Arkansas State vs. Southeast Missouri (Game Notes Attached)

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December, 22    Jonesboro, Ark.    ASU Convocation Center (10,038)    7:05 p.m.

TIPPING IT OFF: ASU returns to the ASU Convocation Center to step out of Sun Belt Conference play to face another Ohio Valley Conference foe, Southeast Missouri at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday.

SERIES VERSUS SEMO: ASU has faced Southeast Missouri 62 times in the programs history. The Redhawks lead the all-time series 38-24 over ASU. The teams last meeting was during the 2002-03 season with ASU coming out on top 83-71 at the ASU Convocation Center.

THE PRINCIPALS: The Arkansas State Red Wolves are 8-3 on the season and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play after falling to UALR 59-65 last Saturday. Junior Donald Boone leads ASU with 12.6 ppg and 20 steals and ranks third in assists (18). Boone has been the leading scorer for ASU a team-high six times this season, including the past two contests.  Eric McKinney is second on the squad scoring 8.7 ppg while leading ASU with 6.8 rebounds per game (75 total) and has 24 blocked shots, which was ranked 47th in the nation in the latest NCAA Men's Basketball National Ranking Summary (Through games on 12/21/08). Senior Ifeanyi Koggu leads the Red Wolves with 51 assists, while tossing in 6.2 ppg and pulling down 3.7 rebounds per game. Koggu also ranks third with 12 steals. Kogg is ranked 87th nationally with 4.6 assists per game, which ranks third in the SBC, and 89th nationally with a 1.96 assist/turnover ratio which is fourth in the conference. Senior Shawn Morgan is the third leading scorer on the team, averaging 8.2 ppg while also ranking second with 5.7 rebounds per game. Morgan ranks second on the squad with 14 steasls and third with 18 assists. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI enters the contest with a 3-8 worksheet including a 0-2 record in Ohio Valley Conference play. Junior forward Calvin Williams leads the Redhawks with a 16.2 scoring average and has blocked 22 shots while pulling down 6.9 rpg. Williams scored a career-high 25 points in SEMO's last win over Western Illinois, 64-63. Senior guard Kenard Moore is second on the squad pouring in 15.5 ppg while leading the team with 12 steals. Senior guard Jaycen Herring ranks third on the team with 13.7 ppg while ranking second on the team with 23 assists, and pulling down 4.0 rebounds per game. Junior forward Lamont Russell leads the Redhawks with 7.1 rebounds per game, while also scoring 5.0 ppg. With head coach Scott Edgar on administrative leave, Zac Roman is the acting head coach at SEMO.

COMMON OPPONENTS: ASU and SEMO have two common opponents in Murray State and UT Martin. ASU defeated both squads in their nonconference schedule, while SEMO will face Murray State on Jan 24 and Feb. 17 and will play UT Martin Jan. 12 and 22.

ASU RECIEVING VOTES IN POLL: ASU is receiving votes in the latest (Dec. 15) College Insider's Top 25 Mid-Major poll. ASU netted 30 votes in the poll, which placed the Red Wolves at the No. 35 position. Western Kentucky was ranked No. 14, UALR No. 18, Middle Tennessee No. 25 and South Alabama came in at No. 38.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: In the latest NCAA National Ranking Summary (Through games 12/21/08) ASU is ranked 12th in scoring defense (56.3), 18th in FG% defense (36.9), 18th in rebounding margin (+8.5), 20th in personal fouls per game (15.4), 66th in scoring margin (+10.2) and 105th in blocked shots per game (3.9). Junior forward Eric McKinney ranks 47th in blocked shots per game (2.2) while senior guard Ifeanyi Koggu ranks 87th in assists per game (4.6) and 89th in assist/turnover ratio (1.96).

HOT START FOR BRADY: At 8-3, head coach John Brady is off to the best start of any first-year head coach at Arkansas State. John Rose went 7-4 during his first 10 games as ASU head coach during the 1970 season.

TOUGH DEFENSE: Much of ASU's early success this season has been due to the tough defense the Red Wolves have played. ASU has held opponents to a combined .369 shooting percentage, while holding eight of their 11 opponents to shooting under 38% from the field. The Red Wolves lead the Sun Belt in scoring defense, holding opponents to 56.3 ppg. ASU has also outrebounded all but two opponent this season, averaging 38.6 rebounds per game, while holding opponents to 30.1 per game. Missouri State and UALR are the only teams to outrebound the Red Wolves this season.

STACKING UP IN THE ?BELT: After 11 games this season, ASU is leading all teams in the Sun Belt (IN ALL GAMES) in scoring defense (56.3), field goal percentage defense (.369), three-point field goal percentage defense (.320) scoring margin (+10.2), and rebounding margin (+8.5). ASU is second in  defensive rebounds with 26.45 per game and turnover margin at +0.09 while they are third in the conference in rebounding offense at 38.6, assist/turnover ratio at 1.01, steals with 6.91 per game and rebounding offense at 38.6. ASU is fourth in the league in free throw percentage at .701, assists with 14.36 per game,  field goal percentage at .449 and rank fifth in blocked shots per game (3.91).  Junior Eric McKinney leads the Sun Belt in blocked shots per game with 2.18, ranks third in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (.594), sixth in offensive rebounds (28) and sixth in overall rebounding (6.8). Senior Ifeanyi Koggu ranks third in the league in assists with 51 and is fourth in assist/turnover ratio at 1.96.  Junior Donald Boone ranks third in steals with 1.82 per game, sixth in the conference in free throw percentage at .825,  and 16th in scoring with 12.6 ppg. Junior Mike Lance ranks 14th in the league in three-point field goal percentage at .400. Senior Shawn Morgan ranks 13th in the league in rebounds averaging 5.7 per game,  while also tied with junior JeJuan Brown at 14th in the league with 3.82 defensive rebounds per game.

BALANCED ATTACK: In ASU's 11 outings so far this season ASU has had six different players lead them in scoring while having three players net 20 or more points. ASU has had three different players record double-doubles this season and has six players averaging over 6 points per game.

LANCE HAS CAREER NIGHT: ASU junior reserve-guard Mike Lance came off the bench to turn in a career performance against Mississippi Valley State, playing only 20 minutes but poured in 18 points. Lance was 7-9 from the field and 4-6 from three-point range. Lance ranks fourth on the team averaging 7.6 ppg and pulling down 3.4 rebounds. Lance is shooting 48% from the floor and is 39% from three-point range.

THOMAS' FIRST START NETS CAREER PERFORMANCE: Sophomore forward Jeremy Thomas, in his first career start, recorded the second double-double of the season for the ASU Red Wolves by pouring in 23 points on seven-of-seven shooting and pulling down 10 rebounds. Thomas set career highs in points, rebounds and minutes played against Central Baptist. Thomas missed half of the season last year with an injury after the 14th game.

BOONE HAS CAREER NIGHT: Junior guard Donald Boone had a career scoring night against Indiana State, tossing in 26 points to lead the Red Wolves to a 56-54 victory over the Sycamores. Boone has led the Red Wolves in scoring three times this season and is averaging 10.7 ppg, while leading the Red Wolves in steals.

MCKINNEY HAS CAREER NIGHT: Junior forward Eric McKinney had a career performance against Ball State by leading all players with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. The totals were the most of any player during a single game so far this season and the first double-double recorded by a Red Wolves player this year. McKinney is averaging 8.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg and is averaging 2.0 blocks per game.

AYERS BUSTS OUT: After spending three games as a spectator due to an injury, sophomore-transfer guard Brandon Ayers broke out in a big way against UT Martin, coming off the bench to score 12 points in 15 minutes of action, while pulling down two defensive boards. Ayers was 2-5 from three-point range and was 2-2 from the charity stripe.

FIU GAME (12/18/08) - Junior Donald Boone led three Arkansas State players in double figures as the Red Wolves (8-2, 1-0) opened Sun Belt Conference play with a 61-41 victory over Florida International Thursday night at the ASU Convocation Center.

Boone finished the night with 15 points and five steals, junior Eric McKinney added 13 points and seven rebounds and junior Mike Lance came off the bench to score 12 points for Arkansas State. 

The Red Wolves' defense held FIU to 21 points in the first half, then locked down again to hold the Golden Panthers to just 20 points in the second half.  ASU forced 20 turnovers in the game, grabbed 13 steals and held FIU to 36.4 percent shooting in the game, including 0-of-8 from behind the three-point arc.

The Red Wolves took their first double-digit lead of the game midway through the first half, going up 17-6 on a three-pointer from Boone and led by as many as 13 in the first 20 minutes.  A layup at the first half buzzer from senior guard Ifeanyi Koggu gave A-State a 33-21 lead at intermission.

Arkansas State outscored FIU 10-4 in the first six minutes of the second half as the Red Wolves lead swelled to 18 at 43-25 on a pair of free throws from senior forward Shawn Morgan with 14:28 remaining. 

The Golden Panthers answered with six straight, cutting the Arkansas State lead to 12 at 43-31 on two free throws from Marlon Bright with 12:34 to play, but a layup from McKinney and a three-pointer from Lance bumped the Red Wolves lead back to 17 at 48-31 with 9:36 to go.

Florida International did not get closer than 15 points the rest of the way and ASU lead by as much as 21 down the stretch.

In addition to the double-figure night from Boone, McKinney and Lance, the Red Wolves also got nine points and seven rebounds from Morgan and eight points, five assists and three steals from Koggu. Morgan and McKinney each had two blocks, while Koggu had his first block of the season.

Center Freddy Asprilla led FIU with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

PRESEASON COACHES POLL: ASU has been tabbed to finish fourth in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference by the SBC Preseason Coaches' Poll announced by the league office at the SBC Basketball Tip-Off.

“I've never put a lot of stock in preseason polls; most of the polling is based on what you did the year before. It is a position better than where the team finished a year ago, but the reality of it is it isn't really where you start its how you finish,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “I anticipate our team playing its best basketball in February and the first of March.”

UALR was picked to finish in a tie with North Texas for the top spot in the West Division, each receiving 76 points. The Trojans received six first-place votes while the Mean Green got four first-place nods. Louisiana-Lafayette was picked third, followed by the Red Wolves, Louisiana-Monroe was tabbed sixth with Denver and New Orleans coming in sixth and seventh, respectively.

Middle Tennessee was picked atop the East Division with 11 first-place votes, followed by South Alabama, which netted the other two first place votes. Reigning league champion Western Kentucky was picked third with Florida Atlantic (fourth), Florida International (fifth) and Troy (sixth) rounding out the poll.

Desmond Yates from Middle Tennessee was voted the SBC Preseason Player of the Year and was joined by Carlos Monroe from FAU, Russell Hicks from FIU, Josh White from North Texas and Brandon Davis from South Alabama on the Preseason All-SBC first team.

ASU'S BROWN NAMED BLUE RIBBON SBC NEWCOMER OF YEAR: Arkansas State junior forward and Los Angeles Southwest College transfer JeJuan Brown has been tabbed the Preseason Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year by Blue Ribbon publications.

Along with forward Eric McKinney, Brown was announced as new ASU Head Coach John Brady's first signee at Arkansas State on April 25.  Brown transferred from Vanderbilt to LASC for his sophomore season, where he averaged 17 points and seven rebounds.  He  helped lead the Cougars to a 23-9 record and the South Coast Conference regular-season title and was named a first team all-conference selection in 2007-08.

“We are excited about the possibilities JeJuan brings to our team,” said Brady.  “We feel he will be an outstanding player for us.”

The Biloxi, Miss. native originally signed with Vanderbilt out of high school, playing in all 34 games as a true freshman on a team that advanced to the Sweet 16.  Brown averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game during his lone season with the Commodores, while scoring his SEC-high nine points  on 4-of-6 shooting with four rebounds and two assists at South Carolina.  He posted season highs of 10 points (twice) and eight rebounds and finished the 2006-07 campaign with a .511 (48-of-94) shooting percentage.

Brown finished his prep career as an all-state and all-district selection at Biloxi High School and was a Rivals.com national top 150 (No. 121) ranked player in the class of 2006.  He was ranked as the 26th-best small forward in the nation by Rivals.com as well.  He was named the Sun Herald Gulf Coast Player of the Year after averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists as a senior.  He helped lead Biloxi to four District 8 titles from 2003-06 and graduated with honors as a Mississippi Scholar.

FINN SIDELINED 6-8 WEEKS: ASU head men's basketball coach John Brady has disclosed that the Red Wolves will be without the services of freshman Trey Finn for the beginning of the season and possibly longer due to a foot injury he sustained during a conditioning workout  this past week.

“It is unfortunate that Trey has had this injury occur. He was making real progress in his preparation for the beginning of practice and I was excited about the possibilities he would bring to the team,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “We have talked with the doctors, trainers, and of course his parents and will make a determination on his freshman year once he is completely healed. Whichever decision is made, Trey will have an excellent career at Arkansas State.”

Finn will be out 6-8 weeks and the Red Wolves are looking at the possibility of redshirting the freshman standout that joined the Red Wolves from Parkview High School in Little Rock.

At Parkview, Finn earned AHSAA Class 6A All-State honors in 2007-08. He also led Parkview to the state semifinals and was named to the All-Tournament team as a senior.

CHANGES AT THE CONVO:  During the offseason, the Clopton Clinic Strength and Conditioning room was unveiled at a ceremony in the Convocation Center.  The strength and conditioning room used by the Red Wolves features new weights, lighting, floor and wall coverings and entrance doors.  Also completed during the offseason was the resurfacing and repainting of the Convocation Center playing court.  The court now features the new Red Wolves logo and a large “stAte” logo at center court.

HEAD COACH JOHN BRADY:  With a Final Four appearance and 281 career victories already to his credit, John Brady was announced as Arkansas State's 15th head men's basketball coach by Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee at a press conference on March 18 held in ASU's Convocation Center.

Brady spent the last 10-plus seasons serving as LSU's head coach, leading the Tigers to six postseason berths, two SEC championships and three SEC Western Division titles. Twice named the SEC Coach of the Year,  Brady is a proven winner who brings a well-documented record of success and a long list of accomplishments with him to Arkansas State.

Brady's 16-year tenure as a head coach at both LSU and Samford in Birmingham, Alabama, has been decorated with achievements.  He has coached a combined 25 All-TAAC and SEC selections, 48 academic all-conference choices, posted 11 winning seasons and collected five division championships.  Brady piled up the third most wins in LSU history with 192 and left Samford after the 1996-97 season as the Bulldog's all-time leader in coaching victories (89) as well.

He quickly turned around an LSU's men's basketball program that had suffered four consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival, leading the Tigers to a 28-6 record, an SEC championship and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in just his third season (1999-00) at the helm.  Under Brady's direction, the Tigers recorded six consecutive winning seasons from 2001-02 to 2006-07 while making three trips to the NCAA Tournament and two more to the NIT. The 2005-06 campaign saw LSU post a 27-9 record and advance to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years.

Not only did Brady coach the Tigers to 23 wins versus ranked opponents, he also led them to victories over two teams ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll (Arizona in 2002-03 and Duke in 2005-06).  Additionally, he orchestrated a 19-game home winning streak over SEC opponents, the third longest stretch in LSU history.

While at LSU, Brady coached two NBA Lottery picks and six current NBA players.  The Tigers signed nine Parade All-Americans and four McDonald All-Americans under Brady, who also coached three SEC Players of the Year, four players named SEC Freshman of the Year, one SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and 17 All-SEC selections.

Prior to taking over the reigns at LSU, Brady served as Samford's head coach from 1991-92 through 1996-97.  It didn't take long for him to turn around a Samford program coming off six straight losing seasons, either, guiding the Bulldogs to a 17-10 record in his second season.  He led Samford to three straight winning seasons (1995-97) for the first time since 1982-84, all leading up to a 19-9 record and division title in 1997.  Samford won  the TAAC West Division each of Brady's final two seasons at the school for the first time in school history.

His four winning campaigns at Samford were the first for any coach at the school, and he led the Bulldogs to an 89-77 record after they went 27-83 the four seasons prior to his initial year.  He coached eight All-TAAC and 14 Academic All-TAAC players over six seasons.

The McComb, Miss., native earned his bachelor's degree in 1976 from Belhaven College, where he was three-year starter and scored over 1,000 points during his college playing career.  Brady was a two-time All-Southern States Conference selection and was later inducted into his alma mater's Hall of Fame.

He got his coaching start as a graduate assistant with the Mississippi State men's basketball program while earning his master's degree from 1976-77.  Brady took his first head coaching position in Louisiana at Crowley High School in 1977 and led the basketball squad to a 129-49 (.725) record in five seasons.  He was named the 1981 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3-A Coach of the Year.

Brady returned to the college coaching ranks in 1982 as an assistant coach at Mississippi State.  He spent the next eight years with the Bulldogs, the first four seasons under coach Bob Hoyt and the next four as a chief recruiter for coach Richard Williams.  Following his tenure in Starkville, Brady returned to Louisiana for the second time, this time to serve as an assistant coach at the University of New Orleans.  Brady helped lead UNO to the NCAA Tournament during his only season with the Privateers.

ASU'S DOLLAR NAMED TOP-10 MID-MAJOR ASSISTANTS IN NATION: Fox Sports recently polled head coaches, assistants and others who deal with assistants on a daily basis to get their take on who should be included among the nation's elite assistant basketball coaches and Arkansas State associate head coach Chad Dollar was included among the top-10 mid-major coaches receiving votes.

The article, written by FOXSports.com senior college basketball writer Jeff Goodman, stated Fox Sports wanted to “target the guys that instill a level of fear into their colleagues when they stroll into the gym”.

The article included a few brief notes on each coach and listed some of their “key recruits”.  Included among the key recruits listed for Dollar were Jarvis Hayes and Elton Nesbitt.  Hayes was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year at Western Carolina and Nesbitt the league's player of the year and an honorable mention All-America selection at Georgia Southern.