The CSU East Bay basketball team opened up the 2011 campaign in grand fashion defeating Dominican University by a 20 point margin.

In their home opener and first game of the season, the Pioneers displayed a completely revamped team under the direction of coach Will Biggs, defeating Dominican University by a final score of 88-68 in front of a large crowd at the Pioneer Gym.

The Pioneer fans got their first view of the team which brought in 10 new players over the offseason to join the five returning players from last season.

CSUEB shot 50.7 percent from the floor and converted 9 of 18 three-pointers.

Junior and returning player Mark Samuels, who averaged 14.3 points per game last season, led the scoring for the Pioneers with 29 points, followed by Jacari Whitfield, who scored 17 points, and Roshun Wynne, who contributed 11 points in the victory.

In his Pioneer debut, freshmen Whitfield landed 7 of 8 points from the field, and 3 of 4 three-pointers.

Whitfield, who played three years at Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, is expected to make a noticeable impact on the court this season.

While at St. Joseph, Whitfield was named All-league three times and led the team to a Division V State Championship.

“My role on this team is to be a point guard which means doing whatever it takes to make sure my team gets a victory and that’s on the offensive and defensive ends. Make sure I put us in the position to win whenever I am in the game,” said Whitfield.

“We have a great group with all the same common goals and we’re very talented with a great coaching staff. With whatever we lack we’re going to make up for it with effort and determination.”

The Pioneers hit the ground running against Dominican University jumping out to an early 11-3 lead four minutes into the first quarter.

The Pioneers never trailed in the game leading by as much as 22 points in the fourth quarter before officially closing it out.

In a very competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association Division II, the Pioneers will try to keep pace with the rest of the conference and a 1-0 early record puts them in the right direction.

The Pioneers will continue to need dominant performances on the part of their lead players, such as from third year veteran and lead scorer from a year ago, Mark Samuels, who is expected to have another good year statistically.

“I felt like we played well versus Dominican, we played good defense and team ball, which is going to be the key to our success,” said Samuels.

“It’s obviously a good way to start the season off with a win but the first game gives us an idea and starting point on which we want to build from as the season progresses.”
The Pioneers will travel to San Francisco to face Academy of Art Unversity on Wednesday then to Monmouth Oregon to face Western Oregon this weekend.

“I definitely think this team is and will be better than last year’s team; I feel like we have more talent and more character. Our guys really understand what it will take to be good in a real hard-nosed conference that is filled with competition,” said Samuels.

“I think our performance will be based on our team’s work ethic and will to win. We know that the road to a championship isn’t an easy one and we will have to face adversity to reach that opportunity but this year’s team will show the change and positive progression of the East Bay basketball program at the Division II level. We are very excited to compete this year, and we have been working hard all summer for this time of the year.”

Although the season is still very young, many have taken note of the potential of this new basketball team on the CSUEB campus, including Athletic Director Debby DeAngelis.

“These guys are very fast and you can feel their energy on the court, and I encourage everyone to come out and see them play,” said DeAngelis.

“It’s definitely looking to be an exciting year for Pioneer basketball.”

In the end, the Pioneers believe it will be the support of the university as a whole that will further ignite this team to perform to their highest level possible and compete with the tough CCAA competition.

This year marks the first official year of the NCAA Division II membership for the Pioneers, which means they are eligible to compete in the championships.

“This is a new year and we are very committed to turning this whole program around,” said Whitfield.

“All we need is support, passion, and encouragement to achieve things this school hasn’t seen in a long time.”

TP*= The Pioneer