Overview:
UCSB shows its depth from deep with nine Gauchos making at least one three-pointer
A large and loud student crowd put a bounce in Colin Smith’s step on Monday as he took the court at the Thunderdome for UC Santa Barbara’s basketball season opener.
He couldn’t even walk the last time he left a game with a torn Achilles tendon.
“I was kind of down, (wondering) if I could come back from a serious injury,” Smith said. “Having the fans there was a big boost … Nothing at all was hurting, so I was happy, man.
“I was happy to be back out there.”
And coach Joe Pasternack was happy to start the 6-foot-8 transfer from Vanderbilt at power forward in UCSB’s 96-47 romp over San Francisco State.
Smith, who tore his right Achilles in a Dec. 16 game at Texas Tech last season, shared the Gaucho scoring lead on Monday with 11 points in just 14 minutes.
“He came here even before summer (school) one and has worked so hard to get back,” Pasternack said. “An Achilles tear is maybe one of the most serious injuries you can have in sports.
“He worked so hard get himself back here to be able to play on opening night, it’s amazing.”
Smith made 4-of-7 shots which included 2-of-4 from three-point range.
“My mindset coming into this game was that it’s just another game … ‘Don’t add any pressure that’s already there on yourself,’” he said. “I’ve been there before.
“I’ve played in big games and I trust the player that I am.”
Smith is one of six transfers that Pasternack recruited out of the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Kenny Pohto, a 6-foot-11 graduate transfer from Wichita State, got UCSB off to a good start by scoring off Smith’s lob and then assisting Cole Anderson’s three-pointer with a kickout pass.
Pohto had seven rebounds in just 15 minutes. He also provided the Gauchos with a big defensive presence in the post. San Francisco State shot just 26.5% to the Gauchos’ 54%
“He’s been out for a while this summer and is just getting back into a rhythm,” Pasternack said. “He’s a terrific defender and a great rebounder … Very unselfish … Awesome passer.
“Kenny Pohto had some incredible wall-ups, we call them, and not fouling at the rim — putting your hands up and making them shoot over us.”
The Gauchos did stumble with three turnovers during an early, three-minute pratfall. Nine of their 15 turnovers came in the first half.
Tyjean Burrell made them pay by scoring five quick points to tie the game at 7-all. He finished with a game-high 19 points which included 4-for-7 shooting from three.
The mishandled balls were followed by four missed free throws during a six-minute span. The Gators stayed close at 21-17 with a pair of three-pointers by Burrell and a fadeaway by Caden Flowers.
“We’re a really good shooting team and I think that was just nerves,” Pasternack said of the errant foul shooting.
Three straight baskets by junior guard Ben Shtolzberg helped settle down the Gauchos.
Anderson gave them some separation with a three and a pair of free throws. The lead quickly blossomed during a 16-0 run that took just seven minutes.
UCSB made 40% of its three-pointers in the game (14-for-34) with nine different players making at least one. Veteran walk-on Henry Hartwell capped the Gaucho scoring with a three in the final minute.
“It’s completely different,” Pasternack said of his team’s three-point prowess. “We really made a conscious effort to get shooting on our team. That’s really going to help us spread the inside out.”
San Francisco State missed 15 straight shots until Alec Smith converted a putback into a three-point play with just 37.3 seconds left in the first half.
Pasternack kept his man-to-man defense fresh and active. He used 20 players, 10 of whom played at least 14 minutes.
“With the depth we have, it allows us to demand that we play hard and defend,” he said. “Last year was a really tough deal because of the injuries. It was really hard to practice.
“This year we’ve had some incredibly, highly competitive practices for our guys to really get after it.”
Starting point guard Stephan Swenson, a graduate transfer from Stetson, made a pair of threes and two free throws in the final 3:12 of the first half.
Jason Fontenet II, a 6-6 sophomore, added a jumper in transition. He also shot 2-for-3 from three while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds in just 14 minutes.
“Going from your freshman to your sophomore year is always the biggest jump, and I think Jason is going to have a really big year,” Pasternack said.
Swenson finished with 10 points while handing out a game-high five assists with just one turnover in 17 minutes.
“The amount of weapons that we have just facilitate my job,” Swenson said. “In a way, all I need to do is get the ball to one-to-three sides and we get whatever we want on offense.
“And defensively, we know we have each other’s backs.”
Colin Smith capped the period with another three to send the Gauchos into the locker room with a 40-20 lead.
Zion Sensley and ZZ Clark, two highly regarded freshmen, gave a dazzling preview of UCSB’s future during the second half.
Sensley scored all 11 of his points and grabbed four of his five rebounds after the break. Clark scored seven points on 3-for-3 shooting and made several of the game’s best passes during his seven-minute debut.
“I thought they both showed really big flashes,” Pasternack said. “They worked very hard this summer and this fall, and they’re fighting for minutes every day, like everybody.
“I was definitely happy with how they played.”
Pasternack considered Monday’s game a good tune-up for a tough road game on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the University of Portland
“It was a really good opening night for us,” he said. “We needed to play in front of a crowd.
“We had two closed-door scrimmages in which we weren’t able to play in front of anybody, so I thought it was important to get the nerves out.”