2018-19 #WCChoops Schedule | WHAT WE LEARNED – WEEK THREE                                   

Watch Coach Scholl Zipline High Above Vegas!

By John Crumpacker
#WCChoops Columnist

Having spent nearly half his life knocking around gyms in the West Coast Conference as a player and coach and now heading up the basketball program at his alma mater, San Diego’s Sam Scholl is about as invested in the WCC as anyone with 18 years on his resume.

Except for Gonzaga’s Mark Few, with 29 years’ experience, including his time as an assistant coach.

Except for Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett, also 29 years deep in his career, counting his seasons as an assistant.

And except for San Francisco’s Kyle Smith, in his third season as head coach but with 19 years all told.

One thing about WCC schools – once folks come and take in the landscape, they tend kick off their shoes and stay a while. Such is the case with Scholl, who is in his first full season with the Toreros following two years as a USD player from 1998-2000 (and a 38-18 won-lost record) and long stints as an assistant at USD and Santa Clara.

Referring to the Toreros’ home court, the Jenny Craig Pavilion (a.k.a. the Slim Gym), by its initials, Scholl said, “I don’t know if anyone’s spent more time in JCP.’’

Thus far in 2018-19, it’s been time well spent for Scholl and his players. Going into Wednesday night’s game at Ole Miss, the Toreros are 5-1 and are limiting opponents to less than 60 points per game, a recent hallmark of USD hoops. The lone loss was by three points at Washington.

“The biggest thing has been good leadership from our seniors,’’ said Scholl, who has four returning senior starters on the roster. “We haven’t had to coach energy, intensity or competitiveness in practice. We haven’t had a dead practice where guys are lollygagging.’’

Any lollygagging by the younger players and one of those seniors, versatile forward Isaiah Pineiro, would let them have it with both metaphorical barrels. A WCC all-conference player a year ago, the 6-foot-7 Pineiro is averaging 22.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, ably supported by 16.8 points from guard Olin Carter III, another senior.

Referring to Scholl, who took over as interim coach just before last season’s WCC Tournament, Pineiro said, “Coach Scholl stepped in and did a good job. He’s a great coach, on each end of the court. He believes in us and trusts us as players. It shows in his coaching style. I like it. The team likes it. He’s our guy.’’

Their guy was a young assistant coach on Brad Holland’s staff in 2003 when the Toreros won the WCC championship and went to the NCAA Tournament.

“No one is more prepared to be the next … coach at the University of San Diego than Sam Scholl,’’ Holland said in a statement upon Scholl’s hiring. “His extensive experience in the WCC as an assistant coach along with the ability to recruit, communicate and teach will be invaluable to the university.’’

Before the season started, Scholl made a point of emphasizing the value of having experienced players to bolster a team headed by a first-year coach.

“We have four senior starters returning,’’ Scholl said. “That’s an unbelievable luxury. They come with great energy and spirit. That’s a tremendous luxury. It’s a tremendous deal to have.’’

Scholl is looking at Wednesday’s game at Ole Miss as an opportunity for USD to continue to gain credibility throughout college basketball. In this week’s initial NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) ranking of teams, USD checked in at 65, on the fringes of being considered NCAA tournament-worthy. But it’s early.

“It’s a great opportunity for our program,’’ he said. “We told our guys this is something they worked very hard for. We’re playing a very good SEC program that’s well coached.’’

Defense was the defining characteristic of USD last season and the trend is continuing into 2018-19. In five games, the Toreros have limited their opponents to 66, 57, 66, 47, 64 and 58 points. Defense is always a good formula for winning games, no matter the sport.

“We have good attention to detail and are able to dictate defense,’’ Scholl said. “Be aggressive and not react. It’s not like we deny all over the place. The principle of our defense is we’re not on our heels. We’re at the right spot to make plays.’’

Although Pineiro is capable of big scoring nights, his goals remain team-oriented.

“We’ve talked about this,’’ he said. “As long as we’re focused on winning games, we really don’t have individual goals. We have team goals. It’s the last year for us seniors. We all go back to work. We understand the urgency. We’re in the last go-round. We’re doing everything we can to maximize the year.’’

As with many players in the WCC, Pineiro hopes to continue playing basketball after he receives his degree in the spring. At 6-7, he brings a variety of skills to the court, capable of scoring big, rebounding well and pilfering the ball now and then.

“I want to hopefully get some NBA workouts, get invited to the summer league,’’ he said. “I’m ready to take basketball as far as I can take it. One of my goals is to travel. If I can see the world and play basketball, there’s a lot of money over there.’’

For now, though, Pineiro is one of Scholl’s guys, trying to make his senior season a memorable one for a coach who has spent nearly half his life in the WCC.