When the clock expired on Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball’s 2024-25 season on March 8, the energy among them felt no different than how it felt throughout their 1-19 Big West campaign — bleak.
As the door closed on his sophomore season, center Kendrick De Luna had not made a final decision on his future at CSUF.
He knew the team was holding exit meetings for their players that following week. Initially, he anticipated having his meeting with Head Coach Dedrique Taylor that upcoming Monday.
“He told me first thing, ‘Before we get you here, we’re going to let some of the guys go. We want to keep you.’ And I was like, man, that’s huge,” De Luna said. “They’re showing me that they believe in me, they trust me.”
In the midst of a squad dismantlement, that trust spoke volumes to De Luna, who would turn out to be the only returning player on the 2025-26 squad.
It was no secret that CSUF needed a revolt of culture. However, it may be of some surprise as to how quickly they found it. With the help of De Luna and graduate student Landon Seaman, the Titans have found the recipe to a connected squad that also reflects on the court.
Coach Taylor describes the Titans as a player-led team, having been that way from the recruiting process to now: an adjustment he endorses.
“It’s fun to see what you dream of and what you talk about as a coach. It’s fun to see it play out,” Taylor said.
Upon De Luna’s return, Seaman was the first new name brought in for the Titans’ new squad. The forward, who had CSUF on his radar for multiple years, led the charge in the connectivity of the Titans’ newest group together.
It took a lot of trust from Coach Taylor to have his newest guy anchor the recruitment process.
“The shift was that dude right there – Landon,” Taylor said. “Once he decided that he was coming, he would ask us ‘Who else is coming? Who else can we get?’”
Seaman also took initiative to bring the guys together off the court early on. He would invite his newest teammates out to hang out at the beach consistently, even taking the guys to Lake Havasu.
De Luna and Seaman connected from the jump, communicating with one another about potential players given to them by Taylor to have them further research. Each player that would commit would then join them in recruiting the next guy.
This recruitment process went on until their team was fully formed.
In the process, De Luna was there to be honest about what went wrong for the Titans’ prior squad, while also providing insight on what it’s like to play at CSUF as a freshman.
“Some of them just reached out like, ‘Hey, what was so bad about last year?’ And I would tell them it was a culture thing,” De Luna said. “The guys didn’t mess with each other and things like that.”
As a result of the 2024-25 team’s lack of chemistry, the Titans’ coaching staff began taking the little things into further consideration.
The team began to implement mandatory team dinners, where phones are temporarily confiscated to have the guys talk amongst one another and further relationships. They also match on and off the court in CSUF gear. De Luna noted former players wearing their own clothes was a “big thing” in the past.
The Titans also host “labs” on Wednesdays, a newer development where players are able to get things off their chest, express any displeasures or talk through any issues they are having on and off the court.
Seaman and De Luna did their part in bringing this group together — a group driven by honesty in the path that Taylor created.
“It makes that brotherhood real strong, because we’re able to come to each other with anything,” De Luna said.
The team’s newfound chemistry is evident. The Titans boast a tenacity and level of grit that is unpresent from past squads, establishing a conference-leading offense after sitting at the bottom of the charts last season.
CSUF brought in players from lower-level colleges, an opposite advancement from years’ past. In doing so, there may be an underlying level of hunger from players getting their shot at the DI level.
While Taylor explained that was not intentional, he did admit it played a part in gathering this team. It was just a matter of those players realizing they belong in the Big West.
“They understood it, but now I think it’s a barrage,” Taylor said. “They think they belong, they know they belong.”
The Titans have shown each other what a brotherhood represents, even swarming each other in victorious postgame interviews — all while taking significant steps forward for the program’s future.
At the same time, Seaman has excelled in a prominent sixth man role for the Titans, averaging 12.2 points per game. He noted it is easier playing with his friends, crediting De Luna for introducing him to his first burrito.
“It’s different playing with teammates and playing with friends,” Seaman said. “These are my friends, we’ve got brothers and it’s a different vibe on the court.”