#HLMBB News & Notes (Nov. 11)

News notes from around Horizon League men's basketball.

Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (Nov. 11, 2013)

Upcoming Games
• Horizon League teams will play seven teams receiving votes or appearing in the top 25 this week:
       - Oakland will face three such teams, traveling to #24/24 UCLA, #--/rv California and #15/15 Gonzaga in the span of five days.
       - Detroit opens the 2k Classic benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project on Tuesday, heading to #19/20 Connecticut.
       - Wednesday will see Wright State head to #rv/rv Georgetown, which recently returned from South Korea, while Valparaiso will take assistant coach Roger Powell back to his old stomping grounds when it meets #--/rv Illinois.
       - Green Bay will welcome #20/19 Wisconsin to a soldout Resch Center on Saturday. Outside of Wisconsin, the game will be available on the Horizon League Network and ESPN3.
• Multi-team events begin in earnest this week:
       - Oakland’s trips to Cal and Gonzaga are part of the Maui Invitational, of which the Golden Grizzlies are part of the Mainland edition.
       - Milwaukee will take part in the NIU Invitational, meeting San Jose State, James Madison and Northern Illinois.
       - Wright State will open the CBE Hall of Fame Classic at DePaul on Saturday.
       - Cleveland State will head to Texas-Arlington and Eastern Michigan as part of the Keightly Classic.

The Week That Was
• Valparaiso raised its 2013 Horizon League regular season and tournament championship banners, along with its NCAA banner to the ARC before holding off Murray State, 77-74.
• Youngstown State captured the Kennesaw State Tournament, going 3-0 with wins over Kennesaw State (73-57), Florida International (74-72) and Eastern Kentucky (75-67).
• Cleveland State overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to rally past visiting Iona, 73-69, on Saturday. The Vikings trailed by 12 points with 8 minutes to play.
• Green Bay and Wright State both opened the season with wins over non-Division I competition.

League Notes
• The Horizon League is building off a 2012-13 season that saw a record six teams earn postseason bids.  Valparaiso represented the conference in the NCAA Tournament, while Detroit each went to the NIT. UIC, Youngstown State and Green Bay all played in the CIT, with the Flames and Penguins collecting the programs’ first postseason wins. Wright State reached the semifinals of the CBI.
• Continuing to be a pioneer in athletics streaming, the Horizon League Network returns for its eighth year. As always, streams originating from League venues will be free and in HD. Games can be found on HorizonLeague.com.

Cleveland State Vikings (1-0) -- at San Francisco (11/13), at Texas-Arlington (11/15)
• Cleveland State won its fourth straight season opener, the longest streak in school history. The Vikings rallied from a 15 point halftime deficit to win its season opener over Iona, 73-69, outscoring the Gaels in the second half, 44-25.
• Sophomore Anton Grady had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his first game back from last year’s knee injury. Grady earned a repeat selection to Sports Illustrated’s “Breakout Sophomore Formula” team, as compiled by Luke Winn.
• Sophomore Bryn Forbes scored a game-high 22 points in the win over Iona, his fifth career 20-point game.
• Trey Lewis, who sat out last year after transferring from Penn State, had a strong CSU debut with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
• Cleveland State was one of two Horizon League programs to take part in a foreign tour in the offseason. The Vikings went 5-0 against competition in Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Forbes averaged 22.8 points per game across the trip.
• Effective field-goal percentage defense has been a telling stat during Waters’ tenure. When the Vikings have held opponents to a 47.7-percent mark or worse, they have finished with four 20-plus win seasons, going a combined 96-44. When the mark has been above 51.3 percent, the Vikings have gone 40-56.

Detroit Titans (0-1) -- UM-Dearborn (11/11, HLN), at #19/20 Connecticut (11/14, ESPN3)
• Despite falling at South Alabama, 74-58, Detroit managed to corral 51 rebounds, the most for the program since grabbing 50 against Concordia in 2011.
• The Titans also recorded seven blocked shots in the game which is the most during a single game since playing Toledo in 2012.
• Juwan Howard, Jr., tallied his first career double-double in the loss, leading the team in scoring with 18 points and grabbing 11 boards.
• Youth dots the Detroit roster, with senior Evan Bruinsma and junior Juwan Howard, Jr., representing the bulk of minutes returning to the Titans. Of the 2,065 minutes returning to the Titans (31.3 percent of last year’s minutes), Bruinsma and Howard account for 72.3 percent of that court time (1,492 minutes).
• After Ray McCallum became the first Detroit Titan taken in the NBA Draft (2nd Round, 36th overall) since Willie Green, the Titans will turn to a trio of possible point guards, including Michigan transfer Carlton Brundidge.
• In each of head coach Ray McCallum’s five seasons, Detroit’s adjusted offensive efficiency has increased, moving from 88.8 (324th nationally) in 2008-09 to 112.5 (23rd) last season.
• McCallum is the fourth player from the Horizon League to be selected into the NBA Draft since 2010, joining Gordon Hayward (Utah), Norris Cole (Miami via Chicago) and Shelvin Mack (Washington).

Green Bay Phoenix (1-0) -- #20/19 Wisconsin (11/16, HLN, ESPN3)
• The Phoenix blocked nine shots in its 71-49 win over Northern Michigan, tied for the fifth most in program history.
• Sophomore Jordan Fouse blocked three shots, extending his streak to 24 consecutive games with a blocked shot.
• Fouse also led the team in rebounding with 10, extending his streak of games with 5 or more rebounds to 20-straight. Last year, Fouse became the first freshman to lead the Horizon League in rebounding since 1996, breaking the program’s freshman records for rebounds and steals in a season and landing on both the conference’s All-Newcomer and All-Defensive teams.
• Green Bay was one of two teams, along with Cleveland State, to go on a foreign tour in the offseason. The Phoenix went 3-0 in its trip to the Bahamas, playing without Alec Brown. In his stead, Keifer Sykes scored 20 or more points in all three Bahamas contests, including 26 each in the final two wins to average 24 points per game.
• Green Bay is the lone team returning multiple all-league honorees from the 2012-13 season. Sykes (first team) and Brown (second team) form the Phoenix’s potent inside-outside combination. The duo begins this season with a combined 2,092 career points.
• Brown, who competed at the adidas Nations camp in the offseason, will be in a group by himself as the nation’s only active player with 1,200-plus points, 600-plus rebounds and 200-plus blocks. The 7-foot-1 versatile post player is only the second player in Horizon League history to accumulate those career numbers and is on pace to be the first league player to finish his career with 1,500 points, 750 rebounds and 250 blocks.
• Fouse, Brown and Greg Mays were among the reasons Green Bay was one of the stingiest rebounding teams in the country, allowing the opposition an offensive rebound on just 26.9 percent of chances, ranking 15th nationally.

Milwaukee Panthers (0-1) -- at Davidson (11/11, ESPN3), at NIU Invitational (11/15-17)
• Continuing its road trip, Milwaukee will play at Davidson before spending the weekend in DeKalb, Ill., at the NIU Invitational. In total, the Panthers are playing 18 of their 30 games this season outside of Milwaukee. Every other Horizon League team is playing at least 14 home games and everyone besides UIC is playing 15 or 16.
• Friday’s starting lineup included two newcomers and no player that has been on the active roster for more than one season. The five players had previously combined for 53 total starts in Panther uniforms.
• Playing his first game at Division I, Matt Tiby put for the best debut offensive performance since Paige Paulsen scored 27 points in 2006-07 opener. Tiby is also the first Panther to score 20 or more in season opener since 2009-10.
• Milwaukee announced this summer it will be returning its home games to the U.S. Cellular Arena. The University and the Wisconsin Center District have signed a five-year agreement that puts the Panthers back downtown after a one-year absence. Before moving to the on-campus Klotsche Center this past year, Milwaukee had played nearly all of its home games downtown since the 2003-04 campaign.
• Eight newcomers dot the Milwaukee roster. Tiby practiced with Panthers for second semester last season, while Trinson White and JeVon Lyle both transferred from the junior college ranks. However, it may be the addition of Steve McWhorter that solidifies the back court.
• The Panthers will hope for more consistency and health this season. Milwaukee struggled with injuries and lineup changes throughout the 2012-13 season en route to an 8-24 mark. Twelve different players started at least one game for Milwaukee, with eight of those players making their first collegiate starts during the year. Five players who started games during the year also missed time due to injury.
• As a result, several young Milwaukee players saw significant minutes last year. Redshirt freshman J.J. Panoske made 16 starts and averaged 5.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. True freshman Austin Arians started three times but made his biggest impact off the bench. He finished fourth on the team in scoring at 6.6 points per game.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies (0-1) -- at #24/24 UCLA (Pac-12), at #--/rv Cal (Pac-12), at #15/15 Gonzaga
• The Golden Grizzlies will play three nationally-ranked teams in their first four games, all on the road. After facing No. 22 UCLA, the Grizzlies will face Cal on Friday (11/15) and then head to No. 14 Gonzaga for a game on Sunday (11/17). The Golden Grizzlies have faced a ranked opponent in every season except one (2005-06), posting an overall record of 2-31.
• Oakland joins the Horizon League after 14 seasons in the Summit League. The Golden Grizzlies took three Summit League Tournament titles and have played in a postseason tournament in five consecutive seasons. Oakland is 22-47 all-time versus Horizon League opponents, going 1-1 against the conference last season.
• Duke Mondy matched his career high with six steals, adding 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. He is coming off a nation’s-best 3.03 steals per game last year. In his previous stop at Providence, Monday led the Big East in steals during his sophomore season with 59. Monday was the Summit League Newcomer of the Year in 2012-13.
• Oakland made eight 3-pointers in the season opener and pushed its streak to 770 straight games with at least one shot made behind the arc. That streak is No. 7 in the country.
• Travis Bader made four triples in his first game and pushed his streak to 54 consecutive games with at least one triple. Bader scored a team-high 18 points to move into 11th all-time on the OU scoring list with 1,668 points. He advanced past former NBA player Rawle Marshall and Mid-Major All-American Johnathon Jones.
• Oakland will play fast. In the past four years, the Golden Grizzlies have played at an adjusted tempo no slower than 69.7 possessions per game.
• Bader will take aim at J.J. Redick’s all-time 3-point record this season. Bader, who knocked down a school-record 139 3-pointers in 2012-13, sits 97 from breaking Redick’s NCAA record.

UIC Flames (0-1) -- Roosevelt (11/13, HLN), Eastern Illinois (11/16, HLN)
• The UIC trio of Marc Brown, Kelsey Barlow and Hayden Humes all reached double-digit individual point totals this past Saturday as Brown led the way with a team-high 20 points, while Barlow and Humes added 11 and 10, respectively.  The threesome combined to score 41 of the Flames’ 59 points, which computes to nearly 70 percent of UIC’s offensive sum.  That ratio hit 90 percent in the second half as Brown, Barlow and Humes netted 26 of the Flames’ 29 points in the final 20 minutes.
• Senior Kelsey Barlow, who transferred from Purdue, showed his ability to distribute the ball as he racked up a career-high seven assists against Drake last Saturday.  Seven helpers was a game-high and ties for the second-highest single-game total among Horizon League players so far this season.  Barlow’s seven assists equaled Drake’s team output as the Flames doubled the Bulldogs’ mark with 14.
• UIC is coming off an 18-win season, the most victories for the program since the 2007-08 campaign. WIth its 10-win improvement from the previous year, the Flames had the 12th-largest turnaround in the country in 2012-13.
• One of the main reasons for UIC’s jump in wins? Improved defense. The Flames posted top-100 effective field-goal percentage (46.7 - 93rd) and two-point field-goal percentage (44.8 - 74th). The previous season saw UIC rank 279th (51.8 eFG%) and 241st (49.8 2P%) in 2011-12.
• The Flames return eight letterwinners from the 2012-13 season, including starters Hayden Humes and Marc Brown. Eight newcomers (five scholarship players) join the ranks, including transfers Kelsey Barlow and Jordan Harks (Central Arkansas). Barlow averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.3 minutes per game during his junior year at Purdue, while Harks averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting a team-best 58.6 percent from the field for Central Arkansas.
• Humes and assistant coach Donnie Kirksey took part in the Global Sports Academy’s tour of Belgium, England and Holland in August. The traveling team played five games on an exhibition tour. In Belgium, the squad competed in Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges and Ghent, while also playing one contest in Amsterdam. In addition, the group took a tour of London along the way. Detroit’s Juwan Howard, Jr., was also on the team.

Valparaiso Crusaders (2-0) -- at #--/rv Illinois (BTN)
• Freshman Alec Peters was the first Valpo freshman to start a season opener since Erik Buggs and D’Andre Haskins in the 2008 opener.
• Head coach Bryce Drew becamse the quickest to 50 wins in program history (50-20) after beating Murray State, 77-74, on Friday.
• On Sunday, Valpo’s 113-50 win over North Park was the fourth largest in program history. The Crusaders shot 70.2% against North Park, their best shooting percentage in at least 20 years.
• Valpo has ranked among top-5 teams in nation in 2-point field goal perceantage in each of the last three years, besting 55 percent in all three seasons. Through two games this year, the Crusaders are hitting at 60.5-percent clip inside the arc.
• A year after returning all five starters, Valparaiso does not bring back a single starter from last season’s Horizon League championship team. Among the seniors who have moved on are a pair who have signed professional contracts: Ryan Broekhoff (Besiktas JK, Turkey) and Kevin Van Wijk (Oviedo CB, Spain).
• Of the 6,825 minutes played last year, the Crusaders return 1,649, 24.1 percent of available minutes. Among Valpo’s four returning letterwinners, LaVonte Dority, Bobby Capobianco and Jordan Coleman occupied 88.1 percent of those minutes. In all, only 22.8% of the scoring, 27.3% of the rebounding from last year’s squad return in 2013-2014.
• Valparaiso will be breaking in seven newcomers onto its roster, including Saint Louis transfer Keith Carter, who will join the program at the semester.
• A talented group of five freshmen join the Valpo program this year as well. Alec Peters finished fifth in Illinois Mr. Basketball voting in 2013, while Clay Yeo was a member of the Indiana All-Star Team. Jubril Adekoya was a Third Team All-State selection in Illinois, Nick Davidson was tabbed the NWI Times Area Player of the Year as a senior and Lexus Williams earned All-Conference honors as a senior.

Wright State Raiders (1-0) -- at #rv/rv Georgetown (11/13, FS1), at DePaul (11/16)
• In its 82-49 win over Mount St. Joseph, 10 players available to play did play with all 10 scoring. Cole Darling and Reggie Arceneaux were held out due to injury and are day-to-day.
• A year ago, Wright State returned just 36.9 percent of its scoring; this season, the team brings back 97.2 of its points from a year ago (2,171 out of 2,233). The Raiders also return 91.7 percent of its minutes from last season, turning what was one of the youngest teams in the nation a year ago into one of the most experienced squads in the country.
• Wright State is not going to play fast, typically, as its adjusted tempo have never been quicker than 63.2 possessions per game. But what the Raiders will do under Billy Donlon is force turnovers. In each of Donlon’s three years, Wright State has ranked in the top 15 nationally for defensive turnover percentage, per KenPom.com. Last year’s rate of 24.3 percent was 15th in the country.
• Wright State will welcome Chrishawn Hopkins to the rotation at the semester. Hopkins played at Butler University for two seasons, averaging 9.1 points in 37 games for the Bulldogs his sophomore year.

Youngstown State Penguins (3-0) -- Warren Wilson (11/14), at #--/rvMassachusetts (11/17)
• Senior Kendrick Perry spent most of the offseason collecting individual accolades. Among his preseason honors:
o Named Top Ten Mid-Major Point Guards to Watch in 2013-14 by MidMajorMadness.com.
o Named 2013-14 Horizon League Preseason Top Player by TheHoopsReport.com.
o Ranked #17 on Bleacher Reports Top 20 Mid-Major Stars in 2013-14.
• Sophomore Ryan Weber scored a career-high 18 points in YSU’s 73-57 win over KSU. For the week, Weber averaged 15.3 points, 5 rebounds and shot 52 percent from 3-point range.
• Weber went 11-21 from behind the arc. Last season, he made just eight 3’s.
• Senior Kamren Belin made the most of his return home, knocking down the game-winning jumper in YSU’s 74-72 overtime win versus Florida International. Belin scored nine of his 17 points in the overtime, converting a 4-point play, a 3-pointer and the game-winning 15-footer with three seconds to play.
• Under Slocum, Youngstown State has always played at one of the highest tempos in the Horizon League, last year finishing second in the conference with a 68.1 adjusted tempo. However, the Penguins have also been among the best teams in the country at ball security,  with an offensive turnover percentage in the top 32 of the nation each of the last three years.