‘I’d be safe and warm, if I was in L.A. ... California dreamin‘  on such a winter’s day !”  (California Dreamin‘ , The Mamas and the Papas, 1965)  No question, the Calgary Dinos are happy about heading south for three games in the San Diego/Los Angles area rather than donning parkas for Winnipeg this holiday season.

The schedule has UC meeting 3 teams from the Golden State Athletic Conference;  San Diego Christian is their first, and weakest opponent, with their 2nd game against Biola College being their toughest, and the Dinos finish with Asuza Pacific, a team in the middle of the conference standings. Most of the schools in this NAIA league are Christian, church-affiliated colleges, and all 11 are within the Los Angeles - San Diego areas.

The Dinos fly south on Sunday, the 27th and will have a shooting practice before their Monday night game against the San Diego Christian College Hawks in El Cajon.  The suburban community is 11 miles east of San Diego, and the average high is a comforting 70 F in December.  SDCC is a school of some 5,000, a conservative, private college , affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Hawks, school colors, navy and sand, sit near the bottom of the 11 school Golden State Athletic Conference with an overall 1-11 record.  Their high scorer is Marquis Kennedy, a 6’ 4th year (Sr.) guard from Portland, OR, who scores 14 ppg. Their top rebounder is 6’6” Ahmed Abdehamid, a senior forward from Auckland, NZ.  The Hawks have 9 players on their 18 man roster from California, but also have players from the Sudan, Taiwan, and Lithuania.

San Diego Christian scores an average of 68 pts. per game, but has allowed opponents to rack up  80 per game, so defense has not been their forte.

Live stats are available for this game and both of the other California contests. Game time is 8:00 pm MST on Monday night.  The Biola game is 6:30 pm on Tuesday, and Azusa Pacific is 8:30 on Wednesday.

Notes ...

1. • Trinity Western Spartans had an 81-58 win over against San Diego Christian on Monday, but their big news is the signing of Kyle Coston, a 4th year transfer from Lyndon, WA, who played for the Portland State Vikings when they qualified 2 years running for the NCAA Tournament.  The 6’8” forward started for the Vikings in his final season, and he is a former Washington State High School Player of the Year in 2006. 
   

Red-shirting this season, Coston will join former PSU teammate, Tyrell Mara, next year, and will have 2 seasons of eligibility at Trinity.  Coston’s older brother Tyler, a 6’1” guard, played at TWU then at Alberta.

1. •Alberta dropped 3 games in Montana this week ... 79-76 to Great Falls U. , 82-60 to Montana Tech, and, last night in Havre,  50-72 to Northern State.
   

2. • Simon Fraser, in Hawaii, lost 69-59 to BYU-Hawaii .
   

3. • Ross Bekkering is still recovering from his shoulder injury suffered against Trinity Western,  causing him to miss the Simon Fraser game, and he is hopeful he will be ready for practice on the 26th and can play in Southern California.
   

4. • SAIT Trojans host their annual holiday tournament on the 28th-30th with the field featuring Mount Royal, a very strong U. Northern B.C. team from Prince George, Concordia (Edmonton), Lakeland College, Red Deer College, Grant McEwan, and Augustana.
   

5. • The oddity of Calgary making 2 trips down to Lethbridge to play single league games with the Pronghorns is explained by Dinos Coach Dan Vanhooren, “ One of the reasons was the bye week for the Olympics ... it’s a way to keep the teams playing.”
   

6. • The Western Redmen were in North Vancouver last weekend, and beat Edmonton’s Jasper Place Rebels in the 3rd place game of the North Shore Invitational Tournament. Western (10 -1) lost to Oak Bay (Victoria) 93-75  in their semi-final game, for their only loss of the season.
   

7. • Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All !