GAME 28
Arkansas State (9-18, 4-12) at North Texas (17-9, 8-7)
February 23, 2008 - The Super Pit (10,500)
Denton, Texas - 7:00 p.m.
Radio: Arkansas State Radio Network (KWHF 95.9 FM, flagship)
Television: JumpTV webcasting (ASUIndians.com)
Live Stats: ASUIndians.co Tm (Broadcast & Media link)
-Click here for PDF version of ASU game notes vs. North Texas-
ON TAP: Arkansas State wraps up a two-game road swing Saturday, playing North Texas in the fourth of five consecutive Sun Belt Conference West Division games to close out the regular season. Every ASU game can be heard live on 95.9 FM in the Jonesboro area and the live radio broadcast can be accessed through the Arkansas State athletic web site (ASUIndians.com).
THE PRINCIPALS: The Indians enter Saturday's game looking to snap a seven-game skid, while the Mean Green has won its last three games and five of its last seven. The Indians are currently in seventh place and the Mean Green tied for second in the Sun Belt's West Division.
CO-INTERIM HEAD COACHES SHAWN FORREST AND AL GRUSHKIN: Shawn Forrest and Al Grushkin were appointed co-interim head coaches by ASU Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee after Dickey Nutt (13th season) relinquished his duties as the Indians head coach on Feb. 19. Forrest, in his sixth season at ASU, is responsible for administrative duties with the team. Grushkin, who joined the ASU staff last season and has 28 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, is handling the competitive aspects of the program.
Nutt Relinquishes Duties as ASU Head Men's Basketball Coach: JONESBORO (2/19/08) ? Arkansas State Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee announced Tuesday that Dickey Nutt has relinquished his duties as head men's basketball coach. “We are very grateful to Dickey Nutt for his many years of service to this University and to our athletic program and wish Coach Nutt and his family the absolute best in the future,” said Lee. “I know this was a difficult decision for him but one that was in the best interest of the program.” Nutt was in the midst of his 13th season as head coach at ASU, compiling a 189-187 (.503) overall record and 102-101 (.502) mark in Sun Belt Conference play. The Indians are 9-17 this season and 4-11 in the Sun Belt Conference. Lee has appointed assistant coaches Shawn Forrest and Al Grushkin as co-interim head coaches. Forrest, in his sixth season at ASU, will be responsible for administrative duties with the team. Grushkin, who joined the ASU staff last season and has 28 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, will handle the competitive aspects of the program. Nutt was the 14th head coach in the history of the program. He led the 2006-07 team to the Sun Belt Conference West Division championship and to the 1999 NCAA Tournament. Nutt was named the league's coach of the year in 1998 after ASU won the conference's regular-season title. Arkansas State will begin an immediate national search for a head men's basketball coach to guide a program that has over 1,000 all-time victories.
ASU Men's Basketball Team Releases Statement: JONESBORO (2/19/08) ? With at least four games remaining in the 2007-08 basketball season, the Arkansas State men's basketball team took a team vote to release a statement regarding ASU's coaching change. This will be the only comment made by ASU student-athletes on this matter and the team politely asked that this request is respected. All media interview requests with ASU student-athletes should be made through the sports information office. “Our team remains focused on finishing the regular-season strong and is committed to practice and improving as the Sun Belt Conference Tournament approaches. We have a great deal of respect for Coach Nutt and appreciate all the time he dedicated to the team and us personally. We also have to respect this decision and will continue to compete to the best of our ability as we try to make this program stronger. We are thankful for our supporters and the pride they have in this team.”
SCOUTING THE MEAN GREEN: North Texas holds a 17-9 overall record and 8-7 mark in Sun Belt action, leaving the Mean Green just one game out of first place. The defending Sun Belt Conference Tournament champions have two players averaging double-figure points, led by freshman Josh White with 14.0 points per game. Collin Dennis is averaging 13.4 points per game, while Ben Bell, Keith Wooden, Quincy Williams and Dez Willingham all average at least 8.0 points per game. Williams also leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game.
THE ASU - NORTH TEXAS SERIES: Arkansas
State swept the regular-season series last year against North Texas, but couldn't win the third meeting in the Sun Belt Conf. Tournament championship game and dropped the first meeting this season against the Mean Green. The series is tied 14-14, but the Indians have won six of the 10 meetings as Sun Belt Conference opponents. The two teams met for the first time during the 1963-64 campaign and ASU pulled out a 64-63 home win.
COMMON OPPONENTS: Arkansas State and North Texas have not played any common opponents this season outside the Sun Belt Conference.
LAST TIME vs. NORTH TEXAS: JONESBORO (1/0/08) ? Arkansas State had its seven-game home winning streak snapped, falling 74-63 against North Texas at the Convocation Center earlier this season. The Indians had three players score in double figures, but North Texas' Collin Dennis countered with a game-high 30 points to lead three Mean Green players scoring in double digits as well. While Arkansas State never held the lead, it was able to tie the score twice early before North Texas took the lead for good almost midway through the first half. The Mean Green broke a 9-9 tie off a Keith Wooden layup at the 10:53 mark and held between a two and four point lead over the next 10 minutes before going on a 13-2 run to take a 32-17 advantage with 4:29 left in the opening half. ASU was able to trim its deficit to eight points, 32-24, by halftime, but NT scored the first five points of the second half to extend its lead back to double digits. The Indians pulled back within 41-32 with 14:39 remaining in the game, but couldn't get any closer the rest of the way. Arkansas State actually posted a higher shooting percentage than North Texas, .436 to .421, and committed four fewer turnovers, but was outrebounded 41-29 and outscored 20-9 at the charity stripe. Ryan Wedel led ASU with 17 points and was joined in double figures by Adrian Banks with 11 points and Yima Chia-Kur with 10, while Mike Lance added nine points off the bench. North Texas' Josh White scored 12 points and Ben Bell 10 to follow Dennis in scoring for NT. Quincy Williams finished with a game-high 13 rebounds for the Mean Green.
THE LAST TIME OUT: LITTLE ROCK (2/21/08) ? Arkansas State dropped an 82-52 decision at UALR Thursday night, falling behind early and never recovering. The Trojans built a 38-23 halftime lead and held the Indians off the rest of the way. The Trojans used a strong inside game to propel them to victory, outrebounding ASU 39-29 and scoring 54 points in the paint. Three ASU players scored in double figures, including Adrian Banks with a team-high 14 points. Mike Smith scored 12 points to lead three UALR players reaching double figures.
79th SEASON IN PROGRESS: The Arkansas State men's basketball program is in its 79th season, owning a 1,025-968 all-time record.
ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Junior forward Shawn Morgan recorded his third career double-double last week against UL Lafayette with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Morgan also posted double-doubles this season against Utah Valley State on Jan. 30 (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 29 (12 points, 11 rebounds).
WEDEL NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT VI: Sophomore guard Ryan Wedel was named a First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI selection on Feb. 7. Wedel was one of just five players named a first team selection from District VI, which includes all student-athletes from the states of Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Mississippi and Louisiana. As a first-team selection, Wedel will now be placed on the Academic All-America ballot. ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-America Team will be announced Feb. 27 by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).
A DIFFERENT LOOK: ASU has used six different starting lineups each of the last six games. The last time the Indians used the same starting lineup in back-to-back games was the 21st (Jan. 30) and 22nd (Feb. 4) games of the season.
CRASHING THE BOARDS: Shawn Morgan led the team in rebounding the last seven straight games. He has led the team on the boards 17 games for the entire season and has four double-figure rebounding games. Morgan is ranked tied for fourth in the Sun Belt in rebounds and No. 1 in offensive boards.
DANGEROUS FROM DOWNTOWN: Yima Chia-Kur has hit 12 of his last 21 shots (.571 percentage) from beyond the arc over the last eight games. Over those eight games, the junior forward made at least 50 percent of his 3-field goal attempts in seven of those eight games. In comparison, Chia-Kur made 11-of-36 attempts over the Indians' first 19 games for a .306 percentage. He has raised that percentage to .404 for the year, the second highest on the team.
TOPPING 1,000: This season, Adrian Banks became the 23rd player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career. Entering the UNO game on Feb. 14 with 992 points, the senior guard finished the game with nine points to give him 1,001 for his two-year career at ASU. He now has 1,015 points.
SEEING 20/20: Adrian Banks and Yima Chia-Kur both scored 20 points against Middle Tennessee on Feb. 4, marking the first time ASU had seen two players score at least 20 points in the same game since last season. The last time it happened, Isaac Wells and Adrian Banks scored 29 and 22 points, respectively, against New Orleans in last year's Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
KNOCK IT DOWN: ASU hit a season-high 25 free throws against Middle Tennessee on Feb. 4 and has increased its free throw percentage from .681 last season to .713 this year, the fifth highest percentage in the Sun Belt Conference.
BETTER BENCH: While Arkansas State's bench was outscored the last two games, it has still posted more points than the opponent's bench eight of the last 11 games and also outscored the opponent's bench in 14 of the last 20 games. In comparison, ASU's bench was outscored by the opponent's in six of its first seven games.
SHUT ?EM DOWN: ASU has held six teams below 40 percent shooting and is 6-0 in those games. The Indians have also held four opponents below .300 from beyond the arc and are 4-0 in those games.
STRONGER SECOND HALF: The Indians have outscored their opponent in the second half in eight of their last 12 games and while they hold an 1-16 record when trailing at the half, they have actually outscored nine of those 17 teams in the second half. ASU has outscored its opponent in the second half in 14 of its 27 games.
AMONG THE ELITE: Ifeanyi Koggu holds a 3.1 assist/turnover ratio, which would place him No. 2 in the nation if he met the 3.0 assists minimum. Koggu is averaging 2.9 assists per game, narrowly missing the minimum required to be ranked. The junior guard has 78 assists and just 25 turnovers. Just as impressive, Koggu has committed just 11 turnovers in the Indians' last 15 games.
WEDEL JOINS TOP FIVE: Just a sophomore, Ryan Wedel is already ranked among the top five players in ASU history for three-point field goals made. Wedel has connected on 82 threes this season, giving him 167 for his career and pushing him into fourth place on the list.
HEATING UP: After starting the season with two subpar shooting performances, ASU has heated up to shoot at least 44 percent in 18 of its last 24 games and at least 50 percent in seven of its last 18. ASU is ranked No. 3 in the Sun Belt and No. 62 in the nation in field goal percentage (.458). The Indians are also ranked No. 1 in the SBC and No. 20 in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.394).
GETTING STRONGER: Senior center Kewain Gant has come on strong in conference play, posting his top six scoring games of his career and his only double-double. Not only that, Gant is averaging 8.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, which are all higher than his averages for the entire season.
BIG BLOCK: Gant has been a strong defensive presence inside the paint recently, recording 23 blocks over the last 15 games to move him into eighth place in the Sun Belt Conference for blocks. His 23 blocks over the last 15 games more than triples his block total of seven for the first 12 games.
MORE FIRE-POWER: A season-high five Arkansas State players scored in double figures against Troy on Jan. 19 and at least four have scored in double figures eight of the Indians last 17 games. In comparison, the Indians had four players reach double digits in the same game just once over their first 10 games. ASU is 4-5 this year in contests when at least four players reach double figures in the scoring column. ASU has seen least three players score in double figures 20 times this season
AMONG THE LEADERS: Arkansas State is ranked in the top half of the Sun Belt Conference in 10 statistical categories, including the top three in field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
GOOD DEFENSE: ASU has held six opponents to no more than 60 points this season and limited MacMurray College to just 43, the lowest scoring total by an ASU opponent since Richmond scored just 37 during the 2005-06 season. ASU is now 11-1 over the last two seasons when its opponent scores 60 points or less.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: Senior guard Adrian Banks scored a season-high 32 points against Memphis, just one point shy of his career-high 33 set last season against Troy, and has now scored at least 20 points in eight of his 17 games played. He is averaging 17.8 points per game.
BANKS ON IT: Adrian Banks has scored in double figures 49 of his 51 career games at ASU, including his 32-point performance against Memphis earlier this season. He's scored at least 20 points in a game 26 times and 30 or more four times.
STEALING THE SHOW: Shawn Morgan, who led ASU in steals last season with 43, led the team in steals 15 of his first 26 games played. In fact, Morgan has posted at least three steals in eight games, including a career-high five against Tulsa. The junior forward already has 49 steals through his first 26 games and ranks third in the Sun Belt in the stat.
ALMOST FLAWLESS: Arkansas State is 30-2 all-time under head coach Dickey Nutt when scoring 90 or more points. It's only two setbacks when reaching 90-plus points came against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2002 and Jacksonville in 1996.
HOME SWEET HOME: ASU plays 15 regular-season home game this year, the most since playing 15 at the Convocation Center in 2002-03 as well. Including two home exhibition games, the Indians will play 17 games at the Convocation Center, where they posted an 11-2 record last season.
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE: With an all-time record of 204-78 (.723 winning percentage), the Convocation has become a great home-court advantage for the Indians. ASU has won at least eight games at the Convocation Center each of the last eight seasons, including this year. That stretch includes a 12-win home season in 2004-05 that ranks tied for the third most in the arena's history.
HITTING THE CENTURY MARK: ASU's 101 points against Central Baptist were its most since scoring 113 against Lambuth during the 2004-05 season. The Indians' point total also ties the 29th most in school history.
WINNING BIG: ASU's 52-point margin of victory over Central Baptist was its largest since defeating Lyon College by 65 points during the 2002-03 season.
200th VICTORY: Arkansas State defeated FAU Dec. 20 to reach 200 all-time victories at the Convocation Center, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Built in 1987, the Convocation Center has seen the Indians build a 204-78 (.723 winning percentage) record at the arena over the last 20 years.
INDIANS SIGN BOONE: Donald Boone, a 2005 graduate of Memphis' Hamilton High School, signed with ASU after helping lead Southwest Tennessee Community College to a 23-5 record, No. 16 ranking in the final NJCAA National Poll, the Region VIII championship, and an eighth-place finish at the national tournament last year as a sophomore. Boone, who will join the ASU basketball team in January for practices, will have two years of eligibility remaining at Arkansas State starting next season. The 6-5, 205 pound guard averaged 18 points and seven rebounds per game, helping him earn First Team All-America recognition. He was also named First Team All-NJCAA Tournament, the Region VIII MVP and the regional tournament's MVP. Boone shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and 70 percent at the free throw line while leading the team in scoring and rebounds. His freshman campaign at Southwest Tennessee CC saw him average 10 points and six rebounds while helping lead the team to a 20-5 record and final ranking of No. 16.
INDIANS SIGN FINN: ASU signed Trey Finn a 6-2, 205 pound shooting guard entering his senior season at Little Rock's Parkview High School, to a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period. Finn earned first team all-state recognition by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last season. In fact, Finn was the only junior selected to the newspaper's 2007 all-state team as he averaged 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals to help lead the Patriots to a 28-3 record and to the Class 6A state semifinals. Finn averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game as a sophomore.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION: Banks has been recognized on the national scene early this year, already being named to both CollegeInsider.com's and CollegeHoops.net's Preseason Mid-Major All-America Teams. CollegeHoops.net tabbed Banks as a honorable mention selection, while CollegeInsider.com had just one team made up of 25 players. Banks was named CollegeInsider.com's 2006-07 Sun Belt Conference MVP.
Hot Springs Named Future Site for SBC Men's & Women's Basketball Tournaments: The Sun Belt Conference announced at its annual media days that Hot Springs, Ark., renowned for its appeal as a great tourist destination across the state and the country, was selected by the Sun Belt Conference Executive Committee as the host for league's annual men's and women's basketball tournaments from 2009-2011.
THOMAS OUT FOR SEASON: True freshman Jeremy Thomas suffered a season-ending injury in the Indians' 14th game of the season. Thomas played in 13 games this season, averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
AJASIN OUT FOR SEASON: Senior center Abayomi Ajasin suffered a season-ending knee injury just prior to the start of the 2007-08 season. Ajasin played in all 33 games last year for the Indians, including 12 as a starter, and averaged 2.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.`
