PLNU MEN'S BASKETBALL TO LEAVE NO DOUBT IN 2024-25

(SAN DIEGO) Leave no doubt.

That’s the mindset PLNU Men’s Basketball is taking into the 2024-25 season, as the three-time defending PacWest champions look to return to the NCAA West Regional for the seventh time in eight seasons.

“I tasked our seniors with our theme for the year,” Head Coach Justin Downer said. “It’s rare you get a nucleus like ours back, and I thought I couldn’t do justice to put words to their experience and desires, so they came up with ‘Leave No Doubt.’”

Point Loma returns 12 players from last season’s PacWest title team that reached the conference tournament championship game and somehow didn’t hear its name called on Selection Sunday when the NCAA Tournament was announced, despite its 21-9 overall (15-5 PacWest record).

“We talked about it for one day and that was the night of the selection show,” Downer said of being snubbed from last year’s tournament. “It hasn’t been brought up since and it doesn’t need to be brought up. We thought we were deserving and thought we should’ve got in, but ultimately we didn’t control what we could’ve controlled.

“As a result, we put it in the hands of someone else. The lesson learned is you don’t put your fate in the hands of someone else. We don’t talk about it, but there’s an energy around it that we’re not going to leave any doubt this year. We’re not going to leave anything to chance and we’re going to control our own destiny.”

While Point Loma doesn’t want to leave any doubt regarding its postseason fate this year, the team’s motto for the season goes well beyond just its play on the court.

“We certainly want to leave no doubt on the floor, but what we came to realize is that we wanted to leave no doubt in who we are, who we represent, the university we serve, and honoring the Lord,” Downer said. “The standard of excellence our players and program hold ourselves to could never be ousted by any outside expectation.

“This team aims to leave no doubt to themselves, their teammates, and the community as we embark on this journey.”

That journey features a lot more continuity entering this season, as Downer begins year two of his head coaching tenure with twice as many returners as the team had entering his first year at the helm.

“It’s nice to be in year two and to have everything put in place,” Downer said. “Little things like conducting a timeout and what my formatting should be. I don’t have to think of that anymore. I’m happy to have our habits, disciplines and procedures in place going into year two.”

In fact, Point Loma is the only known NCAA Division I or Division II program to not have graduated a single scholarship player or have a player leave via the transfer portal.

“We’re aligned with our players and we’re aligned with our university,” Downer said. “A lot of credit goes to not only our program but the university for providing a place where our guys want to go to school. Overall, it makes me very proud because it means that we are who we say we are to our players.

“Our players believe it and our players are getting better because of it, and they believe in their future here. We wear it as a badge of honor and we’re very thankful to have a high retention rate in today’s climate.”

ROSTER

While Downer recognizes the benefits of returning practically his entire squad from a season ago, he believes that is only an advantage early in the season.

“We’ve been talking about that it’s an advantage early, but our ceiling isn’t different than anybody else’s ceiling,” Downer said. “We return 12 players. If we would’ve returned zero players, our growth every day would be much higher than our growth right now every day. Our growth right now with 12 returners is very small in the 1% every single day.

“If we take that for granted because we will be ahead of others early, everyone else is going to catch us and once they catch us then it’s everyone’s game. We’re walking around a little bit paranoid with a bit of a chip on our shoulder, approaching every day as an opportunity to get better.”

Last year’s squad dealt with tremendous adversity, finishing the year with just seven healthy scholarship players because of a slew of season-ending injuries. What that did allow, however, was for other players to step up and gain valuable experience on the court.

“We learned that everybody is capable,” Downer said. “When we’re all rolling in the right direction, it doesn’t really matter whose night it is as long as we continue to prepare the right way.”

With the return of 12 players this year, competition for playing time will be at an all-time high.

“What’s been really cool is not one guy had a bad summer,” Downer said. “Every single player came back bigger, faster, stronger and better at basketball. They’re hungry and motivated. Our culture is in a great place and everyone is fighting for minutes. That’s been a healthy competition for us.”

While Downer acknowledges the increased competition for minutes, his focus is on the efficiency of players while they’re on the court.

“I’m much less concerned about everybody’s playing time and I’m more attacking everybody’s ability to be efficient,” Downer said. “We’re really attacking that every shot is its own shot, every play is its own play, so that we can still be as efficient as deep as we are. 

“The reality is there’s two more spots in the rotation just getting Zack Paulsen’s and Coby Barnes’ minutes back down to earth a little bit. There’s minutes to be had there.”

PERSONNEL

One of the players coming back from injury is senior guard Luke Haupt, a First Team All-PacWest and D2CCA All-West Region performer from 2022-23, who missed all last year because of an injury suffered in that season’s PacWest Tournament championship game.

“It steadies everybody,” Downer said of Haupt’s return. “Not many people are fortunate to have their best player sit out a year and when he returns, his best skill is passing. It’s unique. You’re not returning a guy who’s ball dominant and demands the rock. He’s actually going to be giving shots to everyone else. We’re really excited about that.

“He’s going to play as a primary ball handler. He hasn’t done a lot of that in his career but he’s going to play a lot of traditional point guard for us and we’re really excited to see him grow in that role. I think people are going to be shocked at how much better he’s gotten.”

The Sea Lions bring back their trio of All-Conference performers from a season ago, all seniors this year, in guard Zackry Paulsen (15.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), guard Coby Barnes (11.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and forward Wynton Brown (10.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg). Paulsen also was named the PacWest Newcomer of the Year and a D2CCA All-West Region honoree.

“Last year we saw tremendous growth from Coby Barnes, and saw Zack Paulsen go from a Second Team All-Conference player in the GNAC to a Player of the Year candidate,” Downer said. “We expect Zack and Coby to be a lot more of the same. They’ve played in every high-pressure situation you could possibly be in. Having those guys is huge.

“Wynton, just being year two, not only as a big but as a junior college transfer, it's just a different way of life a little bit. Watching him settle in has been awesome.”

Downer also highlighted the team’s sophomore class, which features Luke Smith (9.2 ppg, 29 starts), Tyce Paulsen (9.7 ppg, PacWest Freshman of the Year), Jaden Matingou (played in all 30 games) and Andrew Hommes, who missed last season because of injury.

“That sophomore class is special,” Downer said. “They’re really good and having Andrew Hommes reclassify with that redshirt year into that class, they’re the future of this program and there’s going to be nights where they’re the best players on the floor.

“We’re really excited that the sophomores are super excited to play with the seniors and the seniors are super excited to play with the sophomores, because as good as Zack, Coby, Luke and Wynton are, our ceiling is those young guys.”

Junior guard Jake Lifgren is expected to return to the court from injury sometime this year, as is transfer guard Mason Shifflett who comes to The Point from Montevallo.

Lifgren led the Sea Lions with 18.1 ppg in 14 games last season before suffering a season-ending injury, while Shifflett averaged double-digit points for his career at Montevallo, including 14.0 ppg in 2022-23 before being limited to just two games last season.

“It's crazy that two of our best three or four shooters won’t start the season for us and that speaks to the shooting on this team,” Downer said. “We’re taking it day-by-day with both of them.”

The team also brings back senior forward Pierce Davis, junior center Matur Dhal and senior guard Nick Watkins.

The squad also added three freshmen in forward Tommy Wight, forward David Scariano and guard Tyler Curvy.

“What a difficult responsibility for them, first of all, walking in as freshman on a team that returns what it does,” Downer said. “They've come in and they've competed. They've made us better every single day, have added to our depth and have been some of our hardest workers.

“I couldn't be prouder of the start that they're off to. They have a bright future ahead of them on The Point, on and off the floor.”

SCHEDULE

Point Loma faces several tests early in the season, beginning on Monday in Tucson at NCAA Division I Arizona, ranked No. 10 in the preseason AP Poll.

The Sea Lions will then travel to Lakeland, Florida to take part in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, the most prestigious in-season NCAA Division II tournament, with games against Fort Lewis on Saturday and Florida Southern on Sunday.

PLNU’s non-conference schedule also features road games at back-to-back West Region champion Cal State San Bernardino (Nov. 16) and Saint Martin’s (Nov. 23). In between those two road contests, the team will play its home opener in Golden Gym on Nov. 19 against Cal State San Marcos.

The Sea Lions will also host the PLNU Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 against Seattle Pacific and Central Washington.

“In order to be the best you have to play the best,” Downer said. “When our season is on the line, we want to know where we're at and we want to have been tested. Adversity makes the best version of all of us, so we try and schedule the best teams we can possibly schedule.

“Traditionally, we're going to play a lot of teams that were in the top-10 of the RPI to finish the year last year, and that's what we want. When we get opportunities to play in Florida at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, the answer is never going to be no. When the top teams in the CCAA and GNAC want to play, we’re going to play them. Hopefully at the end of the year the committee honors that.”

Point Loma will then open its PacWest title defense on Dec. 5 at Dominican, the host of the PacWest Championships (March 6-8) after a 20-game conference regular season.

PLNU will then hope to make it back to the NCAA West Regional (March 14-17), with the NCAA Elite Eight (March 25-29) to follow in Evansville, Indiana.

“I don’t really care who we play, we expect to win every time we walk in the door,” Downer said. “I know lot of our fans, our community, are excited not only for the level of play hopefully this season but a lot of familiar faces which is really rare in college basketball right now.

“We’re excited too, but no one has higher expectations than we do of ourselves and we’re excited to compete one game at a time.”

For the team's full schedule, click HERE.