UCR men’s basketball standout Kaleb Smith has nowhere to go but up – San Bernardino Sun

Mike Magpayo has said it before about Kaleb Smith and he’ll probably say it again.

“He’s just touching the surface,” Magpayo said. “I really think, and I’ve been saying it, ‘He is the ceiling of this team.’”

The 6-foot-5 sophomore swingman was 4 for 4 from 3-point range as the UC Riverside men’s basketball team took down UC Davis, 60-58, last week at the SRC Arena.

“Those 3s are just huge momentum swings for us, and he’s got courage,” Magpayo said. “He hit a big one every time they made a run and it was Kaleb that hit the big shot to keep us in it.”

Smith is currently second on the team in three-pointers made (37), three-pointers attempted (118), scoring (11.3 points per game) and rebounds (4.8).

“He shoots with courage and he plays with courage and I’m so proud of him,” said Magpayo, who recruited Smith out of Damien High School two years ago.

Smith shined in moments last season – he had tied a single-game program record with eight 3s at UC Santa Barbara – but has become an integral piece for the Highlanders in the chase for this year’s conference title.

“We’ve spent the last two years together, off-season workouts, spring work, everything, so building that experience every, single day is showing on the court,” said Smith, who helped Damien win the 2022 CIF State Division I title. ”It’s showing when we play high-level teams. We’re able to stay poised and we’re able to trust each other.”

Smith has played no fewer than 21 minutes in 23 games this season and is averaging 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 26.5 minutes during UCR’s recent five-game winning streak.

“We took a tough couple of losses leading into this win streak but this streak, it means a lot to us and it’s something that we want to keep going and keep building off of,” he said.

The crowds at SRC Arena have increased this season, too, and Smith said the players are taking notice.

“It’s big. A lot of us, we feed off that,” he said. “Stuff like that, as basketball players we work hard and to play in front of that and feed off the crowd’s energy, and do it for our school and our people, it means a lot to us. We’d love to keep seeing more and more.”

After Saturday’s 80-62 win at Cal Poly, the Highlanders (15-8 overall, 8-3 Big West) are on their long winning streak of the season. Smith was 2 of 7 from beyond the arc against the Mustangs and finished with eight points and seven rebounds in the win.

“This is what I do,” Smith said. “This is what I chose to do and I want to do this at a high level. Being able to have a coach that has the trust in me and the confidence in me to tell me, ‘I am the ceiling’ is something I take on every single day in practice and in games and I will be something I continue to reach for.”

UC Riverside travels to play UC San Diego on Thursday at 7 p.m. before returning to host Cal State Bakersfield at SRC Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m.

YOTES WIN SEASON OPENER

The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team opened the 2025 season with a series victory.

The Coyotes (2-1 overall) defeated Azusa Pacific 12-4 in the season opener on Friday, Jan. 31, before splitting a doubleheader on Saturday at Fiscalini Field in San Bernardino.

In a pair of one-run games, Azusa Pacific grabbed a 2-1 win in the first game before CSUSB bounced back for 13-12 victory in the late afternoon rubber game.

“We’ve got a good squad in here with a lot of good guys and some fresh energy,” CSUSB coach Mike Nadeau said. “I think last year was a big letdown and that’s OK, it happens. But now we just get after it again and I like who we’ve got.”

Tyler Vanneste went 4 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs in the third game for CSUSB and was selected CCAA Player of the Week.