Pham set to debut as UC Merced men’s basketball coach

First-year coach Kevin Pham hopes to change the men’s basketball culture at UC Merced.

That begins on the defensive end of the floor. Pham packaged a high-pressure, up-tempo style and developed one of the NAIA Division II’s top defensive units in three years as the Bobcats’ women’s coach.

His time there culminated last season with the UCM women capturing the first California Pacific Conference title of any kind in school history and allowing just 58.27 points per game, which ranked 14th in the nation. In contrast, the UCM men’s team, which Pham took over during the summer, was 151st out of 152 NAIA schools at 92.45 points allowed.

“It’s something that we point out to them every day as a source of pride,” Pham said. “The guys knew they had their work cut out for them, but I’m very pleased with how they’ve put that work in. It’s been a long six weeks, but I believe the guys have bought in to what we’re asking of them and I think we’re going to see our best basketball yet when we open the season Thursday.”

The Bobcats will host William Jessup on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Pham takes over a team that struggled to a 1-28 mark last season but wasn’t completely devoid of talent. The freshman guard combo of Joshua Kimble (team-high 13.6 points per game) and Christian Chapman (6.7 points and a team-high 85 assists) was particularly promising.

“We definitely have guys that can make us successful,” Pham said. “We’re kind of a senior-heavy team. We have seven of them, but then we also have five freshmen to kind of balance that out. Ryan Edwards (11.0 points, team-high 6.0 rebounds per game), Reggie Nelson, who missed a lot of the year because of injury, and Michael Pierick (team-high 39 three-pointers) are our senior captains. We’ll rely on them a lot for leadership.

“Daniel Pugh returns, and he’s probably our best athlete. Our sophomores made a big impact as freshmen, and we’ve been able to add some size and athleticism with our newcomers.”

Twin 6-foot-6 brothers Aaron and Matt Laflin are the prize of Merced’s recruiting class, giving the team much-needed length inside. Local guards Devan Bains (Turlock) and Branson Garcia (Pitman) are expected to help push the tempo on the offensive end.

“The faster pace is probably the biggest difference between the women’s game and the men, but it kind of matches how my mind works anyway, so I like it,” Pham said. “I think we have the guys in place to be able to play the kind of game I always envisioned when I came here. Mostly, I’m just excited for the guys.

“It’s a new opportunity to get people interested in UC Merced basketball, and I think they’re going to like what they see.”

The UCM women will also open their season this week with a home game against Southern Oregon on Sunday night.

The defending Cal Pac champs were picked to finish first in the league’s preseason poll and for good reason. Coach Sarah Hopkins-Chery inherited a full pantry.

The women return eight players from last season, four of which were regular starters. Included in that group are Shelby Howard, the Bobcats’ all-time leading scorer, reigning Cal Pac Freshman of the Year Christina Castro and Cal Pac second-teamers Brittany Martinez and Courtney Danna.

The women’s team also used its recruiting class to add size, bringing in centers Mia Shannon (6-2) and Kimi Sato (6-foot) and guard Aubrey Hayes (5-10).

Records falling – The Merced College football team’s defense took some lumps during a recent four-game losing streak. But while the group struggled at times, it produced some brilliant individual performances.

Two single-game school records have fallen in as many weeks.

Troy Lowe made 21 tackles against Monterey Peninsula two weeks ago. The freshman middle linebacker was all over the field, breaking the previous mark of 19 shared by Granson Clark in 2003 and Terrell Colbert in 1999. Justin Aguilar had 5.5 sacks a week later in a victory over Gavilan. The previous record of five was set by Scott Blank in 1995.

Coming back strong – UC Merced soccer forward Cody Golbad lost about a month of the season because of a knee sprain. You’d be hard pressed to tell. The junior has returned with a fury, striking for five goals and two assists in his first four games back.

His presence has certainly helped reignite the Bobcats’ offense, which has scored 26 goals since his return. While it did coincide with the tougher part of the schedule, UCM struck for only nine goals in the six games Golbad missed.

Good first impression – Frank Ginda graduated from Pacheco High School early with the intention of ingratiating himself into the San Jose State football program as quickly as possible. The move paid off with Ginda winning the middle linebacker job as a freshman.

He’s made the most of the opportunity, ranking third on the team with 51 tackles and second on the team with four tackles for a loss. Ginda has half a sack and has forced a fumble. He’s tied for 139th in tackles nationally.

Historic recognition – The UC Merced women’s soccer team has been nothing short of excellent the past two years, posting a 20-6-5 record. The results have garnered attention nationally with the Bobcats earning a number of top-25 votes here and there.

A 5-0-2 mark over UCM’s past seven games was enough to make it official this week, as the women’s soccer team became the first program in school history to be ranked in the NAIA top 25. UCM (10-2-3) entered the rankings at No. 24.

This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 7:12 PM with the headline "Pham set to debut as UC Merced men’s basketball coach."