IUPUI

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends" Series: Centenary Great Willie Jackson

Jon Teitel — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:16:42 -0800

In the latest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Centenary great Willie Jackson, the school's all-time leading scorer while also ranking second in rebounding. Aptly nicknamed "The Legend" by players when an assistant at his alma mater, Jackson is now the head coach at Loyola College Prep in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Jon Teitel: Your nickname is "Legend". Who gave it to you, and how do you like it?

Willie Jackson: The nickname was given to me by some of my players when I was an assistant coach at Centenary. I like it because it showed me that they respected what I had accomplished during my college career and what I tried to teach them.

JT: You went to Sibley HS, where you won 100 straight games over a 2-year span and won a state title in 1980. How were your teams able to be so dominant, and what did it mean to you to win a state title?

WJ: We practiced hard, played well as a team, and respected each others' skills on the basketball court. We grew up together and went to the same junior HS, so we knew each others strengths/weaknesses. Winning a state title felt GREAT! I knew that all the hard work that I had put in during my younger years had paid off. It was a very exciting time, as the whole town was behind our team. To this day, people still talk about that state championship team.

JT: In 1983 you led the conference in scoring (24 PPG) and rebounding (9.1 RPG), which has only been done by one other player since then (Florida Atlantic's Mike Bell). What was your secret to scoring, and what was your secret to rebounding?

WJ: My secret to scoring was being resilient, having a never-quit attitude, spending countless hours in the gym, and having teammates who relied on me to make shots. My size was also a factor, in that I was able to bring big guys out to the perimeter. I could also post up smaller guys, and if they played a zone then I would shoot the ball from deep. As for rebounding, I was tough, blocked out well, and was able to anticipate where the ball was going to go.

JT: You are the only three-time conference POY in Atlantic Sun history. Do you think anyone will ever match that feat, and how were you able to remain so consistent over the length of your career?

WJ: You have to remember that I played before they instituted the three-point line. I am sure that someone will match that feat because there are a lot of good basketball players in the conference who can play the game. However, it is going to have to be a four-year letterman who is consistent and remains injury-free. I was able to remain consistent because I was injury-free, and I had an attitude of doing my best every time that I hit the court.

JT: You are still the all-time leading scoring in Atlantic Sun history. Did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were?

WJ: I really did not, to be honest. A lot of people told me how great a player I was, but I was very humble about my talent and took it in stride.

JT: You finished your career as one of only 10 players in NCAA history with 2500+ points and 1000+ rebounds (Harry Kelly, Oscar Robertson, Elvin Hayes, Larry Bird, Michael Brooks, Dickie Hemric, Calvin Natt, Bill Bradley and Elgin Baylor). What does it mean to you to be in such prestigious company?

WJ: It is truly an honor to be among those names, as several of them are Hall of Famers, so I am extremely happy just to be mentioned in that company.

JT: In the summer of 1984 you were drafted in the 4th round by Houston (four spots behind Rick Carlisle). Were you thrilled to realize your dream of getting drafted or disappointed that you did not make the team?

WJ: I was excited to be drafted, but also disappointed that I did not make the team because I thought that I had a decent showing in camp. I can remember sitting in Coach Bill Fitch's office on the day I was cut. He told me that he was going to have to let me go because he needed veteran guards around the young big guys that he had (rookie center Hakeem Olajuwon and second-year center Ralph Sampson). It was a rainy, stormy day in Houston and I was flying home on Continental Airlines. I can remember praying to God to please not let me be cut and die all in the same day. Thank goodness only one of those two bad things came to pass!

JT: In 1989 you were inducted into the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Where does that rank among your career highlights?

WJ: We have a lot of great basketball players from the State of Louisiana. All you need to do is look at the list (which includes Joe Dumars, Karl Malone, Pete Maravich, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Parish, Bob Pettit and Willis Reed). I was inducted in 1989 in my first go-round as a young man, but over the years I have grown to understand the significance of being inducted at such a young age. It ranks very high on my list of accomplishments.

JT: You currently work as head coach at Loyola College Prep in Shreveport, where you are the winningest coach in school history. What makes you such a great coach?

WJ: I instill in my players the importance of preparation, trust in your teammates, and having a winning attitude.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

WJ: I want to be remembered as a good person, a winner, and someone who people could trust both on and off the court.

Jackson is also on Jon's list of best players in Summit League history.

Centenary: Willie Jackson (1984) 2535 PTS (#1), 1013 REB (#2), 205 STL (#2), 112 BLK (#1), 3-time conference POY

IPFW: Sean Gibson (1993) 1765 PTS (#1), 965 REB (#1), 137 STL (#5), 60.7 FG% (#1), conference POY

IUPUI: Carlos Knox (1998) 2556 PTS (#1), 204 STL (#1), 208 3PM (#3), 83.3 FT% (#5), 3-time All-American, national POY

North Dakota State: Ben Woodside (2009) 2315 PTS (#1), 640 AST (#2), 176 STL (#5), 228 3PM (#3), 82.4 FT% (#4), conference POY

Oakland: Carvin Melson (1973) 2408 PTS (#1), 1204 REB (#1), All-American

Oral Roberts: Caleb Green (2007) 2503 PTS (#3), 1189 REB (#2), 53.9 FG% (#4), 3-time All-American, 3-time conference POY

South Dakota State: Mark Tetzlaff (1985) 1931 PTS (#1), 1132 REB (#1), 60.7 FG% (#1), All-American, NCAA D-2 MOP

Southern Utah: Jeff Monaco (2001) 1568 PTS (#2), 547 AST (#1), 225 STL (#1), 256 3PM (#1), 87 FT% (#1), conference POY

Mo. Kansas City: Michael Watson (2004) 2488 PTS (#1), 357 AST (#3), 173 STL (#2), 391 3PM (#1), 79.9 FT% (#3)

Western Illinois: Joe Dykstra (1983) 2248 PTS (#1), 89 FT% (#1), 3-time All-American, 2-time conference POY

College Hoops Thursday Recap: Moore Leads Temple

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:21:35 -0800

Last night's game between #9 Georgetown and Temple was easier to watch than last season's meeting, a 46-45 Hoya victory in the nation's capital. A major reason for that, and also why Fran Dunphy picked up the 400th win of his coach career, was the play of junior guard Ramone Moore. With the concern for the visitors being whether or not they could compete up front with the likes of Lavoy Allen and Micheal Eric, Moore lit up Georgetown for 30 points in a 68-65 win that Temple never trailed in. Moore made 12 of 18 shots from the field on a night that saw Lavoy Allen and Juan Fernandez shoot a combined 4-for-17 from the field. Scootie Randall and Rahlir Jefferson scored ten points apiece to help make up for the stars' struggles, but it was all about Moore offensively.

Defensively Temple got the job done as well, not allowing the Hoyas to get into much of a rhythm offensively by forcing 17 turnovers and taking away the backdoor cuts that Georgetown likes to take advantage of. Those cuts can be a double-edged sword for teams defending Georgetown, as the need to stop them can lead to open three-point attempts. Temple did a good job there as well, being sure to challenge the Hoya shooters and as a result Georgetown made just five of sixteen attempts from beyond the arc. Jason Clark led Georgetown with 15 points but he was the only one of their triumvirate to shoot well from the field (5-7 FG). Austin Freeman scored fourteen points, making six of fifteen from the field, while Chris Wright was two for seven in scoring ten points.

Temple led 39-32 at the half thanks in large part to 13 points off of turnovers to Georgetown's six, and they also did a better job of scoring from two-point range. The Owls outscored Georgetown 24-14 in the first half in that department, aided by the fact that they shot 53.6% from the field overall. Temple, especially Moore, was able to find better shots throughout the course of the night despite shooting just 36% in the second half. For a team that struggled in its one marquee opportunity to date (1-2 record at the Old Spice Classic), this was a good non-conference win for the Owls to put on their resume. They'll have another just before the New Year when they take on Villanova and by then the hope would be that Allen and Fernandez are playing better offensively in regards to scoring. If so, Temple is the class of the Atlantic 10.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Xavier picks up a needed non-conference win over Butler.
Xavier capped a good night for the Atlantic 10, avenging last year's controversial loss at Butler with a 51-49 win at the Cintas Center. After a bad foul committed by Ronald Nored with just three seconds left on the clock, Mark Lyons made a pair of free throws to give the Musketeers the lead. And it stood as Shelvin Mack's three pointer missed to the left, giving Chris Mack's team a solid resume victory that they'd lacked to this point in the season. Matt Howard (17 points) and Shelvin Mack (15) led the way for Butler while Kenny Frease scored 12 points of the bench to lead the victors. Xavier's starting backcourt shot poorly from the field, as Lyons, Dante Jackson and Tu Holloway shot a combined 6-for-32 from the field. But thanks to a 40-29 rebounding edge and a 16-4 advantage in bench points the home team got the win.

2. Jared Sullinger was a man among boys for Ohio State.
Alex Young and the rest of the IUPUI Jaguars did a good job of hanging around with Ohio State last night, leading for much of the first half as well as parts of the second. But there was one answer they didn't have, and that was how to slow down freshman big man Jared Sullinger. Sullinger accounted for 40 of Ohio State's 75 points in the Buckeyes' 75-64 win over the Jaguars in Columbus. Sullinger set a school freshman scoring record in the process (Michael Redd scored 32), the first 40-point game for a Buckeye since Dennis Hopson in 1986. Sullinger, who was 12-for-17 from the field, made 16 of 23 foul shots as well (Ohio State as a team was 18-26 from the line) and grabbed 13 rebounds. Unfortunately for Ron Hunter's team, once Christian Siakam fouled out (13 minutes played due to fouls) they had nowhere else to turn. Alex Young (20 points) and LeRoy Nobles (16) led the way for IUPUI, who definitely has the look of a contender in the Summit League. But it's players like Sullinger who can go on to become a difference-maker in regards to who cuts down the nets in Houston, and there aren't many players like him in college basketball today.

3. Memphis will be without Wesley Witherspoon for a while.
Senior forward Wesley Witherspoon underwent surgery this morning for a meniscus tear in his right knee, and he's expected to miss five weeks as a result. According to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal the injury occurred in the Tigers' win over Northwestern State on November 17th but he attempted to play through it while being limited in practice. Now a young basketball team becomes even younger as Witherspoon was their lone experienced scoring option. What does this mean for Josh Pastner's team? They'd already been playing small with Witherspoon starting at the four, so who moves into that role? Do they go bigger and play two interior players up front? Or do you go even smaller in hopes of remaining with four solid scoring options on the floor? That's the question for Coach Pastner and his staff, with fans getting their first look at a possible solution when Memphis hosts Austin Peay on the 16th. So if there's any silver lining in the timing of Witherspoon's surgery it may be that they'll have more than a week in between games (thanks to finals) to tinker with the rotation.

Top Three Games

1. Temple 68, Georgetown 65

2. Xavier 51, Butler 49

3. La Salle 84, Boston University 81 The Terriers were unable to hold onto a 12 digit lead as the Explorers came back to win in Boston. Ruben Gillandeaux led La Salle, who takes on Big 5 rival Villanova on Sunday, with 21 points and Earl Pettis added 19. Darryl Partin led BU with 20.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State) 40 points and 13 rebounds for the freshman in Ohio State's win over IUPUI.

2. G Ramone Moore (Temple) 30 points in the Owls' win over Georgetown.

3. F Ella Ellis (Army) 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Black Knights' 71-63 win at New Hampshire.

#109 IUPUI: 2010-11 Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:33:46 -0700

Overall Rank: #109

Conference Rank: #2 Summit League

2009-10: 25-11, 11-3

2009-10 postseason: CBI

Coach: Ron Hunter (274-205 at IUPUI, 274-205 overall)

IUPUI made it back to the postseason again in 2009-2010 after finishing second in the Summit League. It was not the NCAA Tournament appearance they were hoping for, but a 25 win season is nothing to scoff at. This time around the Jaguars will have to find some new players to fill in at the frontcourt spots now that Jon Avery, Robert Glenn and Billy Pettiford are gone.

Key Losses: F Jon Avery, F Robert Glenn, F Billy Pettiford

Key Newcomers:

This was a team that was frontcourt heavy last year, so this class helps to even things out a little bit. While the Jaguars need to find another big man, only two of the newcomers are forwards or centers. Donovan Gibbs, a 6-7 McDonald’s All-America nominee, could be ready to play a significant role on this team. At 6-9 and 245 pounds, fellow freshman Mitchell Patton is the future interior force at IUPUI. It may take him a little time to get his offensive game going, but Patton could be a good rebounder and shot blocker right away. The lone incoming freshman for the backcourt is shooting guard P.J. Hubert. He will likely have the luxury of learning from the sidelines for a year especially with the influx of perimeter depth added by Nick Kitcoff and Stephen Thomas. Kitcoff is a junior college transfer who redshirted last year and, at 6-7, has the size to be an interesting small forward. Thomas is a transfer from Dayton who never saw too much action with the Flyers, but has the potential to be a very talented scorer.

Backcourt:

The star of the backcourt is John Ashworth. While the point guard did not do much scoring last season, he is a superb ballhandler and ended the 2009-2010 campaign with a 2.1 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio. This year Coach Ron Hunter may have to get Ashworth more into a scoring mode. Ashworth is a capable outside shooter and he can drive the lane effectively, but now he may have to finish himself instead of always looking for one of his teammates first. Leroy Nobles will likely move from the two guard spot to the three spot due to lack of other options in the frontcourt. That leaves a hole at the shooting guard position that Greg Rice, Sean Esposito or one of the newcomers will need to fill. Rice only played in 11 games during his freshman campaign, but when he was healthy he was doing quite well. Esposito is also a sophomore and he has a little more playing time under his belt.

Frontcourt:

For about a year and a half Alex Young has been playing off of the success of Robert Glenn. He ranked second to Glenn in scoring as a freshman and sophomore. Now as an upperclassman he will have to do it on his own. However, late last season it became apparent that Young was not just successful because of Glenn and he was emerging as a star in his own right. That will become painfully obvious to Summit League opponents this season. Young, who averaged 18.3 points and 4.5 rebounds last season, is a superb outside shooter for a 6-6 forward and connected on two per game at nearly a 40 percent clip. Young may spend more time at the power forward position this year and his ability to hit the outside shot will really stretch out the opposing defense. The key now is to find a big man who can at least block some shots and hit the glass. That may end up being one of the newcomers, but Christian Siakam has been quietly sitting on the bench and it is time for the 6-7, 245 pound junior to show if he can play some real minutes.

Who to Watch:

Nobles will still be the shooter on the perimeter whether he starts at the two or three spot. He shot 42.2 percent from long range last year and against small two guards in the Summit League, the 6-5 senior had little trouble shooting over his defender. Nobles is also a solid rebounder and that will be very important early in the year while the frontcourt adjusts to their new look.

Final Projection:

Coach Hunter has worked some miracles before, but this group has a couple holes to fill that will not be easily filled. Ashworth, Nobles and Young are a great trio to build around and those three will make sure IUPUI is in the conference title hunt, but some other players really need to step up if the Jaguars want to win the conference or make an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Projected Post-season Tournament: CBI/CIT

Projected Starting Five:

John Ashworth, Senior, Guard, 4.5 ppg

Sean Esposito, Sophomore, Guard, 2.4 ppg

Leroy Nobles, Senior, Guard, 13.2 ppg

Alex Young, Junior, Forward, 18.3 ppg

Christian Siakam, Junior, Forward, 1.6 ppg

Next Top 144 Teams
110		111		112		113		..All

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

2010 CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major All-Americans

CHN — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:47:47 -0800

Being the best player on a Top 15 team is a recipe for earning CollegeHoops.net's Mid-Major Player of the Year honors. Gordon Hayward averaged 15.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 1.8 apg in leading Butler to a 28-4 record. He's joined on the Mid-Major First Team by CAA Player of the Year Charles Jenkins, Cornell leader Ryan Wittman, and big men Keith Benson of Oakland and Art Parakouski of Radford.

Butler has three players on the list: Hayward, 2nd teamer Shelvin Mack, and Honorable Mention Matt Howard. Other teams with multiple players include Cornell (Wittman & Jeff Foote), IUPUI (Alex Young & Robert Glenn), Northeastern (Matt Janning & Chaisson Allen) Siena (Ryan Franklin & Ryan Rossiter),

CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major Player of the Year:

Gordon Hayward, Butler, So

CollegeHoops.net First-Team Mid-Major All-America
G Charles Jenkins, Hofstra
G Gordon Hayward, Butler
G/F Ryan Wittman, Cornell
F Keith Benson, Oakland
C Artsiom Parakhouski, Radford

Second-Team Mid-Major All-America

G Shelvin Mack, Butler
G CJ McCollumn, Lehigh
F Kenneth Faired, Morehead St
F Alex Young, IUPUI
C Adnan Hodzic, Lipscomb

Third-Team Mid-Major All-America
G David Kool, Western Michigan
G Damian Lillard, Weber St
F Marqus Blakely, Vermont
F Larry Sanders, VCU
F Alex Franklin, Siena

Fourth-Team Mid-Major All-America

G Gerald Lee, Old Dominion

G Matt Janning, Northeastern

F Tyren Johnson, Louisiana-Lafayette
F Charles Garcia, Seattle
F Orlando Johnson, UCSB

Honorable Mention

Chaisson Allen, Northeastern

Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Rahmon Fletcher, UWGB
Jeff Foote, Cornell

Robert Glenn, IUPUI

Andrew Goudelock, Charleston

Joseph Harris, Coastal Carolina
Marquez Haynes, UT-Arlington

John Holland, Boston U

Reggie Holmes, Morgan St

Anthony Johnson, Montana

Matt Howard, Butler

Jeremy Lin, Harvard

Ashton Mitchell, Sam Houston St

Derek Needham, Fairfield

TJ Robinson, LBSU

Ryan Rossiter, Siena
David Schneider, William & Mary

Chris Singletary, Kent St
AJ Slaughter, Western Kentucky
Ben Smith, Jacksonville
Ryan Thompson, Rider

G Dominic Waters, Portland St

Poll: Best Low-Major Team?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:22:00 -0800

College Hoops Thursday Recap: Can Georgia Tech Win the ACC?

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:48:05 -0800

That question is more than valid and if they play the way in which they did in the second half of their 79-58 win over Wake Forest an ACC title could become a reality for Paul Hewitt's squad. The Yellow Jackets shot 53.7% from the field and finished with five players reaching double figures (D'Andre Bell led the way with 16 points) in the win, which also featured Tech holding Wake Forest to 32.8% shooting. Despite turning the ball over seventeen times the Yellow Jackets were more efficient offensively than the Demon Deacons, attempting just ten three pointers and showing a conviction to get the ball inside to Gani Lawal (14 points, nine rebounds) and Derrick Favors (11 points, nine rebound and five blocks).

Wake Forest was within two (35-33) early in the second half but their cold shooting from the field (missing seven of eight shots) and the foul line (four straight misses) helped spark a 19-4 Yellow Jacket run that essentially put the game out of reach. The Demon Deacons were led by Al-Farouq Aminu, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. However, he and Ish Smith combined to shoot 11-for-28 from the field, which isn't necessarily a killer until taking into consideration that their teammates combined to make just ten of thirty-eight (26.3%) shots. And you don't do much for your cause when you make just nine of twenty foul shots in the second half either (13-25 overall, 52.0%).

But back to the question as to whether or not Georgia Tech can win the ACC. They've got the talent to, having the personnel to go with three guards in the starting lineup or going bigger depending on the opponent. And as Iman Shumpert becomes more comfortable as the floor general and limits his turnovers, this team is going to get better. "I think Iman started getting really comfortable playing the point guard position," remarked Coach Hewitt after the game (quote courtesy of RamblinWreck.com). While the ACC race is still a wide-open affair it may be time to switch from "why?" to "why not?" when discussing the Yellow Jackets' chances of winning the crown.

Three Key Happenings

1. We finally have a "showdown" in the Pac-10. Thanks to wins by California and Arizona a share of first place (for the Wildcats) will be on the line Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears picked up a key 78-70 win at Arizona State thanks to Jamal Boykin, who scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a matchup with Duke roommate Eric Boateng. It was essentially he, Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher who beat the Sun Devils from an offensive standpoint, scoring 71 or their 78 points. Now while that may prove to be good enough on most night, Mike Montgomery is going to need more from Theo Robertson (0-4 FG, 0 points in 37 minutes) as the Golden Bears look to establish some separation in the conference.

As for the young Wildcats, they've now won three in a row thanks in large part to freshman forward Derrick Williams, who scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half of their 76-68 win over Stanford in Tucson. The Cardinal duo of Landry Fields (31 points) and Jeremy Green (25 points) led the way but the remaining players managed to make just five of fifteen field goal attempts and Stanford turned the ball over seventeen times. In a league as unpredictable as the Pac-10 guard play is going to play a major role in who wins the league and in Nic Wise Sean Miller has one of the steadier point guards in the conference. But now with Sunday's showdown now set, the Wildcats need to make sure Randle doesn't light them up again (31 points, 8-11 3PT last year).

2. Purdue survives Keaton Nankivil and welcomes back a key contributor. Head coach Matt Painter had to make some changes to his starting lineup due to either ineffective play or JaJuan Johnson showing up late for Thursday's game against Wisconsin, but it was the veterans who made the plays late in their 60-57 win over Wisconsin. The Badgers were led by the hot-shooting Keaton Nankivil, who made seven three pointers on his way to 25 points while also adding six rebounds, three steals and a block. But with E'Twaun Moore knocking down a big shot late the Boilermakers moved into a three-way tie for third in the Big Ten, one half-game behind the Badgers for second place.

Also of importance to the Boilermakers and their chances beyond the Big Ten is the return of point guard Lewis Jackson, who played seventeen minutes on Thursday's win. Out since October due to a foot injury Jackson provides Coach Painter with a true point guard, something that was missing from the rotation with him out. How he plays once he shakes off the rust will determine how far Purdue can go both within the league and in March. As for the Badgers, they can't afford for Trevon Hughes to shoot 3-for-11 from the field with Jon Leuer out of the lineup if they're to remain in second place in the Big Ten. But for Nankivil to shoot the way he did is a plus for the Badgers, something they'll hope to continue as they go through conference play.

3. IUPUI moves into a tie atop the Summit League. Ron Hunter's Jaguars put on an impressive show at home on Thursday night, whipping previously undefeated Oakland 78-54 to move to 9-1 in Summit League play. Robert Glenn made eleven of his thirteen field goal attempts on the way to 26 points, Alex Young added a double-double (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Jon Avery scored 18 points off the bench in the win, which snapped the Grizzlies' nine-game win streak. As a team the Jaguars shot 56.1% from the field while holding the Grizzlies to 33.9% shooting. Add in a dominant performance on the boards (43-21 edge) and you've got the makings of a blowout.

With the two teams closest to IUPUI and Oakland (Oral Roberts and South Dakota State) two games back this could turn into a two-team race, making this win that much more important for the Jaguars, who dropped the first meeting on January 2nd. Round three in the Summit League tournament is a definite possibility.

Top Three Games

1. USF 76, Seton Hall 74 (OT) The Bulls made history on Thursday night, winning consecutive conference games for the first time as a Big East member. Jeremy Hazell and Dominique Jones didn't disappoint, scoring 28 points apiece, but this game wasn't decided until Robert Mitchell dribbled off of his foot in the final seconds of overtime.

2. Virginia Tech 76, Virginia 71 (OT) A Sammy Zeglinski three pointer with 1.9 seconds left in regulation only delayed the inevitable as Malcolm Delaney led the Hokies to the road win with 27 points and six rebounds.

3. Rider 74, Manhattan 71 The Broncs survived 28 first-half points from Rico Pickett to pick up the win in Lawrenceville. Mike Ringgold held Pickett to four points in the second half and Justin Robinson came through with two huge three-pointers late to give Rider the win.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Courtney Fortson (Arkansas) The few Hog fans who braved the bad weather to get to Walton Arena were treated to a show as Fortson scored 35 points (33 in the second half) while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists in the Razorbacks' 67-62 upset of Mississippi State.

2. G Adrian Oliver (San Jose State) Oliver made twelve of his eighteen field goal attempts on his way to 33 points in the Spartans' 83-60 pasting of Hawaii.

3. F Jamal Boykin (California) Boykin scored 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting while also grabbing ten rebounds in the Golden Bears' 78-70 win at Arizona State.

IUPUI Inks Solid Trio

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:36:58 -0800

INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI Athletics Department and Head Basketball Coach Ron Hunter announced the signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to join the Jaguars, beginning in 2010. The trio of Donovan Gibbs (Louisville, Ky./Iroquois), P.J. Hubert (Fortville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) and Mitchell Patton (Vincennes, Ind./South Knox) will all be true freshman next season.

“This is what I would consider, a dream class for us,” Hunter said. “These are three smart kids that will be great additions to our program. They’re all tough and will immediately make us a better basketball program and they all fill needs for us. I know my staff worked hard all summer long to see as many games and as many kids as possible. These were three kids that we wanted to get and we’re excited for our fans to get to see them play.”

Gibbs, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward, averaged 15.6 points and 8.5 rebounds as a junior and was pegged the Region No. 6 Player of the Year. He helped Iroquois to a 19-8 overall record and district title. Gibbs was ranked as high as the No. 5 prospect from the state of Kentucky and received interest from Butler, Oklahoma State, Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Xavier and Ohio. He played AAU with the Shining Stars-McFarland team and intends on majoring in engineering.

“Donovan was one of our top targets from the get-go,” Hunter said. “We see him being the next in a long line of successful forwards in our program - a guy like a Don Carlisle. He’s a well built 6-7 kid with some length and a ton of athleticism. He’s very active and just plays with a toughness that you can’t teach. Around the rim, he’s a good finisher and he’s really worked on extending his range. Plus, everyone says he’s such a hard worker and really works to develop his game.”

Hubert, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound shooting guard, averaged 14.3 points per game as a junior and knocked down 37 percent of his three-point attempts. He, along with UW-Green Bay signee Daniel Turner, helped the Marauders to a 17-win season a year ago while Hubert played AAU ball for the Bloomington-based Indiana Elite squad. Hubert chose IUPUI over interest from IPFW, UWGB and Eastern Illinois.

“P.J. is a great shooter. Not a good shooter – a great shooter,” Hunter said. “One of the things we really struggled with last year was shooting the basketball so I told my assistants to go out and get us the best shooter they could find. To a man, everyone said that P.J. was the absolute best out there. He’s got a beautiful stroke. He’s a smart kid and I think he’s going to be a fixture on the wings for us for a long time. I’m really excited to get him here and get him in the program and see him blossom.”

Patton, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound post, averaged 15.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.9 blocked shots per game as a junior and earned First Team All-Blue Chip Conference and All-Area honors. He was an Honorable Mention All-Conference pick as a sophomore after averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game. The past two years, Patton has helped South Knox to a 35-12 record and the big man holds South Knox’s top two single-season totals in blocked shots in his career.

“Mitchell is a very skilled big man. He passes well, he rebounds and he just does a good job of utilizing his size and making sure he’s in the right place at the right time,” Hunter said. “He has the potential to be a matchup problem in our league. Not many teams have big men that like to step out on the floor, but that’s what we see in Mitchell. He has the ability to step out and hit the 17, 18 footer or he can go down on the blocks and play with his back to the basket. He’s a really intelligent kid too. He plays smart basketball and is good about making the smart play.”

Gibbs, Hubert and Patton join Dayton-transfer Stephen Thomas (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) as the Jaguars’ newcomers for next season. Thomas is sitting out the 2009-10 season in compliance with NCAA Division I transfer rules, but is practicing with the team this season.

IUPUI was 16-14 overall last season, led by Summit League Newcomer of the Year Robert Glenn (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) and the league’s top scoring freshman, Alex Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Northwest). Hunter’s squad will open the 2009-10 season on the road at Drake on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1:05 p.m. CST in the Glenn Wilkes Classic.

Poll: Who Will Win the Summit?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:43:50 -0700

2009-10 IUPUI Basketball Preview: #127

Joel Welser — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:13:10 -0700

IUPUI Jaguars

Overall Rank: #127

Conference Rank: #2 Summit League

2008-09: 16-14, 9-9

2008-09 postseason: none

Coach: Ron Hunter (249-194 at IUPUI, 249-194 overall)

A 9-9 conference record is not what IUPUI fans have come to expect. Yet, everybody knew the 2008-2009 campaign was going to be difficult after George Hill left early for the NBA. What he left behind was an extremely young team that still finished fourth in the conference and beat teams like Seton Hall and Indiana State. A year older and a year wiser, Coach Ron Hunter will have his Jaguars back in the mix for a Summit League title.

Key Losses: G Gary Patterson, G Larry Stone

Key Newcomers:

Eight players started at least ten games last year and Gary Patterson is the only one of them who has run out of eligibility. That leaves this recruiting class quite slim and guard Greg Rice is the only new face on the team. Ironically, the fact that his stepbrother Larry Stone opted to transfer after his freshman campaign could mean Rice will play a role on this team as a freshman.

Backcourt:

But even if Rice is not ready to play, the Jaguars backcourt has plenty of talent, although a lack of depth. Adrian Moss is the likely candidate to take over for Patterson and take over the majority of the ball handling duties. He struggled with injuries through much of his sophomore campaign, but Moss still dished out 2.5 assists per game and only turned the ball over 1.5 times per contest. John Ashworth could work his way into the starting lineup if he can find his shot. Primarily the 6-3 junior is a shooter, but his shot was simply not falling last year. That could mean 6-5 wing Leroy Nobles will start at the two guard spot. Nobles averaged 9.9 points per game last year and shot nearly 42 percent from beyond the arc.

Frontcourt:

Yet, it is in the frontcourt where the Jaguars have the most talent returning. Robert Glenn, Alex Young, Jon Avery and Billy Pettiford will all be battling for playing time in the frontcourt. Young could certainly play the small forward position, forcing Ashworth to the bench and that would turn this into a tall, athletic team. Young, as a freshman, hit one three-pointer per game and ranked second on the team with 10.8 points per game. Avery and Pettiford are both experienced 6-7 seniors. Avery is the better scorer of the two, but Pettiford will do a little bit of everything and even averaged 2.5 assists last year. His versatility will be a huge asset whether he comes in off the bench or starts.

Who to Watch:

Yet, the best player in the frontcourt is Robert Glenn. The 6-7 senior showed up at IUPUI from Wabash Valley Junior College and simply took over the team. He led the squad with 13.9 points and 1.7 blocks per contest and even added 5.4 rebounds. His presence under the basket made a huge difference on both ends of the floor and his aggressiveness, while occasionally resulting in foul trouble of his own, will get the opposition in even more trouble. And the best news regarding that is the fact that Glenn is a pretty good free-throw shooter.

Final Projection:

The frontcourt will be the best in the conference, but games are often won and lost based on the play of the backcourt. That will put pressure on the new point guard, most likely Moss, to control the tempo and get the big guys the ball. If he can do that and Nobles or Ashworth can consistently knock down the three-pointer, IUPUI will be difficult to stop. IUPUI will finish better than fourth in the conference this year and any mumblings of the one year rebuilding project can be forgotten.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Adrian Moss, Junior, Guard, 4.8 points per game

Leroy Nobles, Junior, Guard, 9.9 points per game

Alex Young, Sophomore, Forward, 10.8 points per game

Jon Avery, Senior, Forward, 9.2 points per game

Robert Glenn, Senior, Forward, 13.9 points per game

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Summit League Tournament: Preview & Odds

Evan Dorey — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:58:43 -0800

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Summit League

The Summit League Tournament is a pretty simple 8-team affair, with all games in Sioux Falls, SD.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	North Dakota St.	92.48%	83.64%	52.90%
2	Oral Roberts	88.37%	61.87%	31.48%
3	Oakland	81.52%	32.35%	12.02%
4	IUPUI	54.58%	7.58%	1.39%
5	Southern Utah	45.42%	5.50%	0.87%
6	IUPU Fort Wayne	18.48%	2.75%	0.41%
7	South Dakota St.	11.63%	3.04%	0.48%
8	Centenary	7.52%	3.28%	0.46%

North Dakota St. will be a team to watch for an upset in the NCAA tournament, but only if they can get by tough challenges from the winner of an ORU-Oakland semifinal.

#1 – North Dakota St. Bison (23-6, 16-2) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.172

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

North Dakota St. is one of the best stories of the season, poised to make its NCAA Tournament debut in its first year of post-season eligibility, after redshirting a whole class of players to ensure they could play in this important season. The Bison have lost just once in their last 14, and took the conference title by a full two games. They’re the only team in the league that is highly ranked in both offense and defense, second in each category. North Dakota St. shoots the ball well, and has one of the country’s best turnover rates. It also plays an effective defensive style, as opponents take most of their shots inside, where the Bison have been best defensively. They’ve also been excellent rebounders and rarely commit fouls.

Players to watch:

5-11 SR Ben Woodside, 23.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 53.5 eFG% - Woodside had one of the biggest scoring games of the season when he put up 60 in a triple overtime loss to Stephen F. Austin, but don’t think he’s a one game wonder; Woodside has been one of the best scorers in the country over the course of the season. He’s an excellent shooter, 44% from behind the arc and 84% on the free throw line, and has put up one of the nation’s best assist rates, while rarely turning it over. He can potentially score 30 points in any game he plays, and should the Bison win the tourney, is the kind of player who could cause havoc for a higher-seeded NCAA opponent.

6-6 SR Brett Winkelman, 18.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 55.7 eFG% - While Woodside is a great scoring guard, Winkleman is just as good inside, though he doesn’t take quite as many shots. Still, he’s a great shooter who can hit threes, while shooting well over 50% overall, and is the team’s leading rebounder. Like Woodside, he rarely turns the ball over, and there’s very few ways for the Bison to go wrong with these two players.

#2 – Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (16-14, 14-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.142

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

Oral Roberts has been the conference’s name program, claiming the last three tournament titles and the last four league championships, and will have a serious chance to earn the auto-bid, and while they should be favored make the final, they lost both regular season games against the Bison. The Eagles have had the conference’s best defense, holding opponents under 44% from inside the arc, and being strong rebounders. They’ve had a lot more problems with their own attack, struggling to make shots, especially from three-point range.

Players to watch:

5-11 JR Robert Jarvis, 17.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 48.6 eFG% - Jarvis takes a lot of shots and while his percentage hasn’t been great inside the arc, he’s made up for it with pretty solid outside shooting. He’s not too effective overall, and doesn’t do much besides score, but his role is large enough that he leads the team in scoring.

6-8 SR Marcus Lewis, 13.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 58.9 eFG% - Lewis is a good inside compliment to Jarvis, one of the conference’s best rebounders and a high percentage shooter. His free throw shooting is regrettable, however, just 50% from the stripe.

#3 – Oakland Golden Grizzlies (20-11, 13-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.100

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (1^st Round)

Oakland made the NCAA Tournament four years ago by winning the Mid-Continent tournament as a long-shot, and while its odds are better in this year’s event, it will still be an upset if it could claim the bid. The Grizzlies enter the tournament on a seven game winning streak, and have had the Summit’s best offense by a fairly wide margin. Their 58% on two-pointers is a spectacular number, and they are also solid three-point shooters who rarely turn the ball over. Of course, with such a good offense, they would be closer to the leading pair of teams if they weren’t one of the conference’s worst defensive teams. Oakland forces very few turnovers, and is really vulnerable to the three-point shot, allowing opponents to shoot a lot of them and make a high percentage of those they shoot.

Players to watch:

6-11 SO Keith Benson, 14.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 62.6 eFG% - Benson is one of the country’s most efficient players, an excellent big man who does a lot of things well: he’s a high percentage player inside, gets to the line a lot, and hits 69% once there, is an excellent rebounder and shot-blocker, and has committed just 30 turnovers all year. The Grizzlies should try and get the ball to him more often, since it rarely results in something negative.

6-3 SR Erik Kangas, 18.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 57.1 eFG% - Kangas takes most of his shots from three, and hits 42% of them, and he puts up enough to be the team’s leading scorer.

#4 – IUPUI Jaguars (16-13, 9-8) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.021

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2003 (1^st Round)

With three teams dominating the conference, there’s a serious drop-off as we begin to delve into the teams at and around the .500 mark. IUPUI has been right on the conference average in both offense and defense, and so a 9-9 record seems a perfect fit. The Jaguars have been the conference’s worst team at defending the three-point shot, allowing opponents to make over 41% of attempts, but have made up for that by rarely fouling and forcing a lot of turnovers. They’ve also been good at scoring inside, but are the conference’s worst free throw shooters.

Players to watch:

6-7 JR Robert Glenn, 14.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 61.7 eFG% - Glenn is one of the best forwards in the conference, an excellent percentage scorer inside who also asserts himself well on the boards and with shot-blocks.

6-7 JR Jon Avery, 9.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 67.7 eFG% - On most teams, Glenn would be the best field goal shooter, but Avery blows him away, at 68% from the floor. He doesn’t take as many shots as Glenn, but he’s a great second interior option.

#5 – Southern Utah Thunderbirds (10-19, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.037

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2001 (1^st Round)

The Thunderbirds are the only team to beat the champions in North Dakota this season, and will get a chance to sweep them in the Dakotas if they win a tough opening round game with IUPUI. They’ve had an above-average defense despite letting opponents hit 54% on two-pointers, as they’ve done well on the defensive glass and caused a lot of trouble for opponents on the perimeter. They play a fairly slow, heavily inside-oriented offense, but are excellent shooters who are good behind the arc and absolutely brilliant from the free throw line, leading the nation by hitting more than 80% of their attempts.

Players to watch:

6-4 JR Davis Baker, 17.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 52.3 eFG% - Baker leads Southern Utah in scoring; he takes a lot of shots, and does a pretty good job of hitting them, making just enough to justify the high volume.

6-10 SR John Clifford, 9.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 62.6 eFG% - Clifford leads the Summit in rebounding, and while he’s not a really big scorer, he’s very effective inside when he does get chances.

#6 – IUPU Fort Wayne Mastodons (13-16, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.041

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Fort Wayne had a solid finish to its second season in the Summit League, getting from a 3-8 conference record up to where it needed to make the tournament with a strong finish. It has been one of the country’s best teams at hitting three-pointers, over 40%, but most of its shots come from inside, where its percentage isn’t great and it struggles to get back its misses. The Mastodons have seen a similar pattern on the defensive end, stopping the outside shot well, but performing rather poorly inside.

Players to watch:

6-7 SR David Carson, 14.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 44.7 eFG% - Carson is Fort Wayne’s leading scorer, but hasn’t been a very efficient shooter. He does an good job at the free throw line, shooting just under 80%.

6-6 SO Deilvez Yearby, 8.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 49.3 eFG% - Yearby leads the team in rebounding, and is a good inside shooter who has found his scoring form of late, averaging 12 points a game over the month of February.

#7 – South Dakota St. Jackrabbits (12-19, 7-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.033

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2006 (2^nd Round)

The Jackrabbits haven’t made quite the splash of their northern counterparts, but they will make their Summit League tourney debut despite losing their last four games. South Dakota St. has actually had one of the conference’s better offenses, but its defense has been the worst of the tournament teams. It attempts a lot of threes, and makes a decent percentage, but does better from inside the arc. Defensively, though, the Jackrabbits are really vulnerable on two-pointers, and they force so few turnovers that opponents get a lot of chances at high-percentage shots.

Players to watch:

6-1 JR Garrett Callahan, 15.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 56.1 eFG% - The Jackrabbits’ leading scorer is the best three-point shooter on a team full of such shooters.

6-6 JR Kai Williams, 9.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 45.4 eFG% - Williams is a very good rebounder who shouldn’t be too much of an offensive focus, especially given his sub-30% three-point shooting. When he’s hot, he can be quite dangerous, but consistency has been a problem.

#8 – Centenary Gentlemen (8-22, 6-12) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.049

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

The Gentlemen seemed to be on course for a solid season on the last day of January, as they sat just above .500 in the league. They would not win again until the end of February, racking up an eight-game losing streak, and just managing to sneak into the tournament. Centenary actually has one of the better defenses in the conference, leading the league in forcing turnovers and holding opponents under wraps from behind the arc. It just hasn’t been good enough offensively, having a lot problems with its shooting from all areas of the floor.

Players to watch:

6-1 SR Nick Stallings, 15.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 49.0 eFG% - Stallings leads the Gents in both scoring and rebounding, and is a excellent three-point shooter, at nearly 40%. He’s faced some foul trouble in recent games, fouling out of two of his last three.

5-10 JR Chase Adams, 14.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.7 SPG, 53.0 eFG% - Adams is a great ball-handling guard, putting up a very good assist rate, leading the league in steals and rarely turning the ball over. Like Stallings, he’s also had some recent foul trouble, fouling out of his last two.

My statistical all-Summit League team:

North Dakota St. SR G Ben Woodside, 23.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 53.5 eFG%

Oakland SR G Erik Kangas, 18.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 57.1 eFG%

Centenary JR G Chase Adams, 14.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.7 SPG, 53.0 eFG%

North Dakota St. SR F Brett Winkelman, 18.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 55.7 eFG%

Oakland SO C Keith Benson, 14.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 62.6 eFG%