard Max Hazzard, who transferred to Arizona. Eyassu Worku moved over to the point, where he is providing more points (five 3s against Harvard). The Anteaters are dominating inside, with a 542-286 advantage in the paint. Collin Welp, son of the late Washington standout Chris Welp, is a reserve who leads in scoring (14.2) and rebounding (6.8).
UC DAVIS AGGIES
Record: 6-10
Head coach: Jim Les
Story line: Despite losing five seniors from a season ago, this year’s Aggies are counting on two seniors with different career arcs. Matt Neufeld, a 6-11 bruiser, has attempted 285 shots — none from behind the 3-point line — in the two seasons since transferring from Saint Louis. He has converted 61.7% of his shots. In four years, guard Joe Mooney has launched 62.4% of his shots from behind the stripe. True freshman Ezra Manjon, the successor to point guard TJ Shorts II — the Aggies’ leader in scoring, rebounding and assists last season — has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.32. The bench offers deep shooter Stefan Gonzalez (47.7% accuracy on 3s) and versatile Rogers Printup, who was born functionally deaf.
CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS
Record: 5-10
Head coach: Dedrique Taylor
Story line: Austen Awosika was the third guard and fourth scoring option on a 2018-19 team that went to its second consecutive BWC title game. With guards Khalil Ahmad and Kyle Allman gone, and post Jackson Rowe injured for the first 11 games, Awosika has emerged as a playmaker making plays for himself. Awosika is averaging 14.3 points (up 4.0 from last season). Awosika is a driver, with 82.9% of his shots taken from inside the arc. He is seeking to improve on his 64.6% on free throws. Rowe is averaging 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds since returning to the lineup. Rowe brings stability inside, where the Titans have been hot (44 rebounds against Stanford) and icy (zero offensive boards against San Francisco).
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE MATADORS
Record: 5-11
Head coach: Mark Gottfried
Story line: Lamine Diane is making up for lost time after being academically ineligible during the fall semester. Diane, a 6-7 sophomore, is averaging 30.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks while clocking 34.0 minutes per game since being activated. Diane’s absence was felt early, with the Matadors losing their first seven games, six of which were played on the road. The league’s shortest starter, 5-8 Terrell Gomez, has been terrific (21.3 points per game, 93.1% on free throws) and prolific (128 more shots than any other Matador).
LONG BEACH STATE 49ERS
Record: 5-11
Head coach: Dan Monson
Story line: Guard Michael Carter III is a human roller coaster who scored six points in the final minute to rally the 49ers past Providence, but also has racked up 12 more turnovers than assists this season. Carter is at his third school, having previously attended Washington and then South Dakota State. The 49ers are on the mend after losing their top five scorers from a season ago. But Joshua Morgan, a 6-foot-11 freshman who has gained 20 pounds since reporting at 173 in June, is making the transition easier with his paint presence (2.0 blocks per game).
CAL POLY MUSTANGS
Record: 3-11
Head coach: John Smith
Story line: According to howmanyofme.com, there are 46,403 John Smiths in this country, but only one willing to perform CPR on a program struggling on offense, defense and the boards. The Mustangs would need to go 12-4 in league play to avoid a seventh consecutive sub-.500 season. But Smith was the associate head coach at Fullerton, which went to the league title game the past two years, and is experienced in developing backcourts. Junior Ballard, a 6-3 guard, is the Mustangs’ only double-digit scorer 1.6). The 11-man rotation does not have a player logging more than 27 minutes per game.
