San Dimas, CA-The men's side of the GSAC basketball standings are as congested as possible this late into the season. Six different teams all have at least seven wins in conference play and none have more than nine conference victories. Yet, with their victory over the Life Pacific Warriors down in San Dimas, California the Oaks have clinched a spot in the conference playoffs!
Big Guns Come to Play
During the Oaks road victory over Jessup University last week star center Landon Seaman found himself limited in impact due to quickly getting into foul trouble. In fact, the conference's leading scorer and rebounder would finish the day with zero points and only a pair of rebounds. Unfortunately for Life Pacific, Seaman would prove that his poor outing would be nothing more than a fluke. In his 32 minutes of action the big man scored 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. While his scoring tends to be his calling card, Seaman's four assists would come alongside zero turnovers for an impressive playmaking outing. Alongside Seaman, Braydon Iuli has followed up his GSAC Player of the Week win with another good outing on the road. Iuli impacted the game at all possible levels as a scorer, rebounder, passer and defender. His 17 points would be second most on the team while also dishing out five assists. While turnovers have at times plagued Iuli, he did a great job taking care of the ball, only giving away two possessions all game long. Both of these players will look to contend for an All-Conference nomination and this game should only bolster both of their cases.
Salim Arikat's Coming Out Party Continues
During the previously mentioned Jessup game freshman sharpshooter Salim Arikat was instrumental in the Oaks victory. He followed up that strong outing with arguably the best performance of his young career. In just 14 minutes Arikat scored 15 points while hitting three shots from behind the arc. Arikat is very much the "lightning" to Seaman's "thunder". While Seaman prefers to do most of his damage in the post, with his back to the basket, Arikat leverages his 6'9 frame into unblockable shooting upside. As his confidence and body continue to grow, look to Arikat to cement himself as one of the top shooters to step foot on the court for the Oaks.
Up Next…
The final regular season game of the year awaits coach Rooney and the boys this coming Saturday. The team will head to The Master's University where they will look to exact some revenge for their loss earlier this season back in Atherton. While the Mustangs won the first matchup it would only be by four points which should give the Oaks plenty of confidence that they can more than hang with the highly touted team from Santa Clarita.
Menlo College is currently a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). To learn more about Menlo Athletics visit www.menloathletics.com or follow Menlo Athletics on Instagram (@menloathletics), X (@MenloAthletics) or Facebook (Menlo College Athletic).
