WHITTIER, CA. (Feb. 21, 2024)- The Whittier College Men's basketball team played their final game of the season Tuesday night, facing off against the CMS Stags. Prior to the game head coach Mark Jensen and the Poets honored their 3 graduating seniors. Nick Manor-Hall (Chino Hills, Calif., Chino Hills HS), Kunal Bagga (Anaheim, Calif., Servite HS), and Kevin Dobson (Corona, Calif., San Diego Christian College) were each able to score in double-digits in ther final games as Poets, but CMS was able to defeat Whittier by a final score of 82-66. 

Despite the final score, the Poets opened this game up well against the Stags. This has been Whittier's calling card this season as they have been able to start games off very well and compete with some of the top contenders in the conference. The two teams battled back and forth, as neither one was able to gain an advantage. 

Tied at 17, 8 minutes through the quarter, the men did a good job moving the ball around the court. 5 of the 6 players that had entered the game had already scored for the Poets. Whittier was already eliminated from playoff contention prior to the tip off, but were still going out and fighting. The teams continued to battled until about the 7 minute mark in the first and then CMS took an advantage. In the final couple minutes of the half the Stags and Poets were trading 3's back and forth, but CMS would hit the last one and take a 45-34 lead into halftime. 

Coming out of the half the Poets tried to keep up with the Stags, but they could not maintain the pace. Whittier has been hit with the injury bug this season and lost some key pieces to their team; however, the men have fought hard every game and never just rolled over. With all the miles on the Poet's legs, CMS was able to start to build a bigger advantage over Whittier. The shots just were not falling for the team tonight, but managed to stay relatively close by recording an amazing 6 steals in the second half. Unfortunately, the Poets would not be able to make a comeback and would end their season with a 82-66 loss. 

Bagga and Aamari Smith (Decatur, GA, San Bernardino Valley) were the leading scorers for the Poets tonight, as they each finished with 17. This was one of Smith's lowest totals all years, but despite this he was officially crowned the scoring champ in the SCIAC. Smith finished as the only player in the conference to average more than 20 points, as he ended up averaging 21.6. Manor-Hall and Dobson both ended this game with 10. Dobson stuffed the stat sheet in his final game with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. 


Nick Manor-Hall: 
Nick chose Whittier initially for the education and the opportunity to grow as a basketball player, and has done just that in his three seasons with the program. Nick came to Coach Jensen and the Poets ahead of the 2019-20 season, the final one that would be played before the COVID-19 pandemic. He then took a year away from the team before returning last season when he average 12.6 points per game. However, Nick just finished a career year in 2024 with all-time best statistics across the board. Meanwhile, his thunderous link-ups with Kevin Dobson on the alley-oop will be missed for the way they brought fans to their feet here in the GAC.

Kevin Dobson:
Kevin transferred into Whittier from San Diego Christian College and continued his development into a true point guard for the Purple & Gold, as well as a captain. His on-court vision knows few equals in the SCIAC, and as mentioned, his link-ups with players like Nick Manor-Hall and Tyler Watters on the alley-oop are proof of this. Like Nick, Kevin is also in the midst of a career statistical season, with 5.7 points per game and 4.9 assists per game. In fact, his assist totals had him finish second in the conference, and he's shown he can pile them up in a hurry. 

Kunal Bagga:  
Kunal's game has evolved over his three years playing under Coach Jensen, growing from playing a more facilitory role to becoming a reliable scorer for the Poets in his final season. His biggest game of the season came at home against Redlands when he exploded for 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Kunal originally chose Whittier for the way the coaches embraced him, and he has responded by averaging a career-high 11.1 points per game as a senior to go with a career-low turnover output while averaging more minutes per game than he as over his entire career. His largest area of growth has been around the perimeter. His 55 three-pointers are nearly double his career total entering the season. 
 

We would like to thank you all for following along with the Whittier College Men's Basketball team this season. Thank you once again to the graduating seniors who played their final game for the Purple and Gold Tuesday night. We hope to see you back in the Graham Athletics Center next year for the 2024-2025 season!