Men’s Basketball Team Achieves Best Season in History
Both Men’s and Women’s Teams Take Part
in NCAA Championships for First Time in Campus’ History

Ioana Patringenaru | March 17, 2008

UCSD’s men’s basketball team ended its best season in history Friday with an appearance in the NCAA’s Division II regional tournament in Anchorage, Alaska. The Tritons fell to the home team, the University of Alaska at Anchorage, in spite of stand-out performances by sophomore Jordan Lawley and senior Henry Patterson.

Clint Allard said athletes' experience helped them win a CCAA title.

A day later, the women’s team reached the semifinals of their NCAA regional tournament in Seattle, Wash. They too were victims of the home team, Seattle Pacific University, in spite of a solid lead for the first half of the game.

It is the first time in the history of UCSD’s basketball program that both the women’s and men’s teams reached the NCAA’s Division II regional tournaments. It’s the men’s first time at that level. Coach Chris Carlson’s squad made it out of conference play for the first time this year, to go on and win a CCAA championship before heading to regionals. The women had won their regional competition last year.

These achievements are all the more significant in that the men’s coach, Carlson, and women’s coach, Charity Elliott, have been on staff for just one season, said Earl Edwards, UCSD’s director of athletics.

“What Chris and Charity did is really phenomenal,” he said. “It’s a tribute to their outstanding coaching abilities, which is why I hired them.”

Carlson came to UCSD from UCLA and Elliott from Portland State University last June. Both worked for Division I schools before coming to San Diego. Edwards said he hoped their presence would give the school’s basketball program a major boost. But he added he didn’t expect it would come so early.

Henry Patterson praised coach Chris Carlson for his encouraging and positive personality.

The teams’ results mean that UCSD now will be considered as an elite Division II basketball program, Edwards said. That, in turn, will help with recruiting outstanding athletes, he added. The athletics director also predicted that better results will help recruit more high-profile coaches to other sports as well. In January, UCSD recruited Jon Pascale from Stanford, a Division I school, as the campus’ new men’s soccer coach.

When asked whether UCSD had any plans to take its athletics programs to Division I, Edwards replied that the NCAA recently put in place a four-year moratorium on anyone moving up to that level. “You really can’t make any plans right now,” he said.

Last weekend, Edwards, more than a dozen parents and a handful of alumni cheered the men’s basketball team on in their quest for an NCAA Division II title in Anchorage after winning the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship March 8 in California.

This year’s team believed they could win and stayed focused throughout the season, Carlson said. UCSD’s men’s squad also had some success early on in the season, which propelled athletes all the way to the CCAA championship title, the coach said.

“It’s a very special feeling because it’s the first time that happened at this university,” Carlson said. “To win with this group of student athletes makes it all the more special.”

Alexis Mezzetta dished out a career-high 12 assists against Seattle Pacific Saturday night.

The team’s first game of the season was an exhibition contest, which pitted them again UC Riverside, a Division I school. The Tritons won. Later, they also won several games in their conference on their home turf.  “We can do this,” athletes and their coach told themselves. “We can make some noise in this league.”

Many athletes on this year’s team were experienced hands and that helped UCSD win the CCAA championship, said senior Clint Allard. Teammates knew each other well and knew what it takes to win in their league, he added. Allard also praised coach Carlson.

“He really came in with a positive attitude and instilled confidence in all our players,” the student said.

Carlson allowed students to play without dwelling on games they lost or shots they missed, senior Patterson wrote in an e-mail from Anchorage. Strategically, the coach put an emphasis on defense and rebound, which allowed the team to generate strong offense based on a strong defense, he also said. Getting to the NCAA regional tournament represents the opportunity of a lifetime, Patterson wrote.

“I expect to compete to the best of my ability,” he wrote before Friday’s game. “I expect our team to play the way we've been playing all year, the way that got us to this very place, here in Anchorage, Alaska.”

To prepare for the regionals, the men’s team did a lot of stretching, Patterson wrote. Assistant coach Andy Aguinaldo made sure athletes ate the right amount at the right time. Mentally, the team has worked to build up its confidence, the senior said. Their motto is “respect everyone, fear no one.” Ultimately, on any given day, anyone can be defeated, Patterson pointed out.

Alexis Gaskin recorded 13 points with nine rebounds.

Friday, Patterson did his best to defeat the University of Alaska, adding 10 points to the game. Sophomore Lawley led the Tritons with a career-high 24 points. But the Seawolves kept their offensive pressure on in full force to start the second half of the game, securing a 80-60 victory in the end.

Meanwhile, in Seattle, coach Elliott’s squad defeated Cal State San Bernardino during the first round of their NCAA Division II regional tournament. Meaghan Noud finished with 23 points and Michelle Osier recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Alexis Gaskin anchored a defense, which held CCAA Player of the Year Vanessa Wilt to just four points.  Fellow senior guard Alexis Mezzetta dished out a career-best 10 assists for UCSD.

UCSD was the tournament’s defending champion. During the semifinals against Seattle Pacific, the Tritons led by six points at halftime and led 50-40 with 12:08 remaining in the game.  But the Falcons outscored UCSD’s team 36-17 for the remainder of the game to earn a spot in the Region Championship game today against Alaska Anchorage. 

This season, the women’s team enjoyed success early on, with a win during a tournament that took place at Disneyland. But they soon confronted a series of challenges. Some teammates lacked game-time experience. Key players were injured. “We had people step up and it’s been fun,” Elliott said. “In the last six weeks, we’ve figured out who we are as a team.”

Elliott’s squad missed the CCAA championship title by just six points before flying off to Seattle for their NCAA regional tournament. Elliott and Carlson both said they tried to focus on one game at a time during their competitions last weekend. “It’s called ‘survive in advance’,” the women’s coach said.