CSUB's Blakley, reigning team MVP, is last remaining Roadrunner player from D-II days
| Wednesday, Nov 11 2009 08:57 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Nov 11 2009 09:42 PM
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Felix Adamo / The Californian CSUB basketball player Trent Blakley.
Trent Blakley is a senior and team leader on Cal State Bakersfield's basketball team, but he achieved this status because of another distinction:
Blakley is the last remaining Roadrunner who competed in the program's NCAA Division II days.
CSUB enters its final year of transition to full NCAA Division I membership this season, and Blakley, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound forward, has been there since the process began.
As a wide-eyed freshman in the 2006-07 season out of Alta Loma High School in Southern California, he was on a Roadrunner team that played its final Division II schedule.
Now he's on a squad that will play traditional NCAA powers such as UCLA, Cincinnati and Gonzaga this season.
"It was not an easy adjustment," Blakley said of his freshman season. "I was blessed with a lot of playing time, but it was very hard. I had to adjust to the environment, I had to adjust to how the coaches were, how the system was. But I fought through it."
If Blakley matches last season's performance, he'll conclude his career among the program's top-10 in career scoring and rebounding.
As a junior, he was the team MVP and an NCAA Division I All-Independent Team selection. He led CSUB in scoring (13.4) and was second in rebounding (5.7).
"I made a statement at the end of last year that Trent had probably developed as much as any player I've ever coached," said CSUB head coach Keith Brown.
"He's improved his skill level. He's become one of our better shooters and he's a difficult matchup who can play mid-range and inside," Brown added. "He's always been a good inside player. Now he's developing his perimeter skills."
Now that CSUB faces Division I competition, Blakley said he relishes those matchups.
Blakley admits he takes losses hard and the anguish is obvious by his facial expressions after those games. CSUB has been 8-21 the last two seasons.
"The one thing I've learned: You can't let it bog you down," Blakley said. "I am blessed to be playing Division I basketball. A lot of people said I'd never play up here, that the best I'd do was junior college. I think I've proved those people wrong."
Another 8-21 season won't happen, Blakley said.
"The last two years we lost some games we definitely should have won," he said. "Our experienced players know what we need to do now so we won't make the same mistakes we have the last two years. We expect to do a lot better than 8-21."
Being from the Los Angeles area makes the Nov. 20 UCLA game special for Blakley.
"It's a dream. I never thought I'd play there," he said. "And we're playing Cincinnati -- Kenyon Martin (of the NBA's Denver Nuggets) was there; and Gonzaga -- Adam Morrison (now a Laker) was there. I wish (Darren) Collison (NBA's Hornets) was still at UCLA. I played against him in high school."
With those opponents in mind, Blakley has set some goals for this season.
"One of the main team goals is to finish at .500," he said. "This year I'd like to be .500 or better and beat one of those top teams we have on the schedule."
Blakley will graduate after the winter quarter with a degree in business administration.
"He's been a model for our program," Brown said. "That's a tribute to his family and to him. ... It's rewarding to see a kid like this in our program for four years."
