Point Loma Nazarene’s men’s basketball team is not built along traditional lines.
“We play a very positionless style of basketball,” coach Justin Downer explained earlier this week. “We don’t have traditional point guards, although we have a good one.
“Everyone in our starting lineup is at least 6-foot-4, but we don’t have enormous size down low. Everyone we have on the floor is athletic. Everyone is capable of guarding a guard and we have guards who defend against forwards.
“It’s a pretty fun way to play if you play together. And we play together.”
They win, too. With four games to go in the regular season, the Sea Lions are 21-5 overall and are two wins away from clinching a second straight PacWest Conference regular-season title under Downer.
Beyond that is the conference tournament and the NCAA Division II Tournament; PLNU is in the running to host next month’s West Regionals.
“Our focus is on the next two weeks, but our goals go far beyond that,” said Downer. “We’re eager to show what we can do.”
There are doubters. PLNU is 23rd in the NCAA Division II national rankings and seventh in the West, but the analytics used by the NCAA rank the Sea Lions much higher.
The Sea Lions should get deeper before the playoffs with the return of 6-8 senior forward Wynton Brown, who has missed most of the past two weeks with a strained elbow ligament.
“Our strength is interchangeable parts,” said Downer. “We’ve got players that can do a lot of different things … fill different roles at different times. It starts off with a deep cast of versatile defensive players. If you don’t have a defender that other teams can pick on, you’re at an advantage.”
Plus, the Sea Lions have some excellent parts.
Senior guard Zackry Paulsen averages 16.4 points per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 43.7% from 3-point range. He leads PLNU with 35 steals.
Downer calls Paulsen “a special player.”
“He’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached and he gets better every game,” Downer said. “He’s really tough to guard.”
Luke Haupt, a 6-foot-7 graduate of St. Augustine High School, is the Sea Lions’ unconventional point guard. He is averaging 13.0 points a game and leads PLNU in both rebounds (5.7 per game) and assists (79) with 34 steals. A fifth-year senior, Haupt has spent his entire collegiate career at PLNU. He redshirted last season after suffering a knee injury.
“Luke is a rarity in college basketball,” said Downer. “He is loyal to our program and the community. And he’s overcome so much adversity with his knee injury last year. He’s a multi-time all-regional player.”
Two other PLNU players average 10 or more points per game, and five total players average at least four rebounds per game.
And then there’s the Sea Lions’ versatility and commitment on the defensive end.
“There are several things that come into play,” Downer said. “To start with, we’re the only team in the country that didn’t graduate a scholarship senior or lose a player through the transfer portal last year. We started the season with experienced players who liked being here and in this group and system.”
The cast is deep. Even without Brown, Downer deploys an eight-man rotation. And the Sea Lions have played this season without guard Jake Lifgren, who was averaging 18.1 points a game last season when he suffered an injury that has cost him 1 ½ seasons.
Starting guard Coby Barnes, a 6-4 senior, averages 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.
“Coby came in as a walk-on and no one expected a lot,” Downer said. “He has worked himself into an all-conference player. He’s a captain and one of our best defenders.”
Guard Tyce Paulsen, a 6-4 sophomore, is averaging 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. Although he is Zackry’s younger brother, Tyce Paulsen committed to PLNU before Zackry transferred in from Seattle Pacific.
Forward Andrew Hommes, a 6-6 junior, is averaging 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds off the bench. He is the younger brother of former PLNU All-American Daulton Hommes, who led the Sea Lions to the NCAA Division II championship game in 2019.
Jaden Matingou is a 6-3 sophomore guard out of Saints who is averaging 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds a game and is a defensive whirlwind. Pierce Davis, a 6-9 senior, has been starting at forward in Brown’s temporary absence and averaging 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds.
The Sea Lions will clinch their second straight regular-season PacWest title under Downer with wins this week at Azusa Pacific on Wednesday and at home against Vanguard on Saturday.
“One of the things I like about Point Loma Nazarene is the winning culture,” Haupt said. “We find ways to win. We’re pretty determined and focused. We have leaders. But it’s not unusual at all to have someone else step up almost every game. We have depth.”
Every week, U-T contributor Bill Center highlights one San Diego college team that’s making strides on and off the court. To nominate a team, email [email protected].
