Southern Utah’s men’s basketball team opens its home season with a pair of non-conference games this week. The Thunderbirds host University of the Southwest Thursday night, then Wayland Baptist University on Saturday.
    The Thunderbirds opened at Hawaii’s Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, where they went 1-2 to claim the consolation championship. SUU lost to Hawaii 65-48 in the opener, then dropped a 73-51 decision to Northern Colorado before coming back with a 68-59 win over McNeese State.
    University of the Southwest has a record of 2-5 coming into Thursday’s game. The Mustangs have lost two straight since their last win, an 82-68 triumph at Wayland Baptist on Nov. 10. USW, which has been on the road for its last four games, lost at Oklahoma Christian, 78-68, last Friday, and at Oklahoma Baptist, 130-75, last Saturday.
    Wayland Baptist is 3-2 and has also lost two straight, including the setback against U. of the Southwest. The Pioneers lost a heartbreaker at home to Lubbock Christian, 80-79, on Monday night. The Pioneers opened with three straight wins, at home over Dallas Christian (94-36) and Hillsale Baptist (95-78), as well ast at U. of the Southwest (76-75) on Nov. 5.

    Practice Schedule: The Thunderbirds work out daily from 2:00-4:30 p.m. in the Centrum. 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.

    Radio: All 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: This weeks games will not be available on TV. Highlight clips of selected SUU home games will be available via the SUU ftp site. For more information on obtaining those clips and the schedule contact SUU Director of Athletic Media Relations Neil Gardner.

    Internet: SUU’s home games are available live on the internet at www.suutbirds.com. This is a pay-for-view service. Games may be purchased on a per-game or a season-subscription basis. For more information please see the web site.

    The Coaches: Head Coach Roger Reid (Weber State ‘68) is entering his third season on the bench this year.
    Reid has a career Division I mark of 175-117, including a 23-41 record at SUU.
    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. Prior to taking over at SUU 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: Jake Nielson scored 29 points and Davis Baker added 20 as Southern Utah claimed the consolation championship of Hawai’i’s Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic Monday night with a 68-59 victory over McNeese State.
    The Thunderbirds got off to a slow start but Nielson gave his team a spark, picking off two steals and scoring SUU’s first eight points.
    Although Southern Utah trailed throughout the first half it didn’t ever fall behind by more than eight and cut the deficit to 30-25 at halftime The Thunderbirds then went on to dominate in the second half, outscoring the Cowboys 43-29. Nielson scored 17 of his points after the break while Baker had 14 of his in the second half.
    Southern Utah out-scored McNeese 10-5 to open the second half, tying the game at 35-35 on a Baker jumper with 11:45 to play. The Thunderbirds then took their first lead, 39-37, on a Matt Massey jumper, and went on to build a 48-38 advantage with 7:43 to play before holding off the Cowboys down the stretch.
    SUU out-rebounded McNeese State 39-23, with three Thunderbirds finishing with eight boards, Nielson, Baker and Massey. Nielson’s eight rebounds were a career high along with his points. Every Thunderbird had at least one rebound and all but three scored.   

    Leaders: Three Thunderbirds are currently scoring in double figures. Davis Baker leads the way with a 14.7 points per game average, while Jake Nielson checks in at 13.7 ppg and Matt Massey has averaged 10.7 through the first three games. Massey is also the team’s rebounding leader, at an even 10.0 boards per game, while Nielson is second on the team with 4.7 and Baker is third with 3.7. Freshman Scott Friel leads the team with 2.0 assists per game, while fellow freshman Matt Hodgeson averages 2.3 blocks. Nielson and Frield co-lead the team in steals with four each.

    SUU Last Season: Southern Utah had an up-and-down season in 2008-09. After weathering two four-game losing streaks early in the season, however, the Thunderbirds played their best ball down the stretch. In mid-February SUU handed Summit League regular-season and conference tournament champion North Dakota State its only home loss and one of just two conference losses the Bison suffered all year, then the Thunderbirds went on to notch their first conference tournament win in five seasons when they beat IUPUI 53-48 in the tournament’s first round. The tournament win avenged a two-game regular season sweep by the Jaguars and also broke a three-game IUPUI win streak in tournament games against the Thunderbirds.
    SUU finished the season 11-20, but among the 20 were losses at then-No. 19 Florida, to WAC champion Utah State and Big Sky champ Weber State, as well as at Boise State and UNLV.
    Junior guard Davis Baker earned second-team all-Summit League honors after finishing the season ranked among the league’s top-five in scoring and free throw percentage and 19th in rebounding. He finished the year 14th in the country in free throw percentage and 91st in scoring after shooting .877 from the line and averaging 17.4 points per game. Senior forward Tyler Quinney was also a dead-eye at the line, hitting 84.6 percent of his free throws to rank 48th, while center John Clifford was 70th in the country in rebounding, averaging 8.2 caroms per game.

    From the Line: As a team, the Thunderbirds were the top free throw shooting team in the nation last year, finishing with a 79.6 percent accuracy rate. SUU’s 46.2 percent rate overall from the floor ranked 58th.

The 2009-10 Thunderbirds

#3 Damon Heuir
G, 6-2, 200, Fr
Townsville, Australia/Ignatius Park College
Season/Career-Highs: 3 pts vs. Hawaii, 1 rebound vs. UNC
Season Highlights: Has played in all three games, hit a 3-pointer vs. Hawaii for his only points so far. Didn’t attempt a shot vs. UNC or McNeese St. Played extensively in the second half against McNeese, recorded one block.
Exhibitions: Averaged 3.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in the team’s two exhibition games. Scored five points with two rebounds and two assists vs. Mesa State, followed that with a two-point, one assist effort vs. ASC.
At Ignatius Park College: Averaged 28 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals per game his senior year at Ignatius Park College, where he helped the Phoenix to the Catholic School Championship. Averaged 20.1 points and five assists last season in the Australian Under-18 championship. Was named his school’s Sportsman of the Year in 2008 after participating in basketball, track & field, rugby, football, cross country and volleyball. He was Queensland’s Mr. Basketball in 2008 and was a member of the Australian Under-19 squad that toured Italy in 2008. Heuir was selected to the Queensland Secondary School team and the Australian All-High School Team. He helped the Australian team to a fourth-place finish at the Pan-Pacific Games by averaging 20.1 points, 2.1 assist and 4.7 rebounds in the tournament. Most recently he has been competing with the national champion Queensland Under-20 team.

#4 Jake Nielson
G/F, 6-3, 200, So
Aurora, Colorado/Grandview HS
Career Highs: 29 points vs. McNeese St.; 8 rebounds vs. McNeese St.; 6 assists at North Dakota State
Season Highs: 29 points vs. McNeese St.; 8 rebounds vs. McNeese St.; 1 assist vs. Hawaii
Season Highlights: Sparked the team to its first win with eight straight points to open the game and eight straight to open the second half against McNeese State. Finished with career-highs of 29 points and eight rebounds vs. the Cowboys, also had three steals and an assist. Scored four points with four boards vs. Northern Colorado and had eight points and two rebounds vs. Hawaii.
Exhibitions: Started both exhibition games and averaged 9.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.5 steals. Scored 13 points with five steals, four assists and two rebounds vs. Mesa St. Had two assists, two steals, three rebounds and five points vs. Adams St.
2008-09 Highlights: Started the final eight games of the season, including the two tournament contests. Ranked fifth on the team with 5.8 points per game, was third in steals (0.9 per game), and fourth in both assists (1.6 apg) and rebounds (2.8 rpg). Averaged 7.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in league games. Hit a big 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down late in the game and hit the two free throws to ice the upset victory at NDSU; finished with 11 points, a career-high six assists, three rebounds and a steal. Grabbed a career-best six rebounds vs. IUPUI. Got the first start of his SUU career at Centenary. Had arguably his best game vs. South Dakota State in the Centrum when he scored a career-high 21 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime and 10 points during a 16-5 SUU second half run that overcame a 10-point deficit and gave the team its first lead of the second half; hit 8-of-11 shots and all four of his free throws, also had two rebounds, an assist and a steal vs. the ‘Jacks. Hit a 3-pointer early in the second half at UMKC to put the Thunderbirds in the lead for good. Scored a then-career-best 14 points vs. IPFW on 5-of-6 shooting. Picked off a team-best four steals in the opener vs. Mesa State.

#5 Drew Allen
G, 6-2, 200, Sr
Flower Mound, Texas/Collin County CC
SUU Highs: 5 points at Utah Valley, 1 rebound seven times, 2 assists vs. Utah State
Season Highs: 3 points at Hawaii, 1 rebound vs. Hawaii, McNeese St.; 1 assist at Hawaii
Season Highlights: Gave the team a spark on both ends of the floor at Hawaii, where he played a career-high 28 minutes, hit 1-of-2 3-pointers, had two steals, a rebound and an assist.
Exhibitions: Played in both pre-season games but didn’t score. Had one assist vs. Mesa State.
2008-09 Highlights: Played in 26 of 31 games with starts vs. Utah State, Utah Valley and UNLV. Scored three points with a rebound in 22 minutes at UNLV. Scored a career-best five points in 23 minutes at UVU. Got the first start of his SUU career against Utah State, responded by scoring three points, dishing out two assists and picking off a steal without committing a turnover in 29 minutes on the court; his points, assists and minutes were all then-career highs.

#10 Ryan Brimley
G, 6-4, 180, Jr
Sandy, Utah/Snow JC
Career/Season Highs: 6 points vs. McNeese St.; 1 rebound vs. Northern Colorado, McNeese St.
Season Highlights: Missed the Hawaii game with an infection in his foot but played 15 minutes against UNC,, scoring two points with a rebound and a steal. Hit two big 3-pointers during the second half as SUU took control against McNeese St., finished with six points, two steals and a rebound.
Exhibitions: Played in both pre-season games, averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Didn’t score but had a steal vs. Mesa State; came back three nights later and scored six points with four rebounds and two assists vs. Adams State.
At Snow College: Earned honorable mention all-Scenic West Conference honors last year after leading the Badgers in scoring at 12.9 points per game. He also averaged 2.2 rebounds per game and was a .404 shooter from 3-point range as well as an 80.6 percent free throw shooter last season at Snow, when he helped the team to a 17-4 record. As a freshman he averaged 12.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game and was named honorable mention all-conference after helping the Badgers to a 13-16 overall mark. Scored 33 points in three different games during his JC career.

#12 Scott Friel
G, 6-4, 200, Fr
Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS
Career/Season Highs: 7 points vs. No. Colo., 3 rebounds three times, 4 assists vs. McNeese St.
Season Highlights: Has started all three games. Scored five points with three rebounds against Hawaii. Scored seven points with three rebounds vs. No. Colorado. Dished out four assists, with three points and three boards vs. NcNeese State.
Exhibitions: Started both exhibition games at the point, led team with 4.0 assists per game, pulled down 5.5 rebounds and scored 2.5 points per game. Had three assists, three points and six rebounds vs. Mesa State. Dished out five assists, pulled down five rebounds picked off two steals blocked a shot and scored two points vs. Adams State.
At Riverton High School: A first-team all-stater his senior year when he averaged 15.3 points, 7.6 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game for the Silverwolves. A three-time all-region selection, Friel led RHS to a spot in the state quarterfinals, was his school’s MVP and was MVP of Jordan High’s holiday classic tournament as a senior. He was also an all-state honorable mention honoree as a sophomore and a second-team selection his junior season. Also attended Hunter High School. An honor roll student.

#21 Jackson Stevenett
F, 6-4, 185, Fr
Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS
First season at SUU
Season Highlights: Played one minute against No. Colorado but didn’t record a statistic.
Exhibitions: Didn’t play vs. Mesa State but pulled down one rebound and had an assist vs. Adams State.
At Davis High School: Earned Utah’s 5A Most Valuable Player honors in 2008 after leading the Darts to a 20-0 regular-season record and their third consecutive region championship. Helped lead DHS to the semi-finals of the state tournament where they lost in overtime to eventual state champ Lone Peak by a 57-55 margin. Averaged 18 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.6 assist and 1.8 blocks per game his senior season for Coach Jay Welk. In addition to his 5A MVP honors he was also all-area MVP and earned first-team all-region recognition.

#22 Dallin Bachynski
C, 7-0, 230, Fr
Calgary, Alberta/Sir Winston Churchill HS
Career/Season Highs: 1 point vs. No. Colo., McNeese St.; 4 rebounds vs. No. Colo., 1 assist vs. No. Colo.
Season Highlights: Pulled down four rebounds with an assist and a point vs. Northern Colorado. Also scored one point with a rebound vs. McNeese St.
Came off the bench in both exhibition games, averaged 9.0 points and 4.0 rebounds and hit 63.6 percent of his shots. Scored four points with two rebounds vs. Mesa State. Came back against Adams State with 14 points, six rebounds and a steal; hit 5-of-8 shots.
At Sir Winston Churchill High School: Helped lead Coach Mike Fullerton’s Bulldogs to three city championships and was named league MVP following both his junior and senior seasons. Averaged 26 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and four blocks per game his senior season when the team won the Provincial bronze medal and advanced to the All-Canada Classic. Earned all-star honors at the Spartan Showdown. Scored 32 points with 22 rebounds, 11 assists, six blocks and three steals in the city finals his senior year. Also lettered in football. Competed for Team Alberta in the 2008 Canadian 17-Under Championships.

#23 Jordan Weirick
G, 6-4, 196, Fr
West Jordan Utah/West Jordan HS
Career/Season Highs: 4 points, 2 rebounds vs. No. Colorado
Season Highlights: Has come off the bench in each game. Scored four points with two rebounds against Northern Colorado, had a rebound vs. McNeese State.
Exhibitions: Came off the bench in both exhibition games, led team with a .714 shooting percentage, averaged 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Scored four points with two rebounds, two assists and a block vs. Mesa State. Scored seven points with three boards, two assists and a steal vs. Adams State.
At West Jordan High School: A three-time all-state selection for Coach Scott Briggs’ Jaguars, including a first-team selection his senior season when he averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game and shot .840 from the free throw line. A two-time first-team all-region selection, Weirick helped the Jaguars to Utah’s 5A state championship this past season. Was named the region’s MVP as well as the region tournament MVP. Scored 23 points in the state semi-finals. Also earned two football letters playing for the Jaguars.

#25 Davis Baker
G/F, 6-5, 195, Sr
Coto De Caza, California/UC Irvine
SUU Highs: 29 points vs. Centenary; 9 rebounds three times; 5 assists vs. Utah State
Season Highs: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists vs. McNeese St.
Season Highlights: Paced team with 14 points vs. Hawaii, had 10 against No. Colorado and 20 vs. McNeese St., has scored in double figures in all three games and in 32 of the last 36 dating back to the beginning of last season. Had eight rebounds, one off his career-high, vs. McNeese State.
Exhibitions: Led or co-led team in scoring in both exhibitions, averaged 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Scored 16 points with three boards, an assist a block, and a steal against Mesa State. Had game-highs of 20 points and seven rebounds vs. Adams State, also dished out three assists.
2008-09 Highlights: Earned second-team all-Summit League honors after finishing second in the conference in free throw percentage (.889), fifth in scoring (17.8 ppg) and 19th in rebounding (4.7 rpg). Led or co-led the team in scoring 17 times and in rebounding five. Led the team in scoring in six of the final nine games. Posted career-highs with 28 points and nine rebounds vs. Centenary when he hit 11-of-16 shots. Paced team with 23 points, including an off-balance jumper in the lane to give SUU the lead for good, in the Thunderbirds’ upset win at NDSU. Scored 26 points at South Dakota State where he also pulled down a career-high-tying nine rebounds.

#33 Byron Byrd
F, 6-5, 220, Sr
Newark, New Jersey/New Mexico Military
SUU Highs: 6 points vs. North Dakota State; 1 rebound six times; 1 assist vs. North Dakota State
Season Highlights: Came off the bench against No. Colo. but didn’t record a statistic.
Exhibitions: Came off the bench in both exhibitions, averaged 1.0 point, 0.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Hit his only shot vs. Mesa St., also had a rebound, a steal and an assist. Didn’t score vs. Adams St. but dished out an assist.
2008-09 Highlights: Played in 14 games with no starts. Averaged 1.2 points and 0.4 rebounds per game. Hit 3-of-9 3-point attempts. Had his best game as a Thunderbird vs. North Dakota St. when he scored an SUU-career-best six points, hitting two-of-three 3-point attempts, with a rebound, a steal and an assist. 

#34 Matt Massey
F, 6-9, 232, So
Brisbane, Australia/Nova Southeastern
Career/Season Highs: 17 points, 13 rebounds vs. No. Colorado; 2 assists vs. Hawaii
Season Highlights: Has been team’s leading or co-leading rebounder in each game. Scored nine points with nine boards and two assists vs. Hawaii. Led team with 17 points and 13 rebounds, his first Division I double-double, against No. Colorado. Got into foul trouble against McNeese St. but still pulled down eight rebounds and scored six points.
Exhibitions: Was team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer in the two exhibitions, with 8.5 boards and 13.5 points per game, also blocked a team-best three shots. Co-led team with 16 points and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds vs. Mesa State, also blocked a shot and had an assist. Scored 11 points with five boards and two blocks vs. Adams State.
At Nova Southeastern: Averaged 7.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game  for the Sharks in 2007-08 when he shot .476 from the field. Posted a pair of double-doubles, including 14 points and 14 rebounds at Tampa, also dished out a career high seven assists vs. Barry University.

#44 Matt Hodgson
C, 6-11, 225, Fr
Booval, Australia
Career/Season Highs: 6 points vs. Hawaii, No. Colorado; 3 rebounds vs. No. Colo., McNeese St.
Season Highlights: Has started all three games. Scored six points with two blocks, two boards and a steal vs. Hawaii. Blocked three shots, scored six points, had three rebounds and picked off a steal vs. No. Colorado. Scored three points with three rebounds and two blocks vs. McNees St.
Exhibitions: Started both exhibitions, averaged 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds. Didn’t take a shot vs. Mesa State but hit a free throw and had a steal. Hit his only shot vs. Adams State, also pulled down three rebounds, had two assists and two steals.
At Ipswich Grammar School: Averaged 27.3 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.8 blocks per game for Coach Danny Breen’s Miners. Earned a scholarship to the prestigious Australian Institute of Sport. Was a member of the Australian U19 team that came in fourth at the World Championships as well as a member of the Australian National Champion Queensland squad.