Across 12 non-conference games, senior guard Kobe Sanders has scored double digits in every game.
The San Diego native is the only remaining player from Head Coach John Smith’s first recruiting class at Cal Poly when he took the job in 2019. Since then, Sanders has grown into the leading scorer for the Mustangs.
To cap off his strong non-conference performance, Sanders dropped a career-high 30 points in the Mustangs 66-53 win over Omaha (6-7) at Mott Athletics Center on December 21st.
The Mustangs head into Big West play with a 4-8 record and impressive wins against San Jose State and St. Thomas.
Frankie Fidler was a key contributor for the Omaha Mavericks with 18 points and eight rebounds, but Cal Poly’s defense held the Mavericks’ offense to 33.9% from the field.
“I just love that our guys stayed together,” Smith said. “They bottled up the game plan and executed it to a T. They brought a lot of energy. They shared the ball. They played with pace. We have been trying to play with that kind of pace for the past two years.”
Sanders was unable to conclude the 2022-2023 season after an injury late in conference play, but he has bounced back with 12 straight games with double-figure scoring and currently averages 18.4 points per game.
“He played with unbelievable confidence and understanding of how to get to his spots,” Smith said.
Cal Poly’s graduate transfer from the University of California, Jarred Hyder, was also a key contributor with 14 points.
Hyder has been Cal Poly’s most utilized player, averaging 33.1 minutes per game. This makes him fourth in the Big West in minutes played.
Smith and the coaching staff brought in Hyder to allow Sanders to focus more on being a scorer.
“It’s easy to play with (Hyder),” Sanders said. “If we keep that pace going into conference play, we will be tough to guard.”
Smith also explained the importance of continuing to play with pace and attacking in the early stages of the offense.
“If we can pitch ahead and try to attack within those first six seconds when we have the ball, then that will be good for us,” Smith said. “We finally played with the pace that I wanted and hopefully, we can continue to do that.”
Continuing to play with confidence will be key for the Mustangs as they move into games with Big West opponents.
“Any time you get a win like this, it helps with the confidence and the understanding that what we do works,” he said.
With the win, the Mustangs are now 4-8 on the season heading into conference play. Sanders and the Mustangs hope to build on the performance on Thursday, Dec 28th at home against Cal State Northridge.