Cal State men to host San Francisco, Monterey
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Cal State San Bernardino coach Jeff Oliver hopes his team learned a
lesson about complacency last week when it slipped up against sub-par
Sonoma State before taking on Humboldt State.
The Coyotes (8-6, 6-2) survived the road trip and are tied for first
place in the CCAA with Humboldt State (13-5, 6-2) and Dominguez Hills
(12-3, 6-2).
That possibility looms again this week when Cal State opens with
struggling San Francisco State, then faces a Monterey Bay squad that
is just one game behind the three frontrunners. Game time both nights
at Coussoulis Arena is 7:30 p.m. with the women's teams from the same
school squaring off at 5:30 p.m.
"I would hope our guys have learned that you can't take a night off
against the quality of competition we face in this conference,'' he
said. "These two teams are both dangerous teams and we're going to
have to be ready to play.''
The two games will mark the end of the first round of conference play.
San Francisco State (8-7, 2-6) has lost six straight games but Oliver
is leery of the Gators, coached by last year's coach of the year Bill
Tressler. Of the team's six losses, five came on the road and five of
the six came by a combined margin of 15 points. One was in overtime.
It returns most of the players from last year's team, one of them
being Apple Valley native Will Logan (8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), now a senior.
Monterey Bay (11-4, 5-3) is having its best season since joining the
CCAA five years ago. The Otters are just a win away from equaling
their win total of last season and boast one of the leading scorers
in the conference in Steve Monreal (16.5 ppg) and the second-leading
rebounder in Joe Mitchell (11.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
Oliver criticized his team's lack of intensity and energy early in
the season but the Coyotes have made progress there. He credits
DuBois Williams, Lawrence Tyson and Tim Denson for leading the surge.
Denson (10.6 ppg) is coming off a season-high 25-point showing at
Humboldt State. He was also a key factor in the Coyotes defensive
effort.
``He isn't a real vocal guy. He's more the leader by example,''
Oliver said. ``They see the way he is playing and they have followed
his example.''
While Brandon Brown (17.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Devin Montgomery (13.8
ppg) are also in double figures Oliver isn't overlooking the
contribution of Williams (8.5 ppg, 5.8 rgp), whom he calls a glue
guy. He leads the team in intangible categories such as assists and
steals.
``He was tremendous in the game against Humboldt. He really set the
tone with all the things he did,'' Oliver said. ``He can score, but
it is really the other things he does well.''
The men's game can be heard live on KCAA (1050-AM). Both the men's
and women's games can also be seen on San Bernardino community access
channel 3.
Staff Writer
Cal State San Bernardino coach Jeff Oliver hopes his team learned a
lesson about complacency last week when it slipped up against sub-par
Sonoma State before taking on Humboldt State.
The Coyotes (8-6, 6-2) survived the road trip and are tied for first
place in the CCAA with Humboldt State (13-5, 6-2) and Dominguez Hills
(12-3, 6-2).
That possibility looms again this week when Cal State opens with
struggling San Francisco State, then faces a Monterey Bay squad that
is just one game behind the three frontrunners. Game time both nights
at Coussoulis Arena is 7:30 p.m. with the women's teams from the same
school squaring off at 5:30 p.m.
"I would hope our guys have learned that you can't take a night off
against the quality of competition we face in this conference,'' he
said. "These two teams are both dangerous teams and we're going to
have to be ready to play.''
The two games will mark the end of the first round of conference play.
San Francisco State (8-7, 2-6) has lost six straight games but Oliver
is leery of the Gators, coached by last year's coach of the year Bill
Tressler. Of the team's six losses, five came on the road and five of
the six came by a combined margin of 15 points. One was in overtime.
It returns most of the players from last year's team, one of them
being Apple Valley native Will Logan (8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), now a senior.
Monterey Bay (11-4, 5-3) is having its best season since joining the
CCAA five years ago. The Otters are just a win away from equaling
their win total of last season and boast one of the leading scorers
in the conference in Steve Monreal (16.5 ppg) and the second-leading
rebounder in Joe Mitchell (11.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
Oliver criticized his team's lack of intensity and energy early in
the season but the Coyotes have made progress there. He credits
DuBois Williams, Lawrence Tyson and Tim Denson for leading the surge.
Denson (10.6 ppg) is coming off a season-high 25-point showing at
Humboldt State. He was also a key factor in the Coyotes defensive
effort.
``He isn't a real vocal guy. He's more the leader by example,''
Oliver said. ``They see the way he is playing and they have followed
his example.''
While Brandon Brown (17.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Devin Montgomery (13.8
ppg) are also in double figures Oliver isn't overlooking the
contribution of Williams (8.5 ppg, 5.8 rgp), whom he calls a glue
guy. He leads the team in intangible categories such as assists and
steals.
``He was tremendous in the game against Humboldt. He really set the
tone with all the things he did,'' Oliver said. ``He can score, but
it is really the other things he does well.''
The men's game can be heard live on KCAA (1050-AM). Both the men's
and women's games can also be seen on San Bernardino community access
channel 3.
About Michelle
Michelle Gardner has been a staff writer for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2002 and has covered the local college sports scene since 2004. She ventured West after working at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale for eight years and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
E-mail Michelle here.
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