Hank Hollingsworth – Redshirt Sophomore – 6’10”, 235 lbs

By the Numbers:

Hank Hollingsworth was one of Cal Poly’s more effective players early in 2017-18. By Owen Main

31 Games

9 Minutes per game

3.1 Points per game

3.4 Rebounds per game

.2 Assists per game

1.7 Blocks per game

63.1.% Field Goals

35.1% Free Throws

Early in the 2017-18 season, Hank Hollingsworth looked as though he was probably Cal Poly’s best defensive player. The 6’10” center led the team in blocks and patrolled help-side in the paint extremely well. 

As the season wore on, teams began to scout a little more and sniffed-out the few offensive sets the big man was super comfortable in. 

In 13 of the team’s first 17 games, Hollingsworth played 20-plus minutes. He wasn’t getting into intense foul trouble — something that plagued him as a freshman — and he generally held his own against other bigs as Cal Poly began the season 7-10. 

In the team’s 17th game of the season, Hollingsworth recorded a career high (and program record) 7 blocks in a 101-97 loss to the Titans at home. 

Following that loss in the team’s second conference game, Hollingsworth’s time on the floor and effectiveness waned. Over the last 15 games, Hollingsworth eclipsed the 20 minute mark just three times, failing to score in eight of the final 15 games. Cal Poly went 2-12 during that span. For a players whose effectiveness was never measured simply by points and rebounds, Hollingsworth’s success seems at least like a kind of retroactive bellwether to this past year’s team. 

Looking forward

Having come onto campus as a tall, skinny freshman, past Callero bigs like Ryan Pembleton and Ben Eisenhardt instantly came to mind. But, unlike those players who didn’t stay on-campus long enough to make real impacts, Hollingsworth did make real and tangible positive strides. He improved his strength, his conditioning, and his confidence in the summer of 2017. 

Hollingsworth is also a company man in the locker room. After his seven-block performance when he didn’t see the floor late in the game and in overtime against Cal State Fullerton, Hollingsworth was pretty impressive at diffusing my question about him not being on the floor:

Whenever head coach Joe Callero talked this season about how great some of his kids’ character was, I always pictured that Hank was front and center there. 

If he continues to develop, Hollingsworth has the potential to be a rotation player on a winning team. He’s got all the off-the-court attributes. In his junior season, he’ll need to put a little more bite into his on-court demeanor. He was a great help defender, but resisting strong post guys like Tommy Rutherford in the post are the real tests. Hank is also going to be in his fourth year on campus. Intangibles like leadership will be increasingly important as well. In his fourth year on campus, Hollingsworth will be alone as the most tenured Mustang. With a team that will have at least six new faces, don’t underestimate the importance of the old guy setting the right tone. 

*Ed note: Over the next few weeks, we’ll be recapping the season of every Cal Poly player who played in 2017-18.

It was almost Mott Magic for the second time in three days. Almost.

After erasing a 10-point Cal State Fullerton lead with 2:39 to play in the game, Cal Poly looked like they had all the momentum they needed to get out of the weekend with a pair of improbable home victories. 

But the Titans’ Kyle Allman Jr. took control. The junior guard altered a shot late and finished the game with 30 points to lead Cal State Fullerton to a 101-97 win. Fullerton is now 2-0 in conference play while Cal Poly falls to 1-1. 

Victor Joseph’s hot shooting spurred the Mustangs on Saturday night. By Owen Main

Victor Joseph heats up

After a slow start to the season, senior Victor Joseph has warmed over the past month or so. As Cal Poly clawed back into Saturday night’s game, Joseph was the catalyst, scoring 25 of his 33 points in the second half and overtime. Joseph was 11-19 from the field on the night, including 7-12 from three-point range. In all, Cal Poly made 19 three-pointers (the program and Big West record is 21). but Cal Poly shot just 12/34 from two-point range (35 percent) and had no answer for Fullerton’s Big 3. 

Fullerton rising

Between Kyle Allman Jr., Jackson Rowe, and Khalil Ahmad, it’s hard to know who to focus on if you’re playing defense against the Titans. 

Allma (30 points, 9 rebounds), who was the week’s Big West Player of the Week, has a quickness usually only seen from guys as small as Donovan Fields and Victor Joseph, and his explosiveness around the rim allows him to draw contact and finish. 

Jackson Rowe (24 points, 12 rebounds), last year’s Freshman of the Year in the Big West, has developed enough of a three-pointer to keep teams honest and was as effective an offensive rebounder as I’ve seen against Cal Poly this season. 

As for Ahmad, he had an off night on Saturday, scoring “just” 13 points while fouling out. He is dangerous though. He’ll win at least a game or two for the Titans singlehandedly this season as teams focus on shutting down Allman and Rowe. 

Cal State Fullerton is for real. They have enough balance and are finally disciplined enough on defense across the roster to compete the way head coach Dedrique Taylor wants them to. 

Hank sets a record

Hank Hollingsworth set a Cal Poly program record with seven blocks on Saturday night. What’s more amazing is that he did so in just 14 minutes of action. With Cal State Fullerton going small late, Joe Callero chose to keep Hank out of the lineup late in the game and into overtime in order to match-up. 

Cal Poly hits the road to play Hawai’i on Wednesday night before visiting UC Irvine and CSUN for consecutive ESPN3 contests on January 18th and 20th. 

Photos by Owen Main. For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com.