SAN FRANCISCO – “New experiences” might be the theme for this year’s Chico State men’s basketball team, featuring 10 players brand new to the Wildcats’ roster. To open their first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) road trip, the Wildcats will experience their first CCAA matchup of the season at San Francisco State Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm.

Chico State will then head south to face Cal State Monterey Bay Saturday at 7:30. Both games will be broadcast live following the women’s game (which tip at 5:30) on Chico’s ESPN Radio (101.7 FM and 1340 AM) and on the new and improved Wildcat Webcast link on the right side of this page.

Success on the road, a key factor in the Wildcats’ quest for their first postseason berth since 2005, is another new experience the team would like to have. Weekend road trips have rarely been kind to the program since it joined the CCAA beginning in 1998-99.  In 52 two-game weekend trips, the Wildcats have been swept 29 times, split 18 times, and won both games only five times. Put another way, the team has returned home with two losses 58 percent of the time and two wins only 10 percent of the time. The last time Chico State earned a sweep on the road in CCAA play occurred on Jan. 13-14, 2006 when they won at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills, respectively. Last season, the program’s first under Greg Clink, the Wildcats split two road series and were swept on two others, including their trip to Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State. 

But, as is inevitable with a nearly completely overhauled roster, this is a new season. And the Wildcats open conference play optimistically following a 1-1 start to the season at last weekend’s Mac Martin Invitational. They beat Lewis & Clark 74-62 before falling to now-18th-ranked Seattle Pacific 65-44.

Starters Terence Pellum, Jay Flores, and Brian Seals each experienced their first games in a Chico State uniform. Pellum leads the team in scoring at 12 points per game and is shooting 63 percent. Flores finished the weekend with 11 assists and just two turnovers and leads the CCAA in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio and ranks fourth in 3-point shooting percentage, having buried 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc. Foul trouble limited Seals’ minutes, but the senior transfer from Fresno State was a beast on the boards while he was on the floor, grabbing 14 in just 25 minutes of action.

Freshman Damario Sims experienced his first collegiate action and impressed with his quickness and athleticism. Sims averaged nine points, four assists, and a steal.

Senior Jon Baird experienced his first action after two years away from the court and hit a team-high six 3-pointers while averaging 10.5 points and two assists per game.

And junior Roderick Hawkins, a starter last season, experienced what it will be like coming off the bench this year, averaging an impressive 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 57 percent.

San Francisco State, the Wildcats’ longest running rival (The teams have met at least once each season starting in 1932-33.) is also feeling good. The Gators are off to a 5-1 start despite losing all five of last season’s starters to graduation. Reedley College transfer Marquel Hoskins, averaging 14.5 points, five rebounds, and nearly four assists per game, leads a deep team with 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per contest.

San Francisco State, which leads the all-time series between these teams 98-88, has won seven of the last nine games played between these teams on their home floor, dubbed “The Swamp.” The Gators won last season’s matchup there 60-49 and then beat the Wildcats in Chico 66-64 on a 3-pointer with seven seconds left.

The Wildcats have also had trouble winning in Seaside against Cal State Monterey Bay. In fact, they’ve never won there in five tries since the Otters joined the CCAA for the 2004-05 season. They were close last season, having led with eight minutes to go, but redshirting junior Josh Jackson missed a potential game winning 3-pointer with six seconds left and a potential game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds left.

This year’s Cal State Monterey Bay team is off to a 1-2 start under former Chico State assistant and second-year Head Coach Rob Bishop. Senior guard Keith Wilson leads the Otters. He’s averaging 14.7 points per game on 50-percent shooting from 3-point range, and 4.7 rebounds.

Upon returning home, the Wildcats host Pacific Union Thursday night at 7 pm. After taking on Notre Dame de Namur and Academy of Art at the Lawrence DeBini Classic at Humboldt State Dec. 18-19 in their final non-conference action of the season, they’ll be back in Acker Gym for their CCAA home-opening weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 2-3, against Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona. Because Cal Poly Pomona starts classes the following Monday, the games are scheduled for 12:30 (women’s) and 2:30 (men’s) both days.