Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release #9

Jan. 10, 2005

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Following a busy first week of the Horizon League schedule that featured 12 League games, the second will be relatively light with only seven on tap, culminating with four games this Saturday, Jan. 15.


UW-Green Bay (10-3, 3-0), which has won five straight games, enters the second full week of League play as the only undefeated team. The Phoenix will host Cleveland State in the lone game Tuesday, Jan. 11, and then meet downstate rival UW-Milwaukee (9-4, 3-1) Saturday, Jan. 15, at Milwaukee in a battle of two of the top three teams in the League. Riding a three-game winning streak, the Panthers enter the week tied with Wright State (8-7, 3-1) for second place. The UWGB-UWM game will be broadcast on Fox Sports North and Fox Sports Chicago as the Horizon League Game of the Week.


Prior to Saturday's showdown, UW-Milwaukee will play at Youngstown State (3-11, 1-4) Wednesday, Jan. 12. Butler (5-7, 0-2) will travel to Loyola (3-11, 1-3) on Thursday, Jan. 13, in the only other mid-week game as the Bulldogs look for their first Horizon League win of the season.


Saturday's schedule also includes Wright State at Loyola, Butler at Detroit (5-8, 2-1) and Cleveland State (4-7, 1-2) at UIC (7-7, 2-2) in Horizon League action as well as Youngstown State at IPFW (3-12).



Cleveland State Ends Horizon League Losing Streak: With its 78-62 victory over Youngstown State Jan. 8, Cleveland State ended a 23-game Horizon League regular-season losing streak and a 25-game skid to League opponents including postseason tournament games. The Vikings, who went 0-16 in Horizon League play last season, had not won a game against a League foe, since beat Youngstown State 86-76 on Feb. 13, 2003. The win also the first against a League opponent for CSU head coach Mike Garland, who took over the Vikings program prior to the 2003-04 season and was 0-19 prior to Saturday's victory.



UWM's Pearl Notches 300th Career Win: UW-Milwaukee head coach Bruce Pearl recorded his 300th career win in the Panthers' 73-56 victory over Loyola Jan. 8 at U.S. Cellular Arena. With the win, he becomes the second-fastest current Division I head coach to reach the mark, doing so in just his 382nd career game. Among active coaches, only Roy Williams of Kansas and North Carolina was quicker to 300 wins. Pearl is 69-36 in his fourth season at UWM after going 231-46 in nine years at the University of Southern Indiana with one Division II national title to his credit.



UIC Boasts Nation's Fourth-Toughest Non-Conference Schedule: UIC (7-7), the defending Horizon League Tournament champion, owns the nation's fourth-toughest non-conference schedule this season, according to rpiratings.com. The Flames' seven Division I non-League opponents enter the week with a combined record of 51-24 (.680). They have defeated Illinois State (10-5), UNC Wilmington (7-5) and Pennsylvania (4-6) while losing to Georgia Tech (11-2), Bowling Green (9-2), Duke (11-0) and DePaul (9-4). The three toughest non-conference schedules belong to Coppin State (3-10), Temple (5-6) and Kansas (11-0). As a conference, the Horizon League boasts the fifth-toughest out-of-conference schedule among the 31 Division I conferences.



Phoenix Rolls along To Start League Play: With three Horizon League wins last week, UW-Green Bay extended its winning streak to five games and continued to show the ability to win close games. In that stretch, the Phoenix has won by margins six, eight, two (in overtime) and seven points. The first four games of the string were at home, including a pair of wins to capture their own Oneida Bingo and Casino Classic. Balance has also been a key for Green Bay as four players average in double figures, led by sophomore forward Josh Lawrence (12.8 ppg), and three others average 5.9 points per game or better.



Panthers Avenging 2004 Road Pitfalls: Included in UW-Milwaukee's 3-1 Horizon League start are wins at UIC (75-67) and Butler (71-68, ot), which were the sites of two of the Panthers' three losses during their 13-3 run to the League regular-season title a year ago. If UWM wins at Youngstown State this Wednesday (Jan. 12), the Panthers will have avenged all three of their defeats from last season.



UWM's McCants Nets 38 To Take Over League Scoring Lead: Senior guard Ed McCants of UW-Milwaukee scored a career-high 38 points on 9-of-17 three-point shooting in a 76-68 loss to Detroit Jan. 3 to take over the Horizon League scoring lead and is now averaging 17 points per game. Last season he ranked fourth with 17.1 per contest behind teammate Dylan Page who topped the League with 20.9. A preseason all-League pick, McCants also averages a League-best 3.38 three-pointers per game.



Loyola's Schilb Fills in Fine: Since leading scorer DaJuan Gouard was sidelined by a knee injury six games ago, Loyola sophomore forward Blake Schilb has emerged as the Ramblers' "go-to" player. In those half-dozen games, Schilb is averaging 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game and become one of the League's top boxscore fillers. He has scored at least 16 points in each of the games, including three of 21 points or more with a high of 25. Schilb ranks second in the Horizon League with 15.6 points per game and is tops with 20.5 in Leaugue games only.



Westley Double-Dipping with Regularity: Double-doubles have become commonplace this season for Cleveland State senior forward Omari Westley. He has six in 11 games played and no other Horizon League player has more than two. For the season, he is averaging a League-leading 9.3 rebounds per game -- nearly two better than second-ranked Adrian Tigert of UW-Milwaukee (7.5 rpg) -- as he bids for his second straight League rebounding title. Westley also ranks sixth in the League with 14.8 points per game.



Banks Cashing in for UIC: UIC senior guard Cedrick Banks, the Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year, moved from shooting guard to point guard last week and responded by leading the Flames to three wins to even their overall record at 7-7. In his first week at the point, he averaged four assists per game with a career-best six at Loyola. For the season, Banks ranks fourth in the League with 15 points per game, including 18 per contest, in conference outings, and scored a career-best 34 against Detroit Dec. 30.



Wood, Schilb Are Triple Stat Threats: Sophomores DaShaun Wood of Wright State and Blake Schilb of Loyola are the only two Horizon League players to rank among the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and assists, Wood, a 6-foot guard, is third in scoring (15.3 ppg), tied for fifth in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and fifth in assists (4.13 apg), while Schilb, a 6-foot-7 forward ranks second in scoring (15.6 ppg), ninth in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and sixth in assists (3.17 apg).



Cotton Not Soft in Titans Debut: Since becoming eligible in mid-December, Detroit sophomore Brandon Cotton has led the Titans to a 3-2 record after they had opened the season 2-6. Cotton, a 6-foot guard, came to UDM following one semester at Michigan State a year ago. He currently is averaging 17.2 points per game, including a high of 27, which would lead the Horizon League if he met minimums to be ranked. As a high school senior, he was a McDonald's and Parade All-American after averaging 26.7 points and 4.3 assists in leading Detroit's DePorres High to the Class C championship.



Balanced Scoring Drives Phoenix: Balanced scoring has been a key to UW-Green Bay's 10-4 start as four players are averaging double figures in points and rank among the top 17 in the Horizon League. Leading the way is sophomore forward Josh Lawrence, who ranks ninth in the HL with 12.8 points per game, followed by Benito Flores (11th, 11.6 ppg), Matt Rhode (14th, 11.0) and Javier Mendiburu (17th, 10.7).



Raiders' Wood Knocking on Success' Door: Sophomore DaShaun Wood, a Preseason Second-Team All-League pick, has been a one-man wrecking crew for Wright State so far this season. He ranks third in the Horizon League in scoring with 15.3 points per game, including 16 or more points in nine of the Raiders' 15 games. Wood, a 6-foot point guard, also ranks fifth in rebounding (6.0 rpg), fifth in assists (4.13 apg), second in steals (1.8 spg), sixth in field-goal percentage (.519) and 15th in free-throw percentage (.694). Three weeks ago, he had a career-high 13 rebounds against Miami (Ohio) and then a career-best 29 points versus Akron.



Butler's Sheets Shines after Surgery: Despite having an emergency appendectomy Nov. 4, Butler junior guard Avery Sheets missed only one exhibition game and has averaged 31 minutes per game this season for the 5-7 Bulldogs. A Preseason Second-Team All-League selection, he is averaging 8.8 points per game and boasts a League-leading assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.06 with 55 assists (4.58 apg) and only 18 turnovers.



Horan Means `Three' for Butler: After making 96 three-pointers last season, Butler junior guard Bruce Horan has become one of the top long-range shooters in the country this year. He currently ranks second in the Horizon League in three-pointers made (3.08 pg) and third in three-point percentage (.411, 37-of-90). In fact, Horan, who has attempted only four two-pointers this season, has hit at least two three-pointers in 10 of 12 games and nailed five on three occasions.



Green Bay's Mendiburu Triples His Pleasure: After becoming the first UW-Green Bay player in school history to register a triple-double last season, senior guard Javier Mendiburu may accomplish the feat again this season. He already has had a point-rebound double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds vs. IUPUI) and a point-assist double-double (11 points, 14 assists vs. Weber State). For the season, the Badalona, Spain, native is averaging 10.7 points, a League-leading 6.45 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.



Williams Returns for Flames: UIC senior forward Armond Williams, a Preseason First-Team All-League honoree, made his season debut in the Flames' loss to UW-Milwaukee Dec. 4, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench. He missed the first four games while finishing coursework for his degree in movement studies. Williams averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season and was named the Horizon League Tournament MVP after leading the Flames to the tourney title.



Road Trippin': Cleveland State's win over Youngstown State Jan. 8 was its only home game in a 10-game stretch that began Dec. 18 and concludes later this month. The nine road contests will span six different states in three different time zones over a 35-day span. The driving distance of the trek would cover 8,866 miles. The Vikings, however, will end the regular season with eight of their final 10 games at home.



Collins Breaks UIC Wins Record: UIC's 76-67 victory at UNC Wilmington Dec. 12 was the 134th of Flames head coach Jimmy Collins' career, making him the winningest coach in the school's history (138-116) in his ninth year at the school. He surpassed his immediate predecessor Bob Hallberg, who posted a record of 133-129 from 1987-96.



NBA Brother Connections: Loyola freshman guard Pierre Parker of Lisle, Ill., is the younger brother of San Antonio Spurs all-star Tony Parker Jr. and Northwestern University sophomore point guard T.J. Parker. Detroit sophomore forward Muhammad Abdur-Rahim of Marietta, Ga., is the younger brother of eight-year NBA veteran Sharif Abdur-Rahim of the Portland Trail Blazers.



Youngstown State Game Goes Four Overtimes: Youngstown State played four overtimes against Siena Dec. 15 before succumbing to the Saints 79-78. It was the longest game at home in the Penguins' history and the second-longest overall to a six-overtime loss at Gannon (71-69) on Feb. 28, 1966. Both Jon Mends and Derrick Harris played more than 50 minutes against Siena.



NIT Pickin': Wright State's 72-66 overtime victory at Tulsa in the first round of the Preseason NIT Nov. 19 marked the first win by a Horizon League team in the tournament since former member Xavier defeated Louisville 85-83 in 1988. Following the Tulsa game, the Raiders faced #10/11 Arizona on the road, losing 83-66.

Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week - Jan. 10

Ed McCants
UW-Milwaukee
Guard
Senior
Marion, Ohio

Ed McCants of UW-Milwaukee has been named the Horizon League Player of the Week for Jan. 10.


McCants, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, averaged 24.7 points per game and shot 48 percent (15-of-31) from three-point range as the Panthers went 2-1during the week.


He scored a career-high 38 points Jan. 3 in a 76-68 loss to Detroit, hitting 9-of-17 three-pointers while adding four steals. In a 71-68 overtime win at Butler Jan. 6, he then had 12 points and five steals before ending the week with a game-best 24 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc in a 73-56 victory over crosstown rival Loyola Jan. 8.


McCants currently leads the Horizon League with 17 points and 3.38 three-pointers per game.

Other Top Horizon League Performers - Jan. 10

Cedrick Banks
UIC, Senior, Guard, Chicago, Ill.


Banks averaged 13.3 points, four assists, 3.3 rebounds and two steals per game as UIC won all three of its games to even its record at 7-7. After scoring 12 points at Youngstown State, he had 10 points, four rebounds and career-high six assists against Loyola. In non-conference action, he helped the Flames beat Pennsylvania with 18 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Brandon Cotton
Detroit, Sophomore, Guard, Detroit, Mich.


Cotton averaged 12 points, five assists and 2.5 rebounds per game in a 1-1 week for Detroit. He had 11 points, 5 rebounds and five assists in the Titans' 76-68 victory over UW-Milwaukee and then had 13 points and five assists in a loss at Wright State on the Fox Sports Net Horizon League Game of the Week.

Quin Humphrey
Youngstown State, Sophomore, Guard, Ellenwood, Ga.


Humphrey averaged 11.7 points, six rebounds and 3.3 assists per game for Youngstown State, which went 0-3 during the week. In the week's finale against Cleveland State, he had 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists after scoring 11 points against UIC and 12 versus UW-Green Bay.

Brandon Polk
Butler, Junior, Forward, Wichita, Kan.


Polk averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in a pair of Butler losses during the week. He scored a career-high 16 points in a 71-68 overtime loss to UW-Milwaukee and then bettered that mark against League-leading UW-Green Bay with 17 points plus eight rebounds.

Matt Rhode
UW-Green Bay, Senior, Guard, Weyauwega, Wis.


Rhode averaged 14 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent (8-of-16) from three-point range as UW-Green Bay won all three of its games and owns sole possession of first place. With a 20-point outing against Wright State, he became the 18th player in Phoenix history to score 1,000 career points He also netted 16 versus Youngstown State, hitting 3-of-3 three-point attempts.

Blake Schilb
Loyola, Sophomore, Forward, Rantoul, Ill.


Schilb averaged 19 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for Loyola, which went 1-2 during the week. He had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists in a win over Cleveland State to start the week and then scored 19 points against UIC and 22 versus UW-Milwaukee.

Omari Westley
Cleveland State, Senior, Forward, Cleveland, Ohio


Westley averaged 18 points and 9.7 rebounds per game last week as Cleveland State went 1-2, ending a 23-game Horizon League regular-season losing streak with a 78-62 victory over Youngstown State Jan. 8. Against the Penguins, he scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He also had a pair of double-doubles with 16 points and 10 rebounds at Loyola and 18 points and 11 rebounds against Wright State.

Zach Williams
Wright State, Senior, Forward, New York, N.Y.


Williams averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and two assists per game as Wright State came within a two-point overtime loss of going 3-0. He opened the week with 14 points in a 73-71 overtime defeat at undefeated UW-Green Bay and then had 19 points and five rebounds against Cleveland State, followed by 10 points and five rebounds versus Detroit on the Fox Sports Net Horizon League Game of the Week. For the week, he shot 54 percent (21-of-39) from the field.