HENDERSON, Nev. — The Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team made an improbable comeback on Jan. 14 that simply wouldn't have been possible without their Lithuanian forward duo.
After trailing UC San Diego 47-33 midway through the second half, the Roadrunners went on a game-ending 23-5 run. Freshman Ugnius Jarusevicius and redshirt sophomore Creighton transfer Modestas Kancleris combined for 14 of those pivotal points, as Jarusevicius finished with career highs in points (16) and rebounds (seven), asserting himself for a second straight game inside and on the perimeter. Kancleris added 12 points and eight rebounds and it seemed CSUB might have found a new frontcourt formula.
The two returned to the court two days later at Cal State Fullerton; it ended up being the last game either has played this season.
Jarusevicius went down with a high ankle sprain, but it was less clear initially that Kancleris would miss time. He simply had a tender area on his wrist that coach Rod Barnes said he first thought he might just have to ice; it turned out that it was a cracked wrist.
After losing the two players, when Barnes first spoke to the media on Jan. 24, commenting on a rash of injuries he already said was worse than any he had experienced before, he only expected the two forwards to miss a few weeks each. Same thing the following week, when Jarusevicius was expected a week later and Kancleris not long after.
Then the timelines shifted further and further back, particularly for Jarusevicius, who was out of his walking boot by Feb. 14 but could only "probably be assured that he’ll be back before the season ends." As the Roadrunners put him through further tests and different workouts, he started to deal with swelling and soreness around his ankle.
"I think he’s gonna be able to play, but we don’t want to take any chance right now, playing and then not being available," Barnes said Feb. 28, announcing the decision to give the freshman another week of recovery.
Kancleris, meanwhile, was eventually "on target" for "being available the rest of the way" by Feb. 28, but didn't see the floor in season-ending road games at Long Beach State and UC Irvine. On Monday, Barnes ruled the pair out for Tuesday's game and potentially beyond.
"We’ll just wait to see on the other guys," he said. "It’s day-to-day, and hopefully somewhere at this tournament we’ll be able to get them back."
Freshman Kaseem Watson returned to the court Tuesday night after a brief absence due to chest pains, but Jarusevicius and Kancleris remained out of uniform.
One complicating factor is that the Roadrunners' now-go-to lineup of Ivan Reynolds, Marvin McGhee III, Travis Henson, Cameron Smith and Antavion Collum found its rhythm when there was barely anyone on the bench to spell any of those players, particularly during a 4-1 stretch in early February. Collum, in particular, has proven himself as a go-to scoring option and now averages nearly 13 points per game.
“We made a decision back when we lost Kaleb Higgins that the next guy was going to have to step up," Barnes said after Tuesday night's win over CSUN, "and after we lost the rest of the guys, I thought this group of guys really just kind of bonded, especially our starters … After that our younger guys really joined in with those guys and tried to contribute.”
Even with guards Naseem Gaskin, Cedquavious Hunter and Dalph Panopio now regularly entering the rotation, plus the 6-foot-8 freshman Watson playing primarily as a forward, CSUB has no one to regularly replace Collum at the center spot. In an overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton at home on Feb. 25, he picked up three fouls in a 10-minute span late in the first half and ended up fouling out midway through the second, scoring just six points in 29 minutes in one of his worst Big West Conference games.
Barnes talked throughout league play about finding a balance between preserving a winning formula and reincorporating injured players. As the team looks to advance in the Big West tournament, maintaining that balance has never been more important.
Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
