Game 29 - Troy Notes

Setting the scene
Date: Feb. 27, 2010
Location: Jonesboro, Ark.
Tipoff: 7:05  p.m. (CST)
Arena: Convocation Center
Arena Capacity: 10,038
Webcast: AStateRedWolves.com

TIPPING IT OFF
ASU will host Troy for their regular-season finale and final tuneup before heading to Hot Springs for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Troy sits atop the east division in the SBC standings owning a 12-5 league record. Tipoff at the Convocation Center is set for 7:05 p.m.

THE OPPONENT
Troy stands at 17-11 with a 12-15 league record sitting atop the SBC east division. Troy has won their last four contests over FIU, MTSU, FAU and UALR. The Trojans last loss came at the hands of the Hilltoppers 87-69 on Feb. 6. Troy has started five seniors all season led by preseason all-SBC selection Brandon Hazzard who is averaging 16.5 ppg and 15.5 during league games. Hazzard also leads the team shooting 73% from the free throw line connecting on 80-110 free throws this year. Richard Delk ranks second on the squad averaging 12.7 points per game and Michael Vogler is third scoring 12.0 points per contest. Vogler also leads the squad in assists (158) and steals (55). Their big man Yamene Coleman, a transfer from Alabama is scoring 10.5 and averaging 8.0 rebounds per game, which rounds out their players in double-digit scoring average. Antywan Jones rounds out their starting lineup averaging 9.3 ppg and pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 24 blocked shots. As a team, the Trojans lead the Sun Belt in scoring average, posting 76.9 points per game while ranking fifth in field goal percentage defense. Don Maestri is in his 29th season as head coach of the Troy Trojans. He has amassed a 472-377 record during his career at Troy.

SERIES VERSUS TROY
ASU and Troy have met just five times on the hardwood with the Red Wolves trailing the all-time series 1-4. ASU's only win in the series came during the 2005-06 season with ASU winning a convincing 91-68 decision over the Trojans at the Convocation Center.

REED - TOP FRESHMAN SCORER IN SCHOOL HISTORY
With his 18 point performance over New Orleans, freshman guard Brandon Reed has overtaken Jerry Rook as Arkansas State's top scoring freshman in school history. Reed has 429 points this season shattering the 48-year standing record of 416 set by Rook during the 1961-62 season. Reed is averaging 15.3 points per game in all games which ranks seventh and averaging 17.5 ppg in league play which ranks third. Reed scored 30 points against WKU, becoming the only player in the SBC this season to score 30 or more in multiple league games.

OFFENSE VERSUS DEFENSE
Saturday's matchup will pit one of the top offensive teams in the league against the top defensive teams in the league. Troy leads the league in scoring offense (76.9) while Arkansas State leads the league in field goal percentage defense (40.7) and three-point field goal percentage defense (28.4). ASU also ranks eighth in three-point field goal percentage defense.

TOURNAMENT PICTURE
There are still many scenarios that could play out which will affect Arkansas State and its seeding in the Sun Belt Tournament. Currently ASU is tied with WKU with a 11-6 league record, which puts WKU as the No.4 seed and Arkansas State at No. 5. Troy, Middle Tenn. and N. Texas are tied with 12-5 records. Troy holds the tiebreaker over both squads and is therefore currently slated as the No. 1 seed, N. Texas second and Middle Tenn. third. Arkansas State can finish first if: they beat Troy and N. Texas, Middle Tenn. and WKU all lose. Arkansas State can finish second if: they beat Troy and N. Texas loses. Arkansas State can finish third if: they beat Troy and Middle Tenn. loses or ASU wins and WKU loses. Arkansas State can be fourth if: they beat Troy, N. Texas wins, Middle Tenn. wins and WKU wins. Arkansas State can finish fifth if: they lose to Troy, N. Texas, Middle Tenn. and WKU all win. ASU can finish sixth if: ASU loses to Troy and FAU beats Middle Tenn.

SECOND HALF EXPLOSION
ASU trailed in its game at home against New Orleans but shot a blistering 75% from the field on 15-20 shooting and outscored UNO 40-27 in the second frame. Sophomore forward Martavius Adams was held scoreless in the first half against the Privateers, but led all players posting 13 second-half points.

YOUNG PACK
With Arkansas State starting three freshman, a sophomore and a junior college transfer and some of the first reserves coming off the bench being a freshman and sophomore, ASU is one of the youngest teams in the NCAA. In fact, ASU is the third least experienced team in the nation according to KenPom.com.

RECORD WATCH
Freshman forward Brandon Peterson recorded a career-high five blocks against WKU, recoding his 53rd block which moved him into seventh place on the single-season chart. Peterson then added three more blocks to his total against New Orleans moving his season tally to 57. Peterson needs two more blocks to move into a tie for sixth on the chart with Eric McKinney who had 58 last season. . Jason Jennings set the single-season block record during the 2000-01 season with 102 swats.

PULLING IT DOWN
Sophomore forward Martavius Adams continues to be one of the most dominant big men in the league, which he showcased at ULL on Thursday recording a career-high 16 rebounds and leading the team with nine points. Adams leads the team on the season with 190 rebounds and ranks second with 290 points. Adams ranks fifth in the league averaging 7.3 rebounds per game.

FINISHING AT HOME
ASU is in the final weekend of regular season action hosting Troy at the Convocation Center this Saturday. The Red Wolves played their final three games of the season at home this season.  

SEASON HIGH CROWD
ASU had a season-high crowd of 6,059 fans in attendance at their game versus WKU at the Convo last Saturday. The game was the first overtime contest of the season for ASU.

ADAMS RECORDS BACK TO BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES
ASU had four players score in double figures, led by sophomore forward Martavius Adams at UALR who posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double. Adams is the only player for ASU this season to record more than one double-double. Reed also had 17 at UALR followed by Rashad Allison who had 14 and JeJuan Brown who had 12 points. Allison also recorded a career-high 8 rebounds. Adams followed up his performance with a 13 point and 13 rebound contest at New Orleans on Saturday, recording his third double-double.

REED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brandon Reed was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week after his performance against Denver and ULL last week. Reed scored a career-high 34 points in ASU's win over Denver Saturday night. Reed, who scored at least 20 points in a game for the fourth time this season against Denver, was responsible for the most points by an ASU player since Tevoris Thompson dropped in 41 against Lyon College on Dec. 7, 2002. Against Denver, Reed was 12-23 connecting on 52-percent of his shots from field, was 4-9 from three-point range and 6-7 from the charity stripe. Earlier in the week, Reed led ASU with 19 points past Louisiana-Lafayette. Reed has led ASU in scoring a team-high nine times this season, including breaking double-digits on 16 occasions. Over the two-game stretch Reed led ASU averaging 26.5 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game and broke the 300-point barrier against Denver.

WIN TOTAL
At 16-12 the Red Wolves have already passed their total win output from last season.  ASU's best season in Sun Belt action was the 1997-98 season when they went 14-4 and captured a co-regular season SBC Championship.

DEFENDING THE HOME FLOOR
ASU is 10-4 at home this season and 7-1 in conference games at the Convocation Center. The Red Wolves have always had a strong history of defending their home floor. Over the 22 years that ASU has competed in the ASU Convocation Center, the Red Wolves have compiled a 223-87 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.

ON THE ROAD
During their last four-game SBC roadtrip the Red Wolves won three-straight conference games for the first time since the 1997-98 season. ASU is 4-5 on the road this season and holds a 3-2 SBC record in games on the road.

ALLISON DEALING THE ROCK
ASU junior Rashad Allison has an assist/turnover ratio of 1.9 in all games this season ranking fifth in the SBC. In conference only games Allison has a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio, ranking sixth. Allison also ranks fifth in the conference and leads ASU with 115 assists. Allison recorded 11 assists versus ULM tying his career high.

BRYANT BACK WITH FIRE
After sitting out four games with an injury, ASU's sophomore guard Daniel Bryant came back with a vengeance hitting back-to-back three-pointers in his first minute of action at North Texas. Bryant finished the game 4-5 from the floor and 3-3 from three-point range, including knocking down 2-2 from the charity stripe for 13 points.

SEASON SWEEP
With their 83-70 win at North Texas, the Red Wolves swept the single-season series from North Texas for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

ALLISON BUZZER BEATER BESTS MTSU
Junior Rashad Allison hit four free-throws in the final 42-seconds of action against Middle Tennessee and hit the game winning shot on a jumper in the paint with 0.7 seconds on the clock to give ASU the 69-67 advantage. Allison led the team in scoring with 15 points on the night.

ALL SCORED
ASU had eight players play against MTSU with all eight of them getting in the scoring column, Allison led the team in scoring with 15 while Reed and Peterson had 13, Adams had nine, Finn had eight, Thomas had six, Sterrenberg had four and Butler sank a free throw.

PETERSON HAS CAREER GAME AT LAMAR
Freshman Brandon Peterson had his best game in an ASU uniform at Lamar scoring 21 points in his second start for the Red Wolves. He also had eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Peterson is averaging 7.1 ppg and 4.9 rebounds per game this season. Peterson ranks second in the league in blocks per game averaging 2.2 per contest.

ADAMS=EFFICIENT
Sophomore forward Martavius Adams has been extremely efficient for ASU this season ranking fifth in the league in field goal percentage and leading ASU with a .569 mark. Adams scored 12 points in just 12 minutes of action against Central Baptist and was perfect from the floor at MVSU going 6-6. Adams has scored in double-digits 11 times this season.

STRONG DEFENSE AT DENVER
ASU held the hot-shooting Denver Pioneers to shooting just 21.4-percent from the three-point arc in their last contest and held the Pioneers scoreless from three in the second half. Denver was averaging 43.6-percent from three entering the contest.

FINN DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Freshman guard Trey Finn was the fourth player to record a double-double when he scored 13 points and led ASU on the boards with 13 rebounds. Finn is one of the most versatile players on ASU's roster, averaging 7.5 ppg and leading the team in rebounding (7.2) and steals (21).

SIX IN DOUBLE-DIGITS PAST CBC
ASU had six players record double-digit scoring performances against Central Baptist College with freshman Brandon Reed leading the way scoring 14. Brandon Peterson, Trey Finn and Jeremy Thomas had 13 each while Martavius Adams and Adam Sterrenberg had 12.

THOMAS SHOWS UP BIG
Over the last two games junior reserve forward Jeremy Thomas has shown up for the Red Wolves. Against MVSU Thomas recorded a season-high 10 points against all of which were dunks. Thomas then scored another season high in points with 13 against Central Baptist.

BRADY WINS 300th GAME
ASU head coach John Brady picked up his 300th career win when the Red Wolves downed Central Baptist, 98-60 Tuesday at the Convocation Center. Brady currently owns a 300-238 (.558) career mark and a 19-22 record over the last two seasons at the helm of the ASU program.

HOT SHOOTING
Against MVSU the Red Wolves had three players that shot perfect from the field and two that were perfect from the line. Adams (6-6), Thomas (5-5) and Allison (4-4) were perfect from the floor while Finn (8-8) and Adams (2-2) were perfect form the charity stripe. As a team, ASU had its best shooting game of the season, connecting on 55.1-percent of its shots (27-49).

ADAMS DOUBLE-DOUBLE SHINES VERSUS MEMPHIS
Sophomore forward Martavius Adams recorded his first double-double at Memphis scoring 11 points and pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds. It was the third time an ASU player has recorded a double-double, with Brown notching one at SEMO and Peterson recording one against MacMurray College. On the season, Adams is averaging 9.6 ppg and pulling down 5.3 rebounds per contest.

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. On the season Allison is 63-81 from the charity stripe (.778) which ranks 10th in the SBC rankings.

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.