Cyclones To Host World Vision Classic

11.12.2008 | Men's Basketball

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa-Iowa State men's basketball officially begins its season this weekend, playing host to the World Vision Classic, Nov. 14-16. The tournament will be a round-robin format with two games played on all three days. ISU will open the season vs. UC Davis on Friday at 7 p.m.

When: Fri-Sun., Nov. 14-16, 2008
Where: Hilton Coliseum (14,356)
Live Stats: Live stats will be available at cyclones.com.
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network: John Walters (pxp) and Eric Heft (color)
Television: None
Web cast: Clone Zone subscription on cyclones.com

Complete Pre-Event Coverage
Notes WVC Schedule		Live Stats Clone Zone Live Video

World Vision Classic Schedule
Friday, Nov. 14, 2008
Loyola-Marymount vs. UW-Milwaukee, 4:30 p.m.
Iowa State vs. UC Davis, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008
Iowa State vs. Loyola-Marymount, 12:30 p.m.
UW-Milwaukee vs. UC Davis, 3 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008
UC Davis vs. Loyola-Marymount, 4:30 p.m.
Iowa State vs. UW-Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State officially begins its season this weekend, playing host to the World Vision Classic, Nov. 14-16...the tournament will be a round-robin format with two games played on all three days...ISU will open the season vs. UC Davis on Friday at 7 p.m.
-ISU played just one official exhibition game this season, defeating Nebraska-Omaha, 74-54 last Saturday...the Cyclones used their other exhibition date with a closed scrimmage vs. Missouri Valley preseason favorite Creighton.
-All four schools competing this weekend (UC Davis, Loyola-Marymount, UW-Milwaukee, Iowa State) will be playing in its first games of the season...ISU has faced UC Davis and UW-Milwaukee before, but it will be the first meeting with Loyola-Marymount.
-Sophomore Lucca Staiger and freshman Wes Eikmeier did not play vs. UNO while recovering from knee and ankle injuries, respectively...Eikmeier is listed as probable for this weekend's tournament, while Staiger is listed as questionable.
-ISU has seven players in uniform, including Staiger, who have a chance to play in their first regular-season game this weekend...Staiger is a sophomore, but he sat out last season after being declared ineligible by the NCAA Certification process.
-This is the third-straight season where ISU has hosted a tournament to start the year.

Exhibition Season Review
-The Cyclones improved their overall exhibition record to 40-4 with a win over Nebraska-Omaha, 74-54 on Saturday.
-ISU played without two of its best shooters in Lucca Staiger and Wes Eikmeier...Staiger is recovering from knee surgery, while Eikmeier is nursing a sprained ankle.
-The Cyclones, who began the game on a 15-2 run, were led by Craig Brackins and Sean Haluska, who tallied 17 and 16 points, respectively.
-Haluska was 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from downtown to help ISU make 10-of-25 shots from 3-point range.
-ISU, which did not make 10 or more treys in the regular season last year, had six players make a 3-pointer in the game (Haluska, Brackins, Charles Boozer, Jamie Vanderbeken, Bryan Petersen and Dominique Buckley).
-ISU outrebounded the Mavericks, 52-34...Bryan Petersen grabbed 10 rebounds and Alex Thompson snared eight boards.
-ISU held UNO to 23.3 percent shooting in the first half and a 31.8 percent overall overall clip...UNO's top player, Michael Jenkins, who is a first-team preseason all-conference pick, was held in check with just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting.
-Sophomore Diante Garrett scored nine points and did an outstanding job running the offense, handing out 10 assists with just one turnover.
-19 of ISU's 29 field goals were accompanied by an assist.
-All 12 Cyclones that were suited up in the game played at least nine minutes.
-ISU played just one official exhibition for the first time since the 1999-00 season...ISU opted use its other exhibition date for a closed scrimmage vs. Creighton.

A Closer Look At UC Davis (0-0)
-UC Davis begins the regular season at the World Vision Classic.
-The Aggies return four starters from last year's 9-22 team.
-UC Davis won both of its exhibition games in the preseason, defeating Bethany (89-69) and Notre Dame De Namur (69-36).
-Joe Harden led the Aggies in the two preseason games, averaging 15.0 points and 11.0 rebounds with two double-doubles.
-UCD shot 43.6 percent (17-39 3FG) from downtown in the two preseason games.
-The Aggies traveled to Europe in September, going 3-1 on their tour...Vince Oliver averaged 21.0 points in the four games.
-Oliver, a senior guard from Inglewood, Calif., is the squad's top returning scorer, averaging 12.2 points and drilling 34 treys a year ago.
-The Aggies also have the services of the reigning Big West Conference Freshman of the Year in Mark Payne...the 6-7, 190-pound sophomore from Stockton, Calif., averaged 9.3 points and a team-high 5.2 rebounds last season...the forward is also a great passer, leading the squad in assists last season with 99.
-Harden, a sophomore, will likely step right into the starting lineup after redshirting last season...the Notre Dame transfer averaged 17.0 points in the Aggies' four games in Europe.
-Dominic Calegari, a 6-9 junior from Berkeley, Calif., averaged 9.2 points last season and averaged 14.8 points on the Aggies' European Tour...he made 91.1 percent (51-56) of his free-throws last season.
-The Aggies ranked second nationally a year ago in free-throw percentage (401-515, 77.9 percent).
-ISU is 4-3 all-time vs. Big West opponents (Cal State-Northridge, 1-1; UC Davis, 1-0; UC Riverside, 1-0; UC Santa Barbara, 1-2).
-ISU and UC Davis have met one other time...the Cyclones defeated the Aggies 86-60 on Dec. 5, 1972 in Hilton Coliseum...ISU radio network color analyst Eric Heft played in the only meeting between the two teams.
-Assistant coach Duane Kouba was a 1974 graduate of Northern Iowa.

A Closer Look At Loyola-Marymount (0-0)
-Loyola-Marymount, located in Los Angeles, Calif., will begin its 2008-09 regular season in the World Vision Classic this weekend.
-The Lions had one tune-up game in the preseason, defeating Hope International, 81-51...Vernon Teel led the Lions with 19 points, connecting on 9-of-18 shots from the field...Kevin Young had a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards.
-LMU returns two starters from last season's 5-26 team.
-First-year head coach Bill Bayno, who was the head coach at UNLV and was most recently an assistant with the Portland Trailblazers, is basically starting over with half of his roster consisting of newcomers...seven players who were slated to return in 2008-09 transferred out of the school.
-Bayno started three freshmen and one sophomore in the Lions' lone exhibition game...a total of four freshmen logged 18 minutes or more in the win over Hope International.
-Teel, a 6-4 sophomore guard from Jamaica, N.Y., will likely see time at guard in his first season with the Lions...Teel transferred from Chipola JC in Florida...current ISU assistant T.J. Otzelberger and former player and current Los Angeles Clipper Mike Taylor coached and played at Chipola, respectively.
-Senior guard Corey Counts also has experience after starting 22 games and averaging 6.1 points last season...Counts, a 5-10, Los Angeles native, led the team in assists last year with 88.
-Marko Deric is the only other returnee with more than 10 starts...Deric, a 6-9, forward from Perth, Australia, averaged 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds.
-Loyola-Marymount and Iowa State have never met.
-ISU is 5-1 all-time vs. West Coast Conference opponents (Pepperdine, 2-0; Saint Mary's, 1-0; San Diego, 1-0; San Francisco, 1-0; Santa Clara, 0-1).
-LMU head coach Bill Bayno was an assistant at both Kansas and UMass, where he had the opportunity to coach against the Cyclones.
-Assistant coach Max Good coached former Cyclone Jason Kimbrough at Maine Central Prep Institute.
-Assistant coach Jason Levy was an assistant at Drake for one season in 1993-94 under former head coach Rudy Washington...ISU radio play-by-play analyst John Walters was Drake's play-by-play man at the time.

A Closer Look At UW-Milwaukee (0-0)
-UW-Milwaukee will open its season in the World Vision Classic this weekend.
-The Panthers played two exhibition games, defeating MSOE (68-43) and UW-Parkside (75-59).
-The Panthers were led by Anthony Hill in its two exhibition games, averaging 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds...he had 18 points and nine boards in the win over UW-Parkside...Ricky Franklin had 17 points and eight boards in the MSOE win.
-The Panthers were picked to finish sixth in the preseason Horizon League coaches' poll...UWM returns two starters from last year's 14-16 team.
-UWM will benefit from the return of senior guard Avery Smith, who was dismissed from the team last year and has now been reinstated...Smith averaged 15.5 points during the 2006-07 season and was a preseason all-league pick before being dismissed.
-Smith, a 6-3, 175-pounder from Milwaukee, had three 30-point games in 2006-07, including a 36-point outburst vs. Oakland when he drained eight 3-pointers.
-Another key returnee is sophomore guard Deonte Roberts, who was a Horizon League all-newcomer member as a freshman last year after averaging 7.0 points and dishing out 71 assists in his rookie season.
-Franklin (6-1, 200, Sr.; Milwaukee, Wis.) is also back to bolster the Panther backcourt...Franklin started 36 games, averaging 9.8 points and leading the team in assists with 77.
-Hill, a sophomore from Milwaukee, is showing he is capable of helping out the Panther frontcourt with his play in the preseason...the 6-7 forward averaged 2.3 ppg a year ago.
-Assistant coach Duffy Conroy prepped at Davenport Assumption and played college ball at St. Ambrose in Davenport.
-Assistant coach Chad Boudreau graduated from Harmony (Iowa) High School and was an assistant coach at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa...he coached former Cyclones Omar Bynum and Chris Alexander at Indian Hills.
-ISU owns a 3-0 all-time record vs. UW-Milwaukee with all of the games played in Hilton Coliseum.
-Two of the top coaches in college basketball were coaching the Panthers the last two times they played against the Cyclones...ISU defeated UWM, 78-64 on Dec. 8, 1999 when current Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was the head coach of the Panthers...the Cyclones defeated UWM, 71-62 on Nov. 30, 2001 the last time the two teams met...current Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl was coaching the Panthers at the time.
-ISU is 10-4 all-time vs. Horizon League opponents.

Hilton Magic
-Hilton Coliseum has long been considered one of the toughest places to play in college basketball...built in 1971 and playing in its 38th season, ISU has recorded a 74.1 percent winning mark, compiling a 409-143 record.
-ISU has recorded four undefeated seasons at home since Hilton was erected (1985-86, 1992-93, 1999-00, 2000-01).
-ISU ranked 23rd nationally and second in the Big 12 in attendance in 2007-08 (13,316).
-ISU broke the record for most season tickets sold last year with over 10,000 season tickets purchased.
-Fans voted Iowa State and Hilton Coliseum as the nation's No. 1 team in regards to school spirit in a poll during ESPN's “student spirit” week in 2006-07.
-In a recent Chicago Tribune article, Hilton Coliseum was ranked as one of the top-seven “College Basketball Heavens”...the article states, “Whenever in-state rival Iowa, Texas, Kansas or Missouri come to town, the noise and tension level goes to another level.”

It's In The Genes
-ISU has a number of players on its roster with outstanding athletic genes.
-Sophomore Charles Boozer and senior Sean Haluska have brothers who played in the NBA...Boozer's brother, Carlos, is one of the top post players in the NBA, making the NBA All-Star game the last two seasons...Boozer averaged 21.1 points and 10.4 rebounds in 2007-08...he was also a member of the USA Basketball team that won the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
-Haluska's brother, Adam, who played one year at Iowa State (2002-03) before transferring to Iowa, was on the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets roster last season...Haluska led the Big Ten in scoring in 2006-07, averaging 20.5 ppg while earning first-team all-Big Ten honors.
-Sophomore Diante Garrett also has outstanding basketball roots...his father, Dick, played five seasons in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers, Buffalo Braves, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 10.3 ppg...Garrett played in the 1970 NBA Finals (Lakers) and the 1974 NBA Finals (Bucks).
-Freshman Justin Hamilton's parents were both elite athletes at Brigham Young in the mid-1980s...his father, Larry, was a two-sport star with the Cougars...he was a two-time NCAA qualifier at heavyweight in wrestling (1982 & 1983)...in 1982, Larry wrestled in Hilton Coliseum at the NCAA Championships...Larry was also star on the BYU football team, playing three seasons at defensive tackle with the Cougars (1982-84)...he had 61 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two sacks on BYU's 1984 national championship team...he was drafted by the Denver Gold of the USFL in 1985...his mother, Tami, was a two-time all-conference volleyball player (1984 & 1985), competing in the NCAA Tournament both seasons.
-Freshman Clinton Mann's older brother, Nathan, scored over 1,000 points as a member of the William & Mary basketball team...he recorded the second-most 3-pointers (215) in school history.
-Senior Bryan Petersen's father, Mike, played basketball at Clinton C.C.

Iowa State In Home Season Openers
-Iowa State is 81-20 all-time in home season openers.
-The Cyclones have won 10-straight home season-openers.
-ISU's last home season-opening loss was on Nov. 23, 1997, falling to Northern Iowa, 54-48 in head coach Tim Floyd's final season with the Cyclones.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott has never lost a home season-opener in his two seasons with the Cyclones...he is 11-3 as a head coach in season-opening games.

Iowa State Team Quick Facts
-ISU has seven newcomers on the team this year- five freshmen, one transfer from a Division I school and one junior college transfer.
-Scott Christopherson is the only Cyclone on the roster who is ineligible to play this year...he transferred from Marquette and will sit out as a redshirt under NCAA rules.
-Not one player on the ISU roster played a single minute in head coach Greg McDermott's first season at ISU two years ago (2006-07)...Alex Thompson and Cameron Lee were both on the roster in 2006-07, but Thompson was redshirting after transferring from Iowa and Lee was redshirting as a non-roster practice player.
-ISU has 15 players on the roster...13 are on scholarship and two are walk-ons...senior Sean Haluska and sophomore Cameron Lee are the only two players on the team not on scholarship.
-Senior Bryan Petersen was a recruited walk-on, but has been placed on scholarship in both of his two seasons with the Cyclones.
-11 of the 15 players on the roster are freshmen or sophomores.
-ISU has players from eight states (Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, California, Utah, Nebraska and Kansas) on the roster and two international players (Canada and Germany)...Jamie Vanderbeken is the first Canadian to play for ISU and Lucca Staiger is the first German to suit up for the Cyclones.
-Freshman L.A. Pomlee is the only lefthander on the team...Pomlee is the first lefty to play for ISU since Julius Michalik (1992-95).
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott is the first native Iowan to coach the Cyclones since Clayton Sutherland (1948-54)...McDermott is from Cascade; Sutherland was from Nashua.