Four seniors to bid farewell in Cal Poly men’s basketball home finale

For the final time this season, the Cal Poly men’s basketball team will take the court at Mott Athletics Center on Thursday night.

The Mustangs and their four-person senior class host last-place Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. in the regular season home finale. Owning at 10-16 record overall and a 4-9 mark in the Big West Conference, Cal Poly has three games remaining to move up the conference standings.

Currently sitting eighth out of nine teams, the Mustangs would have to play conference-leading Hawaii if the Big West tournament started Thursday. A trip to second-place UC Irvine and rival UC Santa Barbara loom next week, providing Cal Poly two more opportunities to move out of the Big West cellar.

“I think it’s going to be the culmination of a lot of hard work,” senior guard Reese Morgan said. “I think we’ve all been through a lot in different ways, different things we’ve each had to deal with. So, it’s just nice. I hope that we can get a good crowd.”

Morgan, backcourt mate David Nwaba, and forwards Joel Awich and Brian Bennett will play their final games in San Luis Obispo against the Titans (9-17, 2-11 Big West).

Morgan and Awich are both fifth-year seniors who were recruited by head coach Joe Callero during his second year at Cal Poly.

That trio has been linked together for six of the last seven years, a run highlighted by the team’s improbable run to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

“They’ve been here 80 percent of my career,” Callero said. “… They’ve seen the program grow. They’ve seen us grow.”

The 6-foot-9, 261-pound Bennett joined the fold as a true freshman in 2012 and has been one of the most efficient interior scorers in the Big West. He developed into a second-team all-conference performer last season and is averaging 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19 minutes per game as a senior.

The 6-7, 217-pound Awich has been a key piece of Cal Poly’s puzzle as well. The lanky, at times passive 17-year-old who arrived on campus five years ago grew into a well-rounded force early this season.

Awich garnered Maui Invitational Regional Round most valuable player and Big West Player of the Week honors in late November. An ankle injury suffered during the Mustangs’ final nonconference game proved tough to overcome, yet Awich still ranks fourth on the team in points (8.7) and second in rebounds (4.5) per game.

“It’s been a great run for me,” Awich said. “Obviously, coming in with Reese and then adding Dave and Brian to the mix. I mean, it’s a great group of guys. I’m blessed that I’ve gotten to know these guys and graduating with them — it’s an honor.”

Morgan’s career has been marred by injuries, and he’s been making up for lost time in his final season. A preseason injury forced Morgan to redshirt in 2011-12, and another injury as a third-year sophomore kept him on the sideline for most of the 2013-14 season.

Morgan returned for the final nine games that year, and made three 3-pointers during Cal Poly’s NCAA Tournament First Four victory against Texas Southern.

As a senior this winter, Morgan ranks third in the Big West by making 44.1 percent of his attempts from behind the 3-point line. The 6-2 San Pedro native is Cal Poly’s second-leading scorer at more than 11 points per game.

Morgan turned in one of the best statistical performances of his career in a 75-71 overtime loss to CSUN last Saturday. He made seven 3-pointers on eight attempts for a season-high 23 points, three shy of tying his career mark set as a freshman in 2013.

“We’ve been extremely blessed to have such great support over the years, both community and students,” Morgan said. “I’m going to try to take in the moment and hopefully enjoy it and hopefully we get a ‘W’.”

Nwaba was a late addition to the 2016 graduating class.

A 6-4 Los Angeles native, Nwaba attended Hawaii-Pacific straight out of high school and transferred to Santa Monica Junior College as a redshirt freshman in 2012-13. He joined the Mustangs the following year and has started 74 games since.

Arguably one of the most athletic guards in the conference, if not the country, Nwaba has done a little bit of everything for Cal Poly this season. He leads the team in scoring (12.1), rebounding (6.1), assists (97), steals (35) and minutes (27.5).

“They’ve raised us to heights of getting to the NCAA Tournament,” Callero said of the seniors. “They’ve packed this gym. They’ve created a following.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Four seniors to bid farewell in Cal Poly men’s basketball home finale."