ASU?s Brady to Present at Bruin Basketball Coaching Clinic

Men's Basketball 10/28/2011 8:04:00 PM ArkansasState

Red Wolves Host Central Baptist For Exhibition Opener Saturday

Exhibition 1 • Central Baptist • October 29, 2011

SETTING THE SCENE
Date: October 29, 2011
Location: Jonesboro, Ark.
Tipoff: 1 p.m. (CST)
Arena: Convocation Center
Arena Capacity: 10,038
Webcast: AStateRedWolves.com

TIPPING IT OFF
Arkansas State begins its preparation for the upcoming 2011-12 men's basketball season as they host the first of two exhibition contests at the ASU Convocation Center. First up as part of the homecoming festivities is a match up against Central Baptist College Saturday at 1 p.m.

THE OPPONENT
Central Baptist is an NCCAA Division II institution and returns three players from last year's squad which went 13-15 overall. The Mustangs return their top two average scorers from last year in senior forwards Tommy Williams and Gavin McDaniel. Williams led CBC with a 14.3 scoring average although only playing in 12 games last season. McDaniel averaged 11.0 points per game. Williams is also the top returning rebounder (by average) after averaging 5.2 rebounds per game last year. McDaniel averaged 5.1 during last season. As a team, Central Baptist led the NCCAA Division II in steals per game with 11.4 and second in defensive rebounds averaging 30.0. Tony Price is in his first year as head coach at Central Baptist.

RED WOLVES RETURNERS
ASU returns three starters from last year's squad which captured a share of the 2010-11 Sun Belt Conference Western division title. Top scorer and rebounder senior forward Martavius Adams returns after averaging 11.1 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game, leading ASU in both categories. ASU's top returning guard from last season, junior guard Trey Finn also returns after averaging 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds last season. Adams was named Sun Belt Conference Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team and Finn was named to the third team. Also returning for A-State is junior forward Brandon Peterson who averaged 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 29 starts for the Red Wolves last season. Off the bench, ASU returns senior Malcoln Kirkland (4.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg), sophomore Ed Townsel (4.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg), Adam Sterrenberg (3.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg) and Kinley Ogbonnyay-Branch (4.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg).
NEWCOMERS
The Red Wolves picked up some solid newcomers in the off season including three junior college transfers, a division I transfer and two true freshmen. Junior Marcus Hooten joins ASU being named NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American at Copiah-Lincoln. Hooten averaged 21.8 points per game last season for the Wolfpack. Also joining ASU from a junior college is junior Bryce Clark who played his freshman year at Houston and then transferred to Tinidad State as a sophomore where he averaged 16.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season. Sophomore Jordan Weaver will also join ASU but will likely redshirt this season after playing last year at Iowa Western. Kendrick Washington played his first two seasons at Houston and will sit out this season due to the NCAA Division I transfer rule. Rakeem Dickerson and Johnny Zuppardo are true freshman for the Red Wolves. Dickerson, a guard, averaged 14.0 points and six assists a game at Brehm Prep leading his team to a 33-10 overall mark. Zuppardo joins ASU from St. Stanislaus where he averaged 17.0 points per game and led his team to a 4A State title as a senior.

CBC TIES
The Red Wolves have a unique tie to the Central Baptist College program. Freshman forward Spencer Caraway began last season as a member of the Arkansas State men's basketball program as a walk-on. Caraway was forced to leave the program prior to midseason for family reasons and later became a Mustang at Central Baptist.

UNDEFEATED AT HOME
For only the third time in the Convocation Center's history the Arkansas State men's basketball team completed regular season action undefeated at home in 2010-11. The Red Wolves posted a 13-0 record in Jonesboro this year. ASU is 236-89 record which amounts to a .724 winning percentage. This season was the first time since the 1990-91 season that the Red Wolves have held a perfect mark at the Convo.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
ASU landed senior forward Martavius Adams on the Preseason All-Sun Belt first team and junior guard Trey Finn on the third team. Adams and Finn are the top two returning players from last year's squad which went undefeated at home and won a share of the western division Sun Belt title. Adams was the top scorer and rebounder for ASU last season averaging 11.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while Finn is the top returning guard averaging 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.

PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Red Wolves were tabbed to finish atop the Sun Belt Conference West Division and received eight first place votes in the poll and 64 points overall. Louisiana-Lafayette finished second in the vote with two first place votes and 60 points. North Texas and Denver each received a first place vote finishing in third and fourth respectively with 50 and 40 points. UALR was tabbed fifth with 26 points and ULM was picked sixth with 12 points. FAU was nearly a unanimous pick to finish atop the east with 11 first place votes and 71 points. Middle Tennessee garnered the other first place vote with 59 points followed by WKU with 41 points, South Alabama with 33, FIU with 31 and Troy with 17.

HEAD COACH JOHN BRADY
Now in his fourth year with the program John Brady was announced as Arkansas State's 15th head men's basketball coach by Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee at a press conference held in ASU's Convocation Center on March 19, 2008.
                In only three years at the helm of the program, Brady has turned the Red Wolves into a winner including capturing a share of the western division Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2010-11, posting double-digit Sun Belt Conference wins back-to-back for the first time in nearly 20 years and going undefeated at home with a 13-0 record.
    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 greatly improved its defending and rebounding, finishing near the top of the conference in several statistical categories.
    Brady took a step further in his second season with The Red Wolves, improving their record to 17-14 and the team advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament finishing second in the west. Brady was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year and the District VII Coach of the Year by the USBWA. ASU led the league in three-point FG defense, rebounding offense and defensive rebounding.
    ASU also posted an 11-7 SBC record this season which was its best league mark since the 2006-07 season when ASU achieved the same record. Its 11-wins was the seventh-time since ASU joined the Sun Belt that they have posted double-digit league wins.
    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 has a well-documented record of success and a long list of accomplishments.
    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

Print Friendly Version