SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team (0-2) will play its first home games of the season this weekend at The Sports Center as it faces No. 11 Point Loma (1-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. and startup program Stanton (0-4) on Sunday at 2 p.m.
 
LAST WEEK

• The Cougars began the season with an 81-74 loss to Concordia University Irvine in the CCAA/PacWest Conference Challenge this past Friday at Biola.
• Jermaine Rogers II led CSUSM with 16 points against the Golden Eagles.
• CSUSM followed that up by falling 78-70 to host Biola on Saturday as both Charlie Henderson and Edwyn Collins tallied their first double-doubles of the season. Henderson posted 17 points and 10 rebounds while Collins had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

 
COUGAR FACTS

• The Cougars are shooting 80% from the free throw line so far, ranking first in the CCAA and 30th nationally.
• CSUSM is currently the second-best blocking team in the CCAA at 4.0 per game.
• The Cougars' 8.0 3-pointers per game rank second in the conference.
• Charlie Henderson leads the CCAA with four total blocks and 2.0 blocks per game.
• Henderson is also the Cougars' scoring leader through two games at 15.0 points per game.
• Edwyn Collins and Henderson have been CSUSM's top rebounders so far at 9.0 and 8.5 boards per game, respectively.
• Luc Krystkowiak is one of two CCAA players with a perfect field-goal percentage.
• Jermaine Rogers II ranks second in the CCAA with 3.0 3-pointers per game.
• The Cougars are putting up 72.0 points per game, ranking fifth in the conference.

 

GAME 3 | NO. 11 POINT LOMA
Date	Friday, Nov. 17, 2023
Time	7 p.m.
Location	San Marcos, Calif.
Venue	The Sports Center
Records	CSUSM (0-2) PLNU (1-2)
Live Stats	SideArm Stats
Live Video ($)	CCAA Network
Tickets	HomeTown Ticketing

HOME OPENER AGAINST THE SEA LIONS

• Friday will be the fifth overall meeting between the Cougars and Sea Lions.
• PLNU's last visit to The Sports Center on Nov. 20, 2021, did not go the Sea Lions' way as CSUSM clobbered then-No.24/9 PLNU by a score of 90-52. The Cougars' 38-point win was the largest margin of victory against an NCAA Division II institution.
• Last season, the Sea Lions got their revenge with a 67-53 win at Golden Gymnasium.
• CSUSM is 1-1 when facing PLNU at home, but the Sea Lions own the series lead at 3-1.
• The Sea Lions opened the season at 1-2 as they earned an 82-79 overtime win against Stanislaus State in their season opener followed by a 61-57 loss to Cal State East Bay and a 66-58 loss to Saint Martin's.
• PLNU is averaging 65.7 points per game so far, ranking seventh in the PacWest and 225th nationally.
• The Sea Lions are allowing 68.7 points per game, ranking sixth in their conference.
• Jake Lifgren is PLNU's scoring leader at 21.0 points per game while Coby Barnes is the Sea Lions' top rebounder at 9.3 boards per game.
• PLNU was ranked No. 11 in the NABC Division II Preseason Coaches Poll.

 

GAME 4 | STANTON
Date	Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023
Time	2 p.m.
Location	San Marcos, Calif.
Venue	The Sports Center
Records	CSUSM (0-2) SU (0-4)
Live Stats	SideArm Stats
Live Video ($)	CCAA Network
Tickets	HomeTown Ticketing

FIRST MEETING WITH STANTON

• Located in Garden Grove, Stanton is in its inaugural season as an athletics department.
• They are currently competing in the USCAA with the intention of being dual members with the NAIA next year.
• The Elks are 0-4 so far this season, losing all games by double digits.
• Stanton took losses to Life Pacific (72-57), UC Merced (78-47), Park University Gilbert (80-58) and Occidental College (83-67).
• Before Sunday's game, the Elks will play on the road at Pomona-Pitzer on Thursday and at Saint Katherine on Saturday.
• CSUSM will be Stanton's first-ever NCAA Division II opponent.

2023-24 OUTLOOK

• First-year head coach Nick Booker takes over the reins of the CSUSM men's basketball program after spending three seasons as an assistant at UC San Diego.
• The Cougars return six from last season's roster, including Edwyn Collins, Chris Howard, Bing Huang, Jermaine Rogers II, Jack Schultz and Donovan Watkins.
• CSUSM has nine newcomers for 2023-24, including transfers Uriah Foster, Charlie Henderson, Teagen Hoard, Luc Krystkowiak, Camren Pierce, Mike Pope, Jayden White and Justin White while welcoming true freshman Max Tengan.
• The Cougars' 30-game slate includes two road exhibitions to go along with 13 home games and 15 road games in the regular season.
• CSUSM was selected to finish seventh in the 2023-24 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

THE BOOKER FILE

• Nick Booker became the Cougars' third head coach in program history on June 5, 2023.
• Booker came to CSUSM from UC San Diego where was the Tritons' assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three seasons beginning in June 2020.
• Prior to UCSD, Booker was the associate head coach at Eastern Washington from April 2017 through May 2020 and was named the top assistant coach in the Big Sky Conference by Stadium.
• While at Eastern Washington, Booker helped the Eagles win 59 games overall and a Big Sky Conference Championship in 2019-20 while helping develop two Big Sky Players of the Year.
• Before Eastern Washington, Booker was the director of basketball operations at Davidson College in 2016-17 after a five-year stint as an assistant coach at UC Irvine from April 2011 to March 2016, where he was also the director of basketball operations for one season prior.
• Booker's first coaching gig as an assistant came at Miramar Community College in 2006-07, and he later became the assistant coach and interim head coach at Saddleback Community College from July 2007 through August 2010.
• Booker earned his bachelor's in history at Davidson College in 2004and earned his master's in physical education from Azusa Pacific in 2010.
• At Davidson, Booker was a starter for the 2002 Southern Conference Championship team that faced Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament and contributed to back-to-back regular-season conference championships in 2001 and 2002.