CSU SAN MARCOS HOPES TO CONTINUE HOT START
At the end of a disappointing 16loss 2019-20 season, Cal State San Marcos men’s basketball coach BJ Foster appointed Jayce McCain and Blake Seits captains in hopes of igniting a bounce-back 2020-21 season.
Never happened.
The coronavirus pandemic completely wiped out the season at the NCAA Division II level, but Foster’s faith in McCain and Seits never wavered.
With no one allowed on campus, Foster leaned on the pair for leadership during pandemic-driven Zoom sessions.
His faith has been handsomely rewarded.
The Cougars are off to a 9-0 start, are ranked No. 15 in the nation in the NABC Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the D2SIDA Top 25 National Media Poll. They are the only San Diego collegiate program — men or women at any level — to be ranked nationally.
“We have great leaders,” said Foster, who is in his sixth season with the Cougars. “We have a good group. Our defense is a game changer. We guard very well. We force turnovers. We rebound. We can shoot it.
“I knew the potential was there, but we also have a lot of new guys (nine to be exact).
“So did I see this coming? Let’s just say you always hope for a fast start.”
The Cougars are No. 2 in the nation in 3-point defense, with opponents shooting 25.2 percent. Cal State San Marcos is committing just 9.8 turnovers a game while averaging 9.7 steals and forcing 16.8 turnovers.
The Cougars are shooting 76.8 percent from the free-throw line, are outscoring their opponents by 18.8 points and holding teams to an average of 61.1 points. Only Cal State East Bay came close, losing 84-82. And there is a 90-52 win over Point Loma Nazarene.
The Cougars were scheduled to play Westcliff University in Irvine on Sunday, but the game was canceled after a COVID-19 outbreak in the Westcliff program.
The NCAA Division II dictates teams take a break over the Christmas holiday, so Cal State San Marcos had a spirited final practice Friday and will reconvene Tuesday before hosting Cal State Los Angeles and former Cougars coach Jim Saia on Jan. 2.