IPFW

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 Tuesday Recap: Badgers Hold Serve at Home

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:55:03 -0800

If there was one area of concern for Wisconsin going into their game against Minnesota on Tuesday night it would have been rebounding given the Golden Gophers' size up front. And sure enough Minnesota won the battle convincingly, out-rebounding the Badgers 42-24 and scoring 16 second-chance points (34-12 edge in points in the paint) on the night. But the Gophers also shot just 39% from the field, and with Wisconsin turning the ball over just two times (and going 17-18 from the foul line) it proved to be too much for the visitors at the Kohl Center. Jordan Taylor led the way with 22 points and seven assists as Wisconsin opened up Big Ten play with a 68-60 victory. Jon Leuer added 16 points and nine rebounds, Keaton Nankivil scored 11 and reserve Tim Jarmusz added three three-pointers to move the Badgers' Big Ten opener win streak to eight.

"We showed the guys clips during the scouting reports and they thought we were showing reruns of Rodney Williams 360 slamming back over his head on a lob, Ralph Sampson and Trevor Mbakwe," said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan after the game. "We took that away, so defensively you keep them under 40 percent shooting. I would say the percentage on those is pretty good and we took those away from them. That's what we did. We took the high-low away, the lobs and we chased the shooters hard."

Devoe Joseph led four Golden Gophers in double figures with 14 points (and seven assists) off the bench but with their offensive bread and butter taken away, Minnesota struggled to make up the point differences at the foul line (minus-6) and behind the arc (minus-9). It was the leadership of Leuer and Taylor, who made seven free throws in the final 1:12 to finish off the win, that earned the Badgers the win and a critical first strike in what should be a wild conference title race. Only three teams have ever won a Big Ten road game at Wisconsin, and Minnesota was able to do it two years ago by forcing eighteen turnovers. But thanks in large part to the savvy of Taylor and Wisconsin's value of the basketball there were no such boosts for the visitors.

"Jordan is the real deal. He's that kind of guy," said Coach Ryan of his floor general. "You have to like a guy with that kind of pressure, with that good of a team, who can disrupt and play a game with just two turnovers and to go 7-1 (assists to turnovers), that's pretty good. He's definitely our leader on the court." Next up for Wisconsin is a game at Illinois on Sunday in what should be a charged atmosphere. But when you have a player at the point like Taylor you don't worry as much about such road trips. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin will be factors in the Big Ten race as the season wears on, and a result like this could mean even more come March when tiebreakers come into play.
(quotes courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics)

Other Notable Happenings

1. Long Beach State lands the first blow in the Big West race.
Wednesday night was the first meeting between Long Beach State and UCSB since the Big West Tournament title game, won by the Gauchos 69-64 to move on to the NCAA Tournament. Added to the subplot was the return of guard Larry Anderson, who missed the six games prior (LBSU record: 2-4) with a broken hand. Anderson had quite the impact, scoring 25 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a 71-55 49er victory in the league opener for both. But just as important for Long Beach State was their defense, which limited UCSB to 33.3% shooting from the field and James Nunnally to 1-for-11 from the field. Orlando Anderson led the defending Big West champs with 14 points and nine rebounds, but he made just five of sixteen shots and turned the ball over five times. Coming off of their worst offensive performance of the season in a loss to Arizona State, Dan Monson's team made an early statement in a Big West title race that should include Pacific in addition to the 49ers and Gauchos. It's definitely a bonus to add a player of Anderson's caliber to the rotation, and with players like Casper Ware and T.J. Robinson also capable of leading the way Long Beach State will be a tough out.

2. Purdue throttles Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Michigan entered Tuesday's game against Purdue a much improved basketball team from both last season and a summer tour of Belgium that didn't go too well in the win column. But there's a major difference between the non-conference schedule and a league opener against a team the caliber of the Boilermakers, who made short work of the Wolverines by the final score of 80-57. Purdue opened the game on a 19-3 run then took their foot off the gas pedal, allowing Michigan to get back into the game and take the lead late in the first half. But building on a 5-0 spurt to end the half Matt Painter's team took control of the game in the second half and did not let go, with four Boilers scoring in double figures. JaJuan Johnson led the way with 22 while E'Twaun Moore added 21 and nine rebounds and Ryne Smith knocked down five three pointers in six attempts in scoring 17. Michigan made just 38.2% of their shots to 49.2% for Purdue, and the Boilermakers knocked down 10 of 18 from deep. Few teams are going to beat Purdue when they shoot that well, especially a Michigan squad hoping to get back to the postseason. Despite their many injuries don't rush to eliminate Coach Painter's team from the Big Ten conversation; with Johnson and Moore leading the way this is a formidable squad that will be a factor in the title race.

3. IPFW picks up a crucial road win to move to 3-0 in the Summit League.
A lot of the early talk regarding the Summit League from a national point of view has focused on the play of Oakland with a little love being thrown the way of IUPUI. But what about Dane Fife's Mastodons of IPFW, who moved to 3-0 in league play with their 76-73 win at Oral Roberts last night. Ben Botts led the way for the visitors, who had to survive a late 10-0 Golden Eagle run in order to hold on, with 20 points while Jeremy Mixon added 15 off the bench and Frank Gaines 14. IPFW made half of their field goal attempts and also did a good job of defending the three, limiting ORU to 3-for-18 shooting. Four Golden Eagle starters reached double figures with Dominique Morrison's 24 leading the way, but their reserves were outscored by IPFW's bench 29-6. Now tied with Oakland atop the league standings, IPFW is a safe bet to be a part of the title race as the season wears on and the same goes for Oral Roberts. But to get a road win like this early in the season can be the catalyst towards bigger and better things in the future.

Curtis Kelly suspension length announced Tuesday morning

Top Three Games

1. IPFW 76, Oral Roberts 73

2. UMKC 75, North Dakota State 73 A Trinity Hall tip-in with one second left gave the Kangaroos their first conference win in a Summit League matchup. Spencer Johnson led the way for UMKC with 16 points and 21 rebounds while Michael Tveidt (20) and Taylor Braun (19) led the Bisons.

3. (5) Syracuse 81, Providence 74 Following a technical foul called on Rick Jackson, Scoop Jardine scored nine points in an 11-2 Syracuse run that gave the Orange all the separation they needed to hold on down the stretch at home. Kris Joseph led Syracuse with 27 while Marshon Brooks led Providence with the same.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Larry Anderson (Long Beach State) 25 points (9-10 FG) and eight rebounds in his first game in nearly a month due to injury, a 71-55 win over UCSB.

2. F JaMychal Green (Alabama) 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the Crimson Tide's 83-60 win over Pepperdine.

3. F Kris Joseph (Syracuse) 27 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Orange's 81-74 win over Providence.

Hoops Talk Live show Wednesday 6-7 PM

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%

Summit League Tournament: Seeds Announced

Press Release — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:25:16 -0800

The Summit League tournament seeds are as follows:

1. North Dakota State (16-2)
2. Oral Roberts (14-4)
3. Oakland (13-5)
4. IUPUI (9-9)
5. Southern Utah (8-10) - got tiebreak over IPFW because of 1-1 record vs. NDSU while IPFW went 0-2)
6. IPFW (8-10)
7. South Dakota State (7-11)
8. Centenary (6-12) - got tiebreak over WIU because of 1-1 record vs. Oakland while WIU went 0-2

Note: SUU/IPFW and CC/WIU tiebreakers were determined based on records against highest seeded team in descending order.

Summit League Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:05:07 -0800

Conference Rank: 25th

10 year average: 26th

Summit Conference Page

All-Summit Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Robert Jarvis	Oral Roberts	Sr
G	Ben Woodside	North Dakota St	Sr
G	Johnathon Jones	Oakland	Jr
F	Derick Nelson	Oakland	Sr
F	Brett Winkelman	North Dakota St	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Robert Jarvis Ben Woodside		Points: Ben Woodside 20.7 Rebounds: Ben Winkelman 8.3 Assists: Johnathon Jones (Oak) 6.0

Summit Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

118	North Dakota St	Summit	1	NCAA
136	Oakland	Summit	2
152	Oral Roberts**	Summit	3
207	IUPUI	Summit	4
224	Southern Utah	Summit	5
255	IPFW	Summit	6
271	UMKC	Summit	7
287	Centenary	Summit	8
314	South Dakota St	Summit	9
316	Western Illinois	Summit	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Summit?

Other Summit Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Ron Hunter: IUPUI

Other

Rise & Fall: Summit

State of '08: Indiana

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:33:31 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Indiana. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

INDIANA

INDIANA - Considering all the turmoil this program has gone through, Indiana's still topped ND in the RPI for 9 of the last 10 seasons. While Indiana will surely struggle this year, and probably next as well, you still have to figure in time the Hoosiers will regain their place on top of the state's basketball pyramid.

NOTRE DAME - From 1991 to 2000, ND missed the NCAA Tournament every season. But in Mike Brey's eight seasons, the Irish have reached the holy land 5 times. This year, expectations are as high as ever, and a Top 10 ranking is not out of the question.

BUTLER - Who has been the top team in Indiana over the last two seasons? Butler, according to the computer rankings. Brad Stevens picked up where Todd Lickliter left off and led the Bulldogs to an amazing 30-4 overall record. In the last 12 years, Butler has made 7 NCAA Tournaments and 3 NITs. In fact, they've had more Tourney wins recently than ND. But I give the Irish the edge for more consistent success, being in a better conference, and because they'll probably outperform Butler in the next two seasons.

PURDUE - Despite getting tons of hype last season, Purdue probably wasn't as good as many think. They mostly beat up on weak Big Ten teams and poor non-conference opponents. But the program is obviously going in the right direction, and a more legit Top 20 finish is likely this season. Still, the Boilers haven't topped ND in the RPI since the turn of the century, and haven't surpassed Indiana since 2003.

VALPARAISO - From 1996 to 2004, Valpo made the Big Dance an amazing 7 out of 8 tries. The last four seasons have been a bit more pedestrian as the program has made the move to the bigger Horizon League. But the Crusaders still knocked off 5 Top 100 teams last year, and should once again make the postseason in 2009 (NIT or CBI).

6. IUPUI - Ron Hunter continues to do a great job in Indianapolis. Since 2003, the same year IUPUI shocked many by making the Big Dance, the Jaguars have consistently finished in the upper half of the Summit League. Without George Hill, their might be a bit of slippage in 08-09, but I still expect an RPI better than 175 or so.

7. INDIANA STATE - In 2000 & 2001, Indiana State was one of the country's darling mid-majors, making the tourney in back to back to seasons, and upsetting 4-seed Oklahoma in 01. But the program has run into some lean seasons, and there hasn't been a .500 or better finish since then. But beginning in 2003, the Sycamores' RPI has improved every year (from 260 to 128), a trend which could very well continue in 2009.

8. EVANSVILLE - The Purple Aces are in the bit of a slump, and Marty Simmons has a lot of work picking up the pieces left by Steve Merfeld. Evansville hasn't reached the .500 mark in MVC play since 2001, and almost certainly won't accomplish that feat in 2009. At least they managed to beat Ball State on the road early last year.

9. BALL STATE - In the 80's and 90's, and really up until 2004 or so, Ball State was a consistently solid program that was always competitive in the MAC. But somewhere along the way, the bottom has fallen off, and the Cardinals haven't even won 10 games in the last four campaigns. Another sub-200 RPI should be expected in 08-09.

10. IPFW - Relatively new to D1 (2004), IPFW has shown signs of improvement every year. Officially joining the Summit League was a big step last year, and finishing 9-9 in conference play was a pleasant surprise.

Last: Georgia - Next: Indiana

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list)

Wright St Wins.. and Everyone Gets Big Macs

Bill Kintner — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Dayton -- As the clock wound down, the fans were on the edge of their seat hoping their home team, the Wright State Raiders would hold the visiting IPFW Mastodons to under 60 points.

With 1:08 left the Raiders led 72-58 and then Wright State’s Scottie Wilson fouled Justin Hawkins as he attempted a shot. The Raider fans groaned and fell back into their seats.

Hawkins made the first shot and the Raider fans moved up to the edge of their seats. Then he missed the second foul shot. The Raiders grabbed the ball and got it to Will Graham who then missed a short jumper with 25 seconds to go, but to the relief of the crowd Wilson came down with the rebound and kicked it out to DeShaun Wood.

Wood dribbled out the clock and the crowd cheered because they just got a free Big Mac from a season long promotion that kicks in when Wright State holds their opponents to under 60 points.

Wright State (8-6, 1-0 HL) led by 12 at the half 35-23. Wood who led all scorers with 24 points including 12 for 12 from the free throw line, got the Raiders going to start the second half with a lay up to send the Raiders up by 14 points 37-23.

Wright State Coach Brad Brownell thought that coming out strong to start the second half was a key to the Raiders’ victory.

“Out of the half I thought our guys did a pretty good job of sustaining it for the first maybe five minutes. We didn’t play great but we sustained our lead and kept them at bay,” explained Brownell.

It would have been easy for Wright State to have a let down against the 4-10 independent Mastodons but to their credit the Raiders managed to put a stop to several runs that IPFW (4-11) made.

“I give Wright State credit. I think the sign of a good team is being able to play against a lesser known team,” said IPFW Coach Dane Fife. “I would imagine there are probably maybe two guys in this room that could pronounce our name right before this game.”

For the record it is pronounced………Mass-tow-dons.

The Mastodons did get the score down to seven points three times during the game, but Wright State managed to respond to get the score back to double digits.

IPFW’s DeWitt Scott scored 21 points and he was the only Mastodon to score in double digits, although Jaraun Burrows did pull down 12 rebounds.

IPFW did lead a few times in the first half. They did get it to three points at the 11:03 mark and that was their lead of the game.

A little over a minute later Wright State took the lead for good on a lay up by Graham when they went up 16-14.

For Wright State aside from Wood, both Jordan Pleiman and Todd Brown scored 10 points.

Notes:

*Wright State leads the all-time series 9-3

*As Dane Fife walked out of the media room he said, “You better jump on board they (Wright State) are a good team.”

*It is a “three thing”……with 3:33 left in the game IPFW’s number three, got fouled by Jordan Pleiman and went to the line to shoot three foul shots.

*IPFW plays their next game at home against Anderson University on Thursday at 7 p.m.

*Wright State’s next home game is Thursday against UIC at 7 p.m.

Daily Dribble: Independent Update

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 10:02:43 -0800

Last night, Central Arkansas upset potential NCAA Tournament team Bucknell by the final score of 50-48. The Bears (that's Central Arkansas) are a first-time D1 squad that has only beaten one other D1 team this year (Bowling Green.) Central isn't actually an independent because they're playing a full Southland Conference schedule.. but in honor of their win I thought I'd take a look at how the independents and recent ones are doing this year.

Like Central Arkansas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is playing a full Southland schedule for the first time. The Islanders have been one of the best independent teams over the last couple years, and are considered to be a Southland contender in just their first season. Things have gone well for TAMU-CC, with a 7-4 record overall (5-4 against D1 teams). Their best two wins are at Detroit and South Florida. Like most independents or low-majors, TAMU-CC still has to play most non-conference games on the road.. but they have a rare 3-game home streak coming up, including a big game against Kent State. TAMU-CC is one of the most experienced teams in the country.. with 7 seniors that play at least 15 minutes per game, and all of whom scored 5+ ppg. This experience should put them right in the thick of the Southland title race along with SELU, Sam Houston St, and NW State..

Replacing TAMU-CC as the best independent is clearly North Dakota State, who has an impressive 8-4 record. Unlike the Islanders, the NDSU Bison are extremely young with just one player on their roster whose not a freshman or sophomore. Last year, NDSU got headlines for beating Wisconsin.. and they did it again this year with a big win at a ranked Marquette team. Perhaps more impressive than their 8 wins is the nature of their losses. They have an 85-81 loss at Big 12 Texas Tech, an 83-81 loss against Big 12 Kansas State, and a 82-80 loss at 9-2 Colorado State. The Bison have another chance at the Big 12 as they head to Iowa State on Sunday(this is a definite upset alert game).. and then head to Eastern Michigan before finishing the season against all the other independents. With 16 games left, NDSU has a great chance at making a run at the 20-win mark.

South Dakota State hasn't done quite as good of a job representing the Dakotas, though the Jackrabbits do have 4 wins against D1 teams and one of the best mascots in the country. Another young team (just 2 seniors on the roster), the Jackrabbits have won 2 straight including a road win at UMKC.

Both SDSU and NDSU will be joining UMKC in the Mid-Contintent conference in 2007 along with IPFW. IPFW (ie, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne) is just 4-9 and two of those wins were against non-D1ers. The key for the Mid-Con in getting IPFW is their mascot, the Mastadons. It appears the Mid-Con is stockpiling good nicknames like the Mastadons, Jackrabbits, Kangaroos (UMKC), Leathernecks (Western Illinois), and the Gentlemen of Centenary.

Unlike the above schools that are joining the Mid-Con, Chicago State is playing an independent schedule after leaving that conference. The Cougars have just a 5-11 record, but thats understandable considering they've played 14 of 16 games on the road. Their biggest win was easily at 7-6 UTEP.. in which Chicago State's little backcourt combined for 44 points. Royce Parran and David Holston are just 5-8 and 5-9 respectively and are generally listed at weighing 160 pounds. Its safe to say Chicago State would dominate the biddy basketball circuit..

The indy team with the 2nd best record is 8-5 Texas-Pan American. UTPA is led by a JUCO transfer, Brian Burrell averaging almost 18 a game. The Broncs have won 3 straight, including most recently at James Madison of the CAA.

Some other independent notes that stick out.. Utah Valley State is 7-5 and most recently beat a Southern Utah team that is 9-5. The Wolverines almost had a huge win against Utah State, falling by just 4 against a team that has an outside chance of making the Big Dance.

Savannah State is this year's feel good story with a 6-11 record. Two years ago, the Tigers went 0-28 and last year they won just 1 game against a D1 team. Savannah shocked the world by starting 5-0 this year (though 3 were against non-D1 teams).. though they've come back to Earth having lost 11 of 12. The most recent win was at Bethune-Cookman.. an actual D1 team.. though one of, if not, the worst one in America. Bethune has yet to beat a D1 squad this year. Still, 6 wins is still 6 wins for this program.

This year's Savannah State is Winston-Salem, off to a dismal 1-16 start.. including 0-16 against D1 teams. The Rams are a provisional team and have the unfortunate burden of playing 22 road games this year.. almost all of which will end up as losses. In fact, the Rams have only come within 10 points once all season against a D1 team, losing by 7 at Georgia State. Perhaps their only a chance for a win is on January 27th when they head to Bethune-Cookman.

Of course there's also UC-Davis who has yet to beat a D1 team.. and NJIT who shocked the Northeast by beating Manhattan and Rider to start the season before losing 10 straight. Also there's 5-10 Longwood, who most recently beat Kennesaw State last night (making the jump to the A-Sun from the indy ranks) and who hosts American later today.

- Don't forget to Dribble in the New Year -

IPFW showcases strength in comeback, immaturity in loss

Dan Vance — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 18:35:36 -0800

IPFW's season has really been like a rollercoaster, just without so many ups and with downs that would plummet a ride at Six Flags into the core of the earth.

They had a chance to change that Sunday night (November 19) when they hosted Indiana State, themselves just coming off a stiff loss at the hands of IU. But instead, they couldn't keep up the momentum of a monumental comeback and let their weaknesses leak out in a 67-61 loss.

IPFW had a hold of things early, going up 13-8 with a lot of momentum on a Tyler Best to Quintin Carothers back door play that led to a bigtime dunk. They pulled ahead again (and for the last time) on a DeWitt Scott three-pointer midway through the first half. And then they saw setback after setback kill most of their hopes before the halftime buzzer even sounded.

But after that buzzer is when the Mastodons showed that afformentioned strength by slashing away at an Indiana State lead that had grown to 15 in the second half.

After slashing away at that lead, IPFW pulled within nine points on one of two late Pat Lepper three-pointers.

They kept chipping away until about the three and a half minute mark when they let their adrenaline die during a media time out, a critical and infant mistake for a team searching for stability. Senior Tyler Best, who scored eight of his 10 points in the second half, highlighted that lack of energy by missing a wide open layup just after the timeout. A minute later, Trent Wurtz put down a dunk for Indiana State that completely took IPFW out of the game emotionally.

And instead of trying to change that, they let backfiring situations get to them moments later when Wurtz and Carouthers were both forced to come out of the game (Wurtz for bleeding, Caruothers for having blood on his jersey). Coach Dane Fife spent half the time yelling at the trainer and the other half complaining to the referees, which is only going to (if anything) take you furhur out of control of the game.

When Carouthers did come back in the game a minute and a half (or so) later wearing #52, it was almost as if he had lost his mojo along with his usual jersey. His only offensive play of note was a sloppy turnover that was only part of what cost IPFW down the stretch. Carouthers led IPFW with 14 points, but had 12 of them in the first half.

ISU even shot free throws in a fashion that can nearly be descirbed at horrific down the stretch. The Sycamores missed 7 of their last 10 free throws in the game, including a stretch missing 5-of-6 in the final minute all while leading 64-58. And IPFW did nothing.

Instead, they tried too hard to play in the post, an obvious Mastodon weakness. Despite solid second half play from Best and Jaraun Burrows, who totalled 14 rebound and 20 points as a pair, the bigs just did not seem as focused and controlled. The Mastodons also shot too many three-pointers (7-for-25 in the game), while ISU shot only two long range shots in the second half. Strike three? The Mastodons did not push the ball on transition and played half court offense way too much.

And oh yeah, senior captain Justin Hawkins played just 12 minutes in the entire game including sitting the whole second half.

If anything, IPFW displayed immaturity by going away from their strengths. And that, above all else, is likely what cost them an important game.

Independents Preview

CHN — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 11:00:06 -0800

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

Independent Preview

"Conference" Rank: 32nd

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Ben Woodside, North Dakota St, G

Royce Parran, Chicago St, G

DeWitt Scott, IPFW, F

Ben Beran, South Dakota St, F

Clayton Morgan, Longwood, F

Nat'l Team (Click for Preview) Conf Tourney

197 North Dakota St 1

247 IPFW 2

270 Utah Valley St 3

277 Longwood 4

291 UC Davis 5

294 Chicago State 6

317 South Dakota St 7

325 Texas Pan Am 8

330 Savannah St 9

331 Winston Salem St 10 Provisional

335 New Jersey Tech 11