Season Summary

Labor of Love: Hard work yields results for HSU men

Ray Aspuria/The Times-Standard
Posted: 03/19/2009 01:30:26 AM PDT

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The concept of 'hard work' is one of the most hackneyed expressions a coach can hand down to his players. But when the players actually respond and react to the theory, the results are anything but stale.

Entering the 2008-09 season, Humboldt State head coach Tom Wood was presented with a brand new team that was heavy on the young and inexperienced squads. After guiding a veteran team which brought the East Gym to its feet on countless nights, Wood's was presented with a roster full of relative neophytes. That's where the rudimentary ideal of hard work came into play. And the players responded.

Finishing the year 20-12 overall with a four-place finish in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and a trip to the NCAA Division II West Regionals in Hawaii, the Jacks did quite well for themselves.

”I'm extremely proud, it was a brand new team and to get to the national tournament says volumes of these guys,” Wood said. “I'm proud, we accomplished a lot of things, the young guys should learn from our tournament experience.”

The learning process beget improvement It's one of the things Wood was thoroughly impressed with.

”As coaches, most of us think we're teachers,” he said. “To see the guys improve over the course of the year was fun. From my perspective, it was really important. They did it through hard work and it was fun to watch. We started out not knowing who our starting guys would be. That surprised me but it didn't matter,” Wood added.

“We had a bunch of guys averaging 10 minutes. Its surprising we were able to do that. I got comments from coaches in late March and February that we were playing 13 guys. But it didn't matter who we had in. When one guy isn't doing well, another one steps up."

Still, there were growing pains along the way, some of which, stick out in Wood's mind.
”Getting beat by 51 (by Southwest Minnesota),” he said with a laugh. “It's a moment you don't want to remember, it's like a bad headache you can't get rid of.”

Yet, the painful lesson gave Wood some insight on his young team.
”Probably in retrospect, it was good for us,” he added. “I remember the next night, getting back and beating a good Alaska Anchorage team.”

While the season progressed and had its share of ups and downs, the memory bank began to fill for Wood.

”Getting key wins at home is always fun,” he said. “To win in front of the home crowd, the rowdy fans. Playing in the new gym, and to maintain the support from the crowd. And getting a chance to go to Hawaii. That rewarded us for our hard work. Certainly not a gift and wasn't handed to us. We earned it."

The successes and failures over the course of the year also brought to light another aspect of the Jacks the veteran head coach was pleased with.

”Its one of the best teams I ever had, they got along with each other and enjoyed each others companies,” Wood said. “They could have gotten sideways, but didn't. They cherish each others successes. Certainly not the most talented team, we've had more talented teams. They pull for each other and really tried to pull together. That's pretty powerful, if you have that.”

One of the Jacks' hardest workers, Zac Tiedeman, embodied the concept. A junior transfer from Division I Santa Clara University, Tiedeman was expected to be a good player. He had an impact on and off the court for HSU.

”By virtue of position, point guard is like being a quarterback,” Wood said. “It was not easy for him day one. He was one of the new guys. He didn't know what I wanted, but it didn't take long. He provided that leadership. And he doesn't say much. It's like pulling teeth to get comments from him. But when your best players are the hardest workers, its hard not to follow him. I'm proud of him. He had that all important credibility just by how hard he worked. When he speaks, everybody listens.”

Leading the Jacks in minutes (27.9), points (13), 3-point field goal percentage (47) and the all-important free throw percentage (89), in one year, Tiedeman established himself as quite a powerful force for the Jacks.

While there are many examples of how vital he was to HSU, the true testament to his character came during the West Regional. The Jacks faced the region's top squad in BYU-Hawaii and they did it with Tiedeman suffering from pneumonia.

”We went down to San Diego, and he was just coming down with it. We lost and we thought that was it, so he didn't have the urgency to find out,” Wood said. “On Thursday, he went to the health center and they misdiagnosed him, I'm not sure. On Monday, he went down to Mad River and they diagnosed him with pneumonia. They gave him antibiotics, and usually it's a four day run to get better. He practiced a little on Wednesday, and a little in our shoot around on Thursday, and he played on Friday.”

”It's a testament to his character, really,” Wood added. “I felt like I was going to get hit with child endangerment. He played and when he played, we played a lot better.”
Wood added the Jacks tried to limit Tiedeman's minutes due to the illness, but the players trust and belief in the Santa Rosa native overpowered that concept.

”Keith (Davis) runs up to me and says, 'Coach, Zac is ready.'. To have a player say he's ready says something,” Wood said.

Another player who embodied the coaching staff's lessons won't be in a HSU uniform next season -- senior Jameson Figgatt.

”Jameson, he was the epitome of a warrior,” Wood quipped. “He always guarded the bigger players and more often than not, he won those battles. He's not the greatest athlete, but he had a bigger heart than most. He's a great guy to have on a team. You can point to him and tell the freshman, 'You've got more skill but you have to be better.' I'll miss the work ethic he gave us every night.”

Wood also noted Figgatt was a walk on who received some recruitment from HSU. But his style of play has allowed the coach to come up with a new slogan.

”I tell guys, I don't really care what we're giving you, I care about what you're giving to the team,” Wood said.

It's definitely a notion Wood and company will carry into next season, namely recruiting. And the coaching staff is already working on that particular aspect of the game.

”Steve (Kinder) and I talked today (Tuesday). We talked about the returners, talked about improving and obviously talked about recruiting to compliment or get better in certain spots,” Wood said. ”We talked about our approach and getting kids back to work. They're on spring break, but they need to get back to work.”

And so, the cycle begins anew for HSU. Recruiting players, improving the ones already on the roster and more importantly, dealing with a renewed sense of expectations.
Wood is ready for it.

”The only way to do it is to embrace it. Bring it on, here we go,” Wood said about expectations from HSU fans and the public in general. “But that pales in comparison to the players' and coaching staff's expectations. Most players figure out a way to win. I didn't look and hope we would finish .500. I was hoping we were special, but we didn't get there.

”Next year, I expect to win them all. Obviously it takes a really special team to win them all. But that's what I expect, I expect them to be pretty good.”

Wood is also aware that several factors could change before the 2009-10 season officially starts.

”Something happens in the summer, someone's attitude changes. A guy that was a seventh-man becomes a starter,” he said.

Still, despite this past season proving the Jacks can overcome the youth and inexperience factor, that alone doesn't mean they will be a success come next year, and Wood will surely hammer that into his players minds heading into next season.

”If we come back and think our good looks will take care of it, we're in for something else,” he said. “It won't happen because we were a good young and inexperienced team.”

Like always, it will all boil down to that old-school theory of hard work.