Men's Basketball Weekly Release #10

Jan. 9, 2006

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State
Junior Guard * Ellenwood, Ga.
Humphrey earned his second Player of the Week award of the season after averaging 27 points and seven rebounds per game. The junior guard shot 68.2 percent (30-of-44) from the field including 10-of-14 behind the arc as the Penguins went 2-1 for the week. He scored 32 points with ten rebounds versus Loyola and notched his third consecutive 30-point effort with 31 points against UW-Green Bay. Humphrey added 18 at Detroit and now leads the League in both scoring and rebounding.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending January 8

A.J. Graves, Butler
Sophomore Guard * Switz City, Ind.
Graves averaged 18.5 points per game as Butler split two contests last week. He had 17 points on six-of-ten shooting from the field including three tri-lighters in the Bulldogs' victory over UIC and added 20 points in a five-point defeat at UW-Milwaukee.

Frashon McGee, Cleveland State
Senior Forward * Waterloo, Iowa
McGee scored a career-high 14 points in the Vikings' 58-55 loss to Wright State, hitting all four shots from the field (two behind the arc) and all four free throws. He also pulled down seven rebounds. McGee collected ten boards in CSU's 75-68 loss to UW-Milwaukee.

Chuck Bailey, Detroit
Senior Forward * Detroit, Mich.
Bailey averaged 15.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the Titans' three wins last week. He had his third double-double of the year with 22 points and ten rebounds versus Loyola and sparked UDM's comeback victory over Youngstown State with 15 points and eight boards.

Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Sophomore Forward * Chicago, Ill.
Jeffers posted per-game rates of 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two outings, shooting 56 percent from the field. He had a team-high 14 points plus five rebounds against Butler and tallied 11 points, six caroms, three blocks and three steals versus UW-Milwaukee.

Blake Schilb, Loyola
Junior Guard * Rantoul, Ill.
Schilb recorded norms of 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in three contests last week. He notched his sixth 20-point outing and first double-double of the year with 20 points and 11 rebounds (plus seven assists) versus Youngstown State and scored 21 at Detroit to reach the 1,000-point plateau for his career.

Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee
Senior Forward * Milwaukee, Wis.
Tucker averaged 18.7 points per game in three victories last week, hitting 20 of 36 shots from the field (.556) and pulling down 6.7 rebounds per outing. He scored 20 points in 21 minutes versus UIC and recorded his first double-double of the year (22 points and 12 boards) versus Butler.

DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Junior Guard * Detroit, Mich.
Wood averaged 17 points and 8.5 rebounds as the Raiders won both of their games last week. He had 22 points and seven rebounds against Loyola following a 12-point, 10-rebound effort versus Cleveland State which also included six assists.

Horizon League Players of the Week

Nov. 21Justin Bowen, UIC -- 14.3 pts., 7.3 rebs per game in Flames' 2-1 start
Nov. 28-- Brandon Crone, Butler -- 19.0 ppg., 68% FG at Ohio State, Michigan
Dec. 5-- Leon Young, Loyola -- Back-to-back double-doubles--15.0 ppg.,10.5 rpg.
Dec. 12-- Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay -- 25.0 ppg., 61% FG vs. Wisconsin, Montana State
Dec. 19-- Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State -- 20 pts. (6-9 FG, 6-9 FT), 11 rebs. vs. Duquesne
Dec. 26-- Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee -- 20 pts. (5 treys), 3 reb., 2 asst., 2 stl. vs. Oakland
Jan. 2-- Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee -- 18.0 ppg., 9.0 rpg., in wins at Wyoming, Montana
Jan. 9-- Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State -- 27.0 ppg., 10-14 3FG, .682 FG% in three games

Around the Horizon League

Panthers stay atop League, extend streaks
UW-Milwaukee swept through three games last week, improving to 11-3 overall and 4-0 in the League with victories over Cleveland State (75-68 on Monday), UIC (68-45 on Thursday) and Butler (64-59 on Saturday). The Panthers have now won seven games in a row and ten of their last 11.

The current streak marks the fourth year in a row the Panthers have strung together at least seven consecutive victories, and Saturday's triumph pushed UWM's home-court winning streak to 16 games. The Panthers are 30-4 at U.S. Cellular Arena since returning downtown for the 2003 League Championship. Additionally, UWM has now won 31 consecutive games when leading at halftime.

Senior guard Chris Hill will make his 100th career appearance in a Panther uniform in Wednesday's game versus Loyola. He becomes the 17th player to reach triple figures in UWM history, joining teammate Adrian Tigert who entered that group last month.

Senior forward Joah Tucker posted his first double-double of the year with 22 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's victory and also reached the 20-point mark in just 21 minutes of action against UIC. The League's Preseason Player of the Year has moved up to fourth place on the League scoring charts at 16.0 points per game, with fellow senior Boo Davis tied for seventh at 15.4. Davis tops the loop charts with his rate of 3.07 three-pointers per outing, while senior forward Adrian Tigert is tied for second in rebounding at 8.1 per contest.

As a team, UW-Milwaukee leads the League in both scoring margin (plus-9.3 per game) and rebounding margin (plus-6.9 per contest). The Panthers would become the first team to top the circuit in both of those categories since Butler in 1999-2000. UWM also stands second in the league in scoring offense (73.4 points per game) and second in scoring defense (64.1 per contest).

Raiders continue mid-season surge
Wright State won a pair of games last week, moving to 6-6 overall with victories over Cleveland State (58-55 on Thursday) and Loyola (77-63 on Saturday). WSU has now won six of its last eight after starting the season on a four-game skid.

Wright State's 3-0 League ledger represents the Raiders' best loop start (in any conference) in program history. WSU has limited opponents to 58.7 points per game in the three victories.

Junior guard DaShaun Wood scored 34 points in the two games last week and now needs 102 to become the 25th Raider to reach the 1,000 mark for his career. His 16.6 points-per-game average this season is third-best in the League, and the junior also shares the League lead at 1.92 steals per game and ranks fourth at 4.50 assist per outing plus fifth with a .803 free-throw percentage. He collected 12 points, ten rebounds and six helpers in the Riaders' triumph over Cleveland State and posted 22 points plus seven boards versus Loyola. Wood has now scored 20 or more points five times this season.

Junior forward Drew Burleson ranks 14th on the loop charts at 12.3 points per game this season, while sophomore forward Jordan Pleiman's 6.7 rebounds-per-game pace is seventh-best in the League. Pleiman also stands eighth with a .526 field-goal percentage.

The Raiders' success would not be apparent from the League's overall statistics as WSU ranks ninth in scoring (61.8), field-goal shooting (.416), assists (11.08 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (0.77) plus eighth in three-point shooting (.295) and steals (5.17 per outing). But Wright State has raised its shooting level to .480 in three League contests.

Titans remember winning ways
A week ago, Detroit entered the New Year riding a three-game losing streak after a 65-35 loss at South Carolina. Now the Titans have reversed that trend, climbing to 9-8 overall and 3-1 in League play with a trio of victories last week. UDM edged UW-Green Bay 60-57 in overtime on Monday before defeating Loyola (73-67 on Thursday) and Youngstown State (68-63) to move to 7-0 at Calihan Hall this season.

Detroit averaged just 45.3 points per game during the skid but put 67.0 per game on the board last week, shooting 45.7 percent from the field---a full eight points better than the previous week. Senior forwards Chuck Bailey and Torvoris Baker led the resurgeance, with Bailey posting his third double-double of the year by collecting 22 points and ten rebounds versus Loyola. He is averaging 9.7 caroms per contest during the current three-game streak, while Baker boasts norms of 12.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during the same span.

Detroit's hot shooting faces a true test this week with road dates at Cleveland State and Butler. UDM is shooting 49.2 percent at home this season for an average of 70 points per game, but just 40.2 percent and 56 points per outing on the road.

Junior guard Brandon Cotton did not play in Saturday's game but ranks sixth in the League at 15.8 points per game. Sophomore guard Jon Goode filled the void with a career-high 28 points, hitting nine of 11 shots from the field including four three-pointers. He also was six-of-seven at the line and added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Goode's season scoring pace went from 9.6 points per game to the current 10.7 with that one outing.

Baker's play last week lifted his season pace to 7.7 rebounds per outing, good for fourth on the loop charts, while Bailey ranks second with a .565 field-goal mark and tops the League charts at 1.53 blocked shots per appearance. Goode ranks second with a 44.8 percent touch behind the three-point arc.

Bulldogs split first two League meetings
Butler begins the week at 8-6 overall after defeating UIC 75-56 on Monday and falling 64-59 at UW-Milwaukee on Saturday. Those two tilts represent the only League action thus far for Butler, which must play its final 14 League games (plus BracketBusters action on Feb. 18) in 42 days beginning Saturday versus Detroit.

Senior forward Brandon Polk reached the 20-point plateau for the fifth time this season with 21 against the Flames. He stands tied for seventh in the League at 15.4 points per game and is seventh as a 54-percent shooter from the field.

Senior guard Bruce Horan hit eight three-point field goals last week, boosting his career total to 243. He has moved into seventh place on the Horizon League all-time list for three-point field goals and needs two more to enter the League's top five (see the list at left). He is on track to accomplish that feat this week, considering he averages 3.00 triples per game (second in the League) on 44.2 percent shooting behind the arc.

Horan's three-point shooting has resulted in 729 of his 799 career points (91.2 percent). He has made just 11 two-point baskets in his career, with the triples representing 95.7 percent of his total field goals. According to research conducted by the Horizon League last week, both figures are the highest percentage among all current Division I players with 100 or more tri-lighters in their careers.

As a team, Butler leads the League in both field-goal accuracy (.469) and three-point shooting (.390). The latter number includes 121 tri-lighters in 310 attempts, both easily the most in the League. BU averages 8.64 triples per game and takes more than 22 shots from 19-9 and beyond, which is 43 percent of the team's total attempts.

Penguins ride hot shooting to pair of wins
Youngstown State won two of three games last week, improving to 5-9 overall and 2-2 in League play by winning at Loyola (84-76 on Monday) and defeating UW-Green Bay (95-70 on Wednesday) before falling 68-63 at Detroit on Saturday.

Junior guard Quin Humphrey surpassed the 30-point mark for the third consecutive game with 31 against UW-Green Bay following a 32-point, 10-rebound outing to push YSU past Loyola. Humphrey has scored in double figures in all 14 games this season and in 39 of his last 42 games. He currently leads the League in both scoring (21.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.3 per contest), and is on pace to be the first player to accomplish that feat since Parrish Casebier of Evansville (1991-92).

Humphrey's scoring outburst came on 68.2 percent (30-of-44) shooting from the field last week, including 10-of-14 behind the arc. He has climbed to fifth on the League's charts as a .541 shooter overall and is sixth as a 44 percent marksman from the tri-light zone. Humphrey's five double-doubles are tied for the League lead this season and are the most by a Penguin since Marcus Culbreth collected eight during the 1996-97 campaign.

Senior guard Domonique Crawford now leads the League in field-goal accuracy at 57.0 percent, hitting 53 of 93 shots. He is also seventh from three-point range (.435). Other Penguins among the League leaders are junior guard Keston Roberts---now ninth in scoring at 14.9 points per game---and senior guard Derrick Harris, currently second at 5.50 assists per game. Roberts has reached double figures in 12 of 14 games this year with 20-point performances. Harris tops the League with a 2.48 assist-to-turnover ratio, including 79 assists (compared to 44 for all of last season).

YSU has four individuals who have made 18 or more triples this season, with Humphrey leading the way at 25. Roberts owns 21 treys, followed by Crawford (20) and Harris (18). The Penguins matched a season-high with 11 three-pointers at Detroit on Satuday.

Youngstown State has outrebounded nine of its 14 opponents this year, after winning the battle of the boards only eight times in 28 tries last season.

Flames doused in first week of new year
UIC fell to 8-7 overall and 1-2 in the League after a pair of defeats last week. The Flames dropped a 75-56 decision at Butler on Monday and lost at home to UW-Milwaukee (68-45) on Thursday.

UIC used its eighth different starting lineup on Thursday after senior forward Elliott Poole was dclared academically ineligible for the remainder of the season. Poole had averaged more than seven points and five rebounds per game. Sophomore Othyus Jeffers is the only Flame to start all 15 games this season.

Jeffers averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last week, shooting 56 percent (nine-of-16) from the field. The UIC newcomer stands 13th in the League in scoring (12.7 per game), sixth in rebounding (7.1 per contest) and third in field-goal percentage (.545). His carom count includes a pace of 3.60 offensive rebounds per game.

The field-goal percentage puts Jeffers one spot ahead of senior forward Justin Bowen (.544) whose 15.9 points-per-game pace is fifth-best on the loop charts. Bowen boasts five double-doubles and four 20-point efforts this season.

Freshman guard Josh Mayo sports the League's best free-throw percentage with a .875 clip. The freshman has missed just six of 48 attempts this season.After outrebounding each of its first 11 opponents this season, UIC has struggled off the glass of late. In its last four games, the team has been outrebounded 160-142. In addition, UIC's 28.6 percent shooting night versus UW-Milwaukee was the team's lowest mark since a 26.2 percent performance versus Denver in November.

Ramblers falling on hard times
After racing to a 7-1 start, Loyola has dropped four of its last six games. The current 9-5 record includes a 1-3 League ledger after losses to Youngstown State (84-76 on Monday), Detroit (73-67 on Thursday) and Wright State (77-63) last week.

Senior guard Blake Schilb became the 35th member of Loyola's 1,000-point club during a 21-point performance at Detroit. He now has 1,017 career tallies for the Ramblers and needs 21 more to reach the top 30 in school history. Schilb currently ranks second in the League at 17.1 points per game.

During the recent three-game skid, Loyola has been outrebounded 109-82, a margin of minus-9.0 per game. The Ramblers' opponents have also shot 52.2 percent (84-of-161) from the field during that span. Loyola still leads the League in scoring (73.9 points per game) and free-throw shooting (.753). The latter number would set a single-season record for the school, breaking the current (.735) mark set in 1989-90.

Freshman guard J.R. Blount is averaging 17 points and four rebounds per game over his last two appearances, picking up some of the slack while fellow frosh Leon Young has seen his production fall of late. Young is still second in the League at 8.1 rebounds per game but grabbed a total of only four caroms in his last two games.

Junior guard Majak Kou ranks second in the League with his rate of 1.50 blocked shots per game.

Phoenix hope return home leads to success
UW-Green Bay makes its first home-court appearance of 2006 this week, hosting UIC and UW-Milwaukee. Those two contests open a four-game homestand for UW-Green Bay.

The Phoenix dropped a pair of road games last week, falling to 6-9 overall and 0-3 in League play with defeats at Detroit (60-57 in overtime Monday) and Youngstown State (95-70 on Thursday).

Junior forward Josh Lawrence has been a key barometer for the team's success this season. He averages 14.3 points per game and shot 57 percent from the floor in the team's five victories but only 5.0 points per game on 31 percent shooting in losses. For the season, he averages 8.7 points per contest and leads the League with a .472 three-point shooting rate.

Junior guard Ryan Evanochko leads the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game (tenth in the League), while redshirt freshman Terry Evans tops the Phoenix charts with a 5.7 caroms-per-contest pace which is also tenth in the League. Evanochko ranks third with his rate of 4.73 assists per game.

The Phoenix is 5-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, but just 1-9 when failing to hit at least half of its shots from the floor.

Vikings try to break into win column
Cleveland State starts the week at 4-8 overall and 0-3 in the League after a pair of losses to open the New Year. The Vikings fell 75-68 at UW-Milwaukee on Monday before a 58-55 home-court loss to Wright State on Thursday.

Thursday's loss overshadowed a career-best game by senior guard Frashon McGee, who scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds. His point total came on perfect four-of-four shooting both from the field (with two three-pointers) and at the free-throw line.

Junior Patrick Tatham had started 39 games at center for CSU over the past three years, but he moved to the small forward spot this week when junior Ije Nwankwo entered the opening line-up. He joins a rotation which has ten different Vikings averaging double-figure minutes, led by (non-starter) Victor Morris at 27.6 minutes per game.

Junior guard Carlos English continues to lead the Horizon League in both assists (5.58 per game) and steals (1.92, tied with Wright State,s DaShaun Wood), a feat that has been done just four times in Horizon League history. Loyola's Earl Brown (1997-98) was the most recent to accomplish it. The rest of the list includes Loyola's Darius Clemons (1980-81), Roy Simms of Detroit (1982-83) and LaSalle's Paul Burke (1993-94).

Horizon League celebrates Martin Luther King Day with student contest
In recognition of the honorable Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Horizon League is holding its second annual Martin Luther King Celebration that will be held in conjunction with nine Horizon League men's and women's basketball games, including all four men's games this weekend.

The event will be conducted with the intent of involving student-athletes with the community, as well as educating elementary school students on the accomplishments of Dr. King. Each host institution has chosen a local elementary school to implement a contest among upper-elementary students involving essay, music or art to celebrate Martin Luther King Day.

Fifteen winners from each elementary school will be chosen and recognized prior to the tip-off of each game. The contest winners will receive three complimentary tickets to the game and will be accompanied by student-athletes from each basketball team during pre-game introductions. Students will also receive a commemorative T-shirt from the Horizon League and a book entitled I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson.

"The Horizon League is reaching out to the community and trying to educate young people about the legacy of a great individual," said Horizon League senior associate commissioner Alfreeda Goff. "We truly believe that we are a service organization and not only do we serve our institutions, but we also serve the communities that they are in."