Men's Basketball Weekly Notebook

Men's Basketball Weekly Notebook

Bookmark and Share

QUICK LINKS: Roster | Schedule & Results | 2013-14 Statistics | NWC Standings | NWC Statistics | D3Hoops.com

THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC MEN'S BASKETBALL
NEW HOPE CHRISTIAN AT PACIFIC
Game No. 5/Home Game No. 2
Tues., Dec. 3, 7 p.m., Stoller Center, Forest Grove
Live Stats | Live Video

BOXERS GET BACK TO FLOOR AFTER LONG TURKEY DAY BREAK
After taking well over a week off from competition over Thanksgiving week, the Pacific men's basketball team returns to the floor for the second of just three non-conference home games in 2013-14.  The Boxers will host New Hope Christian on Tuesday night at the Stoller Center.  The contest will be the only game in a three-week span over Thanksgiving and Pacific's finals week.  After Tuesday, the team will not return to competition until a three-game Southern California road trip begins on Dec. 14.

BOXER BYTES
• Pacific proved dominant in their home opener against SCIAC title contender Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 22.  The Boxers held the Stags to just 25 percent from the field and 1 of 21 from the three-point line to take away a 53-35 victory.  Daniel Zitani led the way for the Boxers with 18 points and eight rebounds.

• Daniel Zitani has established himself as one of the Northwest Conference's best players in the early going.  He enters the week leading the NWC with an average of 20 points per game and is second with 8.2 rebounds per game.  He also ranks in the NWC top-10 in eight other statistical categories and is 88th among NCAA Division III players in points per game.

• Mitch Wettig is playing a big small forward, leading the NWC and the team with his average of 9.5 rebounds per game.  He also ranks 68th among Division III players in rebounding.  His season high thus far was a 14-rebound performance at La Sierra on Nov. 17.

• Pacific is showing early prowess as a tough defensive team.  The Boxers enter the week ranked fourth in NCAA Division III in scoring defense, allowing teams 57 points per game.  The Boxers also rank 17th in both field goal defense (.364) and three-point field goal defense (.239).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
NEW HOPE CHRISTIAN
The Deacons, members of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and located in Eugene, enter the week with a 2-11 record.  New Hope played last weekend at the Southern Oregon Univ. Flagship Inn Tournament, dropping both games.  The Deacons fell on Friday 106-56 to the host Raiders.  New Hope shot just 23.9 percent from the field and were out-rebounded by the Raiders 49-31.  T.J. Little and Nicholas Dillingham led the Deacons with 12 points apiece while Alexander Coleman had seven rebounds.  The next night, the Deacons gave perennial NAIA Division II power Oregon Tech quite a run, but fell to the Hustlin' Owls 86-79.  New Hope shot 46 percent from the field and 56 percent in the second half, but still found themselves down by double digits in the second half.  Dillingham led the Deacons with 22 points while Coleman added 21 points.  Current statistics for New Hope Christian were not available.  Ryan Brummett is New Hope's head coach.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Series tied 1-1    AGAINST CLEARY: Series tied 1-1
LAST MEETING: New Hope Christian won 66-38 at Eugene, Ore., on Dec. 28, 2011

PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
D.Z. DOES IT: In the team's season preview, Head Coach Tim Cleary stated that he thought Daniel Zitani (Sr., Oakland, Calif.) had the tools to be one of the best players in the Northwest Conference.  Through four games, Zitani has certainly lived up to that potential.  The team's scoring leader three of the Boxers' four games, Zitani enters the week ranked first in the league and 88th among NCAA Division III players with his average of 20 points per game and is second in the NWC with 8.2 rebounds per game.  In addition, Zitani is ranked in the NWC top-10 in eight other statistical categories, including third in minutes per game (32), fourth in blocked shots (5) and fifth in field goals made (29).  Zitani opened the season with a Pacific career-high 28 points in the Boxers' 72-63 loss at La Verne on Nov. 15.  He was named as the NWC Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 11-17 after averaging 20 points per game in the Boxers' season-opening three-game road trip to Southern California.  In the Boxers' win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 22, Zitani led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds.

BIG ON THE GLASS: While he stands just 6-foot-4, Mitch Wettig (Jr., Bend, Ore.) has proven big for the Boxers, especially on the glass.  Wettig enters the week as the NWC's leading rebounder, ranking 68th among NCAA Division III players with an average of 9.5 rebounds per game.  He opened the year with 10 rebounds at La Verne on Nov. 15.  He closed out the Southern California road trip by pulling down 14 boards against La Sierra on Nov. 17.  He tied Daniel Zitani for top rebounding honors against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 22, finishing with eight rebounds.  Wettig enters the week ranking fifth in the NWC with an average of 31.5 minutes per game.  He is tied for second in the league with 31 defensive rebounds and ranks third with 38 total rebounds.

A GRAND ENTRANCE FOR GRANDINETTI: Guard Riley Grandinetti (Jr., Murray, Utah) has made one of the biggest impacts among the four transfers to join the program this year.  A starter in three of the Boxers' four games this season, Grandinetti enters the week ranked second for Pacific in scoring with an average of 10.3 points per game.  He also ranks among the team's top three-point and free throw shooters, making 45 percent of his shots from long range and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe.  He also ranks sixth in the NWC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.5.  Grandinetti led the Boxers with 17 points and three assists in the Boxers' win at Caltech on Nov. 16.  Grandinetti came to Pacific from Southwestern Oregon CC in Coos Bay where he was a First Team All-NWAACC South Region selection in 2012-13 and helped lead the Lakers to the NWAACC Tournament.

LITTLEFIELD, BIG SHOOTER: Transfer Landon Littlefield (So., Henderson, Nev.) has also worked his way into a starting role after being seasoned for the Boxers at Division II Dixie State Univ.  A starter in all four games so far, Littlefield enters the week averaging 9.3 points per game.  He among the NWC's leaders in three-point shooting, tying for eighth in the league at 50 percent (5-10).  Littlefield had his best shooting performance of the season on Nov. 17 at La Sierra, finishing with 13 points.  He went 5 of 8 from the floor and 3 of 4 from three-point range.  Littlefield spent three seasons at Dixie State, but used only one year of eligibility as he used a redshirt in 2010-11 and a medical hardship in 2011-12.

STARTING GUARD THREE YEARS RUNNING: For the third year in a row, Coby Proctor (Jr., Sublimity, Ore.) is being slotted as a starter at guard for the Boxers.  Proctor has started three of the Boxers' four game this season and he enters the week averaging 4.8 points per game.  His best performance came in the season opener at La Verne on Nov. 15 where Proctor scored 10 points.  Proctor started 13 of the Boxers' 25 game at guard in 2012-13.  As a freshman in 2011-12, Proctor was pressed into service after a season-ending injury to Andrew Beatty, starting 19 of the Boxers' 25 contests.

STRONG DEFENSIVE TEAM: In the early going, Pacific is shaping to be a tough defensive team.  The Boxers enter the week ranked among NCAA Division III's top teams in three defensive categories.  The Boxers rank fourth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 57 points per game.  Pacific is ranked 17th in both field goal defense (.364 allowed) and three-point field goal defense (.239).  The Boxers lead the NWC in all three categories.

KEEPING IT CLEAN: Pacific is responding to the new national emphasis by referees on clean play by keeping their fouls down.  The Boxers are committing just 14.8 personal fouls per game, ranking the Boxers first in the NWC and ninth among NCAA Division III teams.  Pacific committed just seven fouls in their win at Caltech and committed just 13 fouls against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 22.  Conversely, Pacific's opponents have committed 77 fouls, an average of 19.25 fouls per game.

THE 30-WIN PLATEAU: Head Coach Tim Cleary reached another plateau in his Pacific tenure, winning his 30th game with the Boxers' 53-35 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 22.  Cleary has seen the Boxers excel over the last two seasons, compiling a .655 winning percentage since the start of the 2012-13 campaign.

SCIAC STRONG: It is no coincidence that the 2013-14 schedule is heavy on teams from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).  The Boxers play five of the SCIAC's  nine teams.  They faced La Verne and Caltech on their season-opening road trip in November, hosted Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 22 and will take on Pomona-Pitzer and Occidental on the team's upcoming December road trip.  The schedule is a respone to new emphasis by the Division III championship committee to focus more on in division opponents.  Of the Boxers' 25 games this year, 22 will be against Division III opponents.

CLEARY APPEARING ON WEEKLY SMALL COLLEGE HOOPS PODCAST: Head Coach Tim Cleary is one of five coaches regularly featured on a Portland small college basketball podcast hosted by Comcast SportsNet NW hoops analyst Greg Crawford.  The Portland Metro Small College Hoops podcast runs live every Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. (Cleary usually appears on the show in the 9:52 p.m. time slot).  The live stream and archived podcasts can be accessed at www.blogtalkradio.com/smallcollegehoops.

SEASON HONORS: The following Pacific players have earned weekly honors during the course of the 2013-14 season:

Daniel Zitani: NWC Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 11-17.  Zitani averaged 20.2 points per game and led the Boxers in scoring in two of the three games of their season-opening Southern California road trip.

PACIFIC PICKED FIFTH IN NWC PRESEASON POLL: Northwest Conference coaches have picked Pacific to repeat their fifth place finish in the annual preseason poll released in early November.  The Boxers received 30 of a possible 72 points in the poll after finishing 15-10 overall and 9-7 in the NWC last season.  Whitworth is selected to repeat as conference champion, receiving 70 votes and seven of the league's nine first place votes.  Whitman is picked second with 58 points and two first place votes.  Lewis & Clark was picked third with 48 points, followed by George Fox (44), Pacific (30), Puget Sound (27), Pacific Lutheran (23), Linfield (19) and Willamette (14).
Print Friendly Version