After finishing 6-22 last season, Cal State San Marcos men’s basketball has already eclipsed that win total, opening the season 8-5 under first-year head coach Brady Bergeson.
At the center of the turnaround is Oceanside native Keavie Love, the Cougars’ top scorer. The 6-foot-2 senior guard, who transferred from San Diego City College as a junior, has nearly doubled his scoring, from 9.6 points per game last season to 16.4 this year.
“We have a lot more experience on the team this year, a lot more teamwork with the guys, and a lot more collaboration,” Love told the Coast News. “The chemistry between teammates is a lot better — everyone knows their role; everyone wants to go out there and play hard.”
“They went through some things internally that they would never want to go through again,” Bergeson added. “There was some pain coming out of last years’ experience, and for the returners, it lived with them. They were hungry for something else.”
Love, an All-Coastal League standout at El Camino High School, credits his jump in production to smarter decision-making.
“Last year, I didn’t do well offensively in some games, and it affected my whole mindset; my assist-to-turnover ratio wasn’t good,” he said. “Over the summer, I put in a lot of individual work and played in the Switch League in San Diego, which really helped me build confidence. My decision-making is a lot better now, and that’s allowed me to thrive offensively — whether it’s scoring or setting up my teammates.”
Bergeson called decision-making “easy to explain but hard to do in the speed of the game.”
“Keavie immediately makes his impact known,” he said. “He’s a very physical guard who thrives in contact and isn’t afraid to go through defenders to get to the basket. We’ve worked on small adjustments, like playing off two feet, but he’s been a consistent contributor. He’s also improved at recognizing situations — knowing when to attack and when to find a teammate — and that’s really helped him offensively.”
The team’s second-leading scorer, Dexter Stratton, is also a county native and played with Love at City College. Reflecting on that experience, Love said:
“I learned a lot from the older guys my freshman year. I didn’t play much at first, but when I did, I could compete and that gave me confidence. The most memorable game was a playoff matchup against one of the top teams in the state — I came off the bench and made a real impact. By my sophomore year, being around talented teammates pushing each other every day forced me to get better.”
CSUSM opened the season Oct. 24 with an exhibition against a familiar rival, setting the tone for the regular season. The Cougars pushed former CCAA rival UC San Diego — coming off a 2024-25 season that included an NCAA Division I Tournament appearance and Big West regular-season and tournament titles — to overtime before falling 74-72 at LionTree Arena.
The game was CSUSM’s first meeting with the Tritons since UCSD’s final Division II season in 2019-20. Love contributed 13 points.
“That was awesome to kick off the season,” Love said. “We hadn’t done any scrimmages — just five-on-five against each other for months. Playing a high-level team like UCSD felt good, the shots were falling, and we really competed. That was a big confidence boost for us.”
Bergeson called the matchup an important risk for the team.
“The worst-case scenario would have been getting hammered and having to rebuild confidence,” he said. “But I think we would have found it eventually. That exhibition gave us confidence that we could be a good team. Taking UCSD to overtime in a one-possession game showed us that when we do things right and sustain effort, we can compete and beat some people.”
Love said his ultimate goal is professional basketball, but first things first: CSUSM hosts Cal State LA at home on Jan. 15.
“Whether it’s overseas or hopefully somewhere else, that’s always been the end goal,” Love said. “I would love to have the opportunity to play professionally.”
