WHITTIER, Calif. (Jan. 25, 2025) – The back court of the Whittier College men's basketball team brought its A-game on Saturday afternoon against the team's toughest test of the season: No. 23 California Lutheran University.
The Kingsmen give most teams fits with their versatility and efficiency, but from an efficiency standpoint, the Poets were able to go move-for-move with one of the top teams in the nation. Fresh off becoming the fastest player in program history to 1,000 career points, senior guard
Aamari Smith (Decatur, Ga. / Roosevelt / San Bernardino Valley College) dazzled once again with 18 points to lead all Poets. However, Whittier would not have been in the late-game position it found itself in had it not been for freshman guard
Sean Cervantes (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / La Mirada), who, in a spot start at point guard, made the absolute most of his opportunity with 16 points and seven assists. Cervantes has always shown an ability to hit deep shots, but on Saturday, he did so in key moments while showcasing the improvements he's made to his game as a facilitator.
Speaking of facilitating, seniors
Roy Kalu (Lynn, Mass. / Pioneer Charter School of Science / Roxbury Community College) and
Chine Nwanevu (Eastvale, Calif. / Norco / San Bernardino Valley College) factored in heavily in this area with six and five assists apiece. Kalu, who has settled in as a sixth-man scoring option for the Poets this season, again impressed with 16 points in 30 minutes of action. Kalu's bench scoring became a necessity for the Poets coming out of the half where they trailed Cal Lutheran 44-34. The Purple & Gold did a lot of things right early on but succumbed to a late run from the nationally-relevant Kingsmen late in the half and needed to adjust. Whittier wound up outscoring Cal Lutheran 44-39 in the second half behind improved play from Smith and the defense's ability to get key stops. Whittier's ability to protect the paint had a lot to do with this, as out of the team's four blocks, two of them came on would-be dunk attempts by the Kingsmen with Nwanevu, along with senior center
Tyler Watters (Aurora, Colo. / Grandview / West Valley Community College) making tough denials down low. Nwanevu reached double-digit rebounds, but the offensive and defensive boards were few and few between in a game where both teams shot above 45% from the field.
Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets have opened the SCIAC slate 4-4 to start the year. If the season ended today, the Poets would be involved in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, which would also bring an end to a nine-year drought (though under the new format, the Poets would have been SCIAC Postseason Tournament eligible in 2017-18). They will rematch Occidental College at home on Wednesday evening.
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