Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
Setting The Stage:
Indiana State continues year three of the Kevin McKenna era on Sunday, January 10 when the Sycamores host Evansville. Tip-off is slated for 1:37 p.m. (ET) at Hulman Center. The game will be televised as part of the MVC TV package. Tom Ackerman & Charlie Spoonhour will call the action for television. On the radio airwaves, the game will be live on The Crock 92.7 FM as well as online at GoSycamores.com. Brian Fritz & Matt Renn will call the action live on the radio broadcast. There will be no video Web stream.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Kevin McKenna (Creighton '93) is in his third season as the head coach at Indiana State (36-41 at ISU & 126-74 overall). 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 2-2 against Evansville, including a 1-1 mark at Hulman Center.
Marty Simmons (Evansville '88) As a player and as a coach, Marty Simmons has turned programs into winners. Last season was his latest example, transforming a 9-21 team into a 17-game winner and leading the Purple Aces to the CollegeInsider.com Post-Season Tournament. The 2008-09 Aces achieved their best winning percentage since 2000, and their first postseason appearance since 1999, when Simmons was an assistant coach with the Aces. Simmons' work last season was reflected in voting for the 2009 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year award. He finished third in the balloting, trailing only the two coaches who led their teams to the MVC co-championship.
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's game marks the historic 150th all-time meeting between Indiana State and Evansville. ISU has faced off against the Purple Aces more than any other opponent in the history of the program. The Sycamores hold a 75-74 advantage in the all-time series. At home, ISU is 48-26 against Evansville.
TELEVISION PARTICULARS
Sunday's game is Live at 1:30 p.m. Fox Sports Midwest ; Live at 1:30 p.m. Fox Sports Indiana (channel 35 on Time Warner Cable); Live at 1:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet Chicago; Live at 1:30 p.m. on DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Network Channel 418 and AT&T U-verse Channel 748.
A Little History:
Indiana State is currently in its 114th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,340-1,137 all-time on the hardwood. The Sycamores are 22 contests away from playing their historic 2,500th game in the history of the program.
The Reedy River:
Indiana State senior Rashad Reed helped propel the Sycamores to a 2-1 start in league play with a pair of big games in victories last week. Reed set a season-high for points in a game with 18 against Creighton and hit three second half 3-pointers to score 11 points in the road win over Drake. Reed began the week with seven points against Southern Illinois, hitting all four of free throw attempts. He went on to connect on a team season-best seven field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers to lead the team in points versus the Bluejays and finished off the week by hitting a trio of 3-pointers with four rebounds at Drake. Reed tied for the team lead with 12 points per game over the three-game conference opening stretch. Reed was 6-of-17 from the 3-point line and was 6-of-7 at the charity stripe over the course of the week. He averaged 3.7 rebounds per game as well.
Better Lathan Than Never:
Indiana State sophomore Dwayne Lathan tied for the team lead with a 12.0 ppg average as the Sycamores took two games out of their first three in league play. Lathan also came from the guard position to lead the team with 4.7 rebounds per game. He reached double figures scoring in all three of this week's games and has now accomplished that feat in seven consecutive contests. Lathan began play with an 11 point game at Southern Illinois and the followed it up with 13 points, hitting 9-of-12 shots from the free throw line to get ISU's first league victory over Creighton and then scored 12 at Drake. For the week, Lathan connected on 11-of-26 shots from the field (42.3 percent) and added 2.0 assists per game.
Ending Road Frustration A Theme In 2010:
Indiana State broke a nine-game road losing streak to Drake with its 60-46 victory at the Knapp Center on Sunday evening. ISU had not won at Drake since the 1999-2000 campaign when the Sycamores reached the NCAA Tournament that year. The nine-game skid versus the Bulldogs was the third-longest for the Sycamores behind a now 12-gamer at Bradley and an 11-gamer at Creighton.
Call Him Double Digit Dwayne:
After sitting out the season opener against Nebraska-Kearney, ISU sophomore Dwayne Lathan has reached double figures scoring 12 of the 14 games he has participated in. He posted 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 continued with his 13 point showing on New Year's Day against Creighton and stood at seven with his 12 points of production at Drake. The streak ended with his four points at Bradley, a game he only played 13 minutes of in because of a pair of injuries. He leads ISU with a 13.1 ppg average and is also the Sycamores' top rebounder with 5.2 caroms per contest.
"10-4" Good Buddy!:
The Sycamores won 10 of their first 14 games to start the season. ISU didn't post its10th victory until the final regular season contest against Missouri State last year. The last time the Sycamores started a season with as hot a start as this one came in 2005-06 when ISU began that campaign with a 10-4 record as well.
Three In Double Figures Equals Sycamore Success:
Indiana State has had a least three players reach double digit scoring in eight contests this season. When the Sycamores are able to accomplish that feat they have been unbeatable, as ISU is a perfect 7-1 in such situations. Below are the contests in which ISU has placed at least three scorers in double digits, along with a note of how many scorers actually scored more than 10 points and what the final score of the contest was. ISU is averaging a10.6 point margin of victory when the Sycamores post at least three double digit scorers.
Opponent Number Of Double Digit Scorers Final Score
Nebraska-Kearney Five (Marshall, Printy, Kelly, Reed, Carter) 88-58
vs. Milwaukee Four (Reed, Marshall,Kelly, Lathan) 76-63
Colorado State Three (Marshall, Kelly, Lathan) 65-60
at Arkansas State Four (Richard, Leitnaker, Marshall, Kelly) 77-72
at Toledo Three (Richard, Kelly, Lathan) 55-54
Creighton Three (Reed, Lathan, Marshall) 70-64
at Drake Three (Lathan, Reed, Marshall) 60-46
at Bradley Four (Richard, Reed, Marshall, Printy) 85-91 (ot)
Carl Richard Post First Double Double of the Year:
Carl Ricahrd scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the 91-85 overtime road loss at Bradley to post Indiana State's first double-double of the season. Richard was 5-of-8 from the field, including a 3-pointer. It marked Indiana State's first double-double since Richard posted one himself at Missouri State last season. In that contest, Richard had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Long Range Success Against Bradley:
Indiana State knocked down a season-best 16 3-pointers at Bradley earlier this week, which is the most for an Indiana State team since knocking down a school-record 18 against Arizona State in 1988. The 16 3-pointers were the most ever against a Bradley opponent and the most by an opposing team ever in Carver Arena.
The Chairmen Of The Boards:
Indiana State and the opposition are in a near dead heat in the rebounding battle for the season as opponents have pulled down 520 misses while ISU has controlled 513 caroms. It is a decisive advantage for ISU when they lead in the battle of the boards at the Sycamores are a perfect 8-0 in contests in which they control the rebounding statistics.
Best Defensive Performance In A Year At Drake:
The Indiana State defense clamped down in the final 10 minutes at Drake and held the Bulldogs to just 46 points, which is Drake's lowest offensive production at home this season. The 46 point defensive gym turned in by the Sycamores marks the first time that the Sycamores have held an opponent to less than 50 points since Jan. 23, 2008 when ISU held Evansville to just 42 points.
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 performances 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 following 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.
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 76.2 percentage from the charity stripe. ISU has hit 230-of-302 while the Shockers are 248-of-325. ISU currently ranks 13th 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.
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 so far.
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.
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."
Up Next:
Indiana State stays at home to face off against Wichita State on Wednesday, January 13. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. (ET). The game can be seen live locally on WTWO-TV as well as on the radio on The Crock 92.7 FM. Online the game can be found live on GoSycamores.com.
