COUGARS HIT ROAD FOR LEGENDS CLASSIC: The Washington State University men's basketball team hits the road for the first time this season as it heads across the country to Newark, N.J. to compete in the 2008 Legends Classic held at the Prudential Center. The Cougars will face Mississippi State in the semifinals, Sat. Nov. 29th (9:30am AEDT). Depending on the outcome of that game, WSU will face either No. 4 Pittsburgh or Texas Tech on Sunday. LAST TIME OUT FOR THE COUGS: WSU AGAINST THE SEC:. LOOKING AHEAD:. KEEPING THE NONCONFERENCE STREAK ALIVE:. NEARLY PERFECT IN NOVEMBER:. WSU FRESHMEN AMONG TOPS IN PAC-10:. THOMPSON OFFERS `FRESH' START:. FRESHMEN LEADING BLOCK PARTY:. WINNING BY 20-PLUS:. SENIOR CITIZENS:. ROCHESTIE PLAYS 100TH GAME: BAYNES EYEING 1,000 POINTS:. ROCHESTIE CLOSING IN TOO:. COUGARS RECEIVING VOTES:. COUGS AMONG YOUNGEST TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY:. ABOUT THE LEGENDS CLASSIC:.
• The Cougars defeated Canisius, 67-41, Tuesday (Nov. 25) evening at Pullman's Friel Court.
• The Cougars trailed early in the game, marking the second-straight game the Cougs have trailed and just the second time this season. • Senior Taylor Rochestie led the team with 17 points.
• Freshman Klay Thompson had the best shooting night of his career with 15 points while shooting .500 from the field.
• The Cougars kept Canisius' leading rebounder Chris Gadley (9.7 rpg coming in) off the boards as he didn't grab a single rebound. .
• Daven Harmeling, Taylor Rochestie and Klay Thompson have scored in double figures the last two games...they are the first Cougars to record back-to-back double figure scoring games this season. .
• For the second-straight game, six freshmen saw action, two redshirt freshmen (Abe Lodwick, Charlie Enquist) and four true freshmen (Marcus Capers, DeAngelo Casto, Klay Thompson, Nick Witherill). .
• The Cougars are 3-7 all-time against current members of the Southeastern Conference. .
• WSU has never faced Mississippi State, nor has it faced Auburn, Florida, Mississippi, or South Carolina. .
• The Cougars' last meeting against an SEC opponent was in the 2007 NCAA Tournament when WSU fell to Vanderbilt, 78-74 ,in double overtime. .
• There are two SEC teams on the Cougs' schedule this season as they will head to Baton Rouge to take on LSU on Dec. 28. .
• The only two teams WSU has faced more than once from the SEC are Alabama (1-2) and LSU (1-1). .
• Depending on Friday's outcomes, WSU could face No. 4 Pittsburgh or Texas Tech Saturday. .
• WSU has never faced Pitt. .
• The Cougars and Red Raiders met once in the 1995 NIT with WSU prevailing, 94-82 in Pullman. .
• Both TTU and WSU have head coaches who took over for their fathers at their current programs (Knight and Bennett). .
• The Cougars have won 20-straight regular season nonconference games dating back to the last four nonconference regular season games of the 2006-07 season. .
• The 20-game streak is second-longest in school history passing the 19-straight regular season nonconference games winning streak during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. .
• WSU's record streak stands at 23 games set during the 1931-32, 1932-33 and 1933-34 seasons. .
• WSU is 33-0 all-time in the month of November at Friel Court and has won 30-straight November games in Pullman and is 34-1. .
• The Cougars' only loss in Pullman in November was 77-47 to Colorado State, Nov. 30, 1963. .
• WSU is a perfect 18-0 in the month of November under third-year head coach Tony Bennett. .
• The Cougars have started the season 4-0 in all three of Tony Bennett's season at the helm. .
• Four different Cougar freshmen rank in the top-three amongst freshmen in the top-10 in seven different categories (as of Nov. 24). .
• Klay Thompson leads all Pac-10 freshmen in 3-point field goals made (fifth overall), is third amongst freshmen in scoring (23rd overall) and is tied with WSU redshirt freshman Charlie Enquist for third amongst freshmen for blocks per game (tied for fifth overall).
• Marcus Capers leads the conference freshmen in assist/turnover ratio (10th overall) and is tied for first in assists (tied for 12th overall). • DeAngelo Casto leads the Pac-10 freshmen in blocks per game while ranking third in the league. .
• With his start against MVSU Nov. 15, Klay Thompson became the first Cougar freshman to start a season opener since Kyle Weaver started against Montana State, Nov. 19, 2004.
• He also became the first WSU freshman to start a game since Nikola Koprivica started against San Diego State, Dec. 21, 2006. .
• A total of six freshmen saw action in the season opener for the Cougs (Marcus Capers, DeAngelo Casto, Charlie Enquist, Abe Lodwick, Klay Thompson, Nick Witherill).
• Four of the freshmen are true freshman (Capers, Casto, Thompson, Witherill). The last time four true freshman played in the season opener was in 2004 (Josh Akognon, Robbie Cowgill, Daven Harmeling, Kyle Weaver). .
• Six freshmen have seen action in three of WSU's four games, while five freshmen saw action in the other game. .
• Last season just two freshmen played for the Cougars, making a total of 20 appearances (one true freshman, one redshirt freshman). • This year seven WSU freshmen have combined for 23 appearances in the first four games. .
• Thompson currently leads the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game. The last freshman to end the season with 12 or more points was Mark Hendrickson with a 12.6 average in 1993. (Second-best mark in WSU's freshmen record books.) .
• Freshman DeAngelo Casto's four blocks against Mississippi Valley State Nov. 15 tied him for the third most by a freshman in a game. .
• Carlos Daniel had the best freshman debut blocks-wise with five against Eastern Washington, Nov. 29, 1994...Aron Baynes also had five blocks as a freshman at San Diego State, Dec. 10, 2005. .
• Casto followed with a two-block performance against Fairleigh Dickinson...he's averaging 2.3 blocks per game and has had a block in every game of his career. .
• In the second game of the season, freshman Klay Thompson led the Cougs in blocks with three...he's tied for second on the team with 1.0 blocks a game. .
• Redshirt freshman Charlie Enquist also has four blocks on the season, tying with Thompson for third on the team with 1.0 blocks per game. .
• This season the Cougars have won all four games by margins of victory greater than 20 points. .
• WSU's final two wins of the 2007-08 season were also by 20 or more points (61-41 over Notre Dame-3/22; 71-40 over Winthrop-3/20). .
• The Cougars have had a margin of victory of 20 or more points in each of their last six wins, dating back to last season. .
• Despite a roster with just five seniors (including walk-on Ryan Bailey), the majority of WSU's points came from the senior class in the opening game. .
• The seniors accounted for 43 of WSU's 76 points (57 percent), including the game's only two double-digit scorers in Aron Baynes (14 points) and Caleb Forrest (13 points). .
• An upper classman has led the Cougs in scoring in every game this season (freshman Klay Thompson tied Taylor Rochestie for game-high honors in the third game of the season). .
• The upperclassmen have outscored the freshmen, 177-92 this season, 149 of those points scored by seniors. (one junior has played, no sophomores). .
• WSU's Nov. 21 game against Sacramento State marked the 100th game of redshirt senior Taylor Rochestie's career. • He's now played in 101 games. .
• Rochestie played 28 games as a freshman at Tulane and has played 73 games at WSU. .
• The point guard has started 69 of his 101 games thus far, including 44 starts at WSU. .
• Senior center Aron Baynes is looking to become the 30th player in Washington State history to score 1,000 points in his WSU career. .
• Now with 686 career points, Baynes needs a total of 314 more points this season to reach the milestone. .
• The Australian-native tallied 365 last season averaging 10.4 per game. .
• Redshirt senior guard Taylor Rochestie is also closing in on the 1,000-point mark for his career. .
• Between his freshman season at Tulane University and the last two years at WSU, Rochestie has amassed 873 points. .
• After a junior season in which he tied Baynes for third on the team in scoring with 365 points, Rochestie will need 477 total points this season to get to 1,000 as a Cougar. .
• Rochestie has 569 points as a Cougar after scoring 304 at Tulane. .
• Although the Cougars haven't been ranked this season, they still continue to receive votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Polls. .
• WSU has 13 votes in the AP Poll and 15 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. .
• Three of WSU's opponents this season are ranked, as is Pittsburgh, a possible opponent for the Cougars in the Legends Classic. • Pittsburgh (4), Gonzaga (9/10), UCLA (13/11) and Arizona State (14)are all ranked. .
• On top of that, four of the Cougars' opponents are receiving votes (Baylor-both, LSU-AP, USC -both, Washington-ESPN/USA Today). .
• With nine total freshman, WSU is tied with three other schools for the most freshmen on a roster in the country. The Cougs are tied with Presbyterian, High Point and The Citadel. .
• The Cougars' group of seven true freshmen is tied for the fourth most true freshmen on an NCAA Division I roster in the nation. Duquesne, Saint Louis and Iona each have eight true freshmen on their rosters. .
• WSU's seven scholarship freshmen also ties them for third in the country for most scholarship freshmen. Duquesne and Saint Louis each have eight scholarship freshmen. .
• Although freshmen-heavy, the Cougars older players make up for it. Among the youngest teams by average age, the Cougars rank 10th in the country with an average age of 19.87 years old. Arizona State (19.81 years old) ranks directly ahead of the Cougs, while Oregon (19.93 years old) is right behind WSU at 11th. .
• The 2008 Legends Classic is a 12-team tournament featuring teams from 12 different conferences. .
• Four teams from four top conferences start the tournament with opening round games on their home courts. .
• Those four teams will advance to the championship round of the tournament at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Nov. 28-29 (Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, WSU). .
• The Cougars defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 55-33, in the Pullman Regional of the Tournament. .
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Aron Baynes & WSU Hit Road for Legends Classic
Thursday, November 27, 2008
St. Mary's opens Tourney in Anaheim
THIS WEEK IN SAINT MARY’S BASKETBALL
The Gaels will look to remain unbeaten when they travel to Anaheim, CA to compete in the 2008 76 Classic, hosted by the Big West Conference and ESPN. The Gaels will open the tournament against the UTEP Miners on Thursday, Nov. 27. The game on Thanksgiving Day will tip-off at 11 a.m. from the Anaheim Convention Center. All three games of the tournament will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, with games on ESPNU and ESPN2. The first and second round games for SMC will be televised on ESPNU, while the third round game will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Saint Mary’s will play three games in the tournament, which begins on Thursday and ends on Sunday. The Gaels will play either No. 19/24 Wake Forest or Cal State Fullerton on Friday. After a day off on Saturday, SMC will close the tournament against either No. 14/14 Arizona State, Baylor, Providence, or Charlotte on Sunday. Saint Mary’s enters the eight-team 76 Classic tournament with a 3-0 record following an 86-54 win over Vanguard University on Sunday night. The Gaels opened the year with an 86-55 win over Division II Seattle Pacific, then improved to 2-0 with a 99-85 win over Fresno State. SMC’s first round opponent, UTEP, enters the game with a 2-1 record following a 67-80 loss at home to UNLV on Monday night.
RADIO AND TELEVISION
The Saint Mary’s versus UTEP game will be televised on ESPNU. The Saint Mary’s radio broadcast will be available on the internet through www.SMCGaels.com with Mike Bouve calling the action courtside. The game will not have a commercial radio broadcast on KDIA AM 1640. Gael fans can access the audio broadcast by logging onto the Gael Vision service for a subscription fee of $6.95 per month or 49.95 for the full 2008-09 athletic season.
PATRICK MILLS NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Patrick Mills was named the WCC Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday, Nov. 24, for the fourth time in his career. Mills averaged 21.5 points in wins over Fresno State (99-85) and Vanguard (86-54). He was 16-of-31 from the floor, including 5-of-12 from 3-point land, and averaged 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals. The sophomore scored a game-high 27 points against Fresno State, while dishing out five assists and making six steals. Against Vanguard, he scored a game-high 16 points while leading SMC to a 32-point win over the Lions.
SMC IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT RECORD
Saint Mary’s has a 67-73 (.496) overall record in 64 in-season tournaments. The Gaels have won 12 tournament titles, including three during the 2007-08 season. Last season, SMC went 2-0 in the Shamrock Invitational, 3-0 in the Rainbow Classic, and 2-0 in the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic. In its last eight in-season tournaments, Saint Mary’s has a 17-1 record and seven tournament titles.
SCOUTING THE UTEP MINERS
The UTEP Miners enter the 76 Classic with a 2-1 record following a 67-80 loss to the UNLV Rebels on Monday night. The Miners opened the season with a 69-63 win over Texas Southern on Nov. 14, then posted a 96-79 win over Georgia Southern on Nov. 18. As a team, the Miners are averaging 77.3 points per game, are shooting 45.9 percent from the floor, 34.9 percent from 3-point land, and 64.2 percent from the free throw line. UTEP opponents are averaging 74.0 points per game, while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from 3-point land, and 67.3 percent from the foul line. The Miners hold a 39.0 to 37.7 advantage on the glass. The Miners have two players that average over 20 points per game in Randy Culpepper and Stefon Jackson. Culpepper leads the team with 20.7 points per game, which includes a 35-point game against Georgia Southern. Culpepper leads the team with seven made 3-pointers this season. Jackson, who was a First Team Conference USA selection last year, averages 20.3 points per outing. He led the Miners with 20 points in the loss to UNLV on Monday. Also averaging in double figures is Julyan Stone with 10.7 points per game. Stone also leads the team in assists (20) and steals (8). The team’s leading rebounder is Arnett Moultrie as the 6-11 forward averages 7.7 rebounds per game. Tony Barbee is in his third year as the head coach at UTEP. Barbee guided the Miners to 14 and 19 wins in his first two seasons, and currently has a 35-32 overall record in El Paso. Barbee took the reins of the UTEP program on Aug. 14, 2006 as the 17th head coach in school history. Barbee took over the job at UTEP after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis.
SMC VERSUS UTEP: THE SERIES
Thursday’s game between SMC and UTEP will mark the first ever meeting between the two teams in men’s basketball.MILLS RECORDS 10TH CAREER 20-POINT GAMEIn the win over Fresno State, Patrick Mills scored 27 points to lead all players. The 20-point performance marked the 10th in the career for the sophomore guard. Mills first 20-point game ended with a career-high 37 points against Oregon, setting a SMC freshman record.
BENNETT SMC WINS LEADER
With a 3-0 record this season, head coach Randy Bennett has 130 career victories and is the winningest coach at Saint Mary’s. He became the all-time winningest coach at SMC following an 89-65 win over East Tennessee State on Dec. 21, 2007 in the Rainbow Classic. James Weaver (1955-62) held the record for 45 years with 110 wins in seven seasons. Bennett and Weaver are the only two coaches in school history to record 100 or more victories.
GAELS HAVE NATION’S ONLY OLYMPIAN
Saint Mary’s point guard Patrick Mills was the only collegiate basketball player to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mills played for his home country of Australia, and helped the Boomers post a 3-3 record in the tournament. While playing as a reserve in all six games, he averaged a team-leading 14.2 points per game. He scored a team-high 22 points against Argentina and 20 against the United States in the quarterfinals. Additionally, he averaged 23 minutes, 2.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
SMC IN AP AND COACHES POLLS
Saint Mary’s received 43 votes and is currently ranked 27th in the country in this week’s ESPN/USA Today’s Coaches Poll. In the Associated Press Poll, Saint Mary’s received 111 votes and is ranked 28th overall. SMC has received votes in all three weeks this season. Last season the Gaels were ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll eight weeks, and were ranked in the top-25 five consecutive weeks. SMC was ranked a school record six weeks in AP poll, and the five consecutive weeks in the poll from Jan. 28 to Feb. 25 is also a school record. Last season Saint Mary’s received votes in both polls for 17 straight weeks.2007-08
RECORD WHEN RANKED
Last season SMC spent eight weeks as a top-25 team in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. In those eight weeks, SMC played a total of 14 games and posted a 9-5 record. In the six weeks when ranked in the Associated Press Poll, Saint Mary’s played 11 games and posted a 7-4 record.
LAST NATIONAL RANKING PRIOR TO 07-08 SEASON
Prior to the 2007-08 season, SMC was last ranked in the top-25 in the 1988-89 campaign. SMC was ranked for three straight weeks and entered the poll with a No. 19 ranking the last week of February. After jumping up to No. 17 in the poll the next week, SMC dropped to No. 20 overall in the final poll of the year.
GAELS 3RD IN MID-MAJOR POLL
Saint Mary’s opened the season ranked third in the 2008-09 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. The Gaels received 697 total votes. Ahead of the Gaels are No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Davidson. Saint Mary’s closed the 2007-08 season ranked seventh in the mid-major poll.
GAELS AMONG NATION’S BEST IN BLOCKS
For the third straight year, Saint Mary’s is ranked in the top-25 in blocks per game. The Gaels have blocked 25 shots in three games and average 8.3 blocks per outing. The 8.3 blocks per game currently ranks ninth in the country. Mississippi State averages 13.8 blocks per game to lead the nation. In 2007-08, SMC averaged 5.3 blocks per game to leads the WCC and rank 21st overall in the country.
SAMHAN IN TOP-25 IN THE COUNTRY IN BLOCKS
Through three games, Omar Samhan has a team-high nine blocks to average 3.0 rejections per game. His 3.0 blocks per game leads the West Coast Conference and ranks 18th overall nationally.SAMHAN CLOSING IN ON 500 REBOUNDSIn 67 career games, Omar Samhan had collected 433 rebounds. He is 67 boards shy of becoming the school’s 26th player to eclipse the 500-rebound mark. For his career, Samhan is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.
HUGHES AMONG NATION’S BEST IN STEALS
Following a seven steal effort against Vanguard, senior guard Carlin Hughes leads the team and the WCC with 12 steals to average 4.0 per game. His 12 total steals ranks 12th in the country while his 4.0 steals per game currently ranks fifth in the country.
THE AUSSIE FIVE
This season Saint Mary’s has five Australian players available to play, the most in any year for Saint Mary’s. Currently, the Aussie contingent as averaging a combined 45.5 points per game, with Patrick Mills scoring a team-leading 21.0 points per outing. The 43.7 points per game is 48.4 percent of the scoring for the team this season.
GAELS 12TH IN COUNTRY IN SCORING
Through three games, Saint Mary’s is averaging 90.3 points per game, and nearly broke the 100-point mark with 99 points against Fresno State. After finishing 50th in the country last season (75.7 ppg), the Gaels are currently ranked 12th in the country in scoring this season. SMC has a scoring margin of +25.7
SMC’S 70-POINT SHOW
Last season Saint Mary’s scored more than 70 points 20 times, over 80 points 12 times, hit the 90-point mark four times, and reached 100 points once. When the Gaels scored 70 or more points, SMC was 19-1 last season. SMC has scored over 70 in all three games this season, and has a 3-0 record. SMC as posted a 33-6 record in the last 39 games when scoring 70 or more points.
GAELS DIG THE LONG BALL
Last season SMC made 254 3-pointers and averaged 7.9 made threes per game to lead the West Coast Conference. This season the Gaels have hit 24 3-pointers in through the first three games, to average 8.0 3-pointers made per game. The Gaels have taken 68 threes and the average of 22.6 3-point attempts per outing.
SAMHAN THIRD IN CAREER BLOCKS
Entering the season Omar Samhan had 90 career blocks. He set a SMC freshman record with 47 blocks in 2006-07 and added 43 in the sophomore season. He has a team-high nine blocks this season and now has 99 rejections for his career. He passed both Peter Thibeaux and Chase Poole to move into sole possession of third place behind Brad Millard (153) and Diamon Simpson (183).
GAELS MAKE ONE THREE IN 477 STRAIGHT GAMES
After making six 3-pointers against Vanguard on Sunday night, the Gaels have hit at least one 3-pointer in 477 straight games. Saint Mary’s kept a 16-year streak alive of making at least one 3-pointer. The last time SMC failed to make a three in a game was on Feb. 6, 1992 when the Gaels were 0-for-5 against Gonzaga.
GAELS TO APPEAR ON TV 20 TIMES
The Gaels will appear on television at least 20 times in 29 scheduled games this season. Included in the 20 television games are nine appearances on the ESPN family of networks, nine games are on Comcast Sports Net, and two games on Fox Sports Net. All 14 West Coast Conference games for SMC will be on television. In addition to the regular season games, SMC could appear on television two more times in the WCC Tournament, as the semifinals and final games will be on ESPN.
SMC SIGNS FOUR PLAYERS IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
With the early signing period past, Saint Mary’s inked four players for the 2009-10 season. The new class will include three players from Australia and one player from San Jose. The three Aussies coming from the Australian Institute of Sport are Jorden Page, Matt Dellavedova, and Mitchell Young. Guards Page and Dellavedova averaged 14.4 points and 3.7 assists and 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, respectively, for AIS in 2008 and forward Young added 9.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 24 games. The fourth player in the class is Tim Harris from Valley Christian High School. Harris averaged 16.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game and was an Honorable Mention West Valley League selection as a junior.
NEXT WEEK IN GAELS HOOPS
Following the 2008 76 Classic, Saint Mary’s will travel to Kent, Ohio to compete in its first true road game of the season. The Gaels will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes on Thursday, Dec. 4. The game against Kent State is the return game from last season’s ESPNU BracketBusters game, in which KSU defeated the Gaels 65-57 in Moraga. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. Pacific Time from the MAC Center.
The Gaels will look to remain unbeaten when they travel to Anaheim, CA to compete in the 2008 76 Classic, hosted by the Big West Conference and ESPN. The Gaels will open the tournament against the UTEP Miners on Thursday, Nov. 27. The game on Thanksgiving Day will tip-off at 11 a.m. from the Anaheim Convention Center. All three games of the tournament will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, with games on ESPNU and ESPN2. The first and second round games for SMC will be televised on ESPNU, while the third round game will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Saint Mary’s will play three games in the tournament, which begins on Thursday and ends on Sunday. The Gaels will play either No. 19/24 Wake Forest or Cal State Fullerton on Friday. After a day off on Saturday, SMC will close the tournament against either No. 14/14 Arizona State, Baylor, Providence, or Charlotte on Sunday. Saint Mary’s enters the eight-team 76 Classic tournament with a 3-0 record following an 86-54 win over Vanguard University on Sunday night. The Gaels opened the year with an 86-55 win over Division II Seattle Pacific, then improved to 2-0 with a 99-85 win over Fresno State. SMC’s first round opponent, UTEP, enters the game with a 2-1 record following a 67-80 loss at home to UNLV on Monday night.
RADIO AND TELEVISION
The Saint Mary’s versus UTEP game will be televised on ESPNU. The Saint Mary’s radio broadcast will be available on the internet through www.SMCGaels.com with Mike Bouve calling the action courtside. The game will not have a commercial radio broadcast on KDIA AM 1640. Gael fans can access the audio broadcast by logging onto the Gael Vision service for a subscription fee of $6.95 per month or 49.95 for the full 2008-09 athletic season.
PATRICK MILLS NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Patrick Mills was named the WCC Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday, Nov. 24, for the fourth time in his career. Mills averaged 21.5 points in wins over Fresno State (99-85) and Vanguard (86-54). He was 16-of-31 from the floor, including 5-of-12 from 3-point land, and averaged 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals. The sophomore scored a game-high 27 points against Fresno State, while dishing out five assists and making six steals. Against Vanguard, he scored a game-high 16 points while leading SMC to a 32-point win over the Lions.
SMC IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT RECORD
Saint Mary’s has a 67-73 (.496) overall record in 64 in-season tournaments. The Gaels have won 12 tournament titles, including three during the 2007-08 season. Last season, SMC went 2-0 in the Shamrock Invitational, 3-0 in the Rainbow Classic, and 2-0 in the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic. In its last eight in-season tournaments, Saint Mary’s has a 17-1 record and seven tournament titles.
SCOUTING THE UTEP MINERS
The UTEP Miners enter the 76 Classic with a 2-1 record following a 67-80 loss to the UNLV Rebels on Monday night. The Miners opened the season with a 69-63 win over Texas Southern on Nov. 14, then posted a 96-79 win over Georgia Southern on Nov. 18. As a team, the Miners are averaging 77.3 points per game, are shooting 45.9 percent from the floor, 34.9 percent from 3-point land, and 64.2 percent from the free throw line. UTEP opponents are averaging 74.0 points per game, while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from 3-point land, and 67.3 percent from the foul line. The Miners hold a 39.0 to 37.7 advantage on the glass. The Miners have two players that average over 20 points per game in Randy Culpepper and Stefon Jackson. Culpepper leads the team with 20.7 points per game, which includes a 35-point game against Georgia Southern. Culpepper leads the team with seven made 3-pointers this season. Jackson, who was a First Team Conference USA selection last year, averages 20.3 points per outing. He led the Miners with 20 points in the loss to UNLV on Monday. Also averaging in double figures is Julyan Stone with 10.7 points per game. Stone also leads the team in assists (20) and steals (8). The team’s leading rebounder is Arnett Moultrie as the 6-11 forward averages 7.7 rebounds per game. Tony Barbee is in his third year as the head coach at UTEP. Barbee guided the Miners to 14 and 19 wins in his first two seasons, and currently has a 35-32 overall record in El Paso. Barbee took the reins of the UTEP program on Aug. 14, 2006 as the 17th head coach in school history. Barbee took over the job at UTEP after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis.
SMC VERSUS UTEP: THE SERIES
Thursday’s game between SMC and UTEP will mark the first ever meeting between the two teams in men’s basketball.MILLS RECORDS 10TH CAREER 20-POINT GAMEIn the win over Fresno State, Patrick Mills scored 27 points to lead all players. The 20-point performance marked the 10th in the career for the sophomore guard. Mills first 20-point game ended with a career-high 37 points against Oregon, setting a SMC freshman record.
BENNETT SMC WINS LEADER
With a 3-0 record this season, head coach Randy Bennett has 130 career victories and is the winningest coach at Saint Mary’s. He became the all-time winningest coach at SMC following an 89-65 win over East Tennessee State on Dec. 21, 2007 in the Rainbow Classic. James Weaver (1955-62) held the record for 45 years with 110 wins in seven seasons. Bennett and Weaver are the only two coaches in school history to record 100 or more victories.
GAELS HAVE NATION’S ONLY OLYMPIAN
Saint Mary’s point guard Patrick Mills was the only collegiate basketball player to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mills played for his home country of Australia, and helped the Boomers post a 3-3 record in the tournament. While playing as a reserve in all six games, he averaged a team-leading 14.2 points per game. He scored a team-high 22 points against Argentina and 20 against the United States in the quarterfinals. Additionally, he averaged 23 minutes, 2.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
SMC IN AP AND COACHES POLLS
Saint Mary’s received 43 votes and is currently ranked 27th in the country in this week’s ESPN/USA Today’s Coaches Poll. In the Associated Press Poll, Saint Mary’s received 111 votes and is ranked 28th overall. SMC has received votes in all three weeks this season. Last season the Gaels were ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll eight weeks, and were ranked in the top-25 five consecutive weeks. SMC was ranked a school record six weeks in AP poll, and the five consecutive weeks in the poll from Jan. 28 to Feb. 25 is also a school record. Last season Saint Mary’s received votes in both polls for 17 straight weeks.2007-08
RECORD WHEN RANKED
Last season SMC spent eight weeks as a top-25 team in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. In those eight weeks, SMC played a total of 14 games and posted a 9-5 record. In the six weeks when ranked in the Associated Press Poll, Saint Mary’s played 11 games and posted a 7-4 record.
LAST NATIONAL RANKING PRIOR TO 07-08 SEASON
Prior to the 2007-08 season, SMC was last ranked in the top-25 in the 1988-89 campaign. SMC was ranked for three straight weeks and entered the poll with a No. 19 ranking the last week of February. After jumping up to No. 17 in the poll the next week, SMC dropped to No. 20 overall in the final poll of the year.
GAELS 3RD IN MID-MAJOR POLL
Saint Mary’s opened the season ranked third in the 2008-09 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. The Gaels received 697 total votes. Ahead of the Gaels are No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Davidson. Saint Mary’s closed the 2007-08 season ranked seventh in the mid-major poll.
GAELS AMONG NATION’S BEST IN BLOCKS
For the third straight year, Saint Mary’s is ranked in the top-25 in blocks per game. The Gaels have blocked 25 shots in three games and average 8.3 blocks per outing. The 8.3 blocks per game currently ranks ninth in the country. Mississippi State averages 13.8 blocks per game to lead the nation. In 2007-08, SMC averaged 5.3 blocks per game to leads the WCC and rank 21st overall in the country.
SAMHAN IN TOP-25 IN THE COUNTRY IN BLOCKS
Through three games, Omar Samhan has a team-high nine blocks to average 3.0 rejections per game. His 3.0 blocks per game leads the West Coast Conference and ranks 18th overall nationally.SAMHAN CLOSING IN ON 500 REBOUNDSIn 67 career games, Omar Samhan had collected 433 rebounds. He is 67 boards shy of becoming the school’s 26th player to eclipse the 500-rebound mark. For his career, Samhan is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.
HUGHES AMONG NATION’S BEST IN STEALS
Following a seven steal effort against Vanguard, senior guard Carlin Hughes leads the team and the WCC with 12 steals to average 4.0 per game. His 12 total steals ranks 12th in the country while his 4.0 steals per game currently ranks fifth in the country.
THE AUSSIE FIVE
This season Saint Mary’s has five Australian players available to play, the most in any year for Saint Mary’s. Currently, the Aussie contingent as averaging a combined 45.5 points per game, with Patrick Mills scoring a team-leading 21.0 points per outing. The 43.7 points per game is 48.4 percent of the scoring for the team this season.
GAELS 12TH IN COUNTRY IN SCORING
Through three games, Saint Mary’s is averaging 90.3 points per game, and nearly broke the 100-point mark with 99 points against Fresno State. After finishing 50th in the country last season (75.7 ppg), the Gaels are currently ranked 12th in the country in scoring this season. SMC has a scoring margin of +25.7
SMC’S 70-POINT SHOW
Last season Saint Mary’s scored more than 70 points 20 times, over 80 points 12 times, hit the 90-point mark four times, and reached 100 points once. When the Gaels scored 70 or more points, SMC was 19-1 last season. SMC has scored over 70 in all three games this season, and has a 3-0 record. SMC as posted a 33-6 record in the last 39 games when scoring 70 or more points.
GAELS DIG THE LONG BALL
Last season SMC made 254 3-pointers and averaged 7.9 made threes per game to lead the West Coast Conference. This season the Gaels have hit 24 3-pointers in through the first three games, to average 8.0 3-pointers made per game. The Gaels have taken 68 threes and the average of 22.6 3-point attempts per outing.
SAMHAN THIRD IN CAREER BLOCKS
Entering the season Omar Samhan had 90 career blocks. He set a SMC freshman record with 47 blocks in 2006-07 and added 43 in the sophomore season. He has a team-high nine blocks this season and now has 99 rejections for his career. He passed both Peter Thibeaux and Chase Poole to move into sole possession of third place behind Brad Millard (153) and Diamon Simpson (183).
GAELS MAKE ONE THREE IN 477 STRAIGHT GAMES
After making six 3-pointers against Vanguard on Sunday night, the Gaels have hit at least one 3-pointer in 477 straight games. Saint Mary’s kept a 16-year streak alive of making at least one 3-pointer. The last time SMC failed to make a three in a game was on Feb. 6, 1992 when the Gaels were 0-for-5 against Gonzaga.
GAELS TO APPEAR ON TV 20 TIMES
The Gaels will appear on television at least 20 times in 29 scheduled games this season. Included in the 20 television games are nine appearances on the ESPN family of networks, nine games are on Comcast Sports Net, and two games on Fox Sports Net. All 14 West Coast Conference games for SMC will be on television. In addition to the regular season games, SMC could appear on television two more times in the WCC Tournament, as the semifinals and final games will be on ESPN.
SMC SIGNS FOUR PLAYERS IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
With the early signing period past, Saint Mary’s inked four players for the 2009-10 season. The new class will include three players from Australia and one player from San Jose. The three Aussies coming from the Australian Institute of Sport are Jorden Page, Matt Dellavedova, and Mitchell Young. Guards Page and Dellavedova averaged 14.4 points and 3.7 assists and 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, respectively, for AIS in 2008 and forward Young added 9.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 24 games. The fourth player in the class is Tim Harris from Valley Christian High School. Harris averaged 16.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game and was an Honorable Mention West Valley League selection as a junior.
NEXT WEEK IN GAELS HOOPS
Following the 2008 76 Classic, Saint Mary’s will travel to Kent, Ohio to compete in its first true road game of the season. The Gaels will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes on Thursday, Dec. 4. The game against Kent State is the return game from last season’s ESPNU BracketBusters game, in which KSU defeated the Gaels 65-57 in Moraga. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. Pacific Time from the MAC Center.
Ogivly 10 pts & 8 rebs in Vandy win over Central Arkansas
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Jeffery Taylor scored 16 points to lead Vanderbilt to an 83-62 victory over Central Arkansas on Wednesday night.
Vanderbilt (3-1) made its first six field-goal attempts and never trailed. The Commodores led by as many as 25 points in the first half and took a 48-29 halftime lead.
"We built a nice lead in the first half and kept our turnovers down," Kevin Stallings, VU head coach, said, "but this wasn't the performance that I was hoping for."
Central Arkansas (2-2) opened the second half with an 18-6 run, including five straight points by Mike Pouncy, but could draw no closer than 12 points with 12:31 remaining.
"We didn't play so well in the second half because we lost patience and they held on to the ball," Stallings added. "We didn't play well with a big lead but this is the first time this season that we've been in that situation."
Taylor made 7-of-10 field goal attempts, including a pair of first-half dunks, and matched his career high while scoring in double figures for his fourth straight game.
George Drake scored 14 points and Festus Ezeli added 11, both career highs.
"Both of them got good looks in the game," remarked Stallings. "George played aggressively and made some nice plays. It was good to see him do well because he's been banged up."
Marcus Pillow made five 3-pointers for the Bears for a game-high 17 points. Mitch Rueter added 16 and Pouncy and Chris Brown each had 12. Chris Meriwether also saw the first minutes of his Vanderbilt career in VU's win. A.J. Ogilvy contributed 10 points and 8 boards. Ogilvy is averaging 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds through 4 games.
Vanderbilt (3-1) made its first six field-goal attempts and never trailed. The Commodores led by as many as 25 points in the first half and took a 48-29 halftime lead.
"We built a nice lead in the first half and kept our turnovers down," Kevin Stallings, VU head coach, said, "but this wasn't the performance that I was hoping for."
Central Arkansas (2-2) opened the second half with an 18-6 run, including five straight points by Mike Pouncy, but could draw no closer than 12 points with 12:31 remaining.
"We didn't play so well in the second half because we lost patience and they held on to the ball," Stallings added. "We didn't play well with a big lead but this is the first time this season that we've been in that situation."
Taylor made 7-of-10 field goal attempts, including a pair of first-half dunks, and matched his career high while scoring in double figures for his fourth straight game.
George Drake scored 14 points and Festus Ezeli added 11, both career highs.
"Both of them got good looks in the game," remarked Stallings. "George played aggressively and made some nice plays. It was good to see him do well because he's been banged up."
Marcus Pillow made five 3-pointers for the Bears for a game-high 17 points. Mitch Rueter added 16 and Pouncy and Chris Brown each had 12. Chris Meriwether also saw the first minutes of his Vanderbilt career in VU's win. A.J. Ogilvy contributed 10 points and 8 boards. Ogilvy is averaging 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds through 4 games.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Ogilvy double-double in Vandy win over Middle Tennesee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A.J. Ogilvy and Jeffery Taylor each had double-doubles as Vanderbilt defeated Middle Tennessee State 65-57 on Monday night.
"I'm a bit more comfortable," Taylor said. "The nervousness before the game is almost gone now. We're a lot more comfortable out there now. I think we're showing that right now we had a great game tonight."
Ogilvy had a game-high 19 points with 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Taylor had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his third career game.
Vanderbilt outrebounded MTSU 40-28.
"It's something we focused on all week in practice and watching film from our last game," remarked Ogilvy, "and we came out with the mentality that we were going to own that tonight. I think we did a really good job on the boards."
Jermaine Beal scored the first five points of the game for the Commodores (2-1), who never trailed. They held the Blue Raiders (2-2) scoreless for seven minutes of the first half and stretched a two-point lead to 25-11.
Beal finished with 12 points and four assists.
MTSU closed to 41-35 on Montarrio Haddock's two free throws with 11:25 to play, but Vanderbilt scored the next six points, capped by Taylor's layup.
Demetrius Green led MTSU with 15 points and seven rebounds. Nigel Johnson added 12 points.
"I'm really proud of our team," Kevin Stallings, VU head coach, stated. "I thought they played really hard with a lot more purpose and effort than we had on Thursday night (against Illinois).
"I thought out defensive and rebounding efforts were stellar."
"I'm a bit more comfortable," Taylor said. "The nervousness before the game is almost gone now. We're a lot more comfortable out there now. I think we're showing that right now we had a great game tonight."
Ogilvy had a game-high 19 points with 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Taylor had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his third career game.
Vanderbilt outrebounded MTSU 40-28.
"It's something we focused on all week in practice and watching film from our last game," remarked Ogilvy, "and we came out with the mentality that we were going to own that tonight. I think we did a really good job on the boards."
Jermaine Beal scored the first five points of the game for the Commodores (2-1), who never trailed. They held the Blue Raiders (2-2) scoreless for seven minutes of the first half and stretched a two-point lead to 25-11.
Beal finished with 12 points and four assists.
MTSU closed to 41-35 on Montarrio Haddock's two free throws with 11:25 to play, but Vanderbilt scored the next six points, capped by Taylor's layup.
Demetrius Green led MTSU with 15 points and seven rebounds. Nigel Johnson added 12 points.
"I'm really proud of our team," Kevin Stallings, VU head coach, stated. "I thought they played really hard with a lot more purpose and effort than we had on Thursday night (against Illinois).
"I thought out defensive and rebounding efforts were stellar."
Monday, November 24, 2008
St. Mary's cruises after slow start
MORAGA, Calif. (AP) - Patrick Mills scored 16 points, Diamon Simpson had 13 points and seven rebounds and Saint Mary's overcame a shaky start to beat Vanguard, 86-54, on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Allen added 10 points and six rebounds for the Gaels, who trailed midway through the first half before storming back to get the easy win.
Gregory Scott had 15 points to pace Vanguard (1-4), an NAIA school from Southern California.
Saint Mary's had four players in double figures, committed only 10 turnovers and used a 19-5 run in the second half to put the game away. The 32-point win was the Gaels' largest of the season.
It almost came at a big price.
Simpson, the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season, was going for a breakaway dunk with 16:24 left in the game when he was fouled by Mitch Boyce. Simpson missed the dunk and fell hard to the floor, slamming his back and head.
The senior forward lay on the ground as trainers, teammates and Boyce rushed to his aid. Simpson eventually left the court under his own power and was replaced by Yusef Smith, who sank two free throws in Simpson's place after Boyce was called for an intentional foul. Simpson later returned but scored only one point after getting hurt.
The Gaels led 58-48 with 10:26 remaining when Wayne Hunter scored on a fastbreak layup and followed it up with a 3-pointer to ignite a 19-5 run to put the game away. Mills scored seven of his points during the burst, which left St. Mary's with a 77-53 lead.
The Gaels shot 51 percent in the first half and committed only four turnovers but had trouble shaking the pesky Lions, who made six of their first nine 3-pointers and led 21-18 with 9:38 left. Vanguard made seven 3's before the break, including Elvis Whitelow's trey just before the buzzer.
But Saint Mary's eventually wore the smaller, slower Lions down and ended the first half on a 13-5 run to take a 41-32 lead. Omar Samhan scored four of his points during the spurt while Hunter added five for the Gaels.
The Gaels will return to action on Thanksgiving Day in the 2008 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center. Saint Mary's will open the three-game, four-day tournament against UTEP at 11 am on Thursday morning (6am Friday AEDT). The game will be televised live on ESPNHD Australia (6am AEDT & delay at 7pm AEDT) and on delay on ESPN Australia (Friday at 9am and 8pm AEDT). The Gaels will play either Wake Forest or Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, before the final day of the tournament on Monday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
