WHITTIER, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2023) – Junior guard
Aamari Smith (Decatur, Ga. / San Bernardino Valley) of the Whittier College men's basketball team led a dynamic showing in the Poets' home opener against a tough University of California, Santa Cruz team.
Smith drew the start in his Whittier debut, and proceeded to drop 22 points on the Banana Slugs in just 24 minutes of action. The dynamic guard wowed with his ability to accelerate up and down the court, but perhaps most importantly shot a shade under 50 percent from the field. He also went 3-for-5 from deep, and showed he might be a natural scorer the Poets can count on at all points of the season. He also picked up three assists and three steals while committing nary a turnover.
The junior's ball control was not a trait exclusive to him on Friday night, however. Despite playing an aggressive style that pushed the pace both offensively and defensive, the shorthanded Poets ended up winning the turnover battle, 11-15. They also assisted on 19 out of a possible 27 field goals, with senior guard
Kevin Dobson (Corona, Calif. / San Diego Christian College) and freshman guard
Sean Cervantes (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / La Mirada) leading with six and five assists respectively. Whittier also drilled a collective 13 three-pointers that helped keep them in the game despite facing a lukewarm stylistic matchup with the Banana Slugs in the paint. The Poets instead utilized their speed to create opportunities in the half court, and junior wing
Jake Estep (Portland, Ore. / Umpqua CC) found a particular amount of success from deep, connecting on four-of-eight attempts from deep.
Another encouraging sign for the Poets proved to be the team's collective ability to get to the free throw line. While Whittier played the aggressive defensive style that resulted in a slew of free throw opportunities for the opposing side, they too were able to get to the line with frequency, and improved ratios from the charity stripe could lead to a lot of success for Head Coach Mark Jensen's Poets as the rigors of the season continue wear on. Other top Whittier contributors included Dobson with 13 points, and senior forward
Nick Manor-Hall (Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills), who flashed his scoring touch with 16 points and three-of-six shooting from the three-point line.
Jensen and the Poets will next head to Life Pacific University on Tuesday, Nov. 14 for a 7:30 p.m. game.
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