The Chico State men’s basketball team rode a plus-10.2 rebounding margin to jump out to a 5-0 start this season. But after losing two straight, the Wildcats will pursue a different type of rebound when they travel to face Simpson University in Redding Friday night at 8.
Just an hour and a half up the road in Redding, Simpson provides a natural North Valley rival for Chico State. But the Red Hawks are still in the midst of building a competitive program. Chico State beat Simpson 88-39 in their only other meeting on Nov. 13, 1998.
The game will be broadcast on the
Red Hawks Sports Network.
Simpson is 1-9 after collecting its first win of the season on Dec. 2 against New Hope Christian. The Red Hawks are led by Cal State Stanislaus transfer Bryan Castillo, who is averaging 15.2 points per game thanks to a team-high 24 3-pointers.
At 5-2 overall, the Wildcats would match their third best start since 1944-45 with a win. In fact, it would mean that Chico State’s three best starts in the past 66 seasons have each come in the past three campaigns under fourth-year head coach Greg Clink in the past three campaigns.
But the Wildcats are more concerned with the future than the past. They have established lofty goals for the 2011-12 campaign and a solid start had them believing. But their confidence has perhaps been derailed a bit by consecutive losses at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Stanislaus. The loss to Stanislaus stung the most as the Wildcats had a chance to win at the end of regulation and then saw the Warriors put back a miss with two seconds left in overtime in the 79-77 loss.
Still, the team has stirred up some excitement with its early season play, beginning with the emergence of sophomore forward Amir Carraway and freshman Jordan Semple, who each registered double-doubles at Cal State Stanislaus. Junior transfer James Staniland has proven to be a nice addition by knocking down 10 3-pointers in his first 89 minutes of action for the Wildcats. Another transfer, Sam Hicks, gives the team an inside presence when junior starter Jason Conrad comes off the floor. And senior Josh Jackson has been playing some of the best basketball of his career.
Returning starters Damario Sims, Jay Flores and Sean Park have struggled a bit at times, however. If they can return to form, the Wildcats’ lofty goals are certainly attainable.
