Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Cal State Dominguez Hills Athletics

Upcoming Events & Results

Composite Calendar
FloSports

Men's Basketball

2014-15 Mens Basketball Preview: A Fresh Start

CARSON -- "Fresh" looks to be the operative word for the Cal State Dominguez Hills men's basketball team in 2014-15, after last season saw the Toros finish in a tie for 11th place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.  Fresh, as in a fresh start, with 11 fresh faces and a fresh new attitude.

Leading the charge will be interim head coach Steve Becker, who abruptly took over the program's reigns last year with just 12 games left in the regular season, but has had a full season to reload the Toros line-up and did just that with a high school recruit, six junior college transfers and four university transfers who will look to push CSUDH back to the upper echelon of the CCAA.

"We are all competitors, and after finishing at the bottom of the CCAA last year, we understand that we have a lot to prove," Becker begins.  "We look forward to earning respect by how hard we play, playing together and really competing on the court as well as in the classroom.

"We need to maintain a positive approach to get better every day by staying hungry, staying healthy and giving ourselves a chance to compete in a conference that sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament last season.

"I'm excited about continuing to build upon the program's rich history with this group, and we plan on putting a product on the floor that the CSUDH community can be proud of and can get behind," he concludes.
 
Team captains (L-R): Darnell Martin, Tyler Payne & Chris Collins
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE (FOR OTHER TEAMS)

Senior Darnell Martin and sophomore Justin Sadler are the cornerstones of the Toros' five returning players this season.

A 6-6 scoring and rebounding load, Martin finished 7th in the CCAA in total boards, and 8th in rebounds per contest.  He scored in double figures 15 times, including 20-point outbursts against Cal State Monterey Bay and Humboldt State.  He led the team in field goals made and defensive boards, finished 2nd in free throws made and 3rd in field goal percentage while boasting five double-doubles on the year.

"I've been really proud of DJ's work ethic and overall approach to the game thus far," beams Becker.  "Academically, he's also made a big leap in his commitment to the classroom, and that directly correlates to his commitment to conditioning, an area that's seen him drop 20 pounds since the end of last season."

Sadler, meanwhile, establised himself as an up-and-coming force as a true freshman, making nine starts in 27 games played.  He scored in double digits thrice, including a career-high 21 against perennial power CS San Bernardino to close the regular season, showing glimpses of what could be the Toro future the next three years.  The 6-7 Temecula native also posted the 2nd best field goal percentage on the team.

"Justin has transformed his body and has matured a lot physically since last year," Becker says of his diamond-no-longer-in the-rough.  "He is in great shape and is getting up and down the court at a much quicker pace this year, and continues to be a student of the game.  I couldn't be happier to get to work with him on a daily basis.

"DJ and Justin have been exceptional early, and I expect both to have big years for us this year."

 
THE NEWCOMERS

Many new faces will grace the Torodome floor this year, with Ivan Dooley and Shaquille Hunter leading the way thus far through competition on both ends of the floor, as well as by example.

Dooley, who led Ventura College to the league title as a freshman and twice was named 1st-team all-league, paced the Toros with 16 points in a 79-76 exhibition loss at Division I Cal State Northridge on November 8, making 3-of-5 from downtown and sinking all seven free throw attempts.

Hunter, meanwhile, finished with 15 points in that same contest that saw him connect on half his 10 shots and pull down five boards, continuing to impress after earning 1st-team league honors for Irvine Valley College last year en route to leading the Lasers to a 25-5 mark by averaging 15 points, 4 boards and 4 assists per game.

With four years of experience at Division I Cal State Fullerton, graduate student Chris Collins shot 40.0% from the floor as a Titan last year and, as one of the more cerebral players on the floor, whose decision-making ability Becker hopes will translate into recreating a culture of winning basketball.

Josh Brown, a solid 5-11 scoring redshirt from the University of Texas El Paso who once scored 40 points at Cathedral HS, and Emmett Duvall, who was one point and one rebound away from a double-double in the exhibition contest at Northridge, also will be looked upon to contribute heavy minutes, as will Humboldt State transfer Brandon Woods and Blue Mountain CC transfer Darius Butler, who stands at a thick 6-4, 200 pound load and will give opposing guards fits around the perimeter and before being taken to the hole.

"Our staff worked dililgently to bring aboard student-athletes who understand the importance of balancing our commitments to excellence both in the classroom and on the court," Becker says with conviction.  "With the addition of so many newcomers, we've made more of an effort this year to do more team building and are building a brotherhood away from the court that gets stronger daily.

"We like this group a lot."

 
EARLY RETURNS

Ever the realist, Becker knows it'll be a tough go this year, especially when so many newcomers and a handful of returners need to immerse themselves in a system that the interim head coach has only been able to implement for just one full month of practice.

But don't tell him, his brand new coaching staff, or his players that that gives them an out, because no one who dons the Cardinal and Gold is buying it.

"We still have a lot to clean up and several areas to improve in, but if we can stay healthy and sustain our approach to getting better every day, I like where this team is headed," Becker says as a matter-of-fact.

Needing these areas to be well-oiled will be a must in one of the most competitive Division II conferences in the nation, and the coaching staff is convinced it will get there.

"I like the commitment to the defensive end of the floor I've seen so far from our guards, and our returning bigs have been bringing the intensity and leading by example as well."

 
FINAL THOUGHTS

On a personal level, the interim head coach in his first full year at the helm understands the pressure leading a big-time program can place on a pair of young shoulders, but like his team and coaching staff, Becker faces the pressure head on, tackling every obstacle in his way.

"I don't put any more or less pressure on myself, our staff or our team, than I would normally going into a season," he begins.  "We are working hard every day to come together as a unit, and build on the staples of our program.

"We are focused on getting better every day and coming together as a team," he continues.  "We want to represent this great University, its administrators and our Athletics Department with class, and put ourselves in a position to be a team to reckon with come February and March.

"We are excited to start the 2014-15 season and are eager to compete in front of our CSUDH community."

CSUDH opens its schedule on Friday at the two-day Cal Baptist tournament, facing the hosts at 7 pm in Riverside, before opening its homestand on Friday, November 21, against Westmont College, with tip-off set for 7:30 pm in the Torodome.

 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Darnell Martin

#23 Darnell Martin

F
6' 6"
Senior
Justin Sadler

#21 Justin Sadler

F
6' 7"
Sophomore
Darius Butler

#31 Darius Butler

G
6' 4"
Junior
Chris Collins

#32 Chris Collins

F
6' 5"
Graduate Student
Josh Brown

#20 Josh Brown

G
5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
Brandon Woods

#3 Brandon Woods

G
6' 2"
Junior
Ivan Dooley

#4 Ivan Dooley

G
6' 3"
Junior
Shaquille Hunter

#12 Shaquille Hunter

G
6' 3"
Junior
Emmett Duvall

#22 Emmett Duvall

F
6' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Darnell Martin

#23 Darnell Martin

6' 6"
Senior
F
Justin Sadler

#21 Justin Sadler

6' 7"
Sophomore
F
Darius Butler

#31 Darius Butler

6' 4"
Junior
G
Chris Collins

#32 Chris Collins

6' 5"
Graduate Student
F
Josh Brown

#20 Josh Brown

5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
G
Brandon Woods

#3 Brandon Woods

6' 2"
Junior
G
Ivan Dooley

#4 Ivan Dooley

6' 3"
Junior
G
Shaquille Hunter

#12 Shaquille Hunter

6' 3"
Junior
G
Emmett Duvall

#22 Emmett Duvall

6' 8"
Junior
F