For Tiedeman, Division II is the right choice

<p>An NCAA banner on a wall at Seawolf Gym Wednesday night proclaimed “I chose Division II.”</p><p>Like many players one rung removed from college basketball’s penthouse, Santa Rosa’s Zac Tiedeman didn’t exactly grow up dreaming of playing at Cal State L.A. instead of UCLA. But now that he’s stepped down a level after a year at Division I Santa Clara, Tiedeman, a junior point guard at Humboldt State, is content with his place in college basketball’s stratosphere.</p><p>He’s happy. And he’s playing plenty. Some things, he says, are more important than playing with the big boys.</p><p>“You might get more gear and you might have better facilities in Division I, but that stuff isn’t really important in the long run,” Tiedeman said. “I’m getting to play basketball and it’s the game I love.”</p><p>Tiedeman made a triumphant return to Sonoma County on Wednesday night as he continued his stellar season with 22 points and a pair of clutch shots in the final two minutes of the Lumberjacks’ 73-69 win over Sonoma State before a near-capacity crowd at Seawolf Gym.</p><p>With Humboldt (15-6, 8-3) clinging to a 66-64 lead, Tiedeman, who scored 15 second-half points, drilled a 3-pointer with two minutes left. One minute later, with the Lumberjacks leading 69-66, he made an off-balance shot just inside the 3-point line.</p><p>“We can’t think of anyone else we want to have the ball in that situation,” Humboldt coach Tom Wood said. “We’re very happy to have him.” </p><p>Before a large local cheering section of supporters, Tiedeman nearly reprised his performance from Humboldt’s 80-78 win against SSU (7-11, 3-8) in December. In that game, Tiedeman, who is averaging a team-best 12.8 points a game, scored a career-high 25 points and had 13 of the Lumberjacks’ final 15 points. Tiedeman is averaging 23.5 points against the Seawolves and 11.6 points in his other 18 games.</p><p>“I don’t know what it is,” Tiedeman said. “It must be something about playing the hometown team.”</p><p>Tiedeman’s trip to Arcata has been a circuitous one.</p><p>After leading Montgomery High to a North Coast Section title as a senior, Tiedeman was a first-team all-conference player at Santa Rosa Junior College as a freshman. At SRJC, he caught the eye of then Santa Clara coach Dick Davey and was offered a scholarship.</p><p>Before Tiedeman arrived on Santa Clara’s campus, however, Davey had been replaced by Kerry Keating. Tiedeman averaged just 1.5 points a game, but he had his moments as a sophomore at Santa Clara last year, starting seven games and scoring 13 points in a win over Pepperdine.</p><p>But he sprained his knee in January and missed the rest of the season. After the end of the season, he says he was one of three players who received a text message from Keating during spring break. Keating wanted to meet with him.</p><p>Tiedeman never met with Keating due to conflicting schedules. But the two other Broncos who did were told by Keating that they wouldn’t be playing much the following season. Tiedeman didn’t need to hear the message in person. He needed to find a place where he could play. In April, he made the decision to transfer to Humboldt State.</p><p>“I’ve had a lot of different experiences, which I’m grateful for,” Tiedeman said. “Going to SRJC was a lot different than high school and then I went to Santa Clara, which was a Division I program and kind of an upscale school. Now I’m here at Humboldt, so I’ve been placed in a lot of different situations and they’ve helped me grow up.”</p><p>On Wednesday, however, Tiedeman helped the Seawolves suffer another gut-wrenching loss. The defeat marked the fifth time SSU had lost a CCAA game by five points or less. A sixth CCAA loss, a 72-62 setback to Chico State, came in overtime.</p><p>Five players scored in double figures for SSU, led by Steven Pratt (12 points). Duane Wright, James Sandoval and Chad Chambers each scored 11 and Mike Nelson added 10.</p><h3>SSU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL</h3> <p>Humboldt State used a blistering 18-2 second-half run to grab a 60-56 win against the Seawolves.</p><p>SSU (8-10, 4-7) led 41-33 with 10:44 left after a 3-pointer from junior guard Jennifer Russo. But the Lumberjacks (13-5, 8-3) roared back and led 51-43 just four minutes later.</p><p>Junior forward Stephanie Barnes led the Seawolves with 15 points and freshman forward Marie Sweet added 11. Humboldt senior guard Katie Franci, a former star at Analy High and SRJC, had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.</p>