After tough start and only 3 wins, Cal Poly men’s basketball moves on to Big West play

The Cal Poly men’s basketball team managed just its third victory of the season on Friday night, and as the team begins Big West conference play this week, a rebuilding year with a new head coach has proven every bit as challenging as expected.

The win over NAIA Vanguard, which mounted a furious comeback before falling 85-82, brought the Mustangs’ record to 3-11, but it also highlighted key problems that have plagued Cal Poly throughout the season.

The team is a year removed from a 6-23 campaign and seems destined for its seventh straight losing season.

This week, the Mustangs head into Big West play starting with rival UC Santa Barbara at home on Wednesday.

“We’re going into conference with a clean slate, 0 and 0,” said Coach John Smith. “... First, we have to learn how to compete. And then we have to learn how to win.”

Here’s a look at what’s gone right for Cal Poly this season, and what’s gone wrong.

Injuries speed up development

Injuries have hampered the Mustangs since the beginning of the season, and they’ve only continued as the season has progressed.

“First and foremost, we need to get healthy,” Smith said. “That has been a major challenge for us.”

Senior forward Hank Hollingsworth has been sidelined since the third game of the season after suffering a knee injury that required surgery.

Hollingsworth averaged 1.1 blocks per game last season and entered this year needing just 24 more blocks for the program record.

Redshirt junior forward Nolan Taylor, who was forced to sit out all of last season after transferring from Pepperdine, has yet to play this season. Taylor has suffered foot and ankle injuries that have kept him out of the lineup, but he is expected to make his official Cal Poly debut against UCSB.

The loss of a rim protector in Hollingsworth and a capable big man in Taylor has undoubtedly hurt the Mustangs, but it has also provided an opportunity for growth.

The injuries to the more experienced forwards has sped up the development of young players Tuukka Jaakkola and Alimamy Koroma.

Jaakkola has started every game this season as a sophomore and is averaging 7.1 points per game, including a career-high 18 against Iowa.

Koroma, a true freshman, has shown his youth at times but leads the team in blocks and scored a career high 14 points against Siena. Koroma suffered a concussion and missed the game against Sacramento State.

Graduate transfer Malek Harwell suffered an ankle injury and, later in the year, a bad case of the flu, which kept him out of a combined five games this year.

When healthy, Harwell has alternated as the team’s No. 1 scoring option with Junior Ballard, scoring 19 points against LIU and 18 against Vanguard.

“Our goal is to focus day by day on getting better,” Smith said. “We’re not looking too far out into the future, just one day at a time.”

Strength of schedule

Contributing to the slow start, Cal Poly had a stiff non-conference schedule, including games against then-No. 18 Saint Mary’s and then-No. 15 San Diego State.

Smith said he was pleased with how well the Mustangs competed against San Diego State on Dec. 28, battling the Aztecs through the first half, trailing 31-23, before losing 73-57.

“We went toe to toe in the first half with a team that’s nationally ranked,” Smith said. “We gave them a run for their money.”

According to the 2020 KenPom rankings — which ranks every Division I team by strength of schedule, efficiency and other sabermetics and is widely used as a barometer for teams — Cal Poly is ranked 30th overall out of 353 teams on adjusted non-conference strength of schedule.

Through Sunday, the teams they have faced average 104.0 points per 100 possessions versus an average defense — 27th most overall according to KenPom. The defenses weren’t shabby either, ranked 57th at 98.0 points per 100 possessions.

The grueling stretch led to losing streaks of five and four games, only broken up by a win against Division I Siena — the first Division I win in the John Smith era.

Injuries combined with a difficult schedule have certainly made wins tough to come by. But perhaps more importantly, the injuries have limited any type of rhythm to develop, which is illustrated by the number of different players who have led the team in scoring.

Capable scorers across roster

Their record may not reflect it, but the Cal Poly roster is littered with scoring talent, and in contrast to last season, it has been more balanced.

Seven players are averaging five or more points per game. Last season, only four players averaged more than five points per game.

Ballard is averaging 11.6 points per game, but as of late, it’s been former Mission Prep star and walk-on Kyle Colvin who has picked up the scoring load.

Colvin tallied a team-high 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting, hitting three of five 3-pointers against Creighton, a Big East Conference program, in Omaha on Nov. 22.

“Kyle Colvin was thrust into the action a little earlier than I expected because of the injuries we’ve faced,” Smith said.

The redshirt freshman had a career-high 20 points at Sacramento State, 13 points against San Diego State and 18 points against Vanguard.

True freshman Colby Rogers has hit double-figure scoring in six games this season.

Between Harwell, Ballard, Colvin, Rogers, Jaakkola and Koroma, the scoring is there — but the consistency hasn’t been. Putting together a complete 40-minute effort has been difficult, but so has keeping them on the floor at the same time.

Recipe for Big West success

The preseason media poll was tight, and if that is any measure, so will be conference play. UC Irvine was picked to repeat as regular season champion, slightly edging UCSB.

But the non-conference schedule has shown that the Big West is not as strong this season as in years past. Heading into Big West play, only three teams in the conference have winning records: UC Riverside, UCSB and Hawaii.

UC Irvine, which took down Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament last year, is without Max Hazzard, who transferred to Arizona, and first-team Big West selection Jonathan Galloway, who graduated. The effects have been noticeable, as the Anteaters sit at 8-8 with losses to Detroit and Illinois-Chicago.

UCSB has proven to be the more consistent team thus far, with a record of 11-4.

Cal Poly won two Big West games last season, with wins over UC Riverside and Hawaii. It may be difficult to meet that mark this year.

KenPom ranks Cal Poly squarely in the bottom third of Division I teams in both offensive and defensive efficiency, which scales for opponents.

But stealing a few conference games this year is not out of the question if they can execute offensively and rebound, and stay healthy. If they can make it into the Big West Tournament, the Mustangs have proven that anything can happen.

Tip-off against UCSB is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Mott Athletics Center.

This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 2:03 PM with the headline "After tough start and only 3 wins, Cal Poly men’s basketball moves on to Big West play."