ISU Travels to Hawaii for First Road Test

11.22.2008 | Men's Basketball

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa--Iowa State (3-0) will make its first road trip of the season on Nov. 24, traveling to Hawaii (1-2) to face the Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu, Hawaii. ISU has won 10 of its last 12 games in the state of Hawaii, including six in a row.

Iowa State (3-0) at Hawaii (1-2)
When: Mon., Nov. 24, 2008
Where: Honolulu, Hawaii; Stan Sheriff Center (10,300)
Live Stats: Live stats will be available at hawaiiathletics.com.
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network: John Walters (pxp) and Eric Heft (color)
Television: None
Webcast: Go to uhstreaming.oceanic.com; $6 per game

Complete Pre-Event Coverage
Notes		Webcast

Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State (3-0) will make its first road trip of the season on Nov. 24, traveling to Hawaii (1-2) to face the Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu, Hawaii...ISU has lost nine consecutive road games...its last road victory was on Nov. 30, 2007 with a 71-64 overtime victory against Oregon State.
-ISU has won 10 of its last 12 games in the state of Hawaii, including six in a row.
-The game is not on television, but it will be livestreamed on Hawaii's website for $6...go to uhstreaming.oceanic.com for purchasing information.
-The Cyclones are coming off a three-game sweep at the World Vision Classic in Ames last weekend, defeating UC Davis (61-58), Loyola Marymount (67-55) and UW-Milwaukee (79-61).
-Craig Brackins earned MVP honors after averaging 17.0 points in the three games and Diante Garrett was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 8.3 points and dishing out 6.7 assists.
-ISU held all three of its opponents to under 35 percent shooting in the tournament, as Cyclones' opponents are a combined 33.5 percent from the field this year.
-ISU is 22-2 in the McDermott era when holding opponents to below 40% shooting.

Last Time Out
-Iowa State is 3-0 after a three-game sweep in the World Vision Classic last weekend.
-The Cyclones defeated UC Davis in the season-opener, 61-58, but it didn't come easy...ISU was down by 14 points with just under 12 minutes left in the game and was down by eight points with under three minutes left.
-ISU scored on its final eight possessions in the amazing comeback, getting huge baskets from freshman Wes Eikmeier and sophomore Craig Brackins...Brackins finished with 12 points and Jamie Vanderbeken had a double-double in his debut with 14 points and 10 boards.
-ISU cruised to a 67-55 win over Loyola Marymount in the second game, holding a commanding 60-38 lead before sending in the reserves.
-Brackins broke open a close game at the half (33-30) by scoring 12 of ISU's first 14 points in the first 5:30 minutes of the second half...Brackins finished the game with 21 points for his sixth 20-point game of his career.
-Eikmeier came off the bench to bury five treys in the win and the Cyclones held the Lions to 32.8 percent from the field...Diante Garrett handed out a career-high 11 assists with just one turnover in the win.
-In the championship game vs. UW-Milwaukee, the Cyclones set a school mark by netting 15 3-pointers in a 79-61 victory...four Cyclones (Garrett, Sean Haluska, Vanderbeken, Lucca Staiger) made three or more 3-pointers in the game.
-A 17-3 run, which featured four 3-pointers, after the 9:44 mark in the second half broke open the game for the Cyclones.
-ISU had five players score in double figures vs. UWM, led by Brackins' 18 points and Garrett's 17 points...ISU handed out 18 assists with just nine turnovers.
-The two stats that stand out after the first three games for the Cyclones is 3-point shooting and turnovers...ISU made 31-of-73 shots from downtown last weekend after starting the tournament with an 1-of-13 effort from distance...the Cyclones have now made 30-of-its-last-60 3-pointers...ISU made 10 or more treys vs. Loyola Marymount (10) and UW-Milwaukee (15)...ISU did not make 10 treys in a game once last season.
-ISU dished out 56 assists with just 33 turnovers in the tournament...ISU had less than 10 turnovers in the last two games.

Cyclone-Rainbow Warrior Quick Facts
-Iowa State and Hawaii will meet for the first time.
-ISU has won 10 of its last 12 games, including six in a row, in the state of Hawaii.
-Even though the Cyclones have never faced Hawaii, they have played six games on the University of Hawaii campus.
-ISU is 4-2 all-time in games played on the UH campus...all six games were apart of the Rainbow Classic...ISU went 1-2 in the 1984 Rainbow Classic and was crowned champion of the 2005 Rainbow Classic in its last trip to Hawaii.
-ISU defeated South Florida, Northwestern State and Colorado State en route to the 2005 Rainbow Classic title...Will Blalock was named MVP of the tournament and Curtis Stinson made the all-tournament team.
-ISU is 5-7 against teams in the Western Athletic Conference.
-UH's basketball arena, the Stan Sheriff Center, is named after former Northern Iowa head football coach and athletics director Stan Sheriff...UNI's football stadium is called the Stan Sheriff Field at the UNI-Dome...Sheriff was AD at Hawaii from 1983-93.
-Hawaii's all-time leading scorer in basketball, Chris Gaines, prepped at Waterloo West High School in Iowa where he was teammates with former Cyclone star Terry Woods...Gaines scored 1,734 points in his four-year (1986-89) career at UH.
-Hawaii junior Roderick Flemings played at Oklahoma State in the 2005-06 season...he played against ISU twice in a pair of OSU wins that year, but did not score in both games.

A Closer Look At Hawaii (1-2)
-Hawaii is 1-2 after playing host to three home games last weekend...the Rainbow Warriors lost to San Francisco (75-70) and Cal State Fullerton (90-76)...UH got its first win on Nov. 17 against Idaho State (67-64) in overtime.
-Through three games, the Rainbow Warriors are led by junior college transfer Roderick Flemings, who is averaging 17.0 points and 6.3 rebounds...Flemings, who had a season-high 21 points vs. CSU, started his career at Oklahoma State before transferring to a junior college.
-The Rainbow Warriors return just one starter from last year and were picked to finish seventh in the Western Athletic Conference preseason poll.
-UH, which does not have one senior on its roster, has just one returning starter from last year in junior Bill Amis...Amis is averaging 9.7 points and 8.3 rpg so far.
-UH is getting 11.3 points in just 19.0 mpg out of junior forward Petras Balocka...Balocka led the team with 18 points vs. San Francisco.
-The Rainbow Warriors are outrebounding their opponents by a +4.0 margin...they are averaging 19.0 turnovers per game in their first three contests.
-Head coach Bob Nash is in his second season as head coach of the Rainbow Warriors, but he begins his 30th year with the program...Nash was an assistant under former head coach Riley Wallace before taking over the head coaching reins.
-Nash was the seventh overall pick in the 1972 NBA Draft after an outstanding collegiate career with the Rainbow Warriors...Nash played four years in the NBA (Detroit Pistons, Kansas City Kings) and one season in the ABA (San Diego Conquistadors).

Success In Hawaii
-Iowa State has had recent success in the Aloha State, winning 10 of its last 12 games, including the last six, its played on the Hawaiian Islands...in its last trip in 2005, the Cyclones won the Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center on the UH campus...Will Blalock was named MVP of the tournament.
-In 2000, the Cyclones were champions of the Yahoo! Sports Invitational, defeating nationally ranked Mississippi in the championship game...Jamaal Tinsley was named MVP of the tournament...the tournament was held on Oahu, but on the other side of the island in Laie.
-In all, ISU is 12-6 all-time in games played in Hawaii.
-ISU is 4-2 in games played on the UH campus...the Cyclones went 1-2 in the 1984 Rainbow Classic.

Bombs Away!
-I guess the ISU basketball team didn't get the memo that the 3-point line was moved back a foot.
-ISU is averaging 10.3 3-pointers made per game so far this season at a 42.5 percent clip...the Cyclones have made 30-of-its-last-60 shots (50 percent) from downtown after making just 1-of-13 from distance to start the year.
-The Cyclones already have two games with 10 or more treys, including a school-record 15 on 27 attempts (55.6%) vs. UW-Milwaukee...ISU failed to hit double digit 3-pointers in a single game last season.
-ISU already has six players who have made three or more treys this season, led by true freshman Wes Eikmeier's eight, who didn't play in ISU's record-setting 15-trey performance vs. UWM because of the flu.

60 Is The Magic Number
-Greg McDermott's Cyclone teams have always had the reputation for solid defense...ISU has held all but one team this year to less than 60 points and have not allowed a team to shoot above 35 percent from the field once this season.
-Now in his third year at the helm, McDermott is a perfect 19-0 when an opponent fails to score 60 points.

Bench Play
-The Cyclones have the deepest bench since Greg McDermott took over in the 2006-07 season...ISU's second- and third-leading scorers - Wes Eikmeier (12.0) and Jamie Vanderbeken (9.7) - have not started a game this year.
-The Cyclones, who are averaging 27.3 ppg from their bench, have received at least 20 points from their bench in all three games.
-39.6 percent of ISU's scoring this season has come from its bench.

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 412-143 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).
-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.
-Freshman Wes Eikmeier's father, Randy, played basketball at Midland College.

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.
-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.

Iowa State Inks Strong Recruiting Class
-ISU signed just two players in the early signing, but they are both good ones.
-The Cyclones got signatures from Marquis Gilstrap (6-6, 210, F, Covington, Ga.), who is competing at Gulf Coast Community College, and Chris Colvin (6-2, 175, G, Chicago, Ill.), one of the best prep players out of Illinois.
-Gilstrap will have one year of eligibility next year and has already put up strong numbers in his first year at Gulf Coast.
-Colvin is ranked as the 92nd-best player in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com lists him as the 10th-best point guard in the class of 2009.