UCD men’s hoops finds its stride
From the first day of practice, the UC Davis men’s basketball team knew the 2011-12 season was going to be an uphill battle.
The Aggies had a roster full of young talent with 10 underclassmen and a first-year head coach, Jim Les, who brought with him a new system.
Les, a former Sacramento Kings guard, came to UCD this season after nine years at Bradley University, where he transformed a nine-win team into a program that averaged 20 wins in his final five campaigns. But it didn’t happen overnight, and he knew it would be no different for the Aggies.
From Day One, he emphasized team play, defense and fundamentals, and the need for the players to buy into the system.
Early on, the Aggies seemed unable to get all of the aspects together in the same game. But Les and his guys stayed the course and built character and camaraderie in a season that featured an 18-game losing streak.
Recently, the various parts have started to align and UCD has been firing on all cylinders, winning three of its last five games, including back-to-back wins over Big West rival Pacific and nonconference foe Northern Arizona last week.
“I’m really pleased with the progress of these guys,” said Les, whose team is 4-23 overall and 2-11 in conference. “They’ve dealt with a tremendous amount of adversity.”
The newest trouble spot for the Aggies is an injury to junior point guard Paolo Mancasola. He was hurt in the first half of Monday’s loss in Seattle and did not play the remainder of the game.
“If he was healthy, I bet we get back-to-back road wins,” Les said. “It’s another part of adversity. Through it all, I’ve seen some really good strides.
“These guys have developed as players and as a team, not only physically, but also mentally.”
UCD did not practice on Tuesday and Mancasola’s availability is still unknown. Mancasola is a big part of the Aggie offense and defense, as his 61 assists are second on the team, and 36 of his 47 rebounds are defensive.
“We made him captain of our team because of the attitude and work ethic he brought to the team,” Les said of the Shasta College transfer. “He’s running our team efficiently. He’s really been an outstanding defender for us.”
UCD plays its final home game Saturday against Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. at The Pavilion. The Titans (18-7 overall) are 9-3 in conference play and fall in behind first-place Long Beach State.
“I want to see our guys continue to stay focused and put themselves in a position to win,” Les said. “I expect nothing less Saturday.”
Defense has been one of the biggest areas of improvement for the Aggies over the past few games. UCD handily won the second halves in its last three wins, including holding Northern Arizona to 20 points in the final 20 minutes.
“They’re starting to take pride defensively,” Les said. “Your defense allows you to stay in games. Guys are buying into the impact they can have defensively. It’s part of their progression.”
— Reach Kim Orendor at korendor@davisenterprise.net
Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=139865
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Posted by Kim Orendor
on Feb 22 2012.
Last Login: Tue 22 May 2012 06:35:31 PM PDT
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