Farm vs. Farm, Redux

Those who chose to skip Thursday night's episode of Community or forgo the Freeborn Hall appearance of electronic music wunderkind Porter Robinson in favor of the UC Davis women's lacrosse season finale against Stanford certainly appreciate their decision.

For the official recap of the game, head to the main athletics website. You can read the basic blow-by-blow here. The shorter version is that the Aggies gave their senior class the ultimate sendoff with a 15-14 overtime upset of 14th-ranked Stanford. The win ended a streak of more than 13 years and 19 Cardinal series victories. The last time UC Davis had beaten Stanford in women's lacrosse was on April 2, 2000.

For some context, among the events in April 2000 was the custody battle for Elian Gonzalez, the opening of AT&T Park and Metallica's lawsuit against Napster.

It also continued what has become an interesting matchup against Stanford across all of our sports. I'd argue that a victory over the Cardinal feels more satisfying than one over our "official" rival Sacramento State. Part of it is Stanford's relative stature: it's an exemplary athletics department who fields successful teams while maintaining the highest academic standards (perhaps to their own detriment at time). Their coaches still teach P.E. classes, just like ours. Whether we want to admit it or not, UC Davis looks to Stanford as a role model as it continues to grow its Division I athletics program -- they are what we aspire to be.

Plus, they're just damn good. It's the proverbial David & Goliath story. You know, if David used a yellow ball and a Harrow Sports stick instead of a stone and a sling.

* * * * *

Any Aggie win over the Cardinal harkens back to the 2005-06 school year, when UC Davis defeated Stanford six times in five different sports. For those who need a refresher on that, here's how it went:

MEN'S SOCCER: UC Davis 1, Stanford 0 (Sept. 4) 
Dan Campbell scored the match's lone goal 29 seconds after entering the game for an injury substitution

FOOTBALL: UC Davis 20, Stanford 17 (Sept. 17)
Jon Grant orchestrated an 11-play, 72-yard scoring drive that ended on a three-yard TD strike to Blaise Smith with eight seconds remaining.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: UC Davis 64, Stanford 58 (Dec. 4)
Phil Rasmussen had 18 points and nine rebounds and Kyle Brucculeri hit two key three-pointers to lead the Aggies to their first win of the season in front of a crowd of 5,386.

WRESTLING: UC Davis 38, Stanford 6 (Jan. 27)
In the one sport where UC Davis was arguably the favorite, Aggies won all seven bouts contested, including a third-round pin by 141-pounder Derek Moore. The only Cardinal team points came from an injury forfeit.

BASEBALL: UC Davis 3, Stanford 0 (May 26); UC Davis 8, Stanford 3 (May 27).
Senior Michael Potter fired a three-hit shutout to beat the Cardinal at Sunken Diamond on a Friday night game. The following day, this time at UC Davis' Dobbins Stadium, Vince DeCoito went 8.2 innings and Aaron Hanke launched a three-run shot in the third to lead the Aggies to an 8-3 victory and the team's only series win of the year.

The last time UC Davis beat a ranked Stanford team was a little more than a year ago, when softball sniped a 2-1 win over the then-No. 8 Cardinal. JJ Wagoner hit a one-out triple in the seventh, then freshman Cassie Ginnis knocked in the walk-off RBI single on the next at-bat.

The Aggie softball team nearly took a second upset from Stanford later that year. Justine Vela had a no-hitter going into the fourth when rain halted the game before it could count as an official contest. Trailing 2-0 at the stoppage, the 19th-ranked Cardinal escaped a season sweep a la baseball seven years earlier. Perhaps that tree mascot started frantically doing a rain dance over on Galvez after Kelly Harman hit her two-run homer in the first inning.

* * * * *

But back to lacrosse.

That the upset took place on Senior Night is hardly a coincidence: besides the obvious emotional boost that surrounds such an event, the five seniors all played huge roles in the victory. The win was just as much because of them as it was for them.

#27 Elizabeth Datino: The UC Davis career assist leader and No. 2 all-time scorer did what she does best, she scored goals. Five of them, in fact. Her final goal in a UC Davis uniform was the game-winner with 2.5 seconds left in overtime. Datino is a future Aggie Hall of Famer who scored 149 career goals. None will be more memorable to her than the last one.

#13 Hannah Mirza: The Aggies' all-time leader in draw controls added a team-high five of that stat to her total, bringing it to 170. She also scored the equalizer with less than two minutes in regulation, forcing the overtime; then had the huge ground ball pickup that became an assist to Meghan Jordan to retie the game at 14-14 with a minute left in OT. When Stanford took possession at that point, all the Cardinal had to do was protect the ball and kill the clock. Mirza's hustle gave UC Davis one more chance.

#8 Tess Alekna: Two ground balls and a caused turnover, including one of each on a blocked pass in the second three-minute overtime. She also beat out a couple of Stanford attackers to win the loose ball caused by Mary Doyle's stick check late in regulation. With the Cardinal beginning to click on offense down the stretch, these plays proved to be huge momentum-changers.

#23 Stephanie Guercio: Like Alekna, her contributions did not appear on the boxscore quite like those of her more attack-oriented teammates, although two draw controls and two ground balls marks a solid game any way you look at it. However, she literally infuriated Stanford players with her relentlessly aggressive play. Every sport has a sizable mental aspect. Though it does not show up on the stat sheet, I'd bet no Aggie got into the Cardinal players' heads like my favorite Long Islander.

#6 Anna Geissbuhler: Okay, I'll admit a real soft spot for her finale. A three-year starter and one of the program's career assists leaders, Anna had seen relatively little action as a senior. Nonetheless, she got the start and made the most of it. No, Geissbuhler didn't add to her career offensive totals, but she came up huge in that final minute. After Jordan's goal made it 14-14 with 53 seconds left, whichever team won the next draw would get the lone remaining opportunity to win the game before a sudden-victory period. Lacrosse has no shot clock, meaning a team with possession in its attacking third can take the maximum amount of time to set up for one shot and one shot only.

The ball bounced around like in a pinball machine as both teams battled for that last chance. Geissbuhler came from almost out of nowhere to control the draw, then immediately crossed into the attacking end to allow the Aggies to set up on offense.

Did I say one shot only? Correction: because of Geissbuhler, it was two. Mirza took what should have been the final shot, and missed wide. Like a basketball team crashing the offensive boards, Geissbuhler rounded up the ground ball and delivered to Datino, whose second-chance shot split the pipes for the GW.

When head coach Kate Henwood addressed the players and families at the postgame reception in the Bruce Edwards Club Room, she summed it up by saying, "You can't write a better story." Believe me, I know. As she said this, I was working on the official recap, trying to do it justice while clinging to a "just the facts" level of objectivity. I knew I couldn't do it justice. Even now, with this blog allowing me another crack at it, I still can't do it.

May 1 update: UC Davis softball continued the Farm vs. Farm ’13 run with a 5-4 victory at LaRue Field. This marks three straight victories, all in the final dramatic moments of the contest, for Aggie teams against Stanford in a span of about five weeks. Nick Lynch rapped a two-out RBI single in the ninth to lead UC Davis baseball to a 2-1 victory on March 26, Datino had the game-winner in lacrosse's April 25 season finale, then shortstop Christa Castello delivered a two-run, bases-loaded single to cap a three-run seventh.

Let the mad scramble begin for fall-sports coaches to become the next team to host Stanford. There's some good mojo going, and the streak is still alive.

Mark Honbo, assistant athletics communications director, serves as the primary contact for five sports: men's water polo, women's volleyball, women's gymnastics, women's lacrosse and women's water polo. His senior classes have included some of the very best UC Davis careers in their respective sports: Allison Whitson finished as volleyball's No. 2 leader in kills, gymnast Katie Yamamura set the school all-around and vault records... twice each, Jessica Dunn and Carmen Eggert rank among water polo's top three all-time scorers, and Riane Woods will finish second in career saves.

"Who is Ken O'Brien?"

The query above is not a Jeopardy question - at least not to UC Davis football fans - but to former NFL quarterback Dan Marino, it was one of the first things he uttered after finding out that O'Brien, and not himself, was the New York Jets' first-round pick in the 1983 NFL Draft.

Marino wasn't a happy camper and there were more than a few groans as well from the Jets faithful who crowded into the New York Sheraton waiting to hear Marino's name as the 24th pick. Marino went to Miami three picks later and I heard had an alright pro career. 

Marino recalls that moment as part of ESPN's "30 for 30" ("From Elway to Marino") documentary series that that looks back at a draft celebrated for its six quarterbacks taken in the first round. It airs at 5 p.m. (Pacific) but check, as they say, your local listings.

It's a class that saw John Elway (Stanford), Todd Blackledge (Penn State), Jim Kelly (Miami), Tony Eason (Illinois), O'Brien, and Marino (Pittsburgh) make history. Super Bowls, Pro Bowls and Hall of Fame careers were spawned on Apr. 26, 1983, and 30 years later, the celebrated draft returns to football fans' consciousness just as this year's NFL Draft takes center stage.

Ken O'Brien - BEFORE

O'Brien enjoyed a three-year UC Davis career (1980-82) that, to that point, was the best in school history. He threw for 6,637 yards, 44 touchdowns and still remains entrenched on six all-time Aggie passing charts. 

His 413 passing yards against Cal State Northridge in 1982 stood as the school record until current Aggie offensive coordinator Kevin Daft broke it (482 vs. New Haven) in 1997. 

O'Brien was a household name throughout the Division II ranks and was certainly on the draft boards of many NFL teams. Elway went with the first pick to the Baltimore Colts and was followed by Blackledge (Chiefs), Jim Kelly (Bills) and Eason (Patriots) before former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle stepped to the podium, and with a wry smile, announced a name that sent many fans scurrying for information.

In fact, one reporter even called him "Ken Davis" before correcting himself twice and calling him "Ken O'Brien". And then there's that matter of Rozelle calling the school "California-Davis".

Ken O'Brien - AFTER

While not wildly known at draft time, O'Brien did go on and stake out a successful NFL run. He threw for more than 25,000 yards during a 10-year career - all but one year with the Jets - tossed for 128 touchdowns and made it to a pair of Pro Bowls in 1985 and 1991. His 96.2 passer rating led the NFL in 1986.

O'Brien currently lives in Manhattan Beach and enjoys a successful real estate career. He's a frequent visitor to campus and alumni gatherings and remains engaged to the Aggie program.

Eason, by the way, also enjoys a UC Davis connection. His brother, Bo, was a defensive back for the Aggies while O'Brien was quarterback and now travels and performs his acclaimed play "Runt of the Litter".

By the way, who is John Elway? 

*******************************************

IT WASN'T QUITE JOHN FACENDA

Maybe it's just me, but I think any time NFL Films contacts someone, one of the following has to happen:

1) The legendary voice of the late John Facenda needs to come on and say, "Hi, this is John Facenda of NFL Films. Please hold for (insert dubbed name here)."

or

2) There needs to be the unmistakenable music of "The Power and the Glory" playing underneath the call or as an email attachment. (pause and click the link, please) Memories of Facenda narrating Super Bowl highlights with that song in the background is an indelible part of my growing up.

I'm sure I'd get goosebumps before it was my turn to talk. Then I'd probably stand up and run through a wall ready to sack a quarterback.

But, alas, that's not the way it goes. Instead, I was copied on a non-descript email in December as NFL Films looked to interview one "Kenneth O'Brien." We later sent them a photo as well. Just recently, the company got a hold of us again to approve some footage used in Tuesday's "30 for 30" episode looking back at the famed quarterback class of the 1983 NFL Draft.

Maybe I'll record myself reading the email with "The Power and the Glory" playing underneath.

*******************************************

"QUARTERBACK U"

UC Davis Football has a distinguished history from a lot of different angles. Former head coach Jim Sochor is in the College Football Hall of Fame. The program enjoyed nearly 40 consecutive winning seasons. The list of accomplished college coaches who either got their starts with the Aggies or stopped through for more experience is notable on its own.

But while USC may be known as "Tailback U", when it came to Div. II, the Aggies were definitely "Quarterback U".

Kevin Daft

No less than six UC Davis signal-callers were drafted into the NFL during the Aggies' Div. II era, a product of the program's pro-style offense that featured a potent passing attack.

Mike Moroski (Falcons, 1979), Ken O'Brien (Jets, 1983), Scott Barry (San Francisco, 1985), Jeff Bridewell (St. Louis, 1991) Kevin Daft (Tennessee, 1999) and J.T. O'Sullivan (New Orleans, 2002) each heard their names called on draft day.

Khari Jones (1991-93) staked out a prolific and MVP career in the Canadian Football League while Mark Grieb (1994-96) rewrote Arena Football League recordbooks with his impressive play.

Mike Robles is Assistant Athletics Director, Communications and will be looking for a "Photo courtesy of UC Davis Athletics" in the end credits of the "30 for 30" episode.

5,670

First of all, if you see me around the department and I seem to ignore you, please do not take it personally. In truth, I have allowed myself another 48 hours to restore my full hearing ability.

The matter of whether or not Thursday night's crowd is the largest in UC Davis men's basketball history comes down to pure numbers: it's not. On January 23, 1999, an overflowing crowd of 7,926 jammed the building then known as Recreation Hall. Fourteen years later, I think I can say under the protection of statute of limitations that the UC Davis-Chico State game probably violated a fire code or two during those years. That record will likely stay untouched, as the building's current configuration will not allow anything larger. 

But I'll take Thursday's crowd of 5,670 (ninth in school history) over anything we drew during the old Break The Record Night promotions of the late 1990s and early 2000s. In those days, the marketing & promotions office distributed thousands of free tickets to the community, particularly the local schools. As a result, half of the 7K crowds would consist of fans who, to put it nicely, had passing interest in the actual game.

For the record, here are the largest Rec Hall/Pavilion crowds in school history, at least for Aggie athletics events:

Men's Basketball: 7,926 vs. Chico State (Jan. 23, 1999)
Women's Basketball: 4,675 vs. Chico State (Jan. 23, 1999)
Women's Volleyball: 2,326 vs. Cal State Northridge (Oct. 12, 2007)
Wrestling: 5,150 vs. Iowa (Jan. 9, 2005)

The attendance record for women's gymnastics is unknown, mostly because the crowd count does not appear on any seasonal reports (and many meet reports, for that matter). Furthermore, we do not have attendance figures for the 1980, 1983 or 1991 national championships. Based on the existing records combined with the photographic evidence from those early-80s meets -- incidentally, the first time ESPN shot from that building -- the gymnastics attendance mark is 2,144, set during the 2005 "Beauty & The Beast" meet with Cal.

In Thursday's nationally televised tilt with Long Beach State, the estimates have more than 70 percent of the attendance as UC Davis undergrads (comparing the turnstile attendance to the actual tickets sold). The Aggie student-athletes took over the north-end seating in the lower bowl. Brandon Hassid, the student athletic trainer who literally was selected as "College Football's Biggest Fan" for donning body paint for every game, now had an entire row of what resembled a casting call for the Blue Man Group.

Simply put, while the BTRN crowds had more actual humans, this crowd had more decibels.

Without a doubt, this game will go down in Aggie lore alongside the UC Davis football game against Nevada in 1977, when a record 12,700 fans filled Toomey Field -- two hours prior to kickoff. (Bear in mind, the town's population was around 30,000, the university's enrolllment was just shy of 17,000, and students did not get free admission.) By all accounts, especially that of then head coach Jim Sochor, the Aggie-Wolf Pack football game boasts the most electric crowd in school history.

I'll also put it up there with the UC Davis-Iowa wrestling dual in terms of what I'll call "fan investment quotient," a qualitative measure of what percentage of a crowd is truly fanatic about the events of the contest versus the portion that treats the event as a mere social gathering. Wrestling was a program that didn't draw many casual sports fans. So a higher percentage of attendees were diehards of the sport.

Thursday night had a similar flavor. Any Aggie bucket elicited a response from every corner of the arena. That's another far cry from the BTRN crowds, which might have 500 children running around behind the bleachers, with their parents in hot pursuit.

So was Thursday a one-off? Will this become our Aggie version of Woodstock, an event that will never again be approached because all forces – national TV, a first-place visiting team, no other conflicting athletics events – conspired in its favor?

As a Facebook status the following morning, gymnast Anna Shumaker said it better than I can:

"I hope people realize last nights game doesn't have to be a one time thing. If you had a lot of fun then KEEP going to the games and other Aggie sporting events with that same Aggie pride and enthusiasm as last night and then EVERY game can be just as fun as last nights game. Just sayin."

Anna is absolutely right. Sure, the novelty of an ESPN2 broadcast drew more than a few fans who otherwise would have skipped the game. But once you were in the building, the lights and cameras took a backseat to the energy, the camaraderie of the fellow fans, and the effort put forth by the players on the court. I see no reason why fans should not continue to attend events – in all sports, mind you – and get invested in a similar manner.

But if you agree, give me a thumbs up. 'Cause I still can't hear you.

Mark Honbo, assistant athletics communications director, attended all but one of the 5,000+ games in program history (missing the 1988 Sac State game due to illness). He also wants to give a shoutout to his favorite of the many clever signs: "I've got 99 problems but The Beach ain't one."

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Excuse Ron Gould if his office doesn't feel like home yet. With the whirlwind of activity that's enveloped him over the last six weeks, he's probably not sure where home is.

Since being named head football coach in December, Gould has been immersed in recruiting, assembling a coaching staff, recruiting, meeting his team, more recruiting, and learning his way around campus.

But while his office may not have all the personal touches of home yet, it does have one thing that says all you need to know about him - TRUST. It's the fuel for his car. The word, in bold capital letters, is pasted to his door, sits on his conference table and even has a place on top of his mini-fridge.

So as we get set for the Gould's first national letter of intent signing day with the Aggies on Wednesday, those that are worried Gould and his staff haven't had enough time to put together a strong recruiting class need to remember that word - TRUST.

I've had several interactions with Coach Gould since he's come on board and each time I've walked away wishing the season started tomorrow. His enthusiasm, vision and work ethic will get the job done. TRUST me.

You'll be able to meet that recruiting class on Wednesday and we'll have it covered for you. Follow us on Twitter (@UCDavisAggies) and you'll be the first to know who's been signed, sealed and delivered. You can even join in the conversation using #UCDavisNLI.

Hop on over to Signing Day Central on www.ucdavisaggies.com which will be live on Wednesday and you can watch the recruiting class get built, get the 411 on all the newest Aggies, and even get some behind-the-scenes looks into Coach Gould and his staff's day.

The Aggies' actual fax machine was not available for a photo. 

This is his cousin.

I tried to get a photo of the our fax machine but it's being souped up, tuned up and hauled over to be in tip-top shape for Wednesday. Field hockey, track and field, cross country, soccer and men's water polo will also welcome new Aggies on Wednesday. The fax machine will certainly be churning and burning. 

SUPER BOWL CONNECTION I

Ejiro Evero was an outstanding safety for the Aggies' defense during some of the program's best years from 1999-2003. A two-time team captain, he was a part of two teams that went to the NCAA Div. II Semifinals.

Evero earned numerous honors during his junior season, including All-America honorable mention accolades while leading the team in tackles. As a senior, he was the Aggies' MVP.

Off the field he was as good a representative of UC Davis as we've had. He later coached with the Aggies, volunteered at Davis High School and for one season helped at the University of Redlands.

Evero spent three years as a defensive quality control assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but, today, he reaches the ultimate goal for any player or coach who's laced 'em up. He'll be at the Super Bowl as an offensive assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers.

He joined San Francisco as a quality control coach two years ago but today will represent the Aggies on football's biggest stage.

Ejiro Evero

He's not the only Aggie in New Orleans with the Niners' contingent. Michael Slap, who seemingly did everything, all the time as a game event manager for UC Davis Athletics from 2008-12, is a team logistics assistant for San Francisco. Basically, he's dotting all the "i's" and crossing the "t's" for all things related to team travel and much more. 

He's helping making sure the San Francisco 49ers' needn't worry about anything but getting ready for the game.

Interestingly, had the New England Patriots been able to turn back the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship two weeks ago, UC Davis would've been represented on both sidelines. 

Daniel Fells, a key part of the Aggies' football program from 2001-05, joined the Patriots as a tight end this season, helping give the team one of the best groups at that position in the NFL. Fells broke in with Atlanta in 2006, played three years with the St. Louis Rams and was part of all the Tim Tebow hoopla in Denver last year.

Fells has managed to visit Aggie Stadium during bye weeks to watch his alma mater in recent seasons. He started four games for New England this year and has more than 1,000 career receiving yards.

SUPER BOWL CONNECTION II

Associate Athletics Director Mike Bazemore is crunching a different set of numbers this week from the ones he's usually does as business manager for the Aggies.

For the 13th consecutive season, he'll end his season the way all NFL players wish they could - with a trip the Super Bowl. Serving as a spotter and statistician - something he's done for various radio and TV networks for 18 years - Bazemore will work alongside Kevin Harlan, Boomer Esiason, Jim Gray, Mark Malone and James Lofton as part of Dial Global's radio coverage of the game.

"To be asked to work the Super Bowl each of the past 13 seasons has been a great honor," Bazemore said. "This never gets old. I still get that adrenaline rush and butterflies before kickoff. But being able to work alongside some of the great people I've worked with and make a small contribution has been a blessing."

This weekend's crew is different than the one he's usually teamed with. Since 2001, he's worked almost exclusively with veteran broadcaster Marv Albert whether Marv has been on radio or, most recently, as part of CBS's coverage of the AFC. 

That's meant a lot of regular work weeks at UC Davis followed by a cross-country flight for an NFL game on Sunday, only to catch a late flight back to Sacramento for another Aggie week on Monday. He had back-to-back trips to Florida this year, along with trips to Washington, D.C., New York and other locales. 

His behind-the-scenes stats career began in 1995 when he was living in Jacksonville, Fla., and the Jaguars came into being. It's been a regular gig since.

And having Marv Albert respect your work so much that he wants you on HIS team each week is a plus as well.

Mike Robles is Assistant Athletics Director and has no rooting interest in Sunday's game, and hasn't had one since his Minnesota Vikings last played in the game when he was 12. He doesn't hold any grudges against Vikings' kicker Gary Anderson (1999) or Brett Favre (2010) for their roles in NFC Championship games that have kept it that way.

Long, Long Way From Home

Back by popular demand, I have created the second-annual UC Davis women's lacrosse home state map. I say "popular," as it was the most oft-read of my various blog posts last year. So why not make a ratings grab again in 2012?

As you can see, a majority of the 2013 roster – 14 of the 25 players, more precisely – hail from someplace beyond California's borders. On top of that, two of the three Aggie coaches also arrive from out of state. First-year head coach Kate Henwood calls Glen Mills, Pa. home, while assistant coach Amanda Kammes grew up in the Chicago area. Only volunteer assistant Hilary Harkins (Orinda, Calif.) had the grizzly bear on her state flag.

This year's map even stretched outside the U.S. borders what with the addition of freshman Ellie Delich of Coquitlam, British Columbia. She is the second Canadian to play Aggie lacrosse in recent years, joining the great Britt Farquharson (Mississauga, Ontario), who played for UC Davis in 2009 and 2010.

With only 44 percent Californians, women's lacrosse remains the department leader in interstate/international student-athletes. However, men's basketball continues to catch up. The 2012-13 roster has representation from Arizona (Ryan Howley, Corey Hawkins), Utah (Tyler Ott), Washington (Spencer Clayton), Illinois (Tyler Les), Australia (Iggy Nujic) and Canada (Olivier-Paul Betu).

Seven out of 15? One more out-of-state student and they'll get their own map.

- Mark Honbo, assistant director for athletics communications, traveled the shortest possible distance to attend UC Davis, having graduated from Davis High in 1990.

Men's Hoop Memories

Now physically separated from Hickey Gym, I have to make more strategic trips to our historical archive, which remains in a storage closet near the Dick Lewis Training Room. Odd place with an odd smell, too -- sort of a combination of weed oil, NCR paper, dust and I'm sure a few trapped rodents.

I paid a visit to finish up research for the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame nominations. (No, I won't tell you who I was looking up, but suffice to say I had to dig into our Division II non-scholarship era for a couple of candidates.) Mike Robles also visited to track down some basketball fact for another school. Apparently, UC Davis was the opponent in the first-ever three-point shot in UC Riverside men's basketball history. If this ends up on an episode of Jeopardy, Merv Griffin will roll in his grave.

Also in my hunt was information about the 1973 UC Davis softball team, which ran the table during its conference-championship season. The Aggies went 6-0 in league that year, 7-0 overall. Yes, that's correct -- only one non-league game, a 6-2 victory over Humboldt State, which would become not only a leaguemate but a great conference and region rival during Kathy DeYoung's tenure with the softball program. The team's catcher, Karen Glimstad, hit .583 (14-for-24) and slugged (.983) with 14 RBIs for the year.

However, in the hunt for our various facts and factoids, Mike and I stumbled upon two relatively obscure moments in our Aggie men's basketball team's history, neither of which appear in the boxscores and both of which I photographed for, well, you.

The first was a page in the 1984-85 scorebook:

If it hasn't already, your eyes should immediately head to the top of the image:

That's right, Aggie fans. More avid basketball enthusiasts know this already, but shortly before he began his storied NBA career, and two full decades prior to guiding San Antonio to its first league title, Gregg Popovich served at the helm of Division III Pomona-Pitzer from 1979 to 1986.

Look closely, and you'll see that Coach Hamilton's Aggies won the game, 81-61. A few other names on the UC Davis half of the sheet are worth mentioning, too. No. 20 Jason Rabedeaux later replaced Don Haskins as the head coach at UTEP. He and No. 14 Angelo Rivers are now enshrined in the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame. Oh, and don't feel bad for No. 12 Mitch Campbell with his line of zeroes in the scoresheet -- he ended up as the biggest winner, as he later married Coach Hamilton's daughter, Shana. Campbell, who once served as an associate A.D. here, is now the athletics director over at Sac City College.

By my count, Coach Hamilton went 2-0 against the Sagehens in his career, 1-0 during the time Popovich was there. And from what I can see by the scoresheet, Coach Pop didn't send any of his stars home the night before, either.

* * * * *

Then, on the subject of coaches and their early moments in the game, came the following relic:

More Aggie fans know about this story already. For those who don't go as far back, there is good reason why this moment remains dear to the long-timers. One of the two ball boys in question was Damon Eden, who later came to UC Davis to play football. The other was none other than a member of the 1998 national-champion team and a current Aggie assistant coach, Kevin Nosek.

Incidentally, the shooter of those infamous free throws was Jerry Tolman, whose roommate and teammate was a Cossack sharpshooter named Brian Fogel. Yes, that is the same Brian Fogel who served as Bob Williams' top assistant at UC Davis and who subsequently replaced Williams as Aggie head coach.

'Tis a funny thought that Kevin Nosek was less than 10 years old at the time, and yet he now serves in his 10th year on the UC Davis basketball staff. On that night, Coach Hamilton brought both Damon and Kevin over to sit next to him on the bench. Little did any of them know that a quarter-century later, Kevin would still be sitting next to the head coach on the Aggie bench.

Hmmm, maybe it's worth reminding Coach Les to keep his assistant away from the stack of towels.

-Mark Honbo, assistant athletics communications director, began serving on the UC Davis basketball stat crew at the same time Kevin became a ball boy (thanks to Kevin's older brother, Brian). More than a quarter-century later, he still serves on the UC Davis basketball stat crew, proving along with Kevin just how rooted one can get to the Aggies.

No. 1 makes a visit to UC Davis; Are you ready?

The best women's college basketball team in the country is coming to The Pavilion on Friday night and you need to be there, you need to pack the place and you need to be loud. It's as simple as that.

That team is the Stanford Cardinal, currently perched atop the AP and USA Today Coaches polls. Can you imagine the frenzy if Indiana - the top-ranked men's team right now - came to town this weekend? We need that same environment ready to welcome the Cardinal.

It won't be the first time the best college team in a sport has come to UC Davis. I mean, shoot, in 2004 the men's water polo team played No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 UCLA - on the same day! Two years later, top-ranked USC won the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship right here at Schaal Aquatics Center. Notable moments indeed.

But basketball holds our nation in its hands with its March Madness and, on the women's side, Stanford making it to the Final Four is about as assured as me going back through the Thanksgiving buffet. By the way, it's five straight times and counting. Not me and the buffet, but Stanford and the Final Four. 

The Cardinal, with their Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer, won NCAA titles in 1990 and 1992 and have been to the title game twice in the past five years. This program oozes of excellence. 

No. 1 teams just don't make trips to the homecourts of mid-majors, which makes this visit all the more interesting. Stanford's visit, part of a three-game agreement with UC Davis that ends next season, is the exception rather than the rule.

"We've developed a history with Stanford since we entered D-I," said second-year women's coach Jennifer Gross. "We have such a tremendous amount of respect for the way they do things."

It's a mutual respect that has been parlayed into five games since 2007, including a memorable matchup at Maples Pavilion two seasons ago in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies' Princeton-style offense is anything but run-of-the-mill which is why the Cardinal like to face it. In the end, Stanford will be better prepared for its annual national championship try. Heck, Gross even went down to The Farm once to help teach it to Stanford.

That's what you call mutual respect.

But this visit is different. It's the first time the Cardinal have come here ranked No. 1. Stanford did win 76-51 on Hamilton Court when it was No. 2, but the general consensus at the time was there was No. 1 UConn and then everyone else. In 2010, the Cardinal ended the Huskies' unfathomable 90-game winning streak and then put an end to defending NCAA champion Baylor's 42-game run almost two weeks ago.

No. 1 indeed.

If you polled 1,000 college basketball players, 99.99% of them would say Stanford's going to win Friday night. The other 00.01%? They'll be wearing Aggie blue and gold and trying to give the Cardinal fits with their back-door passes, crisp screens and, hopefully, accurate shooting.

Former Aggie guard Hana Asano was on Hamilton Court the last time
Stanford came to UC Davis in 2009. (Wayne Tilcock, Davis Enterprise)

"Wer'e going to try and give them our best in every category," Gross said. "We know we're going to have to do that because they're No. 1 for a reason."

But Gross, whose own team by the way has been to three WNIT's besides its NCAA appearance, isn't about to concede the court. 

"We go into every game to compete to the best of our ability and you hope you come out on top," she said. "The things we've been talking about with our team this year is we're not going to back down from anybody. And we're going to improve, and we're going to compete and we're going to get after it."

Check the all-time ledger between the schools and you'll see UC Davis with an 8-6 advantage although Stanford's had the upper hand in the past six.

The Aggies come into the weekend after going 2-0 at Houston Baptist's tournament last weekend, an event that led senior Cortney French to Big West Player of the Week honors. It's a young UC Davis team, in fact five true freshmen are on the roster along with just two seniors.

But life is all about opportunities. That was the message football coach Bob Biggs delivered to his troops in 2009 when they headed up to play No. 5 Boise State. Take advantage of this chance, he told them, because just about every other college football player in the country would love to trade places with you. You never know when life will hand you a golden opportunity. The Aggies gave the Broncos all they could handle in a 34-16 defeat, one of the closer wins in Boise State's perfect 14-0 season.

Opportunity also threw itself at tiny NAIA school Chaminade University in 1982 when it hosted No. 1 Virginia and mighty 7-foot-4 center Ralph Sampson in Hawaii. The Silverswords posted what's regarded as the greatest college basketball upset ever. In the pre-internet, pre-24 hour news cycle era, no one believed the 77-72 final score.

Friday is an opportunity and Gross and her Aggies are ready to embrace it.

"We're fortunate that a team like Stanford does respect our program and will come back because they know the kind of environment that Davis has to offer," she said of the community and the fans. "All of that together, that's the experience of a lifetime, to be able to compete against the best. 

"I don't know how many teams are on Stanford's schedule. Whatever the amount of time that they're No. 1, that's the number of teams that get that opportunity. We're going to make the most of it."

Don't let a familiarity with Stanford cause you to miss out because if you miss the Cardinal this year, you'll have to wait two years for the Aggies to host another powerhouse. 

That's when UConn comes to town. 

**************

"AGGIE SPORTS UPDATE" MAKES ITS DEBUT

While we're on the subject of "No. 1", next Tuesday marks the first edition of "Aggie Sports Update" on KSAC (105.5 FM). It's the next stage in UC Davis' parternship with the local radio station that's in its second year airing our men's basketball games.

So, what's this new show all about? Try interviews with coaches and student-athletes, recaps and updates on all 23 Aggie teams, and ticket and prize giveaways.

Hosted by longtime Aggie broadcaster Scott Marsh, with help from KSAC's Coach Phil Getman, the 30-minute "Aggie Sports Update" will air every Tuesday through basketball season at 6:30 p.m., except for holiday breaks on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. 

If you're not near a radio, you can catch a live stream on www.ucdavisaggies.com which will also archive all shows for on-demand listening later on. Plans for podcasts and maybe some show expansion could be down the road as well.

First up next Tuesday will be Aggie men's basketball coach Jim Les and women's coach Jennifer Gross to give fans updates on their seasons and their programs. Pieces are still coming together but we're excited about this new level of partnership with KSAC which has become a strong supporter of Aggie Athletics in a very short amount of time.

What do you want to hear on the show? What do you want to know? Drop us a line or leave a comment.

**************

THE MOST BURNING QUESTION IS HOT

Actually, I know of something you want to know and that's who our new football coach is going to be, huh?

Well, for all of you that have asked me, think I know, or plan to ask me, the simple answer is:

I don't know.

But as Director of Athletics Terry Tumey told me, "It might be YOU!" 

Then we'd all be in trouble.

Mike Robles is Assistant Athletics Director who still remembers Chaminade's legendary upset of Virginia 30 years ago.... and still doesn't believe it.