The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Jacks basketball

  • HSU Gets Exhibition Win Over Southern Oregon

    HSU Gets Exhibition Win Over Southern Oregon

    A back and forth battle sends the Raiders home in sorrow

    With the start of the season just around the corner, Jacks point guard Amari Green is confident that the Jacks will provide excellent results in their season opener against a good Point Loma team in San Diego on Friday.

    “We’re ready, we go to San Diego on Thursday and we’ll be playing against two very good teams,” Green said. “We have the right pieces and are tight-knit as a group and as long as we stay together we are going to take it all the way.”

    After dealing with a power outage during their first exhibition game and switching arenas to coincide with the HSU volleyball team, HSU men’s basketball returned to Lumberjack Arena for an exhibition game against the Southern Oregon University Raiders on Tuesday night.

    As the tip-off signaled the start of the first half, the Jacks wasted no time gaining possession of the ball and building an early 12 point lead over the Raiders. Missed shots from the Raiders hindered any early progress and helped the Jacks employ effective passing strategies.

    Humboldt State forward Raysean Scott Jr goes up for a layup through a crowd of Southern Oregon players in Lumberjack Arena on Nov. 5.

    Jacks players were quick and efficient, but as time progressed in the first half it didn’t take long for the Raiders to overcome its faltered plays and establish a tie. Jacks forward Raysean Scott Jr made his presence known as he maneuvered around the Raiders and found the basket.

    Raysean was a recipient of fouls from the Raiders, and at the free-throw line his teammates and opponents were aligned and ready to pounce on the ball at any given moment. He made five of his seven free-throws, which was enough to put points on the board.

    Both teams became physically involved and the battle for possession of the ball became intense. Fouls were arising and it was crucial that the Jacks avoided any potential mishaps.

    “They were calling ticky-tack fouls, so we tried to keep our hands up so [the refs] could see we weren’t fouled,” Jacks guard Leland Green said.

    Despite the game becoming physical, both teams managed to keep their composure by limiting their mistakes and avoiding technical fouls. After the first half Green said their offense improved when the Raiders attempted to outscore the Jacks.

    “I think we all played good,” Green said. “We let up the pressure, and as the game went on we realized we needed to apply more pressure.”

    Humboldt State forward Raysean Scott Jr jumps for the shot in Lumberjack Arena on Nov. 5.

    Players made their way back to the court for the second half which saw an influx of team chemistry with the Jacks. Activity from Jacks guard Isaiah Pope was at an all-time high as he delivered additional points on the board, giving his team an advantage over the Raiders.

    Raysean was substituted earlier in the second half, and his return to the court towards the end became a powder keg to an already highly active crowd which almost blew the roof off Lumberjack Arena.

    A staggered Raiders team dwindled in the final seconds of the game, and Raysean still delivered a blow to their morale with his slam dunk, making the final score 89-74. After the game, head coach Steve Kinder shared some inspiring words that he hopes to carry into the next games.

    “Through those wars and battles you try to stay composed and poised throughout the game,” Kinder said. “Whether things are going well, you can’t get too high and when things are going poorly you can’t get too low.”

  • Jacks Win First Exhibition Game

    Jacks Win First Exhibition Game

    A strong performance from transfer players creates a positive outlook for upcoming season

    Despite Humboldt County awaiting a blackout on Saturday, Jacks’ basketball made sure to keep the energy high on Friday night.

    The blackout forced Humboldt State Athletics to move its volleyball game to the same time as the scheduled basketball game, which meant the Jacks had to play in the East Gym.

    During the last few months, HSU men’s basketball added three Division I transfers to its arsenal. Compton, CA natives Raysean Scott Jr. (Florida Gulf Coast University), Leland Green (University of Hawaii) and Rob Lewis’ (Texas Southern University) combined efforts impact the game in a way the Jacks have missed for a while.

    Strategies issued by Head Coach Steve Kinder and Assistant Coach Rich Mendoza helped the Jacks focus on teamwork while capitalizing on opportunities to push points past Simpson.

    It’s not surprising for me, I knew from the recruitment trail last spring that we were onto some very talented players.

    Steve Kinder

    “It’s not surprising for me, I knew from the recruitment trail last spring that we were onto some very talented players,” Kinder said. “The players were remarkable and created a memorable environment for those in attendance.”

    The Jacks started off strong as guard Isaiah Pope found the net seconds after the first whistle. It wasn’t long before Simpson gave up their first foul and Jacks’ forward Raysean Scott Jr. capitalized on a free throw opportunity.

    Simpson began executing defensive plays against the Jacks as they attempted to find their place on the scoreboard, but it was met with resistance as the Jacks responded with chemistry between Scott Jr. and point guard Amari Green.

    Humboldt State point guard Amari Green strings for a play at the top of the key during the men’s basketball exhibition game against Simpson on October 25.

    The second half for the Jacks resulted in an increase of player activity and passing chemistry. HSU took another lead over Simpson as the battle for possession continued. The Jacks finished strong and concluded the exhibition game with a final score of 88-70.

    Kinder reflected on the importance of the East Gym and the impact it had on his coaching career with HSU basketball.

    “That East Gym experience today goes back to the good old days,” Kinder said. “It was the first time we have [played] there since the 2007 season, and to be back in there was quite a moment.”

    Despite the sudden change of venues, Kinder and his team were not impacted as the East Gym is a consistent training place.

    “We’ve held practices in there all year, so we felt like it was a road game for us,” Kinder said.

    Men’s basketball will hold one more exhibition game at Lumberjack Arena on November 5 against Southern Oregon University before hitting the road for an away game against Point Loma on November 8.

  • Women’s basketball walks away with another crazy win

    Women’s basketball walks away with another crazy win

    Down by 12 points at halftime at Lumberjack Arena, HSU’s Lady Jacks made a second half comeback in their home game against Cal State East Bay on Feb. 1.

    HSU junior Jovanah Arrington scored a three-pointer in overtime to win the game, putting the Jacks up 76-73.

    “I just shot my same shot that I shoot every time,” Arrington said. “I knew the clock was going down so I had to get it up.”

    East Bay dominated the first few minutes of the game with a 12-3 lead before the Jacks came back determined to put more points on the board. With enough drive, the Jacks regained their confidence to take more shots, until they fell back down at halftime with a score of 24-12.

    “We have certain things that we try to do defensively as far as taking our opponents out of their strengths, so to speak,” HSU head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. “I thought we did a very poor job of that in the first half.”

    With another gain of confidence after their halftime talk, the Jacks outscored the East Bay Pioneers in both the third and fourth quarters. The team nailed 15 free throws in the second half, and ended the game in a 69-69 tie, resulting in the first period of overtime.

    HSU sophomore Tyla Turner led the Jacks with a total of 23 points, HSU junior Kindall Murie landed 13 points and Arrington helped with seven rebounds.

    “We got a lot of contribution tonight from different players,” Bento-Jackson said. “I thought we stayed aggressive in transition.”

    The Jacks walk away with an overall record of 12-9 and a conference record of 11-5.

  • Jacks comeback falls short

    Jacks comeback falls short

    The Jacks men’s basketball team fell just short of a big comeback on Jan. 13 against the Cal State University at San Bernadino Coyotes at Lumberjack Arena. They lost the game 90-79 and fell to 6-12 overall and 3-9 in conference.

    Jacks junior guard Romario Wilson had a great night, scoring 24 points on a perfect 13-13 from the free throw line. Wilson and his teammates are working hard to improve everyday and he believes the team has what it takes to go on a run.

    “We can hang with the best of them,” Wilson said. It shows that we have the talent and the skill-sets to win big-time games. It’s all on us to go get it. We have 10 games left, and we’ve got to finish off strong so we can make a push to get into this tournament.”

    Despite the Jacks subpar record, they still have a chance to win their conference tournament and win an outright bid to the national tourney. Their play against some above average competition suggests they have the ability to make some real noise if they were to win a bid to the big dance.

    The Coyotes established a 47-21 lead with 2:58 left in the half and led 49-31 at the break, but the Jacks had a “never say die” attitude and came out strong in the second half. They cut the deficit to just 10 but the Coyotes kept coming, knocking down consecutive 3-pointers.

    Jacks head coach Steve Kinder was proud of his team for not giving up and staying in the game until the end.

    “Out of halftime I thought our guys responded extremely well,” Kinder said. “They showed some grit, they showed some guts, they showed some toughness and made two really good pushes in the second half. We’re proud of our Lumberjacks, but it just wasn’t enough for the victory.”

    Jacks junior guard Kameron Curl had 12 points but struggled from the 3-point-line shooting 2-10. Senior forward Davasyia Hagger added 10 points as did fellow senior, Austin Pomrehn. The Jacks performed at an elite level from the free-throw line, hitting 30-of-33 shots.

    The Jacks look to get back on track on Jan. 20 as they travel to face conference rival Chico State. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.