Game Details:
Date: Jan 13, 2007
Opponent: William Jessup
Mascot: Warriors
Tip-off: 7:30 pm
Venue: Haynes-Prim Pavilion
City, State: Atherton, CA
Webcast: Click Here

This Week: The Oaks (6-6/2-2 Cal Pac) continue their Cal Pac Conference schedule as they host William Jessup on Saturday.

Scouting the Warriors: William Jessup (11-6/6-0 Cal Pac) is currently in first place in the Cal Pac Conference and leading the conference in free-throw percentage with 77%.. Players to Watch: Senior Joseph Mitchell leds the conference in scoring and rebounds (17.3 ppg., 10.4 rpg.); Lucas Bichard (12.7 ppg., 6.8 rpg.).

Scouting the Oaks: Menlo College's last three out of four games have been won or loss by three points or less. On Tuesday, the Oaks registered a 74-71 loss to Pacific Union. Players to Watch: Byron Wesley who is No. 3 in scoring in the Cal Pac (15.3 ppg., 5.3 rpg.); senior Israel Torres who is second in the conference in block shots, (12.8 ppg., 53 rpg.).

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: The Oaks have won two Cal Pac Championships and made two appearances to the NAIA Tournament, the last one in 2001-02 season.

Last Meeting: The Oaks defeated William Jessup in the first round of the 2005-06 Cal Pac Conference Tournament, 92-64. Posting their highest point total of the season, Menlo had four players finish with double-digits including Torres who scored 15 points.

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.

Coach Aaron Muhic brings over twelve years of college basketball coaching experience to the Warriors. In 2003 he led the basketball program to the USCAA National Tournament and helped them to win over 79 games. In 1995, Aaron became the head coach for Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon (at the age of 25). While at Warner, Coach Muhic built the basketball program and secured one Pacific Northwest Collegiate Conference Championship.