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Men's Basketball 2010-11 NCAA West Region Notes


ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- The CCAA Tournament Champion Toros men's basketball team makes its second trip to the NCAA West Regional in the past three years, and fifth overall after posting a 3-5 record in four trips to “March Madness.”

Below is information on the top eight teams in the NCAA West Region, their overall records and CSUDH's record against them (if applicable).

No. 1 Seed / #5 Central Washingon (26-3)          
No. 2 Seed / #15 CS Dominguez Hills (23-6)       
No. 3 Seed / #6 Humboldt State (26-3, 2-1)           
No. 4  Seed Dixie State College (20-6)           
No. 5 Seed Chaminade (20-8)
No. 6 Seed Alaska Anchorage (23-9)
 No. 7 Seed BYU-Hawai'i (17-8, 1-0)  
No. 8 Seed Seattle Pacific (19-9) 

About No. 1 Seed Central Washington: The Wildcats earned their first-ever GNAC title last Saturday after an 83-71 win over Alaska Anchorage in which GNAC Player of the Year runner-up Jamar Berry and teammate Chris Sprinker combined to score 44 points.  CWU has been atop the region poll the majority of the year, and is led by three players who average in double-figures, and two others at 9.2 ppg.

Against No. 3 Seed Humboldt State: The CCAA regular season champion Lumberjacks suffered just three losses all year, with two coming against the Toros.  Senior Brian Morris earned Daktronics West Region Player of the Year and CCAA Player of the Year honors for HSU, which took over the conference lead late in the season, and never relinquished it.  In the three meetings, each team won decisively on its home floor, before the Toros eeked out a victory in the CCAA Tournament title game.
   
Marcquintice Davis led CSUDH with his 14 ppg average, while Morris averaged 14.7 ppg for the 'Jacks, with 25 of his 44 points coming in the tournament title game after scoring just six in 15 minutes of play in the first meeting after he was ejected in the second half for receiving his second technical.

About No. 4 Seed Dixie State: The Red Storm closed the year on a two-game winning streak, and with 10 wins in its last 11 games.  Tom Whitehead and Griffon Jones lead DSC with double-figure scoring, while two others average 9.0 points per game between them to give Dixie State a balanced offensive attack.

About No. 5 Seed Chaminade: The Silverswords qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third time in the past six years after posting a 20-8 ledger, which included a win over 7th-seeded BYU-Hawai'i to close the season.  Steven Bennett leads CUH with his 15.2 ppg average, while Mamadou Diarra at 13.5, Shane Hanson at 10.3 and De'Andre Haskins at 10.2 contributing to the balanced and potent Silversword offense.

About No. 6 Seed Alaska Anchorage: The Seawolves held their fate in their hands following the regular season, and took full advantage after two wins to reach the GNAC final, including a semifinal victory over now No. 8 seed Seattle Pacific. This marks the fourth NCAA appearance in the past six years which includes a Final Four appearance in 2008, and is the 15th overall in the 34 years of the program's existence.

Against No. 7 Seed BYU-Hawai'i: The Seasiders are led by Tsung-Hsien Chang's whopping 20.2 ppg average, with Marques Whippy and Jake Dastrup contributing to the double-figure attack.  In the season opener for both teams in Carson, the Toros dominated the then No. 24-ranked Seasiders after racing out to a 22-9 lead and pushing it to a game-high 32-point advantage in the second half.  CSUDH doubled BYU-H on the boards (48-24), including 17 on the offensive end.

“They're a different team from when we played them,” says head coach Damaine Powell about the rematch.  “ They have the revenge factor, and they're playing well, so we're going to try to use our size to our advantage and do our best to try and limit their two best scorers.”

About No. 8 Seed Seattle Pacific: The Falcons fell to Alaska Anchorage in the GNAC semifinals, snapping a modest three-game winning streak.  Jeff Downs at 15.9 ppg, Andy Poling at 15.0 ppg and Ryan Sweet at 13.4 ppg lead the SPU regulars from the floor, while Chris Banchero is averaging a whopping 22.4 ppg average in just 11 games played this year.

Toros Crowned CCAA Tournament Champions: It took 24 years, but the Toros reclaimed their spot as the CCAA Tournament Champions for the first time since the 1986-87 season by virtue of their heart-stopping 51-50 win over No. 3 Humboldt State last Saturday.  In the win, Robert Willhite launched a turnaround 3-pointer as time expired to give CSUDH the thrilling win as the CCAA Tournament Champions scored the game's final 6 points for the crown.

For perspective on the last time CSUDH won the CCAA tournament title, Marcquintice Davis was  just two years old, and the only Toro to be born before the program's first tournament title.

Toros in the NCAA Playoffs: The Toros have made four postseason appearances in the program's 30 years since joining the NCAA in 1980-81, going 1-1 in that inaugural year with its first NCAA playoff win over Eastern Montana, a 61-52 decision.  Since then, CSUDH has reached the “big dance” just three more times, going 0-2 in 1986-87, and 1-1 in both 1988-89 and 2008-09 to claim an overall 3-5 mark in the NCAA postseason heading into Friday's match-up against BYU-Hawai'i.

CSUDH Against the Nation's Best:  The CCAA Tournament Champion Toros went 5-1 against nationally-ranked teams this year, with two victories coming against Humboldt State, as well as CSUDH's lone loss.  In those six contests, the Toros outscored their opponents by nine points per game, with the balanced Toro attack again coming to the forefront.
   
Zareh Zargaryan averaged 13.7 points in those six games, with Michael Cox contributing 12 ppg, Marcquintice Davis 11.7 pppg and Robert Willhite 10 ppg.

Toros Against the West's Best: With just two teams from the CCAA making the NCAA West Region, CSUDH posted a 3-1 record in four meetings against two opponents, winning two home games, and one on a neutral setting.

In those four games, the Toros outscored their opponents by nine points, with  Zareh Zargaryan averaging 11.3. ppg, Marcquintice Davis 12 ppg, #Michael Cox 10.3 ppg and Robert Willhite 10 ppg in the balanced Toro attack.
   
A Broken Record ... or Five:  This year's Toro squad already has left an indelible mark on the program's legacy with five records, and the NCAA postseason has yet to even begin. 
   
It began with a program-best 16-1 start to kick off the campaign that including defeating the No.1 team in the nation for the first time, followed by a No. 4 ranking by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, a 10-game win streak that ran from December 18 to January 28, and 23 wins in a single season. 
   
Two victories will give CSUDH the most wins in a a single NCAA postseason, while three will earn the Toros their first-ever NCAA west region title.  And let's not begin to talk about the bedlam six more Ws will create.

Davis Named 2nd-Team Daktronics All-Region: The engine behind the Toro machine, senior point guard Marcquintice Davis was named a 2nd-team Daktronics All-Region selection earlier this week.  In addition to starting all 29 games played this year, he leads the team in points, assists and free throw percentage, notching double-figure scoring in 19 games, including a career-high 25 points in a huge road win at Chico State in late January.

Toros Place Two on All-CCAA Teams: Two Toro seniors earned spots on the All-CCAA squads, with both making return appearances.  Last year's 2nd-team All-CCAA honoree Marcquintice Davis earned 1st-team honors this year, while Michael Cox picked up a 2nd-team All-CCAA nod after earning 1st-team honors in 2009-10.

CCAA Players of the Week: Seniors Michael Cox pictured and Zareh Zargaryan also earned CCAA Player of the Week nods during the season for their inspired play.  Cox earned his for the first week of play after leading the Toros to a 3-0 start with wins over No. 24 BYU-Hawaii, No. 3 St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth by averaging 13.7 points and 6 boards a game, while Zargaryan earned his two months later by averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals in wins over Sonoma State and No. 20 Humboldt State that gave CSUDH sole possession atop the CCAA in mid-January.
 
The Last Hurrah: This marks the final postseason for six Toros in Amir Aguilar, James Cawthorne, Michael Cox, Marcquintice Davis, Tim McLaurin and Zareh Zargaryan.  Between them, they have 15 years of experience under coach Powell and the Toro system, with Cawthorne playing five years, and the rest with two seasons under their belts.
   
Additionally, Cawthorne played a huge role in the 2008-09 team's success as well as the past two years' runs, giving CSUDH experience from whom to draw.

Lessons Learned:  A sign of an improved team is one that learns from its mistakes.  If that is any indication, this team is ready for whatever comes its way after pushing three huge monkeys off its back en route to the CCAA Tournament title.  After besting Chico State in the regular season last year but falling in the first round of the league tournament, the Toros faced the same predicament this year, but routed the Wildcats this time around.
   
Likewise, Cal Poly Pomona held the Toros to just 10 points in its come-from-behind win in early February after the Toros jumped to a big lead.  In the league semifinal, the Broncos again made a run to cut into their deficit, but the Toros withheld the green storm en route to a 14-point win before supplanting No. 3 Humboldt State as the 2nd-seed in the west region tournament courtesy of Robert Willhite's shot heard 'round the world as time expired after the 'Jacks took a decisive win in the penultimate game of the regular season.

Deja Vu All Over Again: Entering the West Regional, the Toros have regained their edge with a three-game winning streak, as well as the CCAA Tournament Championship draped in Cardinal and Gold.  This comes after finishing the regular season with two losses, and having dropped five of nine to close league play.

Toros Among the CCAA's Statistical Best: Here's how the Toros rank amongst the other CCAA schools after the regular season: 3PT FG% - Cornell Jenkins (1st, .449); FT% - Marcquintice Davis (2nd, .833, pictured), James Cawthorne (7th, .818), Zareh Zargaryan (10th, .787), Robert Willhite (11th, .783); Assist/Turnover Ratio - Marcquintice Davis (4th, 1.6); Assists - Marcquintice Davis (5th, 4.0 apg); Blocks - Amir Aguilar (5th, 1.0 bpg); 3PT FG Made - Marcquintice Davis (T15th, 1.3 pg); Scoring - Marcquintice Davis (15th, 12.4 ppg).

History Made ... and Made Again: When Cal State Dominguez Hills hosted CS Monterey Bay in the first round of the CCAA Conference Tournament on March 3, 2008, that game marked the first time in the program's history that the men's basketball team has ever hosted a postseason contest. 
   
And finally, with the win over Chico State in this year's first round tournament game on March 1, that contest marked the first postseason win in Carson in men's basketball history.

To Reach Great Heights, You Need the Will: Although an underclassman on a senior-rich squad, junior Robert Willhite has been the glue that has held this team together this season.  Not only a talent on the hardwood, the Ridgecrest native was selected a 2nd-team Capital One Academic All-District selection with his 3.85 GPA as a kinesiology major. 
   
Additionally, Willhite currently is in his third year as a member of the CSUDH Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and remains the only Toro in the history of the program to hit a game-winning turn-around 3-pointer as time expired for the CCAA Tournament Championship.
  
Senior Leadership: It isn't surprising that the Toros finished second in the regular season when noticing that the six seniors are amongst the team's top 8 scorers, with each senior leading or near the top of a crucial category.  Entering the regional, Marcquintice Davis paces the way with 12.2 points and 3.9 assists a game, with Michael Cox right behind at 116 ppg and 6.5 rpg, Zareh Zargaryan at 9.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg, and Robert Willhite at 9.0 and 4.9 rebounds a game.
   
Additionally, Willhite leads the team in free throw percentage with James Cawthorne 1/100th point behind, Amir Aguilar second in blocks, and Tim McLaurin 4th in steals, giving the Toros balance and depth heading into what has grown into the phenomenon that is “March Madness.”

What a Difference Experience Makes: Entering the NCAA Regional, the Toros are 6.5  games above last year's record of 16-12, with virtually the same team.  Here's a look at how this year compares with last year, with this year's stats followed by last year's final stats:  Scoring (66.2 ppg /63.4 ppg), Scoring margin (+7.0 / +1.7), FG% (.456 / .439), 3PT FG% (.345 / .367), FT% (.724 / .689), Rebounds (38.2 pg / 34.4 pg), Rebounding margin (+9.2 / +5.0), Assists (10.8 pg / 10.6 pg), Turnovers (14.4 tpg / 14.7 tpg), Steals (5.6 pg / 6.1 pg), Blocks (3.2 pg / 3.1 pg).

The Record Watch: Power forward Michael Cox and junior sharp-shooter Cornell Jenkins are closing in on CSUDH's top 5 record books for respective FG% and 3-point FG %.  A Rancho Cucamonga native, Cox is connecting at a .576 clip from the field which would put him at No. 5 in the all-time Toro single-season record book, while Jenkins has hit .440 of his 3-point attempts, which currently is the 4th best all-time.

The Record  Watch II: Currently the No. 5 free throw shooter in the Toros single-season record books, junior Robert Willhite is about to knock himself out of the top 5 with this season's performance.  A career 81.2% free throw shooter over his first two seasons, the consistent Ridgecrest native currently is shooting ... 81.2% this season, good for the 5th-best mark in a single season.

Now That's a Good Look: Led by seniors Michael Cox' s .576 and Amir Aguilar's .527 shooting percentages from the floor, this year's Toro squad has been very selective with its shot selection.  In the 22 games in which CSUDH has shot over 40% from the field, the Toros have won 18 of those games, an .818 winning percentage.  Additionally, when CSUDH shoots at a higher clip from the field than its opponents, the Toro have won 87% of those games (20-of 23).

Toros Amongst the CCAA's Team Leaders: Here's where the Toro ranked at the end of the conference tournament: FG% Defense - 1st; Off. Rebs. - 2nd; Reb. Margin - 1st; Turnover Margin - 11th; Defense - 1st; Blocks - 4th; Scoring Margin - 3rd; Def. Rebs. - 1st; 3PT FG Defense - 3rd; Steals - 10th; Scoring - 9th; FG% - 4th; Assist/Turnover Ratio - 12th; FT% - 4th; 3PT FG% - 4th; Assists - 10th; 3PT FG Made - 10th.

Let's Get It Started: The Toros have employed eight different starting line-ups this year, with senior Marcquintice Davis and junior Robert Willhite the lone Toros to get the nod in all eight line-ups.
   
The two most frequent quintets have been the group that saw the floor to start the season in James Cawthorne, Michael Cox, Davis, Tim McLaurin and Willhite, as well as the current five of Cawthorne, Cox, Davis, Willhite and Zareh Zargaryan, who was most teams' pick as the league MVP when Cox went down to injury in the middle of the season.
   
The first quintet has boasted a record of 7-1, with the lone loss coming in the regular season ending blowout at Sonoma State, with the current group of five sporting a 6-2 record, including all three wins in the postseason.  The lone undefeated group with at least 5 starts features Cawthorne, Davis, McLaurin, Willhite and Zargaryan at a perfect 5-0.

Front Runners: CSUDH has done a remarkable job in staying ahead of their opponents once they take the lead.  In 23 games in which the Toros have either been tied or had the advantage at halftime, they have dropped only two of those contests, good for a .913 winning percentage.  By contrast, CSUDH has dropped 4 of 6 games in which they have trailed at the half.

No Rebounds, No Regionals: With rebounding one of the constant mantras for head coach Damaine Powell, the Toros have taken that to heart by out-rebounding or taken in the same amount of rebounds as their opponents in 25 of their 29 games, claiming 21 wins in those 25 games.  Conversely, in the four games in which CSUDH has been out-hustled, the Toros have won just two.

Weekend Warriors: Likening themselves to those who start the weekend on Thursday, the Toros have enjoyed the most success this year during the weekend.  They are a perfect 2-0 on Thursdays, and a combined 18-5 on Friday and Saturday, also enjoying a 3-1 mark the rest of the week.

Powell's Progress: Head coach Damaine Powell is no stranger to the spotlight.  As a player for USC under legendary and former head coach George Raveling, Powell created a name for himself at Compton Junior College after leading the squad to two JC State Titles.
       
In now his seventh year at the helm of the Toros, his teams have gone from seven wins and a ninth place CCAA finish in his first season, to 12 in his third, 22 in 2008-09, and now to a program-best 23-6 ledger this season, as well as a CCAA Tournament Title.

Be There, Even if You Can't:  The 2nd-seeded and 15th-ranked Toros kick off the 2010-11 NCAA West Region Tournament on Friday against 7th-seeded BYU-Hawai'i, with tipoff set for 2:30 pm on the campus of Central Washington.  The game will be streamed live here, and with live audio courtesy of CSUDH Assistant Sports Information Director Christopher Huerta here.
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