A transition year yields mixed results for Cal Poly men’s basketball team

When the Cal Poly men’s basketball season came to an end Thursday night, head coach Joe Callero sat in a dimly lit postgame press conference and reflected on what he described as a transitional year for the program.

The seventh-seeded Mustangs were overpowered in the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament by a UC Irvine team that has been the class of the conference over the past three years.

Despite shooting a season-high 56.5 percent from behind the 3-point line, Cal Poly couldn’t contain Anteaters’ junior guard Luke Neslon on the way to a season-ending 84-64 defeat inside the 18,000-seat Honda Center.

A first-team all-Big West selection, Nelson scored a career-high 36 points — one shy of the conference tournament record — to help second-seeded UC Irvine (25-8) reach the semifinals for the fifth consecutive season.

The Mustangs concluded a heartbreak-filled year with a 10-20 overall record, having lost their final five games. They bid farewell to the four-person senior class of Reese Morgan, David Nwaba, Brian Bennett and Joel Awich that was a big part of the school’s only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014.

“We did not accomplish what we wanted this year,” said Callero, who completed his seventh season Thursday night. “It was a very frustrating year, frustrating from a basketball sense. Not frustrating from a human sense, and I’ll take that. You can build upon that.”

Ultimately, Cal Poly’s 2015-16 season was defined by close losses.

Though they were rarely blown out, the Mustangs were 2-11 in games decided by six points or less. The average margin of defeat in their 12 Big West regular season losses was less than eight points, including six decided by four or less.

Fans had several reasons to be optimistic early on. Cal Poly went 5-2 in November and won the Maui Invitational Regional Round in Greeley, Colo., with the 6-foot-7 Awich earning tournament MVP honors.

One of the high points of an up-and-down season came two weeks later. The Mustangs completed a wire-to-wire victory over a Fresno State team that went on to finish runner-up in the Mountain West Conference. It was Cal Poly’s first win at home against the Bulldogs since 1971.

“To me, I don’t think it really felt like a losing year,” said Bennett, who had 10 points and five rebounds in the loss to UC Irvine, “even though that’s what the record reflects. We just tried to go with the punches.”

After limping through a six-game road trip over Christmas Break that included trips to top-25 teams USC and Texas A&M, the Mustangs entered conference play without much momentum. What followed were eight losses in the first 10 Big West games, and a five-game losing streak that spanned late January and early February.

Statistically, Cal Poly maintained some of the qualities that made it a difficult matchup in previous seasons. Though Callero increased the team’s pace of play, the Mustangs kept their identity as a team that rarely turned the ball over. They committed a conference-low 10.3 turnovers per game — tied for 15th nationally.

“I don’t think I’ve had a team with a worse win-loss record that had fewer problems anywhere,” Callero said. “We didn’t have one kid complain about playing time, about the offense, about the defense. They came every single day, and I’m not saying that just to say that.”

The Mustangs’ four-person senior class lived up to preseason expectations. Nwaba and Bennett both surpassed the 1,000-point thresholds for their respective careers.

A 6-4 Los Angeles native who came to Cal Poly by way of Santa Monica College, Nwaba delivered the do-everything senior season Callero hoped he would. Nwaba led the Mustangs in nearly every statistical category, including points (12.5), rebounds (6.3), assists (105), steals (38), free throws made (109) and minutes (840).

Bennett provided a consistent scoring threat inside, though a series of injuries limited his minutes and overall production. The former second-team all-Big West performer made 51.3 percent of his field goals, the fifth-highest mark among conference opponents.

“We dealt with some tough games. We had a lot of close losses,” Bennett said. “If you flip that, we’re talking about a 15-15 year.”

Freshmen Jaylen Shead and Josh Martin should give Cal Poly fans optimism moving forward. Those two young players brought a level of excitement to Mott Athletics Center with their athleticism and big-play ability.

Following a strong outing in the first meeting with UC Irvine, Shead was inserted into the starting lineup and remained there for the final nine games of the season. He proved to be the team’s best dribble penetrator and improved defensively as the season progressed.

The 6-8 Martin simply was a highlight waiting to happen.

He threw down countless dunks and showed impressive prowess as a shot blocker. The transfer from Minnesota became eligible Dec. 17 and seemed to get more comfortable with each game. Martin went on to start seven of the final 10 contests in the regular season, recording two of Cal Poly’s four double-doubles overall.

He scored nine points against the Anteaters on Thursday, making all three of his attempts from behind the 3-point line.

Sophomore reserve Luke Meikle turned in one his best outings of the year in Anaheim. He scored a team-high 19 points on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc, marking the first time he made more than two 3-pointers in his career.

It was Meikle’s ninth double-digit scoring effort of the season, and his strong performance kept Cal Poly in the game throughout most of the first half.

“We’re not going to let this season define the future players of the team,” Meikle said. “And it was a transitional year. We all kind of knew that, but we also knew our potential. So, we are disappointed in the outcome.

“But as far as all the returners, we’re looking forward to the next year and the next year after that and looking to make Cal Poly a name.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "A transition year yields mixed results for Cal Poly men’s basketball team."