Big West Conference report

SportsLine.com Report
March 14, 2000

For the second straight season Cal Poly failed to reach Big West Conference tournament play despite lofty expectations and a high-octane offense. The matador defense could have something to do with the team's shortcomings.

The Mustangs finished among conference leaders in scoring at 78.2 points a game, but gave up 81.4. That's better than the 85.1 points a game. allowed in 1998-99, but still nothing to do cartwheels over -- especially considering the team returned four starters and eight letterwinners and was expected to battle for one of the top three spots in the division.

A glance at 2001

Same song, different year. The Mustangs lose just one player -- senior sharpshooter Mike Wozniak -- to graduation and return a solid nucleus of four to six players with considerable experience. Whether that translates into victories remains to be seen. Don't expect conference coaches and media to give the Mustangs the benefit of the doubt when preseason prediction time arrives.

The Coach

Jeff Schneider's contract runs through the 2002-2003 season. Whether he makes it that far is a crapshoot.

Schneider is 65-78 in his five seasons at Cal Poly but his win totals have dropped consistently since he took over the program in 1995-96. That year, the Mustangs went 16-13, with Schneider turning around a program that won just one game the previous season. Since then, Schneider's teams have won 14 games twice, 11 last season and 10 this year.

The potential of his young players and a solid recruiting class could earn Schneider a reprieve for at least one more season. But without some improvement it's likely time for a change.

Who'll be Back?

The Mustangs return four starters led by post Chris Bjorklund, an all-conference first-team selection after averaging 19.4 points and seven rebounds. Also back will be forwards Jeremiah Mayes (13.0 points, 7.8 rebounds) and David Henry (9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds) and point guard Jason King, who blossomed late in the season and finished averaging 10.3 points and making 39.2 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Key reserves include guards Watende Favors and Mark Campbell, post John Hoffart and forward James Grace III. Guards Brandon Hulst and Michael Burris also return.

This year's recruits include athletic swingman Jamaal Scott from Phoenix, Ariz., and big man Varnie Dennis from Humble, Texas. Both may up for playing time right away.

Who's Gone?

Mike Wozniak graduates following four record-setting years at Cal Poly. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Carmel, Ind., ended his career as the conference's seventh-best scorer of all-time. Wozniak scored 1,903 point at Cal Poly, the most in school history. Wozniak also ranks among the conference's all-time leaders in free-throw percentage (second, 86 percent), 3-point attempts (first, 812) and 3-point field goals made (second, 308).