Game Details:
Date: Jan 4, 2007
Opponent: Cal State-East Bay
Mascot: Pioneers
Tip-off: 7:30 pm
Venue: Physical Education Complex
City, State: Hayward, CA

Game Details:
Date: Jan 6, 2007
Opponent: Cal State-Maritime Academy
Mascot: Keelhaulers
Tip-off: 3 pm
Venue: Mayo Hall
City, State: Vallejo, CA
Webcast: Click Here

This Week: The Oaks (4-5/0-1 Cal Pac) look to earn their first victory against a Cal Pac opponent this weekend as they travel to compete against Cal State-East Bay and Cal State-Maritime Academy.

Scouting the Pioneers: Leading the Cal Pac in offensive rebounds (35.8 rpg.), Cal State East Bay (2-8/1-2 Cal Pac) earned their second win (88-75) of the season last Saturday, Dec. 30th against Malone College in the Pioneer East Bay tournament. A team consisting of twelve freshmen and one single senior, freshman Will Freedman is averaging 14.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Also averaging double digits for the Pioneers are guards Scott Knox and Billy Nunes who are averaging 12.3 and 11.7 points a game respectively.

Scouting the Keelhaulers: Cal State Maritime Academy (6-5/2-0 Cal Pac) is led by junior forward Cody Gatton who is averaging 14.2 points a game while adding 5.4 rebounds a game. Senior forward Praise Odo-Boms is averaging 7.9 rebounds a game along with being a threat with 1.8 steals a game.

Scouting the Oaks: Racking 26 points and seven boards, senior Aaron Gentry came out ready to play last Saturday in the 67-65 victory over NCAA DII Notre Dame de Namur. Junior Bryon Wesley leads Menlo in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. Senior Israel Torres is second on the Oaks in scoring and rebounding averaging 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Cal Pac Conference Notes: After finishing fourth last year in the Cal Pac, the Oaks are picked to finish second in the Cal Pac Coaches Preseason Poll behind Holy Names, last years Cal Pac Champions.

Menlo History: Since joining the NAIA, the Menlo men’s basketball team has accumulated a winning overall record (266-248). The Oaks have won two Cal Pac Championships and made two appearances to the NAIA Tournament, last one in 2001-02 season.

Last Meeting: Menlo lost a close game, 87-77, to Cal State East Bay on the road last year. The following night, the Oaks defeated the Keelhaulers, 66-56 led by Gentry who achieved a season-high 21 points and 14 rebounds.

About the Coaches: An assistant the past three seasons, Brandon Laird was elevated to Menlo College’s head men’s basketball coach this past June. Laird, a UC-Davis graduate, inherits a program that showed dramatic improvement between each of his three seasons as an assistant, capping the run with a 17-11 showing during the 2005-06 campaign. Under Laird’s assistance, the Oaks also shined in the classroom. During the 2005-06 school year, Menlo accumulated a 3.2 cumulative team GPA and eight Oaks were named to the college’s Dean’s List.

Former Ohlone College and James Logan High School coach Will Biggs begins his 10th year as head coach of the Pioneers. Cal State East Bay men's basketball team finished the 2005-06 campaign with a record of 17-9. For the eighth consecutive season, the Pioneers competed in Cal Pac Conference Post Season Tournament. Nationally, Cal State East Bay led NAIA II in steals (12.8) and turnover margin (7.1).

Keelhaulers head coach Tim Harrison is currently in his third year as head coach at Cal State Maritime. Prior to CSUM, Harrison was the assistant coach at Metro State and was part of the team that won the NCAA Division II National Championship.