October 31, 2007

'Runners want to establish identity
BY ANDY KEHE, Californian staff writer

The time has come to quit fooling around and get really serious with college basketball in Bakersfield.

But before the Cal State Bakersfield men get to the real deal in nine days, the Roadrunners have a couple of exhibition confrontations left with what used to qualify as the real deal -- Division II's San Francisco State and University of Alaska-Anchorage -- tonight at 7 and Saturday at 4 p.m., respectively, at Rabobank Arena.

Then on Nov. 9 the Division I experience -- full time, full bore -- begins in earnest at Cal State Fullerton with a 7:05 p.m. tip-off against the Titans of the Big West Conference. The home opener is Nov. 17 against Fresno State.

Just who the fabulous five are that will start the experience for CSUB is uncertain. That's why they play the exhibition games, so it figures that after tonight, Roadrunner coach Keith Brown will have a little better idea about who it will be, and then after Saturday a little better idea yet.

For certain, he has unprecedented talent from which to pick.

"I think we have 13 players who can make contributions on any given night, and eight or nine who could start," said Brown, beginning his third season as the Roadrunner head coach and first ever as a Division I head coach. "But it's also a very inexperienced team at this level. We have to keep perspective of that. We are trying to get to know each other, trying to get to know the system and getting enough repetitions in to have things become instinctive, so we can go out and compete."

Among the 13 six are new recruits and two are coming off redshirt seasons. No one has waited longer to get on the floor than redshirt freshman Cory Brown, a 6-11 inside force who can play three positions -- so good is his footwork and shooting touch, in Brown's observation. The El Capitan High School product was the first recruit of the Division I era and practiced and watched from the bench all last season, CSUB's final year of 36 in Division II.

"I'm very excited, but I can't get too excited," said Cory Brown, back in Bakersfield after he and his Lakeside family served as emergency caretakers to 15 goats and a donkey during the recent wild fires in San Diego. "I have to make sure I can still play. But sitting all year last year and watching all the games, and traveling with the team, I think I know what to expect."

Another recruit of high interest is Bakersfield College transfer Terrence Johns, the Western State Conference player of the year in 2006-07 and California co-Juco player of the year who can play both guard and small forward.

"Terrence is a proven shooter," Keith Brown said. "He has the ability to stop and shoot over a defense. He's a great straight-line shooter and he's put on some weight so he's very strong. He's a highly competitive guy with a tremendous amount of energy. I'm sure you'll see him in a starting role for us."

Forwards Trent Blakley, Demarcus Hall and Rick Robinson, guard Robert Rose and senior guard Zack Grasmick entering his fourth season at CSUB, are the returning Roadrunners along with redshirts Brown and Donavan Bragg, a 6-5 freshman guard out of Serra High in Inglewood. Johns is one of six new faces, joining 6-0 junior guard Javarus Stewart, 5-10 freshman guard Alex Johnson, 6-5 sophomore forward Ryan Brown, 6-6 junior forward Santwon Latunde and 6-6 forward Donald Lee.

Keith Brown's expectations for tonight are that everyone competes hard for 40 minutes, exhibition or not. He expects nothing less from the Gators and Seawolves.

"We certainly know having been the Division II program playing exhibitions against Division I opponents on the road what our mentality was," he said. "Now we're on the other end of it."