It’s a year of high external expectations for U.C. Santa Barbara Men’s Basketball coming off a Big West title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament as Head Coach Joe Pasternack and the team are now in a new season with a mix of returners and new faces that could once again be at the top of standings come March.
Last year, the Gauchos top to bottom were one of the best mid-major programs in the country with experience being one of the main factors that led them to another NCAA Tournament appearance against Baylor and a Big West championship. This year though, it’s quite the opposite.
“We only have three guys Cole, Josh and Ajay that have played significant college basketball minutes, so we're a very new to college basketball team,” Pasternack outlined.
But the return of guards Cole Anderson, Josh Pierre-Louis and the reigning Big West player of the year, Ajay Mitchell, are crucial in helping the young players develop.
“[We] can't do it alone. [We] need all three," Pasternack said. "Without Ajay, we really struggled and Josh and Cole struggled and then when he came back, they both did much better and so they need each other.”
“Now that we are the main focus of this team, I feel like we do feed off each other all the time and it's just the best thing ever," Pierre-Louis explained. "It's like we're the best friends off the court so on the court, it's so easy for us.”
As a junior, Mitchell returns as the main focal point on offense running the show for the Gauchos who came into this season with the goal of bringing more leadership and bringing a more physical presence to the guard position. Mitchell averaged over 16 points last season helping lead the team to a first round match-up against Baylor in the NCAA Tournament.
“I'm working a lot on being more of a leader," Mitchell said. "I'm one of the oldest guys on the team so just being prepared for that.”
But even with three big time returners, what will make or break this season is how all the fresh faces to college basketball adjust to their new roles.
“They might be younger, but they are tremendous, eager kids who are eager to learn and they're very vocal," Pierre-Louis said. "They're not scared to ask questions if they don't know things.”
Averaging just under 17 turnovers a game but scoring just over 80 points a game, there’s still some fine tuning to be had with the young but talented group.
“We got a lot of new players, so we like we still trying to figure out how to play with each other.”
Some of the new faces include Auburn transfer Johan Traore who has already provided a big presence inside through the first few games of the season. They also are awaiting the return of Ben Shtolzberg, a transfer from Creighton that is expected to add even more dynamic scoring as the team progresses through the regular season.
The Gauchos are 2-2 on the season with their next game on the road at Fresno State Nov. 27.
