BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Community members gathered together at the Icardo Center to send off the mens basketball team as they head to Nevada. Fans came out to support their team as they prepare for the post-season.
- The runners have made the playoffs every year after joining the Big West in 2021.
- Coach Barnes has lead the runners to the playoffs since the 2012-2013 season, when the school was considered an independent.
- The roadrunners record this year was 14-18 barely securing their seats in the playoffs.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Can the Cal State Roadrunners do it again and win another championship? I'm Eric J. Dockery, your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter. The team is heading to Vegas to compete for a championship. Some players are entering their first tournament, while others are preparing to close the chapter in their runner's history.
An enthusiastic group of supporters turned out Tuesday morning at the Icardo Center at Cal State to send off the Roadrunners men's basketball team as they head to the playoff at the Big West Championship in Henderson, Nevada. And this is not their first rodeo.
Rod Barnes CSUB Basketball Head Coach said "It means something not a lot of people have this opportunity. Not a lot of student athletes get this kind of exposure. The people know who they are, we represent a lot of people and this university. We just represent the people who have been here, the alumni who are gone, and people from Bakersfield. Our guys take that to heart."
The runners have been present in the postseason since joining the BIG West Tournament in 2021. And this year the team barely made the playoffs with a record of14 wins and 18 losses. Jemel Jones is a shooting guard for the runners, and this year will be his first time in the tournaments. He tells me how excited he is to play at the higher level!
Jemel Jones Junior Shooting Guard said "It's a feeling of gratefulness to be in this situation to play division one ball at a higher level. Its going to be a learning experience for one. It will be my first year playing D1 and I'm just ready to soak it all in."
While Jones is entering his first tournament his teammate Marvin McGhee III is playing his last season for the runners. He told me in the beginning of the season, his goal was to make sure Coach Barnes makes it to the postseason, and he made sure he did just that.
Marvin McGhee III Senior Shooting Guard said "I told the media back in October when we had the blue and gold game, that they would see us play in march. So, I wanted to be a man of my word because Coach Barnes recruited me. Every year that we talked we just wanted to give ourselves a shot to make it to the NCAA. That's all we want, is to play in March!"
But the team has its work cut out for them, Their first game will be against the Santa Barbara Gauchos.
Barnes said "Our staple is believe. We just want everybody to believe with us. AS we go over there, we can do as we once did in 2016-2017, we can come back with the Big West Championship and go to the NCAA tournament. AS we win this week, we hope our crowd continues to grow, and again every person that comes out there to support, we are doing it for them."
The runners first game is Wednesday March 12 in Vegas. You can watch their games on ESPN+ or head to the runners website for more information. For 23ABC I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter.
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