Exhibition 2 Notes - Henderson State
SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Nov. 8, 2010
Location: Jonesboro, Ark.
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m. (CST)
Arena: Convocation Center
Arena Capacity: 10,727
Webcast: AstateRedWolves.com
ASU Hosts Henderson State For Final Exhibition
Tune Up Monday At The Convocation Center
TIPPING IT OFF
ASU will
wrap up the exhibition portion of its season with a matchup against Henderson
State Monday night at the ASU Convocation
Center. Tipoff against the Reddies is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Convo.
THE SEASON
The ASU men's
basketball team will kick off the 84th season and third season under head coach
John Brady when they open regular season action against Ole Miss on Nov. 12.
The Red Wolves will get a pair of tune-up games to prepare for the season
facing Ouachita Baptist on Nov. 4 and Henderson State on Nov. 8. Tipoff for
both games at the Convocation Center
is set for 7:05 p.m. ASU will
host a total of 15 dates throughout the season including marquee league
matchups against Western Kentucky (Jan. 1), Middle Tennessee (Jan. 13), Denver
(Feb. 5), North Texas (Feb. 24) and
against in-state rival UALR (Feb.
26).
THE OPPONENT
Henderson State is an NCAA Division
II opponent that plays
in the Gulf South Conference. Henderson has seven newcomers and eight
letterwinners returning from last year's squad which went 8-19 with a 1-13 Gulf
South record. The Reddies lost its top three scorers from last season. Jeff
Shelton is the top returner for HSU after he averaged 9.2 ppg as a sophomore.
The Reddies are coached by Sam Weaver who is in his third year at the helm of the
HSU program.
EXHIBITION OPENER
ASU beat
Ouachita Baptist in its exhibition opener, 83-71 last Thursday. Sophomore guard
Trey Finn led the Red Wolves with 16 points and tied for the lead with five
rebounds. Three other ASU players
scored in double-digits - senior guard Donald Boone had 14 points, junior guard
Daniel Bryant had 10
points and junior forward Martavius Adams had 10 points. Adams also had five
rebounds to lead ASU in
the category with Finn.
BRADY UNDEFEATED IN EXHIBITIONS AT ASU
Head coach John Brady is 5-0 in exhibition contests during
his three years with the Red Wolves.
SBC HONORS
The Red Wolves landed two players on the Sun Belt preseason
all-conference second team with senior guard Donald Boone and junior forward
Martavius Adams earning preseason honors.
Boone was a preseason
all-conference selection last year before injuring his knee in the first game
of the season. Boone returns for his sixth year after averaging 13.6 points per
game to lead the Red Wolves in 2008-09. Boone also led the squad in steals and
minutes played.
Adams is ASU's top returning player
from a year ago when he averaged 11.6 points per game and led the team with a
rebounding average of 7.5. Adams was also one of only two players to start in all
31 contests last season.
"To have Martavius picked to the
second-team is certainly an improvement for our team. Donald Boone, who created
the respect two years ago by how he played in our first year here, is also
second team, so that is definitely an improvement for us," said ASU head coach
John Brady. "The first year we came here, we had no one picked and now we have
two players picked after our second year. Hopefully that is a trend that will
continue, and each year we will continue to have a player or two picked on the
first or second team from here on out."
SBC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
In the preseason coaches' poll, also released Tuesday, the
Red Wolves were tabbed to finish second in the west, grabbing 55 points behind
2009-10 tournament champion North Texas, who garnered all 12 of the first-place
votes and 72 total points.
Denver was tabbed third,
picking up 51 points, followed by Louisiana-Lafayette (36), UALR (26) and
Louisiana-Monroe (12).
On the east side, Western Kentucky
was the overall favorite to pick up the division title, grabbing 71 points and
11 first-place votes. Florida Atlantic was second with 53 points and one
first-place vote. After FAU were South Alabama (47), Middle Tennessee (42),
Florida International (22) and Troy (17).
"Our pick is certainly an
indication based on what we did a year ago and based on the players we have
returning and the respect that the program has created. Being picked second in
the west after two years here has shown that our program has gained some
respect around the league and within the league and hopefully that will
continue with what we do this year," said Brady.
SEASON OUTLOOK
With four of five starters returning from a year ago the Arkansas State
basketball program will be bigger, stronger and more experienced this season
under third-year head coach John Brady. The Red Wolves who posted a 17-11 mark
last year including breaking double-digit league wins for only the seventh time
since joining the Sun Belt are looking to improve on their second-place Western
Division finish from last season.
Along with the four starters from last year, a familiar face will also return
to the fold in senior Donald Boone who received his sixth year of eligibility
from the NCAA after injuring his knee just four minutes into the 2009-10
campaign. Boone was a preseason All-Sun Belt selection prior to last season and
led the Red Wolves in 08-09 scoring 13.6 points per game which ranked 11th in
the league and also led the team in minutes per game (30.4) and steals (54).
Boone adds to an already stellar group of last year's returners led by junior
forward Martavius Adams. Adams, who stands at 6-8, is the top returner from
last season when he averaged 11.6 points per game and led the squad in
rebounding averaging 7.5 per game. Adams was one of only two players to start
all 31 games last season and ranked fourth in the league in rebounding and
field goal percentage. Adams also posted a team-high four double-doubles last
season.
Senior guard and floor marshal Rashad Allison also returns for the Red Wolves
as the only other player to start all 31 contests a year ago. Allison led the
squad with 127 assists and 69 steals which ranked sixth in the conference. He
averaged 8.5 points per game and was second in minutes played with 1,013.
A pair of sophomore starters also returns for the Red Wolves in Trey Finn and
Brandon Peterson. Finn quickly became one of the most prolific rebounding guards
in the league last year ranking second on the team with a 6.5 average while
scoring 7.8 ppg. Finn ranked sixth in the league in defensive rebounding
and ninth overall.
Peterson also put his stamp on the league ranking second in blocked shots as a
true freshman last year with 61. Peterson averaged 6.9 points per game and 4.6
rebounds per game playing in all 31 games while drawing 19 starts.
Combined with their solid returning starters ASU also has several reserves returning
who logged quality minutes led by junior Daniel Bryant who played in 22 games
after hurting his shoulder early in the year. Bryant averaged 10.5 points per
game and had 18 assists and 39 steals. Senior forward Jeremy Thomas also brings
a wealth of experience and leadership to the team. Thomas saw action in 29
games last year averaging 4.4 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Adding to the mix will be newcomers Chano Rashiduddin a 6-9 junior college
transfer out of Indian Hills CC and true freshman Ed Townsel and Spencer
Caraway. Along with the three newcomers, ASU had two players sit out last
season including Malcoln Kirkland a 6-8 transfer from Oklahoma State and Kinley
Ogbonnaya-Branch a redshirt freshman from Stone Mountain, Ga.
ASU also got a new look
on the end of the bench as two new coaches will be alongside Brady for the
season after joining the program earlier this summer. "New" may be a misleading term as
both these coaches bring a wealth of knowledge to the program. Isaac Brown
begins his tenure as associate head coach and comes to ASU after serving as an
assistant coach at Arkansas for the past three seasons. Prior to his time at
Arkansas; Brown was an assistant coach at South Alabama. Richard Williams
joined the coaching staff late in the summer and will serve as an assistant
coach. Williams is well known as the former head coach at Mississippi State.
While with the Bulldogs, Williams led the squad to the NCAA Final Four in 1996. During
his time at MSU, Williams led his team to five postseason appearances and was
named the SEC coach of
the year twice.
