Setting The Stage:
Indiana State continues year three of the Kevin McKenna era on Sunday, January 3 when the Sycamores hit the Valley road again against Drake. Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. (ET) at Drake's Knapp Center. On the radio airwaves, the game will be live on The Crock 92.7 FM as well as online at GoSycamores.com. Brian Fritz will call the action live on the radio broadcast. The game will be made available on GoSycamores.com as a video Web stream.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Kevin McKenna (Creighton '93) is in his third season as the head coach at Indiana State (35-41). In his first season with the Sycamores, McKenna led the team to its highest win total since the 2000-01 season and an impressive 12-2 record at home in the Hulman Center. Last season, he led the Sycamores to six victories in their final seven regular season games, including three consecutive league road wins in the span of 10 days. McKenna came to Indiana State after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays advance to four NCAA tournament appearances. From 2001-05, McKenna spent four years as the head coach (89-33) at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Omaha, where he guided the Mavericks to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. McKenna is one of just two NCAA Division I head men's basketball coaches who have won an NBA World Championship (with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982). Florida International's Isiah Thomas is the other. He is the only NCAA Division I men's basketball head coach to earn both an NBA and CBA Championship and is the only person in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference to win a MVC Regular Season Title , MVC Tournament Championship, NBA Championship and CBA title. McKenna is 2-4 against Drake, including 0-2 in Des Moines.

Mark Phelps (Old Dominion '96) was named Drake's 25th head basketball coach, April 21, 2008. He owns a 22-24 record in two years with the Bulldogs. Phelps served as associate head coach at Arizona State for two seasons. The Virginia Beach, Va., native had served on the coaching staff at North Carolina State under head coach Herb Sendek from 1996-2006 before joining Sendek at Arizona State in 2006. He was part of Sendek's staff that led North Carolina State to a 53-39 record (.576) in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament play in the final five seasons in Raleigh, N.C. The Wolfpack tied for the second most wins in the ACC from 2001-2002 through the 2005-06 season. He joined the North Carolina State staff in 1996, serving as director of basketball operations before becoming assistant coach in 2000. He was promoted to recruiting coordinator, director of scouting and assistant coach with the Wolfpack in 2005. Phelps is 22-25 in his second season at Drake. He is 1-2 against Indiana State, with that victory coming on January 7, 2009 inside the Knapp Center.

SERIES HISTORY
Indiana State narrowly leads the all-time series against Drake by a 35-34 margin. Drake seemingly owns the series in Des Moines, possessing a 23-11 advantage at home. Indiana State has lost each of its last nine trips to Drake, having not won at the Knapp Center since a 73-56 victory on January 29, 2000. That victory was part of a stretch in which the Sycamores won nine of 10 contests versus the Bulldogs from 1996 until 2001.

A Little History:
Indiana State is currently in its 114th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,339-1,136 all-time on the hardwood. The Sycamores are 24 contests away from playing their historic 2,500th game in the history of the program.

The Reedy River:
Indiana State senior Rashad Reed posted a season high 18 points in the 70-64 victory over Creighton on New Year's Day, which is his highest point total of the season. Reed's previous best was 16, which he scored against Milwaukee in the NIT Season Tipoff. Reed was 7-of-14 from the field, hit a pair of 3-pointers and added four rebounds to his points total in 31 minutes of action. Reed was one of three Sycamores that reached double figures scoring as Dwayne Lathan added 13 and Harry Marshall posted 10.

Lathan Named Valley Newcomer of the Week Twice:
Indiana State sophomore Dwayne Lathan was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Newcomer of the Week for the second time this season following his performance before the Holiday Break against IUPUI. Lathan led ISU with a career-best tying effort in leading ISU with 18 points. Lathan hit 6-of-11 shots from the floor and was 6-of-10 from the free throw line as he led ISU with 18 points and 7 rebounds. He added one assist and a steal in 29 minutes of action. Lathan leads ISU with nine double digit scoring perfomances in his 10 games played (missed season opener against Nebraska-Kearney). Lathan also leads ISU with a 14.3 ppg scoring average which is the fifth-best mark in the Missouri Valley Conference and is the top by any league newcomer. Lathan also leads ISU with his 5.8 rebounds per game average, which is seventh in the league. Lathan also took the league's top newcomer honor followign the second week of play at LSU, on a neutral floor against Milwaukee and at home versus Colorado State.

Jake Kelly Suffers Season Ending Knee Injury Against Salukis:
Indiana State head coach Kevin McKenna learned on Wednesday afternoon that junior guard Jake Kelly has been lost following a knee injury that will require season ending surgery. McKenna learned of the severity of Kelly's injury following an evaluation conducted by team physician Dr. Tom Klootwyk this afternoon at Methodist Sports Medicine in Indianapolis. Kelly is third on the team this season with a 9.0 ppg scoring average with 18 assists and six steals. He drained the game winning jumper in a 55-54 road victory over Toledo on December 19. Kelly was playing this season following his transfer from the University of Iowa as the NCAA waived the year in residence requirement and allowed him to compete this season.

Valley Openers:
Indiana State began its 33rd season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference on Tuesday evening at Southern Illinois. ISU is now 13-20 all-time in Valley openers, including a 2-14 mark when opening the league slate on the road. Both of ISU's victories when opening MVC play on the road have come in the last three years with coach McKenna at the helm. Under McKenna, ISU is 2-1 in league openers, winning at Evansville in 2007 and at Northern Iowa (double overtime) in 2008 before falling to the Salukis this season.

Call Him Double Digit Dwayne:
After sitting out the season opener against Nebraska-Kearney, ISU sophomore Dwayne Lathan has reached double figures scoring 11 of the 12 games he has participated in. His season high came with 18 points against Colorado State and he scored 15 against Western Kentucky. Lathan added 14 points against Coastal Carolina and Milwaukee as well as 12 points in his Sycamore debut against LSU. Recently, Lathan scored 16 against both Ball State and Oral Roberts during the Sycamores' recent two-game homestand. He led ISU with 11 points at Toledo. Lathan scored 18 again against IUPUI and then had 11 to lead ISU against Southern Illinois. Lathan's streak of double digit scoring games reached six with his 13 point showing on New Year's Day against Creighton.

They're Free! Take Em!:
Indiana State has been hitting the freebies so far this season, as the Sycamores are a close second to Wichita State for top honors in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 76.4 percentage from the charity stripe. ISU has hit 210-of-275 while the Shockers are 221-of-289. Prior to the Holiday Break, ISU ranked tenth nationally in free throw percentage.

Winnin' By A Whisker:
Indiana State has recorded four victories in close games this season, defined as a game decided by five or fewer points. Winning the close ones has been a staple of third-year head coach Kevin McKenna's career as he has already has 13 "close" wins while at Indiana State. In addition to the four already posted this season, his Sycamores' recorded five in 2008-09 and four more during his first season at the helm, 2007-08. In fact of McKenna's first 74 games as head coach of the Sycamores, 20 have been decided by five points or less and ISU is 13-7 in those games, for a .650 winning percentage.

Bracketbuster Success:
The Sycamores earned their second Bracketbusters "sweep" with its 55-54 victory over Toledo. ISU has participated in the event five times and its only previous opponent in which it earned two victories against was Western Michigan, with wins on the road in 2006 and a season opening homecourt victory in 2006 as well. ISU is now an even 5-5 in either original Bracketbuster contests or return games.

Seventh Heaven:
Indiana State has won seven of its first 10 contests to start the season for the 44th time in the history of the program and just the 10th since the 1978-79 "Dream Season." It also marks the best start for Indiana State under third-year head coach Kevin McKenna, who's previous quickest start was a 5-5 burst out of the gate in 2007-08, his inaugural campaign.

Ability To Bounce Back:
With its 70-64 victory over Creighton, ISU improved to 18-23 under third-year head coach Kevin McKenna in games following a loss. The Sycamores opened MVC play with a 70-52 setback to Southern Illinois, but were able to bounce back for the victory over Creighton. This season, ISU is 4-0 in games which following a loss, having not lost consecutive games this season.

Triple Trouble On The Road:
Indiana State has defeated Western Kentucky, Arkansas State and Toledo in back-to-back-to-back road non-conference games. It marks the first time ISU has won three consecutive road non-conference games since the 2005-06 campaign when the Sycamores downed Butler, Western Michigan and Eastern Illinois. ISU was 8-1 in non-league games that season.

A November To Remember:
Indiana State opened the 2009-10 campaign with a flurry of activity as the Sycamores played a school record seven games in the month of November. The result was a school record five victories in the first month of the season. ISU's 5-2 record mark in the month of November trumps the Sycamores' 4-2 ledger at the end of November in 2006-07.

Sycamores Use Exciting Finish At WKU To Go 2-2 In NIT Season Tipoff:
The Indiana State Sycamores used a free throw by senior Rashad Reed with one-tenth of a second showing on the E.A. Diddle Arena game clock to down Western Kentucky 64-63. The win over the Hilltoppers gave the Sycamores a 2-2 split in four games played as part of the event. ISU dropped its opener in the NIT at LSU then rebounded with a victory over Milwaukee. The Sycamores fell to Coastal Carolina in Bowling Green, Ky., before the dramatic victory against the Hilltoppers.

Dwayne Lathan Named MVC Newcomer Of The Week:
Indiana State sophomore Dwayne Lathan was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week following his standout performances this past week against LSU and Milwaukee in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tipoff as well a home contest versus Colorado State as part of the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge. Lathan paced the team by averaging 14.7 ppg and was also the team's leading rebounder with a 5.3 average. Lathan was perfect from the field against LSU and Milwaukee, hitting all 10 of his field goal attempts. He ended the three-game stretch with a blazing 76.2 field goal percentage, hitting 16-of-21 shots. He was 1-for-3 from 3-point range. Lathan also was effective at the free throw line, hitting 11-of-14, for a 78.6 percentage. He added four assists, a blocked shot and a pair of steals. He led ISU to a 65-60 victory over Colorado State by scoring 18 points, including a trio of highlight reel dunks in transition. Lathan posted 14 points against Milwaukee and had 12 points, all in the second half against LSU.

Stepping Up To The Challenge:
Indiana State did its part for its league in the inaugural Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge as the Sycamores downed Colorado State 65-60 at Hulman Center. All nine of the Mountain West Conference schools will face off against a predetermined member of the MVC with the exception of Evansville. The MVC won the inaugural Challenge this year by a 5-4 margin, capped by a win by Northern Iowa over Wyoming last week.

Best Shooting Performance In Five Seasons:
Indiana State connected on 30-of-52 field goals in the 76-63 victory against Milwaukee. That performance equates to a 57.7 percent mark. The 57.7 percent showing is the best by an Indiana State state team since they hit 59.6 percent from the field in January of 2004 against Drake.

Local Flavor Of Team To Get Some Seasoning:
All four of Indiana State's incoming freshmen are expected to redshirt this season. Jake Odum, a native of Terre Haute, along with RJ Mahurin (Rockville, Ind.,) and Logan & Lucas Eitel (nearby Marshall, Ill.) will all sit out their initial seasons in the program and take a redshirt season. Subject to change as the season progresses, the four local student-athletes will push the total to of six freshmen to redshirt in head coach Kevin McKenna's three seasons. Jordan Printy redshirted during the 2007-08 campaign while Koang Doluony took a redshirt season last year and made his Sycamore debut on Friday against Nebraska-Kearney.

Sycamore Signees:
Indiana State inked three student-athletes to national letters of intent as part of the NCAA Early Signing Period. Steve McWhorter, Myles Walker and Jake Kitchell comprised the Sycamores' 2009 Signing Class.

McWhorter, a 6-2, 185, point guard from Racine, Wis., won a Division 3 state championship last season at Saint Catherines High School as he averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 assists and shot 57.6 percent from the field for coach Bob Letsch. McWhorter took over as the starter at point guard when he was a sophomore. As a junior, he was on a team with nine seniors, and his talent shined in the state tournament. He had 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a 48-34 state championship victory against La Crosse Aquinas. In the state semifinals, McWhorter had nine points and nine assists.

"Steve McWhorter is first and foremost a leader," McKenna commented. "He is a very quick, aggressive point guard whose strengths are passing, ability to penetrate and defense. He continues to improve as a shooter and he has experience playing for a quality championship caliber program. He had a great summer and is working hard this fall as well. He will fill a need for us with the graduation of Harry Marshall and Rashad Reed next season. We feel very strong about the abilities he is going to be able to bring right away into the program."

Walker is a 6-8, 250, junior college post player from South Plains Junior College who averaged 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds, while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent (32 for 83) from the free-throw line as a freshman last season for coach Steve Green. Walker's best game was a 24-point, 13-rebound performance on Jan. 1. He averaged 1.0 blocks per game with a season-high of five, and he twice had three steals in a game.

At Antonian College Prep in San Antonio, Texas he played for head coach Andre Walker. Myles was named to the all-state team three times and all-district four times. He was once named to the North-South All-Star tournament. As a middle linebacker for the football team Myles earned all-state recognition three times and played in the Army All-American Bowl. He also ran track, boasting a time of 48.07 seconds in the 400 meter dash.

"Myles Walker is a good post player prospect," McKenna said. "He plays the game with a physical presence especially on defense. Myles is an extremely athletic player who can score around the basket. His physical presence was one of the things that attracted us to Myles because that is something that I feel we need to improve on. He has been very well coached in high school and at the junior college levels and that also was a key factor in his recruitment."

Kitchell is a 6-9, 225, power forward from Union Mills, Ind., and played for coach John Steinhilber at South Central High School. Kitchell averaged 20 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and six blocks per game for a team that finished the 2008-09 season with a record of 17-5. He is expected to be a first team all-state selection later this month in the upcoming edition of the annual Hoosier Basketball Magazine. He was a member of the Indiana Junior All-Stars last spring.

"Jake Kitchell is a inside/outside post player that will remind those that watch our games of Jay Tunnell," McKenna commented. "He is a tough, physical player that can shoot from the perimeter well. He comes from both a winning high school and AAU program (SYF). He has put up some big numbers in several categories and we are looking forward to having him join the program next season."

Preseason Valley Predictions:
The Indiana State basketball team has been picked to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll as announced today by the league office. Additionally, senior Harry Marshall and junior transfer Jake Kelly were named Preseason All-MVC Honorable Mention selections in the annual vote of conference head coaches, media and sports information directors.

The Sycamores' seventh place predicted finish is its highest since the 2001-02 campaign when Indiana State was picked to finish third. Last season, ISU won six of its final seven regular season contests to finish with an 11-21 record, including winning three MVC road contests in the span of ten days. Indiana State captured the league's No. 8 seed at the State Farm MVC Tournament and downed Drake in the opening round before being nipped in the waning moments against eventual league champion Northern Iowa, 71-67, in the tournament quarterfinals.

UNI is picked to repeat as the league's champion with 38 first place votes (389 points) and are followed by the only other team to garner a first place tally, Creighton (336). Picked to finish third is Illinois State (299), followed by Southern Illinois (272), Wichita State (216), Bradley (208), Indiana State (173), Drake (105), Missouri State (92) and Evansville (55).

Marshall was an All-MVC Honorable Mention selection at the end of last season after leading the team with a 13.6 ppg average. Kelly will make his Sycamore debut this season after earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention status last year before transferring from Iowa.

Up Next:
The Sycamores conclude an early MVC season two-game roadswing at Bradley on Wednesday, January 6. Tip-off is slated for 8:05 p.m. (ET) and can be heard live in the Wabash Valley on The Crock 92.7 FM as well as online at GoSycamores.com.