Game 21 Notes - At UALR
Setting the scene
Date: Feb. 4, 2010
Location: Little Rock, Ark.
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m. (CST)
Arena: Jack Stephens Center
Arena Capacity: 5,000
Webcast: UALRTrojans.com
TIPPING IT OFF
ASU begins its final multiple game roadtrip traveling to instate rival UALR for a matchup at the Jack Stephens Center on Thursday. Tipoff in Little Rock is set for 7:05 p.m. The Red Wolves continue on the road after the game at UALR traveling to New Orleans to face the Privateers on Saturday.
THE OPPONENT
UALR sits sixth place in the Sun Belt Conference west division with a 6-15 overall record and a 2-8 league mark. The Trojans have league wins past ULL, 76-69, and Denver, 69-57. The Red Wolves beat UALR 69-61 in the two teams' Sun Belt opener earlier this season.
SERIES VERSUS UALR
ASU leads the all-time series against the Trojans 43-24. The Red Wolves snapped a three-game winning streak by the Trojans in the series by downing UALR, 69-61, in Jonesboro in their Sun Belt Conference opener on Dec. 20. Soloman Bozeman leads UALR scoring 14.6 ppg and has 91 assists this season. Alex Garcia-Mendoza and Matt Mouzy are the only other two Trojans averaging in double-digit scoring. Garcia-Mendoza is averaging 11.6 ppg and Mouzy is scoring 10.9 ppg. Mike Smith ranks fourth on the team averaging 7.8 ppg but leads the squad rebounding 5.9 per game. As a team the Trojans are being outscored 72.6 to 68.3 per game for a -4.3 scoring margin. They are shooting 43.5% from the field as a team and 39% from three point range. Steve Shields is in his seventh season at the helm of the UALR program owning a 111-88 career record.
REED - ONE OF TOP FRESHMAN IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Not only has Arkansas State freshman guard Brandon Reed been one of the keys to the Red Wolves success this season and one of the most productive freshman in the Sun Belt this season, but he is the third-most productive freshman in ASU's school history. With 320 points, Reed ranks behind only John Tate and Jerry Rook for most productive freshman in school history. Tate had 353 points his freshman year (1985-86) while Rook had 416 points as a freshman (1961-62). Reed leads the Sun Belt in scoring in conference only games averaging 18.9 ppg in those contests.
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.
LAST TIME VERSUS UALR
The Arkansas State men's basketball team defeated Arkansas-Little Rock 69-61 in its Sun Belt Conference opener Sunday Dec. 20 at the Convocation Center in front of a crowd of 3,365, the largest of the season for the Red Wolves.
The Red Wolves, which snapped a four-game skid, improved to 4-5 on the season, while the Trojans fell to 4-8 overall and 0-2 in Sun Belt Conference play. ASU improved to 2-0 in league openers under head coach John Brady and ended a three-game winning streak by the Trojans in the series.
Arkansas State was led by four players scoring in double figures, including Daniel Bryant with a game-high 17 points. Bryant reached double digits in the scoring column for the sixth time this season and was joined by Martavius Adams and JeJuan Brown with 11 points each and Brandon Reed with 10.
The Red Wolves built a 13-point lead in the first half, but UALRcut the lead to 41-37 by halftime and the final 20 minutes was tightly contested with four ties and six lead changes. Following an ASUtimeout with 5:02 left in the game, the Red Wolves broke a 55-55 tie with back-to-back jumpers by Brown and Bryant and didn't give up the lead the rest of the way.
ASU outscored UALR 14-6 over the game's final minutes, but led just 61-58 with 1:25 remaining after a lay-up by UALR's Alex Garcia-Mendoza. However, ASU's Trey Finn then made four consecutive free throws and Bryant hit a lay-up with 35 seconds left to give the Red Wolves a 67-58 lead and put
the game out of reach.
ASU finished the game with a .407 field goal percentage to UALR's .383 and outrebounded the Trojans 45-35. The Red Wolves made 12-of-13 free throws in the first half and, despite enduring a cold stretch at the line during the second half, finished the game with a .700 percentage.
Adams, who narrowly missed his second double-double of the season by one rebound, and Reed accounted for 17 of the Red Wolves first 23 points to lead to help them build a 13-point cushion eight minutes into the game. UALR went on a 27-18 run in the final 12 minutes of the half to cut the ASU lead to four at the break.
WIN TOTAL
At 13-8 the Red Wolves have already matched their total win output from last season. With ASU currently sitting atop the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference and holding the best league record at 8-2, the Red Wolves are off to the hottest start since the 1997-98 team went 9-2 to begin the 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.
FINISHING UP AT HOME
ASU has eight games remaining on its schedule and five of those last eight games will be played at the Convocation Center including the final three games of the season.
DEFENDING THE HOME FLOOR
ASU is 8-3 at home this season and 5-0 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 221-86 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 third in the SBC. In conference only games Allison has a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio, ranking fifth. Allison also ranks ninth in the conference and leads ASU with 78 assists.
ASU IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Red Wolves not only lead the Sun Belt in three-point field goal percentage but also cracked the top 10 in the nation at the No. 6 spot. ASU is holding opponents to shooting just 28.0 from beyond the three-point arc. Freshman forward Brandon Peterson is ranked 57th nationally in blocks per game at 2.0, and the Red Wolves are also ranked 55th in the country in blocks per game at 4.7.
MID-MAJOR POLL
ASU is receiving votes in the most recent CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 poll. ASU has received 20 votes in the latest poll, the most of any SBC team. WKU and MTSU are also receiving votes in the poll.
BRYANT BACK WITH FIRE
After sitting out four games with an injury, ASU's sophomore guard Daniel Bryant came back with a vengence 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.
RECORD WATCH
Freshman forward Brandon Peterson recorded his 43rd block against FIU which pushed him into sole posession of the No. 8 spot on the single-season block chart at ASU. Peterson needs 5 more to move into a tie with Jeff Clifton at No. 7. Jason Jennings set the single-season block record during the 2000-01 season with 102 swats.
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 sixth in the league in field goal percentage and leading ASU with a .571 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.
CONFERENCE OPENER
ASU downed UALR in its conference opener Sunday at the Convocation Center. It was the first win for ASU head coach John Brady past the instate rival UALR. ASU had four players score in double-digits led by Bryant (17), Brown (11), Adams (11) and Reed (10). ASU is 10-8 in Sun Belt Conference openers dating back to when the Red Wolves joined the league during the 1991-92 season. ASU is 4-1 in league openers over the past five years.
FOUR IN DOUBLE-DIGITS OVER MVSU
ASU had four players score in double-figures at Mississippi Valley State. Bryant led the squad with 16 while, Adams added 14 and Finn (13) and Thomas (10) broke double-digits for the first time this season.
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.
BROWN POSTS CAREER HIGH
ASU's JeJuan Brown posted a career-high 17 points at Memphis leading the squad in scoring in 28 minutes of action. This marked the second time this season Brown has reached double-digits in scoring.
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 53-69 from the charity stripe (.768) which ranks 11th 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.
