11.26.2001 C-USA Men's Basketball Notebook - Nov. 26-Dec. 2
Dwyane Wade |
Marquette (Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout) and South Florida (University Hoops Classic) each won an inseason tournament title last week. Marquette's DWYANE WADE (pictured) and South Florida's ALTRON JACKSON were each named MVP of their respective tournaments. Catch up on this and all of the other C-USA news in this week's notebook.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DWYANE WADE, Marquette
G, 6-4, 210, So., Oak Lawn, Ill. (Richards)
Marquette's DWYANE WADE is the Conference USA Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 25. Wade is in his first year with the Golden Eagles and is the second player in league history to earn this honor in his debut week. Former Charlotte star Rodney White was the first to accomplish this feat when he did so last season.
Wade played a key role in helping the Golden Eagles win the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, winning MVP honors as the tournament's top scorer (64 points). In an 85-74 win over Tennessee, he notched a game-high 30 points and tied fore the game-high with eight rebounds. He also dished out seven assists against the Volunteers. The 6-4 guard led all scorers with 21 points and a game-high eight rebounds in the 50-49 semifinal win over No. 20 Indiana, including the game-winning basket with 11 seconds remaining against the Hoosiers. Finally, Wade had 13 points in the championship game victory over Gonzaga.
GREAT STARTS
Through games of Nov. 25, Conference USA has three undefeated teams: Marquette (5-0), South Florida (4-0) and Tulane (3-0). For Marquette, this is its first 5-0 start since 1997, when that squad went 10-0. The Golden Eagles captured the 2001 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout with impressive victories over Tennessee (85-74), No. 20 Indiana (50-49) and Gonzaga (72-63). South Florida won the University Hoops Classic championship with a 69-63 victory over Pittsburgh. This is the Bulls' best start since 1998. Tulane is 3-0 for the second year in a row and just the seventh time since 1963.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Here are some of Conference USA's top individual performances through games of Nov. 25.
DEMON BROWN, Charlotte: Brown scored a season-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the 49ers' win at Long Beach State ... is shooting .559 from the floor and .579 from three-point range ... has scored in double figures in each of the first three games ... leads team with 12 assists.
STEVE LOGAN, Cincinnati: Logan averaged 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the Bearcats' first three games. Logan scored 31 points vs. No. 18 Oklahoma State in a 69-62 loss. He came back with 21 points, on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, in an 83-54 win over Wright State. Held to just two points in the first half, he sank three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the second half to boost the Bearcats to a 21-point lead and finished with 20 in a 74-61 win over UNLV. Logan moved from No. 21 to No. 17 on UC's career scoring list with 1,287 points.
IMARI SAWYER, DePaul: Set a school record with 17 assists against Youngstown State and was also 6-of-7 from the field (3-of-3 from three-point range) and had two steals ... led DePaul with 16 points at Syracuse and dished out a game-high eight assists against Fordham. The 17 assists against Youngstown State is tied for second in league history.
DAJUAN WAGNER, Memphis: Averaged 22.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals through the Tigers' and his first six collegiate games. Was named the Memphis regional's most valuable player during the Guardians Classic. Scored 32 points against Old Dominion in his second game. Shot 43.8 percent from the field and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. Has already shot 43 free throw attempts (34 made) this season.
MARQUE PERRY, Saint Louis: Scored a career-high 27 points against Southern Illinois and led the club with five rebounds and five assists against Hartford ... led the club with 19 points against Iowa State and was named to the Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament Team.
ALTRON JACKSON, South Florida: Was named the MVP of the University Hoops Classic averaging over 18 points per game for the three-game event ... is shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 54.2 percent from three-point range and grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game ... helped the Bulls to their first 4-0 record since 1988 when they went 6-0 ... was 8-of-16 from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range against Pittsburgh ... had 17 of his 22 points against the Panthers in the first half.
NICK SINVILLE, Tulane: Transfer from Minnesota has made immediate impact at Tulane ... the 6-7 junior forward has scored in double figures in every game for the Wave this year, while shooting 69 percent from the field. Against Centenary he posted his first career double-double with career-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Sinville leads the Wave in scoring (17.0) and is second in rebounds (7.7) and minutes (27.7).
MO FINLEY, UAB: He is the only Blazer to score in double figures in every game, averaging a team-leading 15.8 per game ... hitting 52 percent from three-point range and is averaging 31 minutes per game.
THE "DIENER" DIVISION
Conference USA's American Division takes on a distinct Fond du Lac, Wis. flavor this season. Saint Louis junior guard DREW DIENER, who hit 80 percent of his free throws and nearly 40 percent of his three-pointers last season, will now face his brother, DRAKE DIENER (DePaul freshman) and his cousin, TRAVIS DIENER (Marquette freshman) twice per season. Drake (6-5, 180) averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game at Goodrich High School, while Travis (6-0, 160) was a Parade Magazine Fourth Team All-American after averaging 21.2 points and 7.5 assists per game last season at Goodrich.
FALL SIGNEES (as of Nov. 24)
CHARLOTTE
Vincent Grier, G-F, 6-6, 220, Raleigh, N.C. (Bonner Academy)
Top 100 by All-Star Sports, Prep Stars and RivalSports.com
Curtis Withers, F, 6-8, 190, Charlotte, N.C. (West Charlotte)
CINCINNATI
Eric Hicks, F, 6-6, 220, Greensboro, N.C. (Dudley)
No. 70 by Blue Chips.com, top 100 by Prepstars and ESPN.com
Armein Kirkland, F, 6-8, 190, Tyler, Texas (Lee)
No. 55 by ESPN.com
Chadd Moore, G, 6-2, 180, Huntsville, Ala. (Lee)/Oak Hill Academy
No. 34 by Hoop Scoop, No. 50 by Prep Stars and All-Star Sports
DE PAUL
Delonte Holland, F, 6-7, 210, Greenbelt, Md. (Vincennes University)
Third-team preseason JC All-American by Street&Smith's
William Watson, G, 6-1, 175, Baton Rouge, La. (Tyler J.C.)
Top 10 JC Point Guards by Lindy's
Marcus White, F, 6-8, 220, Chicago, Ill. (Whitney Young)
High Honorable Mention All-American by Street & Smith's
EAST CAROLINA
Corey Rouse, F, 6-8, 190, Kinston, N.C. (Kinston)
East Region MVP for the North Carolina 3A state champions
HOUSTON
Cedric Hensley, G, 6-4, Houston, Texas (Heritage Christian)
ESPN.com Top 100 Prep Players
Dwight Jones, Jr., Klein, Texas (Klein)
TexasHoops.com Top 30 in the state of the Texas
LOUISVILLE
Kendall Dartez, F/C, 6-10, 220, Cecilia, La. (Vincennes [Ind.] J.C.)
2001-02 stats: 14.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 bpg, 69 % FT
Taquan Dean, G, 6-2, 175, Neptune, N.J. (Neptune)
No. 51 by The Sporting News, No. 60 by ESPN.com
Francisco Garcia, F, 6-7, 210, Winchendon, Mass. (Winchendon School)
No. 20 by ESPN.com, No. 23 by CNNSI.com, No. 37 by The Sporting News
MARQUETTE
Steve Novak, C, 6-9, Brown Deer, Wis. (Brown Deer)
No. 37 senior-to-be by ESPN.com, No. 49 by BlueChipHoops.com
Chris Grimm, C, 6-10, Brighton, Mich. (Brighton)
Among ESPN.com's Top 20 High School Centers
Joe Chapman, G, 6-4, Chicago Heights, Ill. (Bloom)
Among Top 100 Senior Prospects by Bob Gibbons
MEMPHIS
Qyntel Woods, F, 6-9, 230, Northeast Mississippi Community College
Averaged 23 ppg.
Jeremy Hunt, G, 6-3, 175, Memphis, Tenn. (Craigmont)
17.7 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 steals as a junior, 79 percent FTs
Almany Thiero, C, 6-10, 240, Mali, West Africa (Mt. Zion Academy)
18 ppg, 14 rpg last season
SAINT LOUIS
Nick Kern, F/G, 6-7, St. Louis, Mo. (Vashon)
High Honorable Mention All-American by Street & Smith's
Ryan Hollins, F, 6-11, Pasadena, Calif. (John Muir)
West Coast's third-best center by Preps West
SOUTH FLORIDA
Yusuf Baker, F, 6-8, 225, Orlando, Fla. (Maynard Evans)
Among America's Top 25 players at his position by several publications
Danny Oglesby, G, 6-2, Hamden, Conn. (Hamden Hall)
Seventh all-time leading scorer in Connecticut prep history (2,245 points)
Sam Barber, F/G, 6-5, Lake Worth, Fla. (Lake Worth)
High Honorable Mention All-American by Street & Smith's
TULANE
Derek Burditt, F, 6-6, 210, Harvey, La. (West Jefferson)
No. 46 by ESPN.com
UAB
Derek Broom, G, 6-5, Cartersville, Ga. (Woodland)
High Honorable Mention All-American by Street & Smith's
AROUND C-USA
CHARLOTTE (2-1, 0-0): Charlotte defeated host Long Beach State, 100-81 on Nov. 24. The 49ers shot 66.7 percent from the floor and 68.4 percent from three-point range (13-of-19), a school single-game record for three-point field goal percentage (minimum 10 attempts). CURTIS NASH is averaging 10 points and a team-high six rebounds per game. JOBEY THOMAS had 22 points against Long Beach State and is now 60 three-pointers away from Henry Williams' Charlotte career record. As a team, the 49ers are averaging 10.7 three-pointers per game and hitting 49.2 percent from long range.
CINCINNATI (2-1, 0-0): Cincinnati downed UNLV, 74-61 on Nov. 24. The win was the fourth straight by Cincinnati over UNLV in as many meetings. STEVE LOGAN'S 20 points marked the 20th time in his career he has reached or exceeded the 20-point mark. Logan upped his career scoring total to 1,287 points, moving into 17th place, ahead of former teammate Kenyon Martin (1,279, 1997-00). He is 30 points away from 16th place, held by Damon Flint (1994-97). Logan added four 3-point field goals to his career total, giving him 181, third on the UC career list. He tied Melvin Levett (1996-99) for fourth place in career three-point attempts with 471.
DE PAUL (2-1, 0-0): DePaul's 107-69 win over Youngstown State on Nov. 25 was its largest margin of victory in a non-conference game since a 104-57 win over Chicago State on Dec. 1, 1999. The 107 points are the most scored by the Blue Demons since they scored 114 against American-P.R. on Nov. 25, 1999. DePaul has now won 14 straight home openers and 62 out of the last 63. IMARI SAWYER set a new school record with 17 assists, which ties the second-best single-game effort in league history.
EAST CAROLINA (2-3, 0-0): East Carolina's 82-72 loss to Central Florida on Nov. 24 marked its first loss in a home opener since 1990. ERROYL BING had a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds. Senior FRED PRIMUS and junior TRAVIS HOLCOMB-FAYE scored 15 points and senior KENYATTA BROWN chipped in 13. The Pirates return to action on Tuesday at Virginia Tech.
HOUSTON (1-2, 0-0): Houston defeated Chaminade, 76-73 in its third game at the EA Sports Maui Invitational on Nov. 21. The Cougars posted a 37-25 advantage on the glass, as PATRICK OKAFOR had his second double-double in three games (12 points, 10 rebounds). DOMINIC SMITH added a fine all-around performance (21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals). Houston returns home to face crosstown rival Rice on Nov. 29.
LOUISVILLE (1-1, 0-0): Louisville suffered a 90-63 loss at Oregon on Nov. 24. ELLIS MYLES matched his career-high with 15 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds against the Ducks. ERIK BROWN led the Cardinals with a career-high 20 points. Louisville has scored 69 of its 155 points (45 percent) off turnovers. U of L plays its next eight games at home, including a Dec. 3 exhibition contest.
MARQUETTE (5-0, 0-0): Marquette is off to its best start since 1997 after winning the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout last week. Sophomore DWYANE WADE earned tournament MVP honors after scoring 64 points in three games, including 30 against Tennessee. Senior DAVID DIGGS tied his career-high with 15 points (five three-pointers) in the championship game against Gonzaga. TRAVIS DIENER scored 14 points, seven assists and combined with CORDELL HENRY to hold Gonzaga star Dan Dickau to 10 points.
MEMPHIS (4-2, 0-0): No. 19 Memphis defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 65-46 on Nov. 24. KELLY WISE came off the bench with 14 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in 25 minutes. Freshman DAJUAN WAGNER is averaging 22.3 points in his first six games. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Tigers, who lost both games in the finals of the Guardians Classic last week.
SAINT LOUIS (2-2, 0-0): Saint Louis upended Georgia Tech, 67-54 at the Las Vegas Invitational on Nov. 24. MARQUE PERRY was named to the all-tournament team after averaging nearly 16 points and three assists per game. Perry had a career-high 27 points against Southern Illinois and added 19 against Iowa State and 12 against The Billikens' season-opening loss to Southern Illinois snapped a nine-game winning streak in home lid-lifters.
SOUTH FLORIDA (4-0, 0-0): All-America candidate ALTRON JACKSON scored a game high 22 points, including 17 in the first half en route to most valuable player honors, as the University of South Florida men's basketball team defeated Pittsburgh, 69-63, in the championship game of the University Hoops Classic on Nov. 25. Jackson was 8-16 on the night from the field along with seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal. REGGIE KOHN added 18 points, on 6-12 shooting from the field and 5-9 from three-point range, along with five assists. GREG BRITTIAN also chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds. GERRICK MORRIS set a Sewall Center record with eight blocked shots. The win puts USF at 4-0 for the first time since the 1998-99 season when it opened the season with a 6-0 start.
SOUTHERN MISS (1-2, 0-0): Southern Miss lost to West Virginia (66-59) and Pacific (65-50) at the Hispanic College Fund Classic in Albuquerque, N.M. ELVIN MIMS and CLEMENT CARTER have each been in double figures in all three USM games so far. ELVIN MIMS had 16 points and 11 rebounds against the Mountaineers. Southern Miss is hitting 44.8 percent from the floor but struggling (31-of-52, 59.6 percent) through its first three games.
TCU (3-2, 0-0): Louisiana-Monroe defeated TCU, 94-90 on Nov. 25. The Frogs were led by freshman forward COREY VALSIN, who recorded his first career double-double. Valsin scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, plus he recorded four assists in 33 minutes. JAMAL BROWN posted his second double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. TCU hosts Southwest Texas State on Nov. 28.
TULANE (3-0, 0-0) Tulane is 3-0 for the second straight year and just the seventh time since 1963. NICK SINVILLE has scored in double figures in every game for the Wave this year, while shooting 69 percent from the field. Against Centenary he posted his first career double-double with career-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Sinville leads the Wave in scoring (17.0) and is second in rebounds (7.7) and minutes (27.7). Tulane hit the third-most free throws in school history with 35 against Centenary. Tulane has tallied 268 points in its first three games (an average of 89.3 per game). It is the most points in the first three games of the year since 1981, when the Wave scored 275 points in a 3-0 start. Tulane needs three more wins to record 500 victories at Fogelman Arena. Tulane is 497-240 all-time at Fogelman.
UAB (1-3, 0-0): All three of UAB's losses have been by six points or less, including a 60-59 decision to visiting Richmond on Nov. 24. ERIC BUSH is averaging 5.6 assists per game and 37 minutes per contest. After each sitting out last year due to injuries, MO FINLEY is scoring 15.8 points per game, and MYRON RANSOM is averaging 13 points per contest. P.J. ARNOLD has posted 15.5 points per game. Collectively, that trio is hitting nearly 50 percent (32-of-65) of its three pointers.