Hey Aggie fans,
I have been putting together previews of UCSB opponents for the benefit of my fellow Gaucho fans. For the conference games I've been asking a fan of the other school to share their perspective and for the second season now, BlueGoldAg has done so. You can check this out on the Gaucho board (I don't want to hassle with reformatting it here): https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/ucsbgauchos/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22813&p=110478#p110478
You're welcome to join our discussion there if you like.
For your benefit, here is my overview of UCSB:
Meet the Gauchos
Season Preview
Year two of the Joe Pasternack era at UCSB has a very different flavor than the first. It was a record setting beginning for the coach as he took a 6 win team all the way to a 23 win season, tying the school record for victories and the Big West Conference record for turnaround. Helping the new coach achieve this success was a very experienced roster with three returning starters and two grad transfers that became starters. Unfortunately, the bulk of that roster has graduated and to repeat the success, he has had to do it with mostly new players. Good thing for UCSB, Pasternack and his staff have worked extremely hard to bring in a very talented mix of freshmen and transfers. And the one returning starter he does have is a great one, leading scorer and First Team All Big West guard Max Heidegger.
Pre-season prognosticators were not sure what to make of the Gauchos, they lost so much but the talent coming in is the best in the Big West conference. They were picked to finish anywhere from 6th to first.

Season summary
Star player, Max Heidegger, has played just five games after sitting out much of the season with a concussion and a minor leg injury. His shot has been off and he is not the same player we saw last year. With Max either not playing or coming off the bench as he recovers, UCSB has an entirely new starting lineup from a year ago.

When their defense was solid in the 7 game stretch following a bad loss to North Dakota State, they went 6-1 with the lone loss to Washington whom they held to 5 points below their season average. The wheels fell off against Rice and Nebraska Omaha giving up an average of 87 points, resulting in one OT victory and a double-digit loss but improved to allow just 65 vs. Idaho St and held USF to 8 points below their season average in that big Gaucho win. They held Poly to just 56. The Gauchos started the season as a mediocre three-point shooting team but have been improving in this regard outside of the rusty Heidegger. Three of the starters (Ramsey, McLaughlin and Davis) are coming back after a year off so some early season rustiness was not surprising. Ar’Mond Davis in particular has really stepped up and has taken over the team scoring lead while also being a high energy rebounder. Point Guard Devearl Ramsey is doing a very nice job running the offense and has been on fire from deep of late while showing off his quickness in penetrating deep into the defense.

Coach Joe Pasternack
Coach Pasternack set the bar pretty high his first year with the aforementioned school and conference records. With a three star and a 3-4 star recruit in his 2019 recruiting Coach P is continuing to get it done on the recruiting trail. With so many new pieces this season, it will be a great test of his abilities & system to see if he can match last year’s success. Pasternack comes to UCSB after a successful stint under Sean Miller at the U. Arizona, where he rose to an Associate HC role. He has also been an assistant to Ben Braun at Cal and was a Head Coach at the University of New Orleans, right after the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. He got his start as a student assistant at the University of Indiana under Bob Knight.

The Roster
The Gauchos experienced major turnover and with leading returner Max Heidegger out for much of the season, have played an entirely new starting 5 for all but two games this year. Besides the major roster turnover, the biggest difference is depth. UCSB had been playing 11 guys regularly with only two starters averaging more than 30 minutes per game and 10 of the 11 averaging 10 mpg or more. Over the past couple games, Pasternack has shortened the rotation a bit with 9 players now seeing regular minues. The bench is providing about 30% of the offense compared to 17% last season. Seven different players have led the team in scoring this year, pick your poison.

Probable Starters
Devearl Ramsey: #4 PG, RS Sophomore. 6’0”, 185 lb 12.3 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3 rpg, 30 mpg, 46% from the field, 43% from three and 81% from the FT line. A very athletic and exciting point guard that can drive, Ramsey is eligible this year after the requisite red shirt season after transferring from Nevada. A highly recruited 3-4* player out of high school, his defense is fantastic and helps UCSB shore up it’s Achilles heel from last year, guarding quick point guards. He has become the most accurate shooter from deep for the Gauchos, showing massive improvement as the season has progressed. A vocal leader, he has been named team captain. His aggressive play and ability to penetrate defenses creates opportunities. His blitzkrieg approach sometimes leads to him forcing the issue and make poor passes leading to turnovers, has a 1.6 A/TO ratio. Coming off a career high 20 pts vs. UCR

JaQuori McLaughlin: #3 Guard, RS Sophomore 6’4, 190 lb 11.3 ppg, 3.5 apg, 37% from three, 31 mpg. Another transfer, McLaughlin came to UCSB from Oregon State where he set the freshman record for three pointers made. He can play either guard position. He is the fourth Gaucho averaging double figures and is third in assists but gets most praise from Coach Pasternack for his defense. As a starting shooting guard and a back-up point, he leads the team in minutes played. After a bit of a slow shooting start, he has really improved, and has provided some clutch shooting.

Ar’Mond Davis: #1 Wing, 6‘6”, 190 lb 13.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 33% from three, 1.8 apg, 28 mpg. Grad Transfer (Alabama). Davis sat out last year with an injury after playing the 6th man role at Alabama his junior year. Prior, he excelled at the College of Southern Idaho, earning a top 5 ranking at the JC level. He is athletic and loves to score but has been doing a great job on the boards too. After a couple clunkers to start the season, he became the go-to guy for the Gauchos, even with Heidegger back. He can drive through the paint or hit from deep. Is second on the team in FT attempts, hitting them at 82%. He is high energy on the rebounding front and is second on the team in that category. His FG% is improving as the season progresses, a result of both shaking off the rustiness and improved shot selection.

Jarriese Blackmon: #2 Forward, Senior, 6’7”, 220 lb 5.1 ppg, 4.5 rbg, 1.1 blocks pg. 20 mpg Blackmon’s high energy and athleticism have been what has earned him the starting role with Heidegger out with injuries. He comes off the bench when Heidegger is available but is still playing significant minutes. Blackmon leads the team in blocks and is third in rebounding. Coach Pasternack call’s him the team’s glue guy for his unselfishness and team first attitude. He has impressed all the Gaucho fans with just how much he has improved in all facets of his game over last year. He has some decent moves within the arc and is shooting 56% from the field. Sprained an ankle at the end of the Poly game as was less effective vs. UCR.

Amadou Sow: #12 Forward, Freshman, 6’9”, 235 lb 10.8 ppg, 6.3 rbg. 22 mpg. One of the more highly rated recruits in Gaucho history, Sow turned down the likes of Cal, Illinois and Wichita State to come to UCSB. The athletic freshman demonstrated range to outside the arc in high school but has stuck to patrolling the paint at UCSB. The only true big that starts, Sow is showing improvement in his defense. Still suffers freshman mistakes at times and needs to improve on handling double-teams. Had a monster game vs. USF, earning him BW POW honors but followed it up with a stinker vs. Cal Poly, then came back big time vs. UCR with 22 pts and 9 rebounds and two blocks.

Main Reserves
Max Heidegger: #21 Guard, Junior. 6‘3”, 180 lb, 9.8 ppg, 13-15 FTs, 4-25 from three, 3.4 apg. ATO ratio of 5.7, 24 mpg. Has played just five games after sitting out most of the season with a concussion and a minor leg injury. The Gauchos star player from a year ago, Max had one of the biggest leaps in improvement in Gaucho hoops history from his freshman to sophomore years. An amazing talent, he is a terrific three pointer shooter with NBA range, setting the school record for threes, and can drive & finish. A very capable ball handler, he can run the point but will play the off-guard position most of the time. His fitness is not there yet and his shooting percentages right now are terrible but his shot should return. His best game may have been against Idaho State where he did an amazing job of being a facilitator dishing 8 assists and his teammates really benefited with a bevy of wide open looks.

Jay Nagle: #5 Wing, Freshman. 6’8”, 205 lb 4.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 43% from three The son of basketball coach, Nagle was the first HS recruit signed by Pasternack. A terrific outside shooter but not the quickest or best athlete, he is still effective on defense with high basketball IQ. Has seen his role increase as the season has progressed and is now averaging 15 mpg. Possibly the second best outside shooter after Heidegger but generally does not look for his shot. Has taken a slight step back in conference games.

Sekou Toure: #0 Guard, Freshman, 6’5”, 185 lb 5.1 ppg, 3.3 rbg 10 mpg Lightly recruited, Toure made great strides his senior year at Prolific Prep where Sow also attended, averaging 16ppg and 8 boards; UCSB may have got a steal in him. Toure has terrific skills in slashing through the defense and finishing, shooting an impressive 60% from the field. He is an emerging threat on offense for the Gauchos. His defense is well above average, especially for a freshman and he pulled down a game preserving, leaping offensive rebound against USF. Is a freshman and has plenty of room for improvement, he should continue to see more & more PT as the season goes on. Had a poor game vs. UCR.

Robinson Idehen: #35 F/C, Sophomore, 6’10”, 230 lb 4.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg. 11 mpg Shooting 68% from the field. A JC transfer, the strong & athletic forward is showing improvement and is often first big off the bench.

Ami Lakoju: #14 Center, Senior, 6’9” 260 lb, 3.0 ppg, 6 mpg A physical presence, Ami has been prone to foul trouble over his career and is still struggling with that this season. Has seen his minutes replaced by Idehen & Blackmon. Has had two double-double games, both against non-D1 competition. Played good defense vs. Poly, 2 blocks to go along with 5 rebounds and no fouls in just 7 minutes, followed up by a 4 point, four rebound performance in just 6 minutes vs. UCR

Limited Roles
Max Kupchack: #10 Forward, Senior. 6’7”, 205 lb 6 mpg. Son of Mitch Kupchak. Has played well in spot minutes.

Christian Terrell: #23 Wing, Junior, 6’5”, 200lb 3.1 ppg. 14 mpg. “CT” is said to be the best athlete on the team with great hops and is considered a very good defender. He does not have great range but he has taken the role of facilitator and taking only high percentage shots in games against D1 opponents (though he chucked up a bunch of threes vs Bethesda, missing all of them which killed his fg%). The first guy off the bench last season and the first portion of this season, he has been losing minutes to Nagle and Toure. DNP vs. Poly and just 1 minute vs. UCR.

Injured
Zach Moore: #34 Guard, RS Junior. 6’5”, 210 lb 8 mpg. A starter at Seattle before transferring to UCSB, Moore averaged about 11ppg and made 74 threes his sophomore year for the Redhawks. Provides another outside threat, is 3-5 from deep this season. He has played little since the return of Heidegger. Has not been dressed the past few games but no official word on his situation has been provided by the university.


About UCSB
Record vs. Davis: This will be the 68th meeting between the schools with the Gauchos holding a 38-29 advantage. The schools first played in 1939, splitting a two game series with Davis getting the inaugural victory. Like that first year, the two teams split the series last season, each winning on the other team’s court. Davis won the second meeting in February.

Hoops history. UCSB has been an above-average mid-major the past 25 years but has not been able to break through with a type of season that would garner national attention. Its hey-day was in the late 80s/early 90s when the Big West conference rivaled the then Pac 10 for hoops superiority in the West, comparable to what the WCC is doing today. At that time, UNLV was a power and UCSB had a couple major upsets of the Rebels when they were ranked in the top 5 of the country. The Gauchos were the last team to beat UNLV before the Rebels went on to win the National Championship in 1990. Those Rebels would not lose again until to Duke in the Final Four the following year. Also in 1990, the Gauchos won their only NCAA tournament game ever, defeating Houston in the first found before losing to top seed Michigan State by 3. During this time the crowds were among the best in the country and the Campus Events Center earned the nick-name of “The Thunderdome.” Sadly, present-day crowds make a mockery of that name. Under previous coach Bob Williams, who led the program for 19 years, the Gauchos got to the NCAA tournament three times and the NIT twice, never winning a game. Our most famous basketball alum is Brian Shaw who won three NBA championships with the Lakers in the early 2000s and is back with the Lakers as Associate HC.

Gauchos in the NBA
Alan Williams, 2015, school’s all-time rebounding leader, under the new NBA Two-Way contract with the Brooklyn Nets (Long Island Nets) and formerly with the Phoenix Suns. Leading the G-Leauge lead in rebounding while averaging 21 ppg. Had an interesting week in he was granted being waived in order to sign a big contract in China. That fell through and they brought him back where he finally played with the NBA Nets and had an outstanding game with 8 points and 8 boards in just 9 minutes of play.
James Nunnally, 2012, was a deep bench reserve forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves but was waived last week.


The School: Once more known as a party school (and it certainly was when I was there way back when!), it has grown to become one of the best universities in the country, consistently in the top 40 of the school ratings. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more beautiful campus location, surrounded on two sides by the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains behind. It is more sedate now but still has the surf and bikinis in January. Although in a bit of a lull right now, the soccer team has had a lot of success, winning the National Championship in 2006 and created a fantastic following as the school led the country in attendance for more than 10 consecutive years. The school responded by investing into their stadium and UCSB just hosted their second College Cup (Final 4) this December.