California State University Northridge Athletics
2021-22 CSUN Men's Basketball Preview
11/4/2021 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---The 2021-22 season will represent a fresh start for the CSUN Men's Basketball program. Led by interim head coach Trent Johnson, the Matadors sport a different look than last year's team with the addition of eight newcomers including five Division I transfers. The Matadors kick off the new season on Nov. 9 when they take on USC at the Galen Center.
A New Voice on the Sidelines
Interim head coach Trent Johnson enters his 18th season as a Division I head coach in 2021-22.
Johnson began his head coaching career at Nevada where he would lead the program to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004. He also led Stanford to three NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a Sweet 16 appearance in his final season. Johnson would win an SEC title in 2012 as a head coach at LSU. During his career, Johnson was named Coach of the Year in the WAC (2002-03), Pac-10 (2007-08) and SEC (2008-09). Overall, he has coached at the collegiate level since 1986.
"I inherited a good group of young men and I think the newcomers have embraced everything we've asked them to do in a short period of time," said Johnson about the team. "There is a sense of trust in what we're doing. With all of that being said, it's been challenging because of the time we have but it's been exciting. The fun part of it is that I have a group of returners and newcomers that are a team. They are growing in front of our eyes."
Brown Returns for Fourth Season at CSUN
While there has been much change on the roster, one of the stalwarts over the past four years has been point guard Darius Brown II. The Pasadena native is coming off a career season where he earned All-Big West Second Team honors a year ago. In addition to setting career-highs in points (10.5 PPG), assists (5.3 APG), rebounds (4.8 RPG) and steals per game (1.9 SPG), he finished fifth in the nation in assists to turnover ratio (3.6).
Among his many accomplishments, Brown recorded the Matadors' first triple-double against a Division I opponent in team history in a win over Hawai'i last February.
"To change a culture of a program, you have to start to have a winning attitude," said Brown. "That's something that coach Johnson has brought here. I want to help push that change. As far as practice, off the court, socially, we're all starting to make that push in the right direction."
Eight Newcomers including Five D-1 Transfers Join the Matadors
Darius Beane, a fourth-year guard, joins CSUN after spending the past two seasons at Northern Illinois. A Carbondale, Ill. native, Beane has played in 78 games, totaling 473 points, 263 rebounds and 107 assists. Beane averaged 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds last season which included 12 starts.
In the middle, Onyi Eyisi brings size to CSUN with his 6-9 frame while he has played three years at Fordham. Eyisi appeared in 67 games with the Rams, tallying 297 points, 277 rebounds and 52 blocks. He had a career season in 2019-20 where he averaged 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. Eyisi is originally from Lagos, Nigeria.
A 6-6 power forward from Riverside, Christian Gray spent three years at Fresno State after beginning his career at Salt Lake Community College. Entering his sixth year in college, Gray would average 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds last season. With Fresno State, Gray tallied 141 points and 129 total rebounds.
Hailing from Oakland, Elijah Hardy is a strong ball handler who began his career at Washington before playing last season at Portland State. Hardy has competed in 60 career games and amassed 196 points and 91 rebounds. Last season saw Hardy average 7.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 20 contests.
The fifth and final transfer is Miles James who played the previous two seasons with East Carolina. A 6-6 forward, James would see action in 32 games with the Pirates where he played limited minutes. Originally from Inglewood, James also spent his freshman season at Palm Beach State College in Florida and won a conference title.
Making the jump to the college ranks is true freshman guard Nick Herrmann who led Torrey Pines High School (San Diego) to a city championship as a senior. A 6-7 forward, Elijah Uche also joins the team after prepping at nearby Granada Hills Charter High School while Arman Pezeshkian, a 5-10 guard, played high school basketball at Crescenta Valley.
Back in the Fold
Entering his fourth year at CSUN, Brendan Harrick has lettered the past two seasons and played in 53 games over the span. Harrick averaged 4.0 points in 16.4 minutes last season. His 2020-21 campaign would be highlighted with a career-best performance of 25 points in a win over Cal State Fullerton last January. Harrick also made seven 3-pointers in that game, tying for the third-most makes from long range in team history.
Hampered by injuries over the last two seasons, Miles Brookins and Lance Coleman II look for fresh starts in 2021-22. The 6-9 Brookins has played in nine games over the past two seasons where he has averaged 4.1 points. Coleman was off to a career-best start to last season (13.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game) before suffering a season-ending injury. In 36 career games, Coleman has posted 8.8 points per game while he has drained 59 shots from 3-point range.
Sophomore forward Fidelis Okereke is among four returning sophomores. Okereke played in 21 games last season and averaged 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 16 minutes per game on the floor. A 6-1 guard, Atin Wright impressed during stretches of his freshman season where he averaged 4.7 points. Wright reached double figures four times including a season-best 22-point effort at Cal State Fullerton. Rounding out the returners, Kailen Rains and Marcel Stevens played limited minutes last season and are seeking expanded roles in 2021-22.
You Can't Teach Experience
While a variety of new student-athletes make up this season's roster, the Matadors have their fair share of experience on the court. CSUN has nine players that have been in college for at least four years with six of those student-athletes playing their entire career at Division I schools. Also, a total of six have played in 50 or more Division I games, led by Darius Brown II at 88. Three student-athletes are graduate students at CSUN, which include Miles Brookins, Lance Coleman II and Christian Gray.
Milestone Watch
Darius Brown II can join rare company this season as he only needs 166 points and 81 assists to become just the second Matador in history, joining Markus Carr (1998-02), to reach 1,000 points and 500 assists over a career. The 6-2 guard would also become the first CSUN player in history to record 1,000 points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds should he hit the first two milestones and record 154 rebounds this season.
Challenging Schedule on Tap
CSUN is scheduled to play 10 teams that posted winning records last season headlined by a season-opening test against USC. The Trojans are coming off an Elite Eight appearance in last season's NCAA Tournament. After the opener, the Matadors will visit Notre Dame on Nov. 13. Other road tests include San Diego (Nov. 28), Fresno State (Dec. 4) and North Dakota State (Dec. 10).
CSUN also hosts a four-team tournament during the non-conference season at The Matadome from Nov. 19-20. The Good Sam Empire Classic features the Matadors, Eastern Washington, Dixie State and Texas State. On day one, CSUN faces an Eastern Washington team that made last season's NCAA Tournament. The Matadors also welcome Boise State (Dec. 7) and Portland State (Dec. 18) to Northridge this season before opening Big West play on Dec. 30 at UC Irvine.
Big West Preseason Prognostications
Darius Brown II earned a spot on the six-member Preseason All-Big West Media Team on Nov. 3 while he received votes on two or more ballots on the Preseason All-Big West Coaches Team. The Matadors were picked to finish 10th by the conference's coaches and media.
A Look Back
The Matadors finished the 2020-21 season at 9-13 overall and 5-9 in Big West play. CSUN's season was hampered by COVID-19 as the team had to pause team activities shortly before the start of the 2021 calendar year. Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, the Matadors posted non-conference wins over Pepperdine (89-84) and New Mexico State (66-63). CSUN would finish eighth in the Big West standings before losing in the first round of the conference tournament to Long Beach State last March.
TJ Starks earned the Big West Newcomer of the Year award as well as All-Big West First Team accolades. Starks, who signed with a Lithuanian professional team, was recently invited to the training camp of the Milwaukee Bucks' G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
#UniteTheValley
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A New Voice on the Sidelines
Interim head coach Trent Johnson enters his 18th season as a Division I head coach in 2021-22.Johnson began his head coaching career at Nevada where he would lead the program to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004. He also led Stanford to three NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a Sweet 16 appearance in his final season. Johnson would win an SEC title in 2012 as a head coach at LSU. During his career, Johnson was named Coach of the Year in the WAC (2002-03), Pac-10 (2007-08) and SEC (2008-09). Overall, he has coached at the collegiate level since 1986.
"I inherited a good group of young men and I think the newcomers have embraced everything we've asked them to do in a short period of time," said Johnson about the team. "There is a sense of trust in what we're doing. With all of that being said, it's been challenging because of the time we have but it's been exciting. The fun part of it is that I have a group of returners and newcomers that are a team. They are growing in front of our eyes."
Brown Returns for Fourth Season at CSUN
While there has been much change on the roster, one of the stalwarts over the past four years has been point guard Darius Brown II. The Pasadena native is coming off a career season where he earned All-Big West Second Team honors a year ago. In addition to setting career-highs in points (10.5 PPG), assists (5.3 APG), rebounds (4.8 RPG) and steals per game (1.9 SPG), he finished fifth in the nation in assists to turnover ratio (3.6).Among his many accomplishments, Brown recorded the Matadors' first triple-double against a Division I opponent in team history in a win over Hawai'i last February.
"To change a culture of a program, you have to start to have a winning attitude," said Brown. "That's something that coach Johnson has brought here. I want to help push that change. As far as practice, off the court, socially, we're all starting to make that push in the right direction."
Eight Newcomers including Five D-1 Transfers Join the Matadors
Darius Beane, a fourth-year guard, joins CSUN after spending the past two seasons at Northern Illinois. A Carbondale, Ill. native, Beane has played in 78 games, totaling 473 points, 263 rebounds and 107 assists. Beane averaged 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds last season which included 12 starts.In the middle, Onyi Eyisi brings size to CSUN with his 6-9 frame while he has played three years at Fordham. Eyisi appeared in 67 games with the Rams, tallying 297 points, 277 rebounds and 52 blocks. He had a career season in 2019-20 where he averaged 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. Eyisi is originally from Lagos, Nigeria.
A 6-6 power forward from Riverside, Christian Gray spent three years at Fresno State after beginning his career at Salt Lake Community College. Entering his sixth year in college, Gray would average 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds last season. With Fresno State, Gray tallied 141 points and 129 total rebounds.
Hailing from Oakland, Elijah Hardy is a strong ball handler who began his career at Washington before playing last season at Portland State. Hardy has competed in 60 career games and amassed 196 points and 91 rebounds. Last season saw Hardy average 7.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 20 contests.
The fifth and final transfer is Miles James who played the previous two seasons with East Carolina. A 6-6 forward, James would see action in 32 games with the Pirates where he played limited minutes. Originally from Inglewood, James also spent his freshman season at Palm Beach State College in Florida and won a conference title.
Making the jump to the college ranks is true freshman guard Nick Herrmann who led Torrey Pines High School (San Diego) to a city championship as a senior. A 6-7 forward, Elijah Uche also joins the team after prepping at nearby Granada Hills Charter High School while Arman Pezeshkian, a 5-10 guard, played high school basketball at Crescenta Valley.
Back in the Fold
Entering his fourth year at CSUN, Brendan Harrick has lettered the past two seasons and played in 53 games over the span. Harrick averaged 4.0 points in 16.4 minutes last season. His 2020-21 campaign would be highlighted with a career-best performance of 25 points in a win over Cal State Fullerton last January. Harrick also made seven 3-pointers in that game, tying for the third-most makes from long range in team history.Hampered by injuries over the last two seasons, Miles Brookins and Lance Coleman II look for fresh starts in 2021-22. The 6-9 Brookins has played in nine games over the past two seasons where he has averaged 4.1 points. Coleman was off to a career-best start to last season (13.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game) before suffering a season-ending injury. In 36 career games, Coleman has posted 8.8 points per game while he has drained 59 shots from 3-point range.
Sophomore forward Fidelis Okereke is among four returning sophomores. Okereke played in 21 games last season and averaged 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 16 minutes per game on the floor. A 6-1 guard, Atin Wright impressed during stretches of his freshman season where he averaged 4.7 points. Wright reached double figures four times including a season-best 22-point effort at Cal State Fullerton. Rounding out the returners, Kailen Rains and Marcel Stevens played limited minutes last season and are seeking expanded roles in 2021-22.
You Can't Teach Experience
While a variety of new student-athletes make up this season's roster, the Matadors have their fair share of experience on the court. CSUN has nine players that have been in college for at least four years with six of those student-athletes playing their entire career at Division I schools. Also, a total of six have played in 50 or more Division I games, led by Darius Brown II at 88. Three student-athletes are graduate students at CSUN, which include Miles Brookins, Lance Coleman II and Christian Gray.Milestone Watch
Darius Brown II can join rare company this season as he only needs 166 points and 81 assists to become just the second Matador in history, joining Markus Carr (1998-02), to reach 1,000 points and 500 assists over a career. The 6-2 guard would also become the first CSUN player in history to record 1,000 points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds should he hit the first two milestones and record 154 rebounds this season.
Challenging Schedule on Tap
CSUN is scheduled to play 10 teams that posted winning records last season headlined by a season-opening test against USC. The Trojans are coming off an Elite Eight appearance in last season's NCAA Tournament. After the opener, the Matadors will visit Notre Dame on Nov. 13. Other road tests include San Diego (Nov. 28), Fresno State (Dec. 4) and North Dakota State (Dec. 10).
CSUN also hosts a four-team tournament during the non-conference season at The Matadome from Nov. 19-20. The Good Sam Empire Classic features the Matadors, Eastern Washington, Dixie State and Texas State. On day one, CSUN faces an Eastern Washington team that made last season's NCAA Tournament. The Matadors also welcome Boise State (Dec. 7) and Portland State (Dec. 18) to Northridge this season before opening Big West play on Dec. 30 at UC Irvine.
Big West Preseason Prognostications
Darius Brown II earned a spot on the six-member Preseason All-Big West Media Team on Nov. 3 while he received votes on two or more ballots on the Preseason All-Big West Coaches Team. The Matadors were picked to finish 10th by the conference's coaches and media.
A Look Back
The Matadors finished the 2020-21 season at 9-13 overall and 5-9 in Big West play. CSUN's season was hampered by COVID-19 as the team had to pause team activities shortly before the start of the 2021 calendar year. Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, the Matadors posted non-conference wins over Pepperdine (89-84) and New Mexico State (66-63). CSUN would finish eighth in the Big West standings before losing in the first round of the conference tournament to Long Beach State last March.
TJ Starks earned the Big West Newcomer of the Year award as well as All-Big West First Team accolades. Starks, who signed with a Lithuanian professional team, was recently invited to the training camp of the Milwaukee Bucks' G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
#UniteTheValley
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