Cal Maritime returns to action
First game in nearly two years tonight due to COVID-19 pandemic
It has been one year and eight days since Tim Bross was hired as Cal Maritime’s men’s basketball head coach. The longest called timeout of his life will finally end on Friday night.
Bross, along with many Keelhauler fans, will get to see the team in action for the first time in nearly two years when Cal Maritime hosts West Coast Baptist in the Frank Dye Classic. When Cal Maritime’s men’s basketball team last played a game on Feb. 29, 2020 in a loss to UC Merced, the program knew it was playing on “Leap Day.” The Keelhaulers just had no idea how much of a jump it would be until their next game.
After Bross was hired to replace Brendan Rooney, the season was delayed. Eventually, Cal Maritime decided to opt out of the shortened 2020-2021 Cal Pac Conference campaign. Just like that, the Keelhaulers and Bross saw a season disappear.
Bross, for one, is happy to get back to work.
“Right now I’m feeling everything as far as emotions go,” Bross said. “Anything that comes with the excitement and nerves of a first game. And that’s a good thing. We’ve been waiting to get that energy back. When we hit that court again for the first time in front of our fans, it will be like revisiting an old friend.”
Senior guard Cetrick Yeanay is thrilled to be playing with his teammates again — and in front of his classmates.
“It means a lot, but not just playing basketball,” Yeanay said. “Just being around campus and seeing people again has been healthy for us. This is going to be a fun game and something I probably remember for the rest of my life.”
Yeanay said it was difficult at times to remain positive during the long break, but he prepared each day nonetheless.
“Every day I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning just to keep in shape,” Yeanay said. “You knew when we’d pick things up again. I think because of that my stamina is the number one thing that has improved for me. But it was just a domino effect after that. My shot is now better and I feel like my game IQ is also better.”
Bross said Yeanay has grown a lot in the last year.
“Cetrick is known for his clutch shooting, but in practice, I’ve gotten to see it every day,” the Keelhaulers head coach said.
While Yeanay will likely start at guard playing both the point and No. 2 spot, the post will be anchored by returning senior Trey Porter.
“Trey has grown as a player on the court, but also off the court,” Bross
said. “COVID was very challenging to a lot of people, but especially for him and he’s grown from it. He’s become a steady force as a defender and has improved his mid-range jump shot and of course, he provides a lot of rim protection. But he’s also become more of a leader on the court.”
Porter should be one of Cal Maritime’s top scorers, something they’ll need more than ever after former Keelhauler star Zavier Lucero “stepped away” from the team in what would have been his senior year. Lucero was the top scorer for Cal Maritime his sophomore year.
Others looking to add a nice scoring touch will be junior guards Eric Norton and Braxton Adderly. Adderly went to Rodriguez High.
“He’s a really good shooter and he’s great with his second-level reads,” Bross said. “Eric is from Atherton and defensively is very disruptive.”
Divine Nwoko is a sophomore forward who is a “strong driver” according to Bross, while Miles Pennington
is a junior forward who “has displayed strong leadership.”
“Miles is like a Swiss army knife,” Bross said. “He can play four positions and play them well. He’s been a pleasant surprise with his leadership as his work ethic has really stood out in practice.”
Landon Courtman, who last played at Santa Rosa Junior College, “is a thoughtful player and productive in the interior,” according to Bross.
Although each man on Cal Maritime has his talents, Bross said the entire squad has one thing in common.
“I think we’re going to be known for our toughness,” the coach said. “Defending will be a huge part of our team, as well as taking good shots. But all of our qualities are rooted in toughness. If we’re playing strong defense, that’s rooted in toughness. If we’re running up and down the floor constantly, that’s rooted in toughness.”
Yeanay said that as time has gone by and the season-opener approaches,
the squad has gotten more excited.
“Absolutely. We’ve all bought in and we’re all committed to play well together,” Yeanay said. “We’re very ready to play someone besides ourselves.”
Two years ago Cal Maritime went 21-9, but missed the postseason. For years the Keelhaulers have been one of the stronger programs in the California Pacific Conference, making the NAIA tournament five years in a row from 2012 to 2016.
“I know that personally there are a lot of great coaches and programs in the Cal Pac Conference and they’ve welcomed me with open arms to the fraternity,” Bross said. “Traditionally there has been a lot of strong teams in the conference with ours being one of them. I think as far as our attitude going into the league season, it’s to be determined. I haven’t personally played the other schools yet, so it’s tough to tell. But I know we’ll be ready and we want to be playing our best basketball in March, not October.”