Time is fleeting for the senior members of the Chico State men’s basketball team. Roderick Hawkins, Zach Graves, Terence Pellum and Chris Sharp will be in front of the home crowd for the final two times this weekend and then wrap up the regular season on the road at Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State Feb. 24-25. Their hope is to wrap up their careers with their second straight postseason appearance. But they still have some work to do if they are to advance to the “second season.”
The Wildcats are in a three-way tie for sixth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with Cal State L.A. and Cal State Stanislaus. But Cal State Monterey looms just a game back in ninth, Sonoma State is two games back in 10th and UC San Diego is three games back in 11th. The top eight teams will advance to the CCAA Championship Tournament, the winner of which earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino, tied for fourth in the standings, are in town this weekend. The Wildcats, 12-10 overall and 8-10 in the CCAA, host Cal Poly Pomona Friday. The Broncos bring a 13-8 overall record and 10-7 CCAA mark into the weekend. Cal State San Bernardino will be in Acker Gym for Saturday’s “Senior Night,” before which the four seniors will be honored in a brief ceremony. The Coyotes are currently 12-9 overall and 10-7 in the CCAA.
A strong weekend would go a long way in securing the Wildcats’ postseason plans. They would clinch a spot with a pair of wins and a Cal State Monterey loss to Humboldt State or two Cal State Stanislaus losses. There’s even an outside chance the Wildcats could catch this weekend’s opponents in the standings. They currently lead the Wildcats by two-and-a-half games in the standings.
Cal State Stanislaus hosts Cal State San Bernardino Friday and Cal Poly Pomona Saturday. Cal State L.A. travels to Cal State East Bay Friday and UC San Diego Saturday. Cal State Monterey hosts Sonoma State Friday and Humboldt State Saturday.
All four seniors have already left a lasting impression on the Chico State basketball program.
Hawkins has risen above all expectations and could finish his career as one of just three players in Chico State history with career totals eclipsing 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. He’s already grabbed 528 career boards and needs 31 more points to reach 1,000. He currently ranks third in career free throws made, eighth in career games played, 10th in career rebounds and 12th in career scoring at Chico State.
Graves has given Chico State fans some of their most exciting moments of the last three years. He’s almost single-handedly willed the Wildcats to some of their most exciting wins. He also ranks among the school’s all-time leaders in steals.
Pellum has posted some of the best block numbers in Chico State history. His 31 this year are already tied for the seventh most in single-season history, his 1.41 rejections per game are the fourth most in single-season history, and his 58 career blocks are the fourth most in school history.
Sharp’s season ended prematurely with a foot injury in the 10th game of the season. But before that, he was the Wildcats’ first big man off the bench.
Fans can follow Chico State basketball games live on ESPN 101.7 FM and 1340 AM locally and online through the Wildcat Athletics website, with Mike Baca providing the play-by-play.
