Southern Utah's men's basketball team hits the road for the first road trip of the 2008-09 season this week as the Thunderbirds travel to meet Florida and Tennessee Tech. SUU will square off against No. 18/19 Florida Thursday night before a Saturday game at Tennessee Tech.
The Thunderbirds opened the season with an 85-73 win over Division II Mesa State on Saturday. SUU warmed up for the season with a pair of exhibition wins, taking a 98-92 win over Montana Western, Nov. 3, and a 68-53 victory against Adams State, Nov. 7.
Florida goes into Thursday's game with a 2-0 record after beating Toledo, 80-58, last Friday and Bradley, 81-58, on Sunday.
Tennessee Tech, which plays Lipscomb Tuesday, opened with a 76-48 win over NAIA Bryan College on Saturday night.
Southern Utah plays five non-conference games before opening Summit League play Dec. 2 at home against Oakland. The Thunderbirds then face off against IPFW on Dec. 4, a game followed by six more non-conference games before the team resumes conference play Dec. 31, at Western Illinois.
The Games: Thursday ? Southern Utah (1-0) at Florida (2-0), 8:00 p.m. (EST) O'Connell Center (12,000). Saturday ? Southern Utah at Tennessee Tech (1-0, pending the outcome of a Tuesday game vs. Lipscomb), 6:00 p.m. (CST), Eblen Center (10,152).
Radio: All of Southern Utah men's basketball games will be broadcast live by KSUU (91.1 FM) and KSUB AM (590) as well as on the internet at www.suu.edu/ksuu. Art Challis will be in his 35th season as the Thunderbirds' basketball play-by-play voice.
TV: Thursday's game will be televised live on SUN Sports, which is available as part of the FOX Sports package. There will be no live television broadcast of Saturday's game. Video highlight packages of the Thunderbirds' home Summit League games as well as selected non-conference games will be available to legitimate media outlets via the SUU ftp site. For more information on obtaining the highlight packages contact SUU director of athletic media relations Neil Gardner at 435-586-7753 or at gardner@suu.edu.
Webstreaming: Thursday's game may be viewed on ESPN360.com. Saturday's game will be available via webstream at OVCsports.TV. All of SUU's regular-season home games and road Summit League games will be available over the internet through the SUU website at www.sutbirds.com. Complete packages, including SUU men's and women's games, are available for just $29.95. For more information, go to www.suutbirds.com.
Live Stats: Live stats of the Tennessee Tech game will be available at www.TTUsports.com.
The Series: This will be the first meeting between SUU and both Florida and Tennessee Tech.
Next Up: Next week the Thunderbirds host Seattle Pacific on Tuesday, Nov. 25, before traveling to Boise, Idaho, for a Saturday game against Boise State.
Practice Schedule: The Thunderbirds work out daily from 2:00-4:30 p.m. in the Centrum, with occasional adjustments based on holiday schedules. Practice sessions are generally open to the public but media personnel wishing to attend practice should contact SUU Sports Information Director Neil Gardner at (435) 586-7753 prior to practice.
The Coaches: Head Coach Roger Reid (Weber State ?68) is entering his second season on the bench this year after spending the previous two at Snow College.
Reid brings a career Division I mark of 164-95 into the season.
Coach Reid's career has spanned virtually every level of the coaching strata, including the high school, junior college, and NCAA Division I levels as well as in the NBA and international ranks. He is probably best known for his success at Brigham Young University, where he led the Cougars to five NCAA tournament berths and three Western Athletic Conference championships. He has also coached the Phoenix Suns of the NBA and the Hangzhou Horses of the Chinese Basketball Association. Reid coached Snow College to a conference title and a No. 18 national ranking in his final season on the bench there.
Reid is assisted by Ron Carling (BYU ?70), a 37-year coaching veteran who is also in his second season with the program; Johnny Brown (New Mexico ?86), a 15-year veteran of the coaching ranks who is also in his second year in Cedar City; and first-year assistant Kenya Crandell (Nebraska-Kearney ?96) who is in his 12th season as a collegiate coach.
Last Time Out: SUU 85, Mesa State 73 ? John Clifford was nearly perfect Saturday night in leading Southern Utah to an 85-73 men's basketball win over Mesa State College.
Clifford, a 6-foot-10 senior center from South Jordan, Utah, tallied career-highs of 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in leading the Thunderbirds to the win. He was perfect from the floor, hitting all eight of his field goal attempts. The only things keeping him from a perfect night were one missed free throw (in nine attempts) and three turnovers.
“John had a nice night tonight,” SUU Coach Roger Reid said. “He's been with us going on four years now and we have watched him improve every year. We said going into the season this was going to be the year he needed to step up and tonight he did. He played with a lot of energy, rebounding, going after loose balls, doing a lot of the little things besides scoring points.”
Clifford led four Thunderbirds in double figures, as Dave Marek and Jake Nielson each finished with 11 points while Mike Josserand had 10 and a career-best seven assists.
The Thunderbirds ? who shot .574 from the floor, including .591 in the second half ? started hot and ran out to a 20-7 lead mid-way through the first half but the Mavericks responded with an 11-0 run to get right back into it and SUU led by just 34-29 at halftime.
Mesa State center Kurt Bangle scored the first five points of the second half, on a 3-point play and a layup, to tie the game at 34-34, and after Eules Thompson hit two free throws for the Thunderbirds Ryan Mathews hit a 3-pointer to give Mesa State its first lead of the game, 37-36.
The game stayed close and was tied at 50-50 with 11:11 to play before SUU went on a 13-3 run that started with a Marek 3-pointer and ended with a thundering dunk by Clifford and a traditional 3-point play with 8:08 to go. SUU went on to push the lead to 14 and weren't threatened the rest of the way.
Southern Utah out-rebounded the Mavericks 32-25, including a 21-11 margin in the first half, and were able to force 22 turnovers with nine steals to overcome 21 turnovers of its own.
Exhibition Leaders: Two Thunderbirds carried double-figure scoring averages and two had double-figure rebounding averages in the exhibition season. Junior wing Davis Baker averaged a team-high 27.5 points after pouring in 35 against Montana Western, while senior forward Tyler Quinney averaged 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds through the two games. Senior center John Clifford also averaged 10.0 rebounds.
Junior guard Eules Thompson led the team in assists in the exhibition season, with 4.0 per game, while Mike Josserand averaged 3.5 steals to pace the squad.
Gator Notes: Florida entered the week ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 and No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. The Gators return four of five starters and eight lettermen from last year's squad, including 2008 SEC Newcomer of the Year guard Nick Calathes (6-6, 194, So) and senior guard Walter Hodge (6-0, 170), a key member of Florida's 2006 and 2007 national championship teams. In addition to those two, the Gators also have starters Dan Werner (F, 6-8, 230, Jr) and guard Jai Lucas (5-11, 155, So) back. Calathes averaged 15.9 points and 6.1 assists per game last year, while Hodge averaged 10. ppg and 2.9 apg. Werner scored at a 9.1 ppg clip while pulling down 6.4 rebounds per game; and Lucas averaged 8.5 points and 2.3 assists.
This season Coach Billy Donovan's Gators have averaged 80.5 ppg in their two wins and have allowed 58 in both games. Florida has hit 46.6 percent of its field goals, including 41.2 percent of its 3-point attempts, while opponents have connected on 44.3 percent of their shots, 32.4 percent from beyond the stripe. Florida has also out-rebounded its opponents 35.5-to-31.5 and knocked down 69.6 percent of its free throws. Individually, Werner leads the team with an 18.0 ppg scoring average, while Calathes is at 14.5 and Hodge 13.5. Sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (6-9, 213) leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game, with Calathes second at 5.5. Calathes also leads the team in assists with 6.5 per game.
Golden Eagle Notes: Like the Thunderbirds, the Golden Eagles opened camp with just five returning lettermen this year. Two starters, guard Frank Davis (6-1, 185, Jr) and center Daniel Northern (6-9, 215, Sr) are back, along with guards Will Barnes (6-1, 195, Jr) and Zac Walker (5-10, 175, Sr) and center Ra'Shun Bryant (6-9, 275, Sr). Northern is the top returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 12.8 points and 9.3 boards last year, while Davis scored at a 9.0 ppg clip and dished out 2.0 assists per game. Coach Mike Sutton has two players who redshirted last year, forwards Alex Davis (6-7, 225, So.) and Bassey Inameti (6-8, 215, Fr) back as well.
In the opener against Bryan, a 76-48 Eagle win, TTU had four players score in double figures, led by Northern with 18 points. Barnes added 15 while Alex Davis and freshman Kevin Murphy (6-6, 185, F) finished with 10. Northern also led the team with nine rebounds and three blocks while Barnes had eight boards and JC transfer Elijhah Muhammad (6-0, 192, G, South Suburban CC) came off the bench to dish out a team-high five assists. The Golden Eagles shot .556 (32-58) in the game, including a .333 mark (7-21) from 3-point range while holding Bryan to a .340 night (18-53), including just 5-of-18 from long range (.278). TTU held a 46-26 rebounding edge but hit just 5-of-13 free throws (.385).
The 2008-09 Thunderbirds
#2 Eules Thompson
G, 6-2, 170, Jr, Los Angeles, Calif./LA Southwest CC
First season at SUU.
08-09 So Far: Scored eight points with three rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes in the opener vs. Mesa State.
Pre-season Highlights: Started both exhibition games. Scored six points with four assists and two boards vs. Adams St. Scored 10 points with four assists and a steal without a turnover in 25 minutes on the floor vs. Montana Western. Scored eight points and dished out a team-high six assists with a pair of steals in the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage.
Prior to SUU: Averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a freshman at LA Southwest ? when he earned first-team all-conference honors ? and 8.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a sophomore ? when he earned second-team all-conference recognition.
#3 Cory Davis
G, 6-0, 175, Jr, Salem, Ore./New Mexico JC
First season at SUU.
08-09 So Far: Played just 10 minutes but scored eight points, on 8-of-8 free throw shooting, vs. Mesa State.
Pre-season Highlights: Had a block and a rebound in 10 minutes vs. Adams St. Played 13 minutes vs. Montana Western, scored five points and dished out four assists, also blocked a shot, picked off a steal and pulled down a rebound. Hit 7-of-10 shots, finished with 17 points, an assist and a steal in the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage.
Prior to SUU: Averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals at NMJC last year when he hit 45.2 percent of his shots and 42.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. Scored 23 points in an upset win over Paris JC. He also spent one season at San Jacinto CC prior to his year at New Mexico JC.
#5 Drew Allen
G, 6-2, 185, Jr, Flower Mound, Texas/Collin County CC
First season at SUU.
08-09 So Far: Scored one point in 10 minutes vs. Mesa State.
Pre-season Highlights: Had an assist in six minutes vs. Adams St. Scored seven points with an assist in 12 minutes on the floor vs. Montana Western. Scored eight points with a steal in the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage.
Prior to SUU: An NJCAA Academic All-American in 2007-08. Ranked 16th in NJCAA Division I in 3-point percentage (.397), 27th in 3-pointers per game (1.53) and 28th in turnover-to-assist ratio (1.54-1). Helped the Cougars to two Region V quarterfinal appearances. Honorable mention all-conference.
#10 Dave Marek
G, 6-2, 180, Sr, Benesov, Czech Rep./Laurinburg Institute
2007-08/Career Highs: 30 points vs. IPFW (12/6/07), 6 rebounds vs. Utah Valley (12/15/07), 10 assists at IPFW (3/1/08)
08-09 So Far: Hit 3-of-5 shots, 2-of-3 threes vs. Mesa State, finished with 11 points, two rebounds and an assist in 33 minutes.
Pre-season Highlights: Had six points, three assists, two boards and a steal vs. Adams St. Picked up two quick fouls in the Montana Western game and wound up playing just 17 minutes, scored three points with three assists and a rebound. Scored eight points with four assists in the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage.
At SUU: Started every game last season after coming off the bench in the opener at Utah State. Scored in double figures in eight of the last 12 regular season games. Led team in assists 14 times, in steals 11, in scoring twice and in blocks once. Ranked fifth in The Summit League in assists and assists-to-turnovers ratio, ninth in field goal percentage and 10th in free throw percentage. As a sophomore he came off the bench in every game, led team in free throw percentage at .895 and 3-point percentage at .500. Played in all but three games as a true freshman.
#12 Mike Josserand
G, 5-11, 175, Soph., Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS
2007-08: 7 points at Oakland; 4 rebounds at Oral Roberts; 6 assists vs. UMKC
08-09 So Far: Dished out a career-high seven assists vs. Mesa State, also hit 3-of-5 shots, finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
Pre-season Highlights: Scored seven points, had three rebounds, three steals and two assists vs. Adams St. Dished out a team-high five assists, also picked off four steals and scored five points with two rebounds in 19 minutes vs. Montana Western. Scored three points with three assists and a steal in the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage.
At SUU: Played in all but one game last year (did not play at UMKC), with one start. Led team in assists and in steals six times.
#22 Lucas Jones
C, 6-9, 220, Jr, Mufreesboro, Tenn./Volunteer State CC
First season at SUU.
08-09 So Far: Played two minutes vs. Mesa State but didn't record a stat.
Pre-season Highlights: Played just three minutes vs. ASC. Pulled down three rebounds but didn't attempt a shot in three minutes vs. Montana Western. Scored two points with two rebounds and an assist in the team's Varsity Preview.
Prior to SUU: Averaged 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last year for the Pioneers. Began his collegiate career at Virginia Military Institute, where he averaged 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game during the 2006-07 season before transferring to VSCC.
#23 Jake Nielson
G/F, 6-4, 200, Fr, Aurora, Colo./Grandview HS
First season at SUU.
08-09 So Far: Scored 11 points, pulled down four rebounds, dished out three assists and picked off a team-best four steals in the opener vs. Mesa State.
Pre-season Highlights: Had five boards, two points, an assist and a steal vs. Adams St. Scored seven points with two steals and two assists in 11 minutes vs. Montana Western. Scored nine points with five rebounds, five assists and three steals in the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage.
Prior to SUU: Earned first-team all-state and all-region honors his senior season when he helped lead the Wolves to their second Colorado Final-Four appearance during his high school career. Helped the team to the championship of the Tournament of Champions. Was also an all-tournament team first-team selection as well as MVP of “The Show” Colorado all-star game. Averaged 17.3 points, four rebounds, 6.3 assists and nearly four steals a game during his senior season. Originally signed with Colorado State out of high school but opted for the Thunderbirds after serving an LDS church mission.
#25 Davis Baker
G, 6-4, 195, Jr, Coto de Caza, Calif./UC Irvine
2007-08/Career Highs: 20 points at IPFW, vs. Western Illinois; 8 rebounds at Cal Poly; 3 assists vs. IUPUI, at Cal Poly
08-09 So Far: Played just 13 minutes because of foul trouble vs. Mesa State, finished with four points, two rebounds, a block and an assist.
Pre-season Highlights: Led team in scoring in both exhibition games. Scored 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting, with four rebounds and a steal in 35 minutes vs. Adams St. Scored 35 points, which would be a career-high, in the exhibition vs. Montana Western, hit 15-of-22 shots, including 5-of-9 3-pointers, also had five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes on the floor. Was second-leading scorer at the Varsity Scrimmage with 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting, also had six rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block.
At SUU: Started 13 straight games but came off the bench in every game down the stretch. Led team in steals three times, in scoring and blocks twice and in rebounds and assists once.
#32 Jaren Jeffery
C, 6-9, 205, Fr, Delta, Utah/Delta HS
First season at SUU.
08-09 So Far: Did not play vs. Mesa State and will not travel this week.
Pre-season Highlights: Played two minutes vs. Adams State but didn't record a stat. Had an assist in four minutes vs. Montana Western. Pulled down eight rebounds, also had three blocks, two assists and two points in the Varsity Scrimmage.
Prior to SUU: A two-time Utah 3A first-team all-state selection at Delta High for Coach Jared Smith, helped the Rabbits to a region title and the most wins in school history his senior year. Averaged 9.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.
#33 Byron Byrd
F, 6-5, 220, Jr, Newark, N.J./New Mexico Military
First season at SUU.
08-09 So Far: Did not play vs. Mesa State but will travel this week
Pre-season Highlights: Scored six points and pulled down two rebounds vs. Adams St. Played six minutes vs. Montana Western, hit his only shot for two points. Scored nine points with four rebounds, an assist and a steal in the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage.
Prior to SUU: Averaged 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Colts to earn Western Junior College Athletic Conference first-team honorable mention honors in 2007-08. Also averaged over a steal and just under one assist per game and hit 47.3 percent of his shots, 31.6 percent of his 3-point attempts and 68.5 percent of his free throws. Averaged 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and over a steal per game as a freshman when he hit 49 percent of his shots from the field and 31.7 percent of his 3-point attempts in just over 10 minutes per game on the floor.
#44 John Clifford
C, 6-10, 210, Sr, South Jordan Utah/Snow JC
2007-08Highs: 6 points at Cal State Fullerton; 5 rebounds at Cal State Fullerton, at New Mexico, at Sacramento State; 1 assist at Cal Poly, at Cal State Fullerton
08-09 So Far: Posted career-highs in points (24), rebounds (seven), and blocks (three) vs. Mesa State when he hit all eight of his shots and 8-of-9 free throws; also picked off two steals in 35 minutes on the floor.
Pre-season Highlights: Had eight rebounds, three points, three steals and an assist in17 minutes vs. Adams St. Pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds and dished our four assists vs. Montana Western, also scored seven points, blocked a shot and picked of a steal vs. the Bulldogs. Sat out the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage with a slight ankle sprain.
At SUU: Came off the bench in 19 games.
#50 Tyler Quinney
F, 6-7, 210, Sr, Sandy, Utah/Snow JC
2007-08 Highs: 21 points at Centenary; 9 rebounds vs. Utah Valley; 4 assists vs. Oakland
08-09 So Far: Scored eight points and tied his career-high with four assists vs. Mesa State, also pulled down seven rebounds and had two steals in a team-high 37 minutes on the floor.
Pre-season Highlights: Scored 18 points with a team-high nine rebounds vs. Adams St., also had a steal and a block in a team-high 37 minutes on the floor. Scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds vs. Montana Western, also had an assist in a team-high 35 minutes on the floor.
At SUU: Leading scorer with 26 points, also had eight rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists in the team's Varsity Preview scrimmage. Started 20 games, including the last nine. Led the team in rebounding five times, in assists three times and in steals and blocks twice.
