Dark clouds this week have not dimmed the UC San Diego basketball team’s bright outlook this season.
The Tritons are in the third of a four-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. As part of the transition, the Tritons’ games against Big West opponents did not count in the league standings the past two years. This year, those matchups will count.
“I think it makes a lot more sense for the conference,” said UCSD coach Eric Olen, whose Tritons play host to Hawaii today in LionTree Arena on the La Jolla, Calif., campus. “There were a lot of problems it created that could have been avoided in terms of last year’s conference (tournament) wasn’t seeded the way it should have been. Hawaii was a team that was done a little bit of disservice with that.”
For the 2022 Big West Tournament, Cal State Fullerton (11-4) earned the No. 2 seed over third-seeded Hawaii (10-5). But if the games against UCSD counted — CSUF split and Hawaii swept — then the Rainbow Warriors would have been awarded the second seed based on the tie-breaker.
“It doesn’t make sense for the best seeds not to get the proper seeds,” Olen said. “You’re doing a disservice to your conference.”
While UCSD won’t be eligible for an NCAA-sponsored postseason until 2024, the Tritons still can accept a postseason invitation from an independent tournament. And Olen, whose staff already is building a wish list for the 2024-25 class, said there has been more interest from future prospects.
“Anyone coming in (for the 2023-24 season) is only looking at one year (more) of that transition,” Olen said. “We’re recruiting beyond high school seniors right now. So any high school junior or beyond that we recruit, (a non-postseason is) a non-issue now, which is a nice thing for us. We’re finally recruiting people now where it’s not part of the conversation. … You feel the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.”
UH coach Eran Ganot said the ’Bows are preparing for a tough challenge. “We approached it that way last year,” Ganot said. “If you don’t approach it that way, you’ll get burned pretty quick. The game’s very humbling. We approached it last year that way and we’ll approach it this year that way. The bottom line is (the Tritons are) playing well. They won at Long Beach, and they battled at Santa Barbara for most of the game.”
Bryce Pope, a 6-foot-3 guard who leads the Tritons with a 19.2-point average, hit the winning shot to beat Long Beach State a week ago. But he did not play two nights later because of what school officials termed “health and safety protocol.”
“He’s having a big year and doing a lot for us offensively,” Olen said of Pope.
Pope is noted for his creativity. “He’s one of those guys who makes tough shots,” Olen said. “He’s able to get to different spots. I would like him to take fewer of the difficult shots, but he makes enough of them, we kind of live with it. That’s what he does that kind of makes him special as a player is his ability to make shots over the defense and over contest and stay balanced in difficult situations. He’s got a really good touch on some of those mid-range shots and floaters.”
Freshman Roddie Anderson has impressed at the point. UC Irvine transfer Emmanuel Tshimanga (7.5 rebounds per game) and 6-7 Francis Nwaokorie (7.1) are active in the low post. Nwaokorie rotates between being a small-five and a power-four.
At 7 feet, Tshimanga is a rim protector (five blocks against Navy) who allows the Tritons to expand their coverage. “When he’s on the floor, it changes a little bit about how we go about defending,” Olen said.
