Opportunity arrived for the Cal State Bakersfield men’s and women’s basketball teams when the season’s opening games took place on Nov. 3. Both teams had a new vibe, a new outlook.

Between the two head coaches, one was weeks from being thrust into a new role he’s wanted but didn’t exactly expect to get when or how he did. The other coach, now in her second year, is eager to distance the program from a rough opening campaign filled with potholes, but also lessons — and a new roster — to pave a better road forward.

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One month in, things are taking shape and both teams have some optimism as they prepare for a mini-Big West Conference test with two games that count in the standings this Thursday and Saturday.

The men’s team is now eight games in with acting head coach Mike Scott. On Sunday, the Roadrunners did something the program has not done since 1977, according to a CSUB sports information director. The 76-71 non-conference win at Fresno State was CSUB’s first win against the Bulldogs in Fresno. In 2025, being 4-4 with a tough early season schedule that includes Cal, Mississippi, Florida State and Fresno State, has been steep at times, but is serving as a great learning curve for Scott.

“It’s exciting for me, it’s an opportunity I’ve been wanting my whole life,” he said. “When I played, teammates always called me ‘coach.’ The biggest adjustment is the management side of it. It’s different, but I’m just as excited to learn, to grow, to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.”

Against Fresno State, the men made 23 of 24 free throws, a small thing that can turn into a big thing, especially when it matters most.

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“It’s huge,” Scott said. “We haven’t been shooting them too well. A lot of our guys’ percentages are down so we’ve spent a lot of time working on it and it came through for us, especially the big free throws at the end of the game.”

Scott chalked it up to the resiliency and the grind-it-out performances he expects to see more of as the season progresses. While the free-throw shooting was present against the Bulldogs with Dailin Smith going 12 for 13 — a huge confidence boost on what was a 30-point night — CJ Hardy 5 for 5 and Ron Jessamy 6 for 6, the same application needs to be there for shooting 3-pointers. The ’Runners are 32 of 126 from beyond the arc and in the last two games, CSUB is a combined 2 for 25.

“Practice, practice and more practice,” was Scott’s initial answer during a weekly press conference Tuesday at the Icardo Center. “We drill our guys on what we’re running and get them more shots and keeping the guys confident. Same thing I told them in a game. I felt good about the shots they were taking and they will eventually fall for us.”

This week would be a great time to see what the team needs to work on and gain confidence. The Roadrunners will play at Cal State Northridge on Thursday and at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. It’s a mini-Big West schedule, dubbed “Bold Week” by conference officials.

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Being on the road, Smith said it’s a chance for his players to step up and find out what kind of team they can be.

“If we’re going to be a gritty team, we’re going to grind out some games on the road,” Smith said. “Why not put some pressure early and maybe get one or two games and give ourselves a jolt of confidence?”

On the women’s side, the 2-28 record in 2024-25 doesn’t define Ari Wideman in the midst of the new season. Last week the team picked up back-to-back wins — both on the road against Nebraska-Omaha and then Wichita State. The higher point totals her team put up showed flashes of what she is hoping to see consistently.

CSUB did show a few things, too, even in a 78-63 road defeat Saturday to Arizona of the Big 12 Conference, but she’s happy she scheduled that game.

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“Some teams might have scheduled a Division II team to clean some things up before conference. I’d rather us be tested and Arizona was a good test,” she said, referring to the Big West mini-set the team will play Thursday at home to Cal State Northridge and then Saturday afternoon against UC Santa Barbara.

She likes the play and statistical percentages of two newcomers to CSUB, guard Morgan Hawkins and the inside presence of Tena Ikidi, but she’s already identified, after a 2-5 start, what she’d really like to see happen.

“If we can get all of our top four guards scoring then we’re in a good spot,” Wideman said, identifying them as Chrishawn Coleman, Marley Langi and Maria Dias to join Hawkins as a formidable force. Coleman has been the scoring leader a few times and Dias did so most recently.

“I see CC, Marley and Maria who will lead us to the promised land, but they have to have the offensive leverage, be able to score and defend their guys. If those three do their job, they can be the catalyst to our success. Once they turn the full corner, the sky’s the limit for this team. We’re going to be on their tails about doing that.”

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As a whole, Wideman is focused on the two Big West games and since they are both at home and the team plays four of its next five in the Icardo Center, a good showing means plenty.

“I’m excited to get these first two at home,” she said. “We were picked to finish 11th in the conference. This is a chance to send a message to the rest of the conference right away. I think we can pressure and get after both of them. We want to play them as hard as heck and protect our home.”