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Men's Basketball 12/4/2009 4:00:00 PM ArkansasState

Arkansas State Travels To FedEx Forum For Matchup With Memphis Saturday

Game No. 6 – Memphis

Setting the scene
Date: Dec. 5, 2009
Location: Memphis, Tenn.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. (CST)
Arena: FedEx Forum
Arena Capacity: 18,400
Webcast: GoTigersGo.com

TIPPING IT OFF
After the team's three game home stand The Red Wolves return to road action when they travel to the FedEx Forum to face off against Memphis Saturday. Gametime against the Tigers is set for 7 p.m. in Memphis, Tenn.

THE OPPONENT
Memphis is a Conference USA member and owns a 4-1 record, with the team's lone loss coming to No. 1 ranked Kansas, 55-57 on Nov. 17. Memphis owns wins past Jackson State (82-53), Tenn. Tech (92-59), Central Arkansas (81-49) and Oakland (77-46). The Tigers are receiving votes in both the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and the AP Poll. Sophomore guard Elliott Williams leads three players scoring in double-figures for the Tigers averaging 20.6 points per game and pulling down 4.0 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Roburt Sallie is averaging 10.2 ppg for Memphis while Will Coleman leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game and has recorded 16 blocks, while ranking third in scoring with 10.0 ppg. Josh Pastner is in his first season at the helm of the Tigers' program after serving as an assistant coach at Memphis and Arizona since 2002. Pastner is the third-youngest coach in Division I basketball at the age of 32.

SERIES VERSUS MEMPHIS
Arkansas State renews one of the oldest and most played rivalries in school history when they take on the Tigers on Saturday. ASU owns a 26-30 record against Memphis which dates back to the 1927-28 season. ASU has not played Memphis since the 2007-08 season.

BRYANT APPROACHES CENTURY MARK
Sophomore guard Daniel Bryant has provided a spark off the bench for the Red Wolves and through six games has nearly recorded half of his total points from a year ago. Bryant already has 90 points, a team high by more than 15 and is approaching the century mark in scoring. Bryant scored 200 points in 29 appearances for the Red Wolves last season.

VERSUS LAST SEASON
Although ASU sits at .500 after six games, they have show improvement over last season at this point in a number of categories. ASU is averaging 71.8 points per game which is eight points more than a year ago (63.5). They are stealing the ball easier 44 versus 38 last season. They are taking care of the ball better than a year ago, committing only 80 turnovers to last year's 92. ASU also has two players averaging in double figures and more than six rebounds per game while last year the Red Wolves only had one player in those two categories.

LAST TIME VERSUS MEMPHIS
En route to their final four appearance during the 2007-08 season the then ranked No. 3 Memphis Tigers handed Arkansas State an 84-63 loss on Nov. 20, 2007 during their last trip to the FedEx Forum. ASU got a game-high 32 points from senior guard Adrian Banks and shot a season-high 46 percent from the field.

Memphis connected on 7-of-14 three-point attempts and shot 56 percent from the field to build a 43-25 halftime lead. ASU got 17 points from Banks in the first half alone and shot 45 percent from the field, but was hurt by 15 turnovers over the game's first 20 minutes.

ASU led 8-6 six minutes into the game and trailed just 15-20 with 8:59 remaining in the first half, but Memphis went on an 11-0 run sparked by three consecutive three-point field goals by Willie Kemp to take a 31-15 lead at the 6:29 mark. Memphis matched its largest lead of the half when Doneal Mack hit a three-pointer as time expired to give the Tigers an 18-point advantage at the break.

Memphis outscored ASU just 41-38 in the second half, but did not allow the Indians closer than 16 points throughout the half.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING
ASU has two players averaging in double-digit scoring and none of those players is a junior or older. Sophomore guard Daniel Bryant leads the team averaging 15.0 ppg followed by freshman guard Brandon Reed who is averaging 12.2 ppg. Bryant ranks sixth in the conference in scoring average while Reed ranks 20th. Last season, ASU had one player averaging in double-figures (Boone, 13.6).

BACK TO BACK CAREER NIGHTS
ASU sophomore Daniel Bryant has provided a spark off the bench for the Red Wolves, leading the team in scoring averaging 16.4 points per appearance. Bryant had a pair of career games last week when he broke the 20 point barrier for the first time against UTM and set a new career high of 23 points against Indiana State during the next game.

FINN LEADS TEAM
At 6-2, freshman guard, Trey Finn is leading the team in rebounding average, pulling down 6.8 per contest. Finn's average ranks fifth in the conference.

BENCH PRODUCTION
ASU has gotten lots of production from its reserves this season, especially from sophomore Daniel Bryant who leads the team in scoring. Freshman Brandon Peterson also leads the team in blocked shots (16) and ranks second in rebounding while scoring 8.2 ppg. ASU's bench has scored in double-digits each game highlighted by 62 and 33 pt performances against MacMurray and Indiana State, respectively.

BIG BLOCKS
As a team ASU has averaged 4.8 blocks per game. Freshman Brandon Peterson ranks second in the league with 16 blocks through six games, collecting five against MacMurray. Peterson has had multiple blocks all but one game, including four against UTM.

SHOOTING LIGHTS OUT
Sophomore forward Martavius Adams leads the team shooting 50-percent from the field connecting on 22-46 shots. Junior guard Rashad Allison is shooting nearly 80-percent from the charity stripe (.789) connecting on 15-19 free throws.

BROWN DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior forward JeJuan Brown had one of the best performances he has turned in since coming to ASU against SEMO. Brown recorded the first double-double of his career with 11 pts and 13 rebounds, a career-high.

TOUGH DEFENSE
The Red Wolves have continued its reputation for strong defense holding its first six opponents so shooting just 42-percent from the floor and leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense (29%) ASU has also forced opponents into 88 turnovers and recorded 44 steals. Against SEMO, ASU held the Redhawks to 14% from the three-point line and allowed only one of the opponents players to score in double-figures (10). Versus Tennessee-Martin The Red Wolves held the Skyhawks to shooting only 8.3-percent from the three-point line (1-12).

FINN TOUGH IN DEBUT
Arkansas State redshirt freshman Trey Finn had to miss his first collegiate game due to an injury, but that didn't stop him from coming out strong in his first career start at SEMO. Finn nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, while recording four steals and a block.

ALLISON AT THE LINE
Junior point guard Rashad Allison posted a career-high nine points against SEMO, all of which came from the free throw line. Allison went to the line a game-high 12 times, connecting on nine of those shots from the charity stripe.

STEALING THE ROCK
Arkansas State continued its trend from last season for picking the opponents pockets. ASU has already recorded 44 steals through five games. Finn leads the team with 11 while Bryant has nine, ranking second.

NEWCOMERS SHINE
In their opening game of the season the Red Wolves got great performances from their newcomers especially freshman forward Brandon Peterson. Peterson came off the bench to notch the first double-double for the Red Wolves this season (13 pts., 12 reb.) while he also blocked five shots. Freshman Brandon Reed also came off the bench to score 12 pts., leading all players with 31 minutes played. Freshman Adam Sterrenberg added 11 points while Martavius Adams had eight points and five rebounds.

ASU AT THE CONVOCATION CENTER
Over the 22 years that ASU has competed in the ASU Convocation Center, the Red Wolves have compiled a 214-85 record (.720). Arkansas State has gone undefeated twice during a single season at the Convocation Center; they were a perfect 14-0 in 1988-89 and went 13-0 in 1990-91.

TOP RETURNERS
ASU's top returning scorer from last season Donald Boone returns for his senior season with the Red Wolves. Boone averaged 13.6 ppg a year ago while also leading the team with 54 steals. Senior JeJuan Brown returns as the top rebounder coming back from last season. Brown averaged 7.4 ppg while pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game.

FRESHMAN SHINES IN EXHIBITION OPENER
Freshman forward Brandon Peterson had a breakout performance in ASU's first exhibition contest against Henderson State. The Birmingham native had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks playing 25 minutes off the bench for the Red Wolves.

NEW LOOK RED WOLVES
With eight new players on their roster from a year ago, ASU will look quite a bit different in their opening contest against MacMurray Monday. Returning for ASU are seniors - Donald Boone, JeJuan Brown and Mike Lance. Junior - Jeremy Thomas and sophomore - Daniel Bryant. Also back for ASU will be two players that did not play last season freshman Trey Finn and sophomore-transfer Martavius Adams.

PRESEASON HONORS/COACHES POLL
Arkansas State senior guard Donald Boone was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt Conference third team. Also released at media day was the preseason coaches' poll where the Red Wolves were tabbed to finish sixth in the west division.
                The poll and preseason teams were released in conjunction with the start of the Sun Belt Conference men's basketball media days which kicked off Tuesday with the west division coaches participating in video conferences throughout the day. The east division coaches are slated to participate in media day on Wednesday.
                The preseason team and poll were nominated and voted on by the 13 league coaches. ASU received 36 points in the voting.
                ASU's top returning scorer from last season, Boone posted 13.6 points per game in 2008-09 and led the team with 54 steals which ranked second in the Sun Belt. Boone appeared in all 30 games a year ago, drawing 24 starts while pacing the squad in minutes played, averaging 30.4 per contest.
                WKU's AJ Slaughter was tabbed the preseason SBC player of the year and was joined on the first team by Denver's Nate Rohnert, MTSU's Desmond Yates, Eric Tramiel from North Texas and Brandon Hazzard of Troy.

McRoy Named Top-25 Mid-Major Assistant
Arkansas State assistant coach Elwyn McRoy garnered the no. 23 spot on the recent collegeinsider.com listing of the top-25 mid-major assistant coaches in the country.
                McRoy was described by collegeinsider as “arguably the best junior college recruiter in all of college basketball, much less the Mid-Major level, there is no coincidence that on-court success has followed McRoy throughout his entire career. During a span of five seasons in junior college, McRoy coached 28 players who went on to play Division I basketball.”
                This marks the second year in-a-row that one of Arkansas State's assistant coaches have been recognized as tops in the nation. Associate head coach Chad Dollar was ranked one of the top-10 assistant coaches by Fox Sports in 2008.
                McRoy was the only assistant coach in the Sun Belt Conference named to the list.

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 Wednesday morning press conference held in ASU's Convocation Center on March 19, 2008.
                During his first season with the Red Wolves, Brady helped lead ASU to one of the best starts in program history and achieved the No. 22 ranking on Collegeinsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 poll. As a team ASU improved greatly its defending and rebounding finishing near the top of the conference in several statistical categories.
                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.
                Chancellor Robert Potts said that he is very pleased with the selection of Coach Brady as Arkansas State's new head basketball coach.
                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.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Martavius Adams: F; 6' 8"; Sophomore

#12 Rashad Allison: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#23 Donald Boone: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#31 JeJuan Brown: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#3 Daniel Bryant: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#2 Trey Finn: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman

#15 Brandon Peterson: F; 6' 7"; Freshman

#1 Brandon Reed: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#10 Adam Sterrenberg: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#5 Jeremy Thomas: F; 6' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#13 Martavius Adams
: 6' 8"; Sophomore
: F

#12 Rashad Allison
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#23 Donald Boone
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#31 JeJuan Brown
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#3 Daniel Bryant
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#2 Trey Finn
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#15 Brandon Peterson
: 6' 7"; Freshman
: F

#1 Brandon Reed
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#10 Adam Sterrenberg
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#5 Jeremy Thomas
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

Scoreboard

Arkansas State University

Arkansas State Travels To FedEx Forum For Matchup With Memphis Saturday

Players Mentioned

#13 Martavius Adams

#12 Rashad Allison

#23 Donald Boone

#31 JeJuan Brown

#3 Daniel Bryant

#2 Trey Finn

#15 Brandon Peterson

#1 Brandon Reed

#10 Adam Sterrenberg

#5 Jeremy Thomas

Players Mentioned

#13 Martavius Adams

#12 Rashad Allison

#23 Donald Boone

#31 JeJuan Brown

#3 Daniel Bryant

#2 Trey Finn

#15 Brandon Peterson

#1 Brandon Reed

#10 Adam Sterrenberg

#5 Jeremy Thomas