The latest installment of our #BWCWarmUp series features UC Davis basketball. We caught up with Jim Les and Jennifer Gross to get an overview of the 2014-15 season.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN 2014-15
No Asterisk Needed: UC Davis finished 9-22 overall and missed the Big West Tournament in 2013-14, but that happened with a huge caveat – the Aggies were without two of their top post players for most, if not all of the season. Josh Ritchart and J.T. Adenrele give the Aggies a combination of size, scoring and rim protecting that, should both remain healthy this season, there will be no need to put an asterisk next to the team’s record.
Hawkins At The Forefront: Corey Hawkins has scored 1,108 points in just two seasons as an Aggie. The 2012-13 Big West scoring champion managed to rank No. 3 in the conference at 18.0 points per game last season despite the void in the UC Davis frontcourt. Hawkins won't necessarily have to shoulder the majority of the load this season. As head coach Jim Les puts it, “We’re implementing some new structures in terms of our ability to get the ball inside and score, we have a balanced inside and outside attack, and I think defensively we’ve spent a lot of time in the offseason.”
J.T’s Back: In 2013-14, UC Davis finished last in the Big West in rebounding (28.2 rpg) and next-to-last in blocked shots (2.3 bpg). A lot of that had to do with the absence of Adenrele, who ranked No. 3 in the league in blocked shots (1.5 bpg) and No. 14 in rebounding (5.9 rpg) his sophomore year. But a season-ending knee injury sidelined him, and now he’s back looking to make a big impact for the Aggies.
Ritchart’s Back Too: Nine games into the 2013-14 campaign, Josh Ritchart ranked No. 2 in the Big West with 17.3 points per game and sported a 63.2% (60-for-95) field goal percentage. Then he suffered a season-ending injury, but took a medical redshirt year. A healthy Ritchart, who sits just 33 points outside of 1,000 for his career, will be paramount for the Aggies for his inside-outside versatility.
The Les Clan Readies For Final Season: Head coach Jim Les enters his fourth season knowing that this will be the final year he gets to coach his son, Tyler. After redshirting the 2013-14 season, Tyler Les enters his senior season with 144 career three-pointers, and he is the perfect solution to replacing the school’s and Big West’s all-time career three-point leader, Ryan Sypkens, who graduated with 315 made.
QUOTABLES – JIM LES
(On optimism heading into season): “It starts with we’ve got four fifth-year seniors. We’ve got experienced guys who have logged a lot of minutes at the Division I level, understand what it takes to have success, and they provide us with a really good daily visual of how to go about their business, and everybody else has fallen into line.
(On the return of Josh Ritchart and J.T. Adenrele): “I think they’ve handled the adversity of their injuries, and are coming back extremely healthy and hungry, and to their credit not only did they get healthy, they became better basketball players during their time off which is a credit to their work ethic.
(On Corey Hawkins): “He’s a talented guy. He’s got a chance this year to put UC Davis basketball on the map, and be a big part of that, and that’s what we expect him to do in his senior year.”
(On how the Aggies will be different): “We go deeper. We think we can sustain a level of pressure for periods of time that can put us in a situation where we want to be a defensive team who can score. We’ve proven we can score; we haven’t proven that we can defend, and that’s what we as a staff are challenging our players to do.”
(On coaching his son, Tyler): “It’s been an unbelievable blessing. I think there’s a lot more pressure on him to perform and still be a good teammate under the guise of he’s playing for his dad, than it is for me to coach him as my son.”
BY THE NUMBERS
1 – Player (Corey Hawkins) on the UC Davis roster to start every game he played in last year.
33 – Points needed from Josh Ritchart to reach 1,000 for his career and become the 21st Aggie in school history to do so.
46 – J.T. Adenrele’s blocked shots total in 2012-13 to tie the school’s single-season record. He’s back after sitting out last season due to a knee injury.
315 – Three-pointers the since-graduated Ryan Sypkens made to set the Big West’s career record last year.
1,108 – Points scored by Corey Hawkins in just two seasons as an Aggie.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN 2014-15
Competitive Edge: While the Aggies graduated a lone senior at the conclusion of the 2013-2014 season, UCD welcomed five newcomers to its roster this year in addition to the return of all five starters. At 15 players strong, the Aggies will carry more than they have in the recent past. As coach Gross described, it’s a battle everyday in practice for that starting spot. The Aggies have been competing since day one in practice, continuing to push each other day in and day out as they look for a starting nod. Look for Davis to carry that attitude into the season.
Senior Weapons: Three seniors will lead the Aggies this winter in Syndee Fipps, Kelsey Harris and Brianne Salvatore. Last season Fipps led Davis with 17.7 points per game to rank third in the Big West, while averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. As coach Gross described her senior trifecta, coach emphasized that Harris will continue to be a great two-point shooter for the Aggies and has also added range and quickness to her shot and release. Salvatore can shoot, score and rebound, but it’s her hustle that sets her apart. The three lead both on and off the court and Gross looks forward to the upcoming season after sharing that the team is playing with the goal of taking those seniors as far as possible this year.
Defensively-Minded: The Aggies know that in order to succeed in the Big West this year, they’re going to have to defend. Davis has been focusing the majority of their energy in practice on forcing tough shots, cleaning up the boards, rotating and defending one-on-one situations. Coach stressed that regardless of what style of defense a team runs, it boils down to defending and recovering. Focusing on the fundamentals will be key for UCD in the upcoming campaign.
Intention: After a season that saw the Aggies finish fifth in league going 15-16 overall and 9-7 in conference, Davis looks to improve after every practice and every contest. The Aggies have been focusing on intention and have been talking about a drill’s importance beforehand in order to finish with a take-away. An intentional mindset sets the tone for the Aggies as they work to create an environment in which they’re improving a little every day.
New And Improved: While 10 letterwinners return for Davis, five newcomers will wear the blue and gold for the first time this season. UCD gained a player in every position and their greatest strength is their versatility. The Aggies gain length, speed, a three-point shooter and defending abilities in the new players and coach Gross will look to the young talent to bolster Davis’ Princeton offense and attention to defense.
QUOTABLES – JENNIFER GROSS
(On incoming class): “Our system lends itself to really good lengths across the board and versatility…with this freshman class the most exciting thing is how versatile they are.”
(Priorities at practice): “Our team knows that if we want to win games this year, we’re going to have to get it done defensively. We set some statistical goals for ourselves and some goals at practice everyday, defensively and on the boards. We’re really relying on our veterans right now to bring the urgency defensively and to really set the tone.”
(On team mentality): “They’ve fallen a little bit short these last couple of years and they’re feeling that sense of urgency. We have a great senior class that understands that this is it for them. When the whole team is playing for your seniors, special things can happen.”
(On preseason game versus UCONN): “We’re trying not to focus on them, we just want to get better every time we’re on the court. We try to schedule games like that…It’s always fun to challenge yourself against the best.”
(On goals for the season): “We’re just trying to play really hard, play with energy, celebrate successes out there, and we’re trying to create an environment where we’re getting better everyday.”
BY THE NUMBERS
2 – The number of 2013-14 Final Four participants that the Aggies will face this season including two-time defending national champion Connecticut, and Stanford.
5 – The number of returning starters from the previous season.
77.3 – Free goal percentage posted by the Aggies a year ago to lead the Big West.
86 – The number of three-pointers senior Kelsey Harris drained last year to set a new program single-season record.
2011 – The last time the Aggies went to the NCAA Tournament.