Stephan Teodosescu
steodosescu@mustangdaily.net
After an electrifying home win against rival UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 16, head men’s basketball coach Joe Callero credited his team’s fans in helping the Mustangs ride to victory, calling the Mott Athletics Center, “without a doubt the best home court advantage in the Big West.”
An 11-1 record inside the building this season and a 12-game home winning streak in conference play dating back to last year backs that statement. Mott is one of the toughest places to play in California.
A loss to Fresno State in mid-November marks the only time Cal Poly lost on its own floor this season. Otherwise, the Mustangs have mopped up the competition in San Luis Obispo, including wins against each opponent currently ahead of them in the Big West standings.
“When you have two or three practices in a row at home and you don’t have to take off for travel, then your concentration, for one thing, improves, your sense of urgency is improved and your sense of commitment to your school and your community is such that you don’t want to let somebody down,” Callero said.
The Mustangs hold the conference’s second-longest home winning streak with their program-record 12-win figure behind Long Beach State’s 26-game streak.
In Callero’s four-year tenure, the Mustangs have gone 34-16 for a .680 winning percentage, a stat he eagerly wanted to concentrate on upon his arrival on the Central Coast.
“Success at (Mott Athletics Center) was my No. 1 focus,” Callero said. “You can’t build a successful program until your home court and your home turf is the most important part of your program.”
After posting two consecutive wins away from home this past week, the team’s second and third Big West road wins, Cal Poly will finish the season with two games inside Mott. Wins against UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton this week could mean Cal Poly will post its best-ever home record at the Division I level.
Callero likened the responsibility he feels to the Cal Poly-faithful to bring home the wins to that of being polite at grandma’s Thanksgiving dinner.
“You have a sense of responsibility,” he said. “You don’t want to let anybody down in our own community.”
According to junior forward Chris Eversley, who notched a career-high 30 points at home against Cal State Northridge earlier this season, the energy the fans bring is what contributes most to the team’s success.
“It’s the atmosphere,” Eversley said. “I love our fans, they’ve become more vibrant this year and a lot louder than I’ve ever heard them … it just feels like this place is sold out every game because it’s always loud.”
But that success isn’t limited to just the men’s squad.
The Cal Poly women’s basketball team has proven it is one of the most intimidating teams to play at home as well, as it sports an 11-3 record in Mott heading into this week’s final two games of the regular season.
The Mustangs have defeated opponents by double-digits on eight occasions, including a 78-40 dispatching of Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 31. Their current eight-game home winning streak also includes a triple-overtime victory against conference-leading Pacific.
While the team doesn’t make a specific point of winning at home, the Mustangs’ current streak has helped them realize the potential for a third-straight Big West Conference title, according to sophomore guard Ariana Elegado.
“Since we’ve seen a pattern these last eight games where we’re undefeated, that gives us a little more of an advantage for us to say we have two more home games,” Elegado said. “That’s our focus right now as far as playing at home.”
If the Mustangs win out on their own floor, they will be guaranteed at least a share of the conference crown and a first- and second-round bye headed into next weekend’s Big West Conference Tournament.
Two more games in San Luis Obispo are all that stand in the way.
“With these two home games, it’s very crucial in order for us to get our byes and get into the tournament,” Elegado said.
As for the men’s team, which has struggled this year away from home with just four wins on the road — one against UCLA — the Big West tournament at the neutral Honda Center site in Anaheim, Calif. will be a welcome component of the single-game elimination format that decides what team will be dancing in the NCAA Tournament later this month.
“When we go down to a neutral court in the Big West tournament, it’s got to be the same thing (as at home),” Callero said. “We’re not going to Disneyland, we’re going to Anaheim and we’re going to play basketball games there.”