“Today Decides Tomorrow.” That phrase, inscribed above the doorway leading into Chico State’s Kendall Hall, serves as a powerful reminder to all who enter. Fittingly, it is also featured on the 2011-12 Chico State Basketball Media Guide cover. Pick one up and you’ll see seniors Josh Jackson and Jay Flores or the men’s basketball team pictured, along with Damario Sims and Sean Park, with those words carved in stone above their heads.
Thursday, when the Wildcats open their 2011-12 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule at San Francisco State, they will be playing the first of 22 conference games. In essence, their dreams of finishing with the program’s highest CCAA finish ever start with that game.
The second game comes Saturday at Cal Poly Pomona. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. and both will be broadcast locally on KPAY 1290-AM Radio, with Mike Baca providing the play-by-play. Live audio will also be available via the Wildcat Webcast link on the home page and live stats can be found via the live stats link on the men's basketball page.
The Wildcats have twice tied for third in the CCAA standings since the school joined the conference beginning in the 1998-99 season. They tied for third in 2002-03 with a record of 15-7 and again in 2004-05 with a 13-7 mark. The Wildcats struggled for a number of seasons after that, but have been steadily climbing back toward the top since Head Coach Greg Clink took over the reigns of the program in 2008-09.
After finishing last in the conference the year prior to his arrival, the Wildcats moved up to 10th, and then fifth and sixth in his last two seasons.
Though picked to finish seventh in this year’s race in a preseason coaches’ poll, the Wildcats are expecting to perform much better.
They’re off to a 4-0 start and looking to match their longest winning streak under Clink’s watch with a win on Thursday. Rebounding and defense have led the way. The Wildcats have outrebounded each of their first four opponents – two by more than 20 – and limited their opposition to just 49.2 points per game on 33 percent shooting.
Offensively, 12 different players are averaging better than three points per game, led by Amir Carraway’s 12.0, and they’re shooting 46 percent from the floor as a team.
They’ll try to continue those trends against a San Francisco State team that just knocked off Division I Jacksonville State, improving to 2-5 on the young season. The Gators, 0-1 in the CCAA, were picked to finish ninth in the CCAA by its coaches.
Cal Poly Pomona (2-0, 1-0 CCAA) was picked to finish fourth. The Broncos beat San Francisco State 73-59 to open their conference schedule on Nov. 23.
Thursday will mark the start of a stretch of seven straight road games for the Wildcats, who played their first four at home. They won’t return to Acker Gym until a Jan. 2 clash with Cal State Stanislaus.
