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THIS WEEK: The Roadrunners will continue their four-game homestand against the Spartans of San Jose State Friday (Nov. 30) at Rabobank Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
ON THE AIR: This will be the only regular-season home game not televised on Bright House Ch. 26. As always, you can follow all of the action on the radio at KERN NewsTalk 1410 AM. Corey Costelloe will call the play-by-play.
TICKETS, PLEASE: Tickets to all Roadrunner men's basketball game may be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com. For ticket package and group ticket information, call the CSUB Athletics Ticket Office at (661) 654-BLUE.
LIVE STATS WEBCAST: If you can't get to the game, follow the action with real-time live stats via the JumpTV Game Watcher at www.gorunners.com. Choose "Live" for the navigation menu on the left side of the page.
SPARTAN NOTES: The Spartans enter the game on two weeks rest...there is a local connection as Head Coach George Nessman led Porterville College to the a state title in 2000...Nessman and Assistant coach Brent Davis both served as head coaches at Bakersfield College earlier this decade...So. C C.J. Webster leads a balanced offense at 13.3 ppg...Fr. G Justin Graham is the only other Spartan in double figures (12.0 ppg)... Webster (9.7 rpg) leads a frontline that out?rebounds foes by 9.6 rpg.
SERIES HISTORY: CSUB leads the all?time series 1?0. . .The teams have not met since the 'Runners took a 42?41 decision during the 1981?82 season.
LATUNDE LEADS THE WAY: Junior forward Santwon Latunde (Landover, Md./Cowley County CC) has been Mr. Consistency for the Roadrunners. He is the only player to score in double figures every game this season, scoring between 10 and 17 points in each of the first six games. He has also been CSUB's main weapon on the boards, leading the team on the glass the last three outings while average a team?best at 6.0 rebounds per game.
THE JOHNS AND 'TWON SHOW: From a statistical standpoint, the 2007?08 season can be dubbed the “Johns and 'Twon Show” through the first six games. The junior duo has combined to lead the team in scoring all six games and in rebounding in four of the six games.
Terrence Johns (Chicago/Bakersfield College), the 2007 California Juco co?Player of the Year, has led the team in scoring three times, including a 26?point outburst in the opener at Cal State Fullerton and 25 points at Cal State Northridge last week. Santwon Latunde led the 'Runners in scoring the other two games (reaching double figures in all six games) while leading the team in rebounding the last three games.
GRASMICK NEARS 500: Senior guard Zack Grasmick (Strathmore/Granite Hills HS) needs just four more points to reach the 500?point plateau for his career. He would become the 54th player in CSUB history to score 500 or more career points.
CLOSING IN ON ANOTHER MILESTONE: In addition to the 500?point zone, Zack Grasmick finds himself within shouting distance of another CSUB career milestone. With 12 three?point field goals so far this season, Grasmick now has 119 for his career. He needs 14 more to catch Dwuan Rice for No. 2 on the all?time list (133).
HIGH?FLYING AFTERNOON: Although the CSUB came up just short on the scoreboard, three 'Runners set career highs for scoring Sunday afternoon vs. Pepperdine. Santwon Latunde led that trio with a career?high 17 points. Also reaching double figures for the first time in a Bakersfield uniform were freshman guard Donavan Bragg (Inglewood/Serra HS) with 12 points and sophomore swingman Ryan Brown (Crystal Lake, Ill./Oakton College) with 11 points.
...AND THE LITTLE ONES SHALL LEAD THEM: With an eye towards the future, the Roadrunners continue to play a rotation that leans heavily on their younger players. Freshmen and sophomores account for 13 of CSUB's 30 total starts this season and have played 631 of a possible 1,200 minutes this season (53 percent).
A FAST START FOR THIS FRESHMAN: Freshman forward Cory Brown (Lakeside/El Capitan HS) is the first freshman ever to start his first six games at CSUB. More than just start, he is contributing in a big way. Brown ranks No. 3 on the team in minutes played (159/26.5 mpg) and ranks No. 2 in rebounding at 5.3 rebounds per game. For good measure, he averages 8.3 ppg (No. 4 on the team), shoots 82 percent from the free throw line (14-of-17) and owns five of CSUB's 10 blocked shots this season.
WHERE OTHERS HAVE GONE BEFORE: Making the leap from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I play is a big step. It's also a step taken by several Roadrunner rivals over the past few seasons. Bakersfield will be the sixth West Region school to make the jump since 1990. The others are: Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State, UC Davis and UC Riverside.
In fact, DII and the California Collegiate Athletic Association have been jumping off points for many of the current DI programs in the West. All nine Big West Conference members are former DII schools and all but UC Irvine were formerly in the CCAA. Other former DII and CCAA schools from the West include Fresno State, Pepperdine, San Diego State and San Jose State.
'RUNNERS VS. DI COMPETITION: Although 2007?08 is the first time the Roadrunners take on a full NCAA Division I schedule, it does not mark the first Bakersfield foray into NCAA Division I play. The 'Runners own an all?time mark of 18?50 in 68 games against 35 different Division I opponents. Note that this mark does not include games against current DI teams that were not DI when they met.
36 YEARS OF CSUB BASKETBALL: The 2007?2008 season marks the 37th anniversary of Roadrunner men's basketball at CSUB. Since the program's inception in 1971?72, the Roadrunners have posted an impressive all?time record of 730?311 (.702).
