First Term Highlights

Caltech completed its non-conference season with a record of 5-6, marking the best start since 1994-95. On December 31, the Beavers hosted Babson College, the Beavers from the east coast and the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). Coach Eslinger coached in the NEWMAC prior to his move to the SCIAC and also played against Babson in the 90's as a player at Clark University.

Edwards scored his 1,000th point on Dec. 31

Boosted by Michael Edwards' 25-point night, the host Beavers earned a 57-52 victory over Babson after trailing by as many as 13 points. With his game-high scoring output, Edwards became the 12th player in Caltech history to record at least 1,000 points. Ethan Boroson tied a school record with five steals to go along with his five points and four rebounds. The win marks the first time Caltech has beaten Babson.

In November, The Beavers' first win of the season was a nail-biter, as Boroson came through with a clutch basket with 10 seconds remaining to give Caltech a 63-62 edge. Edwards scored a season-high 28 in that contest and Alex Runkel posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

A few days later, the Beavers started a three game win streak against the University of Dallas (69-53) on the second day of the Thanksgiving Classic. Caltech followed with a tremendous road win at West Coast Baptist, a game that saw the Beavers post 95 points, the most points accumulated in a win since Caltech beat American Indian Bible in 1989-90. Caltech then went to Minnesota and beat Macalester 71-65 before coming back home for the Babson game after the winter break.

Through 11 games, the Beavers are ranked 45th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.1 percent), 131st in assists per game (14.3), and 144th in 3-pointers made per game (6.6). 405 division III schools are ranked.

The basketball team was also highlighted in the Institute's Happy New Year video:

Beavers Score Historical Road Win

Caltech traveled to West Coast Baptist last Thursday and earned a historical victory, 95-79. The win marked the first time the Beavers beat the Eagles (previously 0-2), and the 95 points are believed to be the most ever scored on the road by a Caltech team. In addition, the Beavers improved to 3-2, their best start since the 1994-95 season when they won their first eight games (all against non-NCAA schools). Michael Edwards and Bryan Joel were the game high scorers with 22 points each. Todd Cramer had 19 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals. Andrew Hogue scored 13 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Collin Murphy had 5 points and 8 boards. You can read Murphy's take on the game here.

Caltech Hoops in the News

Lots happening in Pasadena. Caltech posted it's second win of the season this past Sunday as it defeated the University of Dallas on the second day of the Thanksgiving Classic, 69-53. After a slow start, the Beavers found their way back to .500 (2-2) as they shot 6 of 12 from behind the arc and 56.7 percent overall in the second half. Todd Cramer paved the way with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. Michael Edwards led all scorers with 21 points while freshmen Bryan Joel and Andrew Hogue combined for 23 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

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Collin Murphy, a junior captain from Wasilla, Alaska, is contributing periodically to the new blog, HoopSpeakU. You can read his first post here.

Coach Eslinger is also writing for HoopSpeak on the new Coaches Forum. His first post is here.

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And, if you haven't heard, Caltech made Esquire's Best of 2011 for it's record-breaking victory last February.

Close Conference Calls

What a stretch of games for the Beavers.

Last Wednesday, they played a close one at Occidental. Down 10 points with 3:42 left in the game, they cut it to five as Mike Edwards hit a jumper, a layup, and a free throw, but couldn't close the gap. Edwards finished with 11 points while Todd Cramer and Mike Paluchniak each had 12. Cramer, the SCIAC leader in assists, had four helpers.

Official Game Recap
Pasadena Star-News

On Saturday, Caltech traveled to Whittier and played its closest conference road game in 50 years. The Beavers again found themselves down 10 points in the second stanza (at the 13:21 mark) but chipped away and pulled within two points on a Paluchniak 3-pointer with 9:56 on the clock. From there, Whittier responded and grabbed a brief 8-point lead only to see Caltech fend off the Poets and climb to within two points again, this time on a free throw by Ryan Elmquist. A Whittier layup was the last field goal for the home team at the 2:31 mark. Elmquist responded with a driving layup of his own 23 seconds later to make the score 70-68, which ended up being the final. Caltech prevented Whittier from scoring on its next three tries and the Beavers had possession with 8 seconds, but weren't able to convert.

Cramer set a Caltech record with 11 assists. He added 13 points and 8 rebounds. Elmquist had 16 and 7 while Edwards added 11 and 7. Paluchniak scored eight points and Will Dooris and Ethan Boroson came off the bench to combine for 14 points with a combined 6 of 12 field goal effort. Caltech won the battle of the boards.

Official Game Recap
Whittier Daily News

Last night, in front of another huge crowd in Caltech's Braun Athletic Center, the Beavers battled La Verne for the second time this season (La Verne, who is now tied for second place in the SCIAC standings, won the first meeting 76-70). Once again, Caltech was down 10 in the second half, 48-38, with 12:57 remaining in the game. Over the next 11 minutes, the Beavers cut into the deficit and grabbed the lead, 58-57, with 1:03 left. La Verne took a 1-point lead a half minute later but Cramer made a contested layup to give the Beavers a 60-59 lead. With 12 seconds left La Verne drove the lane but Elmquist blocked the shot attempt and the ball was deflected out of bounds. The Leopards managed to get the ball to their best shooter who hit a contested jumper in the corner. Caltech's last second shot attempt missed and La Verne clung to a 61-60 final.

Caltech held the visitors to a 2 of 14 clip from behind the arc. The Beavers shot 57 percent from the field in the second half and again outrebounded their opponent. Edwards scored a game-high 18 points. Elmquist had 17. Cramer turned in another all-around performance with 14 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists. Paluchniak had five points, three assists, and a steal. Collin Murphy played a tremendous game with four points, two steals, and a game-high seven rebounds.

Official Game Recap
Pasadena Star-News

Searching for Victory, Beavers set more Records

Caltech's comeback wasn't quite enough on Saturday against La Verne. The Beavers, after being down 13 at halftime saw the spread briefly swell to 20 with just more than six minutes to play (67-47), but they battled back with great defense and scoring punch to finish the game on a 23-9 run. Final score: 76-70.

(Recaps from GoCaltech.com and Pasadena Star-News)

The team continues to set program records as it looks for its next win. On Saturday, Caltech set the mark for the most 3-pointers made in a game as four players combined for a 12 for 22 night from behind the arc. Sophomore Mike Edwards tied his own Caltech record (in an NCAA game) with seven made treys on his way to a career-best 35 points. The 35-point effort ties Travis Haussler's school record for the most points against an NCAA opponent. Freshman Mike Paluchniak poured in a career-high 16 points. In addition, the 6-point margin of defeat is the closest Caltech has come on the road to a SCIAC or NCAA opponent since the 1995-96 season when the Beavers lost by three points at Redlands.

Caltech plays its next two games at home this coming Wednesday and Saturday.

The New Year

After opening the new year in a tough game against Eastern Connecticut, the Beavers got back on the winning track with a solid victory over Wisconsin Lutheran last Monday. The fourth win of the season was seized in the second half of the game as the Beavers outscored their opponent 44-31. Mike Edwards poured in 26 points while Todd Cramer and Ryan Elmquist scored 19 and 14, respectively. Cramer also tallied seven assists and six rebounds.

Caltech next opened SCIAC play with a much anticipated home game after a nice preview in the Pasadena Star-News. Hosting Pomona-Pitzer in front of a packed Braun Gym, the Beavers held a 7-point lead early in the second half but were unable to extend it. The Sagehens continued to pull closer and eventually took the lead, one that it managed to secure, 46-41, despite Caltech holding them to 29.5 percent shooting. Edwards was the game-high scorer as he went 6 of 12 from the field for 15 points. The Star-News and KCAL9 were there to cover the event.

Beavers Slug It Out, Post Another W; Elmquist Makes History

If you weren't in Braun Gym on Saturday evening for Caltech's rematch against UC Santa Cruz, you missed a dandy. The Beavers edged the Banana Slugs 63-62 thanks to 50 percent shooting from the field, 17 assists on 22 field goals, and six blocked shots. Todd Cramer paced Tech with 20 points while Mike Edwards had 11 points and 7 assists. Mike Paluchniak added seven points, three assists, two blocks, one steal and a team-leading eight rebounds.

Ryan Elmquist's first bucket put him in the 1,000 Point Club. His four blocked shots cemented his name in Caltech lore as he set the program mark for swats in a career, surpassing Ben Turk's record of 126.

Caltech Wins on Third Day of Fulmer Tourney

Caltech was very competitive in the Fulmer Tournament at Redlands. On Thursday, the Beavers faced the Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz, a team that recently beat Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. After Caltech held a slight edge midway through the first half and action that featured nine ties and nine lead changes, UCSC pulled out the win, 79-64. Mike Edwards and Ryan Elmquist scored 18 points a piece while Mike Paluchniak totaled 13 points. Todd Cramer added six assists and nine rebounds as the Beavers recorded 20 assists on their 26 made field goals.

The next day, the Beavers took on Southwestern (AZ), but were unable to convert several open shots. Southwestern gradually pulled away and won 77-58 despite Caltech's courageous efforts to stay competitive. The Beavers' bench scored a season-high 17 points and won the points in the paint 22 to 10 while Caltech as a team boasted a 13 to 11 assist to turnover ratio. Cramer posted a double-double with 15 points and 14 boards and added four assists.

Finally, on the third day of the tournament, the Beavers broke through with a win over American Sports University, 74-67. After a hot start that saw Caltech jump out to a 10-0 lead, the Beavers held a 40-20 halftime advantage. Several runs by ASU made the game closer but Caltech was able to stave off the opponent with great execution and accurate free throw shooting. The Beavers shot 85 percent from the charity stripe (23 of 27) and hauled in 18 offensive rebounds en route to a 17 to 9 advantage on second chance points. For the second day in a row, they held a positive assist to turnover ratio at 14 to 11. Cramer duplicated his performance from the day prior with 15 points and 14 rebounds, plus five assists. Edwards added five assists to go along with a season-high 19 points, many of which came on explosive moves to the basket. Elmquist led all scorers with 25 points and he swatted three shots. Caltech won the battle of the benches, 15-10, paced by Mason Freedman's 9-point, 3-rebound outing.

For the 3-day, 8-team tournament, Cramer led all players with 37 rebounds (12.3 RPG). Elmquist received the All-Tournament Team Sportsmanship Award after averaging 17.3 points during the event.

From the Pasadena Star-News:


From the Redlands website:

Edwards and Elmquist Honored by Caltech

Congratulations to Mike Edwards and Ryan Elmquist. Mike was named Freshman Male Athlete of the Year and Ryan was recognized as Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year at Caltech's Annual All-Sports Awards Show on Saturday.

Both Edwards and Elmquist ranked among the best in the SCIAC and set myriad records this season.

Click here for the official release.

Tech Trails: Freshmen Propelled to JPL

Tech Trails tracks summer plans of Caltech basketball players -- from SURFs (summer undergraduate research fellowships) to related work in the fields of math, science, and engineering.

Three more first-year basketball players will be working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory this summer.

Mike Edwards (18.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.8 spg) will have a role in developing new platinum-based alloys for use in hydrogen-air fuel cells. He will also have his own sub-project while collaborating with a group of students on the main assignment.

"I expect to learn how to perform a modified sputtering system for preparing thin films," said Edwards, a mechanical engineering major. "I'm very excited to get a chance to work at JPL."

Collin Murphy (3.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.4 spg) has an internship working with instruments for Mars missions.

"This is my first glimpse into practical applications for my major," said Murphy, who is studying bioengineering. "Working at JPL will also give me a chance to continue working with really smart and experienced people throughout the summer."

Pan Wang (3.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg), an electrical engineering major, will be involved in a highly structured SURF under Steve Chien of JPL, entitled Onboard automated processing of SAR data for autonomous unpiloted vehicles and autonomous spacecraft.

Wang will investigate and implement approaches for transforming SAR data into readable images and study their accuracy in comparison to other satellite imaging. These algorithmic procedures will take SAR data and create classification maps or statistical summaries like soil-moisture estimations, glacial surges, fire-scars, and forest biomass.

"Essentially, I'll gain experience turning raw data into programmable data," explained Wang.

The concentration will be on approaches that can be efficiently implemented onboard autonomous aircraft or spacecraft so that vehicles operated by UAVSAR and DESDynI can engage in onboard automated processing of data.

"It will be great to work with a new group of scientists," said Wang.

Beaver Ranks

How did the young Beavers stack up against the competition this past season? Check out various team and individual ranks, within the conference and on the national stage. (For the majority of team stats, the NCAA ranks 404 schools; for most individual stats, the NCAA ranks 500 players).

Team Statistics

Category	Statistic	SCIAC	NCAA DIII
Blocked Shots	3.7	1	72
3FG% Defense	32.0	4	98

Mike Edwards - Freshman

Category	Statistic	SCIAC	NCAA DIII
Scoring Avg.	18.8	2	65
Free Throw Pct.	.777	8	216
Steals per game	1.8	2	196
3-Pointers per game	2.5	2	78
Blocked Shots	14	11	--

Ryan Elmquist - Junior

Category	Statistic	SCIAC	NCAA DIII
Scoring Avg.	12.8	13	--
Blocked Shots	50	1	38
Rebounds per game	5.9	10	397
Defensive Rebounds per game	4.9	7	--

Collin Murphy - Freshman

Category	Statistic	SCIAC	NCAA DIII
Assists per game	2.0	13	--
Assists per game (conf. only)	2.4	8	--
Steals per game	1.4	9	432
Rebounds per game (conf. only)	4.5	18	--

Alex Runkel - Freshman

Category	Statistic	SCIAC	NCAA DIII
Rebounds per game	4.5	17	--
Offensive Rebounds per game	1.6	15	--

Jesse Shevin - Freshman

Category	Statistic	SCIAC	NCAA DIII
Blocked Shots	15	10	--

Development Shows in Record Numbers

Success on the court cannot necessarily be measured by society's traditional sources, those being win-loss columns. At least not yet. Overall development has to be taken into account, and this year, there was certainly improvement.

With such a young and inexperienced team, it's impressive that a dozen program records fell this season. Witness the evolution of Caltech Basketball.

The shot blocking has been talked about and was certainly a positive. The Beavers recorded 92 rejections in their 25 games, smashing the 2008-09 squad's accomplishment of 76. Ryan Elmquist had much to do with the stat as he accounted for more than half of the blocks (an individual season record 50 that bested the talented Ben Turk '98), which was just seven fewer than he and Travis Haussler '09 turned in last season. The eight swats against Chapman was also a team first for getting-that-stuff-out-of-here in one game.

The other team record? Field goal attempts in a season. Certainly worthwhile considering the lack of scoring opportunities due to turnovers and limited offensive rebounding.

Freshman Mike Edwards turned out to be as good as advertised as he broke six individual records (most noteworthy his 62 3-point makes that overtook the trifectas of Josh Moats '97), and entered the Top 10 in four other categories, including points in a season (470), scoring average (18.8 ppg), free throw percentage (.777), and steals in a season (44).

Besides the Elmquist shot blocking party, the junior forward became the No. 1 player in season free throw attempts (208), as he surpassed the foul line feats of Bryan Hires '08. Elmquist already holds the mark for freebies made and attempted in one game (17 of 19).

First-year cagers Collin Murphy and Ethan Boroson also entered the Top 10 in steals for a season (35) and assists per game (3.3), respectively.

Here is the complete list of records in the new era. For everything else, check here.

Who Says Beavers Can't Block Shots?

Facing Cal Lutheran on February 3, 2010, the Beavers' five blocked shots propelled them into the team record books as they set the mark for most rejections in one season. The previous number was 76, a total that was accumulated during the 2008-09 campaign. Caltech's current team now has 88 with three games to play.

With Ben Turk '98 in the crowd this past Saturday night, junior Ryan Elmquist tied a 12-year old record for blocked shots in a season with 47. Elmquist, who totaled four blocks against Occidental, now has 103 blocks in his career. Turk owns the career record with 126 and maintains the mark for most rejections in one game with six. (Official release from Saturday night).

Elmquist, who through this past weekend was ranked among the nation's elite in blocked shots (2.1 bpg), has blocked three or more shots in seven games this season.

Caltech set a program record against Chapman University on January 6 for most swats in one contest with eight. Elmquist was responsible for five of those on that historic evening. (Official release from Chapman game).

Other Beavers who have aided the blocked shot effort?

All freshman.

6'7" Mike Edwards, 6'9" Jesse Shevin, and 6'2" Ethan Boroson.

6'0" point guard Collin Murphy is even in the mix.

Edwards Named Athlete of Week

Freshman Mike Edwards was named SCIAC Athlete of the Week for his performances in back-to-back games at the Caltech Holiday Classic.

Caltech Athletics release
Caltech Today release

Caltech Hits 10 3s

Caltech makes 10 3-pointers, including a program record - seven - courtesy of freshman Mike Edwards.