The teams have had a true "Warm Up" with games under their belt, but we still had the chance to catch up with UC Riverside coaches Dennis Cutts and John Margaritis for our #BWCWarmUp series. How are things shaping up so far for these Highlander squads?
MEN'S BASKETBALL
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN 2014-15
Close Game Conundrum: Billy Joel once coined the lyrics to a song called “Pressure” that might summarize the 2013-14 UC Riverside season. The Highlanders encountered lots of pressurized situations, leading the Big West with 16 games decided by five points or less. Needless to say, the margin between being 10-21 and perhaps a .500 club was miniscule. UCR ended up going 5-11 in those close games, which gives the program a heightened optimism in 2014-15 that some of those outcomes change in its favor.
Continuity With Cutts: Dennis Cutts, a six-year UC Riverside assistant coach turned interim head coach in 2013-14, shed the interim label on April 2, 2014 when he was given the official reins to the program. With newfound stability comes the freedom to implement his style of play and overall philosophies. As Cutts puts it, “If you saw us play (last year), I think we played with a lot of energy and spirit, and we want to move that forward.” Well, the Highlanders are off to a 5-3 start, which is the first time the program has had a winning record through eight games since 2009-10.
Dear Johns: The Highlanders return an all-conference talent on the frontline in junior Taylor Johns. The 6-7 forward averaged 12.0 points and a conference fifth-best 7.8 rebounds last season, and his 72 blocked shots ranked No. 2 on the Highlander single-season Division I list. Johns is a core piece and building block for the UCR program, and how he performs in 2014-15 will greatly impact the team’s ultimate fortunes. So far, so good – through eight games, Johns is averaging 15.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in helping the Highlanders to that 5-3 start.
Spicing Up The Offense: The Highlanders have witnessed a big uptick in their offensive production so far. Consider that their current numbers – .480 field goal percentage, .394 three-point field goal percentage and .728 free throw percentage – would all be Division I single-season bests should they hold up through the end of the year. Junior Jaylen Bland has helped provide the sauce needed to infuse the offense. The guard currently ranks No. 8 in the Big West in scoring (14.6 ppg), and No. 2 in total three-pointers made (23) and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.460). The Murray State transfer is a leading candidate for Big West Newcomer of the Year.
International Pipeline: Cutts and his staff inked four international players to the roster – Robert Boezeman (Netherlands), Alex Larsson (Sweden), Chris Tang (China) and Cheick Thiero (Mali). The Highlanders have had prior success with foreign talent, as last year’s leading scorer Chris Patton hailed from Australia. Cutts sees international recruits as “an avenue for us to go to try to find better talent to keep up with this league.” Larsson and Boezeman seem to be paying immediate dividends. Larsson, a 6-9 freshman forward, has started all eight games and ranks second on the team in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Boezeman is averaging 5.0 points and 3.2 rebounds while playing slightly over 14 minutes per contest.
QUOTABLES – DENNIS CUTTS
(On optimism for this season): “We have maybe the most impact guys coming back in a long time. That’s exciting, and I think we’ve added some really key pieces to that.”
(On going from interim to official head coach): “We’re looking at it as year one. Last year, we kind of always felt we were in a holding pattern. The interim was a unique situation. We feel now that we’re stable. We’re ready to build it forward.”
(On expectations): “I think we can win some games early, which will hopefully help that winning process. We’ve got an optimistic group. We’re expecting to go in there and win some games.”
(On Taylor Johns): “There is a great core, and it starts with Taylor Johns. He’s an all-conference player as a sophomore, made a big jump, and we need him to make another one. He kind of embodies our program. There’s a spirit to him, there’s energy to him that we really rely on.”
(On going 5-11 in games decided by 5 points or less last year): “A play here or there would have changed that, but that’s the nature of college basketball, and we’ve got to find a way to win those games that are close.”
BY THE NUMBERS
7 – Big West Tournament appearances in the last nine years.
9 – Double-doubles from Taylor Johns last season, which tied for fourth in the Big West.
10 – Total victories in 2013-14, a plus-four improvement from the previous season.
16 – Number of games in 2013-14 that were decided by five points or less.
72 – Blocked shots total for Taylor Johns, the second-most in the school’s Division I history.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN 2014-15
Ending The Tourney Drought: UC Riverside had an impressive six-year run, achieving program firsts in 2005-06 with a Big West Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearances. Through the 2010-11 season, the Highlanders made five trips to the postseason – three NCAA and two to the WNIT – and finished 65-27 in conference play during that stretch. But mounting injuries over the last three seasons have kept UCR in last place and out of the Big West Tournament. The elixir for tenth-year head coach John Margaritis may just be the ability to field a complete team over the course of an entire season. If so, look for the Big West Tournament to beckon again.
Building Blocks: In prognosticating a turnaround for this 2014-15 Highlander squad, that can’t be too far-fetched especially when the last two Big West Freshman of the Year honorees are on the roster. Brittany Crain, a 5-8 guard, captured the award in 2012-13 and followed up with first team all-conference plaudits last season as she led the league in scoring (19.2 ppg). Then backcourt mate Simone DeCoud stepped up and gave the Highlanders back-to-back FOY honorees. DeCoud, who also played with Crain at John W. North High School, averaged 11.9 points per game and led the Big West in steals. Look for this dynamic duo to lead a Highlander resurgence.
Intangibles: Margaritis related an important moment from last year’s season finale. The Highlanders were fighting for the last available Big West Tournament slot, and Crain, who scored a game-high 31 points, fouled out with 4:54 remaining against Long Beach State. “It was a two-point game,” said Margaritis, “and she was more vocal than she had ever been in the first two years that she’s been here.” For all of the on court production that Crain had provided, she still found a way to contribute from the sidelines. Margaritis would like to see her translate that voice to the floor. “I think it was a teaching moment for her. You can lead and motivate and encourage while you’re still on the floor.” Margaritis sees that sort of leadership as the next step in Crain’s development.
Options Equal Depth: The Highlanders competed the majority of last season primarily with seven players. But Margaritis expects increased depth to help the team’s cause. UCR started the season on a five-game winning streak, and is currently 5-2 overall going into a showdown at UCLA. Contributions from newcomers such as junior forward Jaelyn Wilson and freshman guard Michelle Curry have helped, as has the return of senior guard Dynese Adams. After missing almost all of the last two seasons, Adams has started all seven games.
Ito A Big Key: Margaritis also will look to junior Annelise Ito to play a big role in the team’s success. “If we’re going to change anything, it’s going to be because other people are contributing, and Annelise is certainly part of that group,” he emphasized. Ito currently ranks third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.7 rpg).
QUOTABLES – JOHN MARGARITIS
(On keys to improvement): “I feel that we need to have people on the floor that can play at a certain level for 40 minutes. I thought that was our biggest problem last year. We could play with somebody for so many minutes and then whether we got into foul trouble, whether we didn’t have any depth, whether we got tired – we played at different levels during the same game.”
(On Brittany Crain): “I think in as far as her game is concerned, there’s still a lot to improve upon, including how well and how hard she plays on the defensive end, and what is her repertoire on offense because she’s capable than she’s shown the first two years.”
(On Simone DeCoud): “I think there were highs and lows throughout the year last year. She had games where she took over games, but it seemed like she couldn’t hide. She was either the hero or the goat. She couldn’t avoid being one or the other. So it will be interesting to see how she does this year because she’s still going to be in front of us as the point guard.”
(On newcomer Michelle Curry): “She’s very competitive. Until you see her play, you don’t even really think she’s a basketball player. And then she’s on the floor, and she’s tough. She’s hard to play against in many ways.”
(On what constitutes success against a tough non-conference schedule): “Our ability to compete and win some of the games that we’re supposed to, and see improvement from week to week, game to game.”
BY THE NUMBERS
2 – Back-to-back Big West Freshman of the Year honorees in Brittany Crain and Simone DeCoud.
3 – Consecutive seasons that the Highlanders have missed the Big West Tournament, the longest hiatus in program history.
26.1 – Crain’s points per game average through seven games, ranking fifth in the country.
76.0 – The team’s points per game average to currently lead the Big West.
150 – Number of victories head coach John Margaritis will have accumulated at UCR with his next triumph.