Men's Basketball Weekly Release #9

Jan. 2, 2007

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Keston Roberts, Youngstown State - Watch
Senior * Guard * Brooklyn, N.Y. (Erasmus Hall / (Connors [Okla.] State J.C.)
Roberts capped a stellar month with a career-high 30 points in the Penguins' 76-71 victory over preseason League favorite Loyola on Saturday. The senior was 9-of-18 from the field and 10-of-13 at the free-throw line with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes of action. He made three free throws in the last 21 seconds to preserve the victory, and reached the 20-point plateau for the sixth time in seven December games.

Previous Players of the Week: DaShaun Wood, WSU (Nov. 13); A.J. Graves, BU (Nov. 20); A.J. Graves, BU (Nov. 27); Othyus Jeffers, UIC (Dec. 4); Keston Roberts, YSU (Dec. 11); Mike Schachtner, UWGB (Dec. 18); DaShaun Wood, WSU (Dec. 26).

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending December 31

Mike Green, Butler
Jr. * G * Philadelphia, Pa.
Green posted his second career double-double with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as Butler defeated UW-Milwaukee, 55-50, on Saturday. Green scored 13 points in the second half to fuel the Bulldogs' come-from-behind victory.

Carlos English, Cleveland State
Sr. * G * Detroit, Mich.
English averaged 13.5 points, eight assists and three steals in two games. He handed out 11 assists versus UIC on Wednesday, and came back to score a season-high 21 points with five helpers versus West Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Brandon Cotton, Detroit
Jr. * G * Detroit, Mich.
Cotton scored nearly half of his team's points (20) in the Titans' 63-43 loss against ninth-ranked Kansas on Thursday. He was 8-for-20 from the floor and added three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Jr. * F * Chicago, Ill.
Jeffers posted 21 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the Flames' 72-62 win at Cleveland State on Saturday, keeping UIC unbeaten (2-0) in League play. It was his third consecutive double-double.

Majak Kou, Loyola
Sr. * G * Hamilton, Ontario
Kou scored a career-best 30 points with four rebounds and three assists against Youngstown State on Saturday. He reached the 1,000-point mark for his career and surpassed his previous high by six points.

Terry Evans, UW-Green Bay
So. * G * St. Louis, Mo.
Evans earned MVP honors at the Oneida Casino Holiday Classic averaging 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three victories. He scored a career-best 16 points against Jacksonville State on Wednesday.

DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Sr. * G * Detroit, Mich.
Averaged 22.3 points in three outings, including a season-high 30 points in the Raiders' 55-54 victory over Msisissippi Valley State on Friday. He capped that performance with the game-winning jumper with nine seconds left.

News From Around the League

Bulldogs set another League mark
Butler improved to 13th postion in both major polls, marking the highest ranking in League history. Loyola reached No. 14 in the AP poll in 1984-85. Butler's 55-50 win at UW-Milwaukee gave BU a 26-9 record for the calendar year, and lifted the Bulldogs to 13-1 on the season.

Junior guard A.J. Graves became the 31st Butler player to score 1,000 career points in Butler's victory at UW-Milwaukee. Graves, held scoreless in the first half of the game, finished with 14 points to boost his career total to 1,004 points. He passed his brother, Matthew (996 career points) on Butler's all-time scoring list. Graves has scored in double-figures in all 14 games this season and in 29 of his last 32 games. He ranks fourth in the League, averaging 17.9 points per game this year.

Graves also ran his streak of consecutive free throws made to 47 in a row. He has hit 75 of 76 free throws (98.7 percent) this season, including his last 47 in a row.

Junior guard Mike Green posted his second career double-double in Butler's victory at UW-Milwaukee in a more0 conventional way. Green had 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against the Panthers. His first double-double came against Notre Dame (Nov. 13), when he tallied 19 points and 12 assists.

The Bulldogs' win over UW-Milwaukee was Butler's first against the Panthers in U.S. Cellular Arena since 1998, snapping a six-game losing streak to the Panthers in the downtown Milwaukee arena.

After hitting just six of 12 free-throw attempts in the first half Saturday, the Bulldogs rebounded to cash 20 of 25 (80 percent) free-throw attempts in the final 20 minutes. Butler had only eight fieeld goals in the final 20 minutes but rallied to claim the victory over UW-Milwaukee.

Butler continues to lead the League in scoring defense---allowing 56.9 points per game. Only three of Butler's first 14 opponents have reached the 70-point mark.

Flames claim share of League lead
UIC enters the week at 7-8 overall and 2-0 in League play following a 72-62 victory at Cleveland State on Wednesday. The Flames are tied with Butler for the early lead in the League standings. A win at Wright State on Thursday would give UIC its first 3-0 loop start since 1991-92.

The Flames are currently under the direction of associate hed coach Mark Coomes, who took the reins after head coach Jimmy Collins was granted a leave of absence following the game at Penn on Dec. 21. No timetable has been announced for Collins' return.

Junior forward Othyus Jeffers recorded his third consecutive double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds at Cleveland State, hitting eight of 12 shots from the field while also handing out seven assists and registering four steals. Jeffers leads the Flames in scoring (16.0 points per game), rebounding (9.3 caroms per contest), field-goal percentage (.518) and steals (1.8 per outing), putting him in the League's top ten in each category. He is eighth on the loop scoring charts and second in both rebounding and steals per contest. His field-goal accuracy is third-best in the circuit.

Freshman guard Spencer Stewart has taken over the point position, ranking seventh in the League at 3.33 assists per game. Stewart is the only freshman in the League's top 15 in that category.

Two other newcomers have also made key impacts this season. Junior guard T.J. Gray is shooting 45.5 percent from three-point range, and has made the most tri-lighters (40) of any League player this season. Gray's 11.1 points-per-game pace puts him 18th on the loop charts.

Sophomore center Scott Vander Meer leads the League with 2.73 blocked shots per game, nearly a full rejection per outing more than his nearest competitor (Detroit's Ryvon Covile at 1.75 per contest). His 41 blocks are more than six other team totals in the League.

"Mr. Last Shot" keeps Raiders goingWright State won two of three games last week, climbing to 7-6 on the season. WSU fell to 19th-ranked LSU, 71-45, but came back to defeat Samford, 61-50, and Mississippi Valley State, 55-54.

Senior guard DaShaun Wood was the hero again versus MVSU, scoring a season-high 30 points including the game-winning jumper with nine seconds remaining. It was the fifth time this year that Wood has pushed WSU in front for good on his team's final possession of the game. A list of those games can be found on page 15 of this week's release.

Wood has taken over the League scoring lead at 18.9 points per game, including 20.5 in his last four outings. Scoring is one of seven statistical categories in which he rates among the circuit's top ten. Wood is third with 1.69 steals per game and seventh at 3.08 assists per contest.

Six of WSU's first 13 games have been decided by three points or less, with the Raiders going 5-1 in those games. Last season, only three of Wright State's 28 games had a final margin of three or fewer points.

Freshman guard Todd Brown scored 12 points in the victory over Samford while junior forward Jordan Pleiman added ten points and eight rebounds. Pleiman ranks ninth in the League with a rate of 5.9 rebounds per game this season.

The Raiders were aided by the return of junior forward Scottie Wilson, who missed four games with a broken hand. He finished with nine points versus Mississippi Valley State.

Freshman guard Vaughn Duggins had a four-game double-digit-scoring streak snapped in Louisiana, but still ranks second on the team at 10.0 points per game, the most among League freshmen. Senior forward Drew Burleson needs 33 points to reach 1,000 for his career.

Wright State ranks second on the loop's team charts, allowing only 64.2 points per contest. The Raiders are 7-1 when holding opponents under 65 points, but 0-5 when allowing 65 or more.

Penguins hit .500 with key League victory
Youngstown State finished the 2006 portion of the schedule at 7-7 overall and 2-1 in the League with a 76-71 victory over Loyola on Saturday. The Penguins enter the new year on a three-game winning streak, the longest in nearly three years since a three-game run in January 2004.

YSU has not won four in a row since November 2000, but could accomplish that feat with a victory over Akron on Tuesday. Youngstown State also needs just two more wins to match its best showing in six years in the League. YSU finished 9-20 in 2002-03, and has already matched its victory total for all of last year (7-21).

Senior forward Keston Roberts led the way with a career-high 30 points versus Loyola. Roberts has scored at least 20 points in six straight games and in seven December contests he averaged 22.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He now ranks tied for second in the league averaging 18.1 points per game.

Roberts became the third Penguin player in the last year to score at least 30 points in a game. Starting with Quin Humphrey's amazing three-game 30-point run on Dec. 31, 2005, to Domonique Crawford's 37 against Loyola on Feb. 25, to Roberts' 30 against the Ramblers on Saturday. Prior to the recent scoring binge, YSU had not had a player score over 30 points since 2001.

Senior guard Quin Humphrey has scored in double figures in every game this season and 40 of 41 games since the start of the 2005-06 campaign. In that time, he has scored more than 20 points on 12 occasions, including a 20-point night against Loyola. Humphrey has six 20-plus scoring games in 2006-07 and is tied with Roberts on the League scoring charts.

Sophomore guard Mikko Niemi filled in for starting point guard Byron Davis in the victory over the Ramblers. Playing a career-high 39 minutes, Niemi grabbed a career-high six rebounds while tying his career standards with seven points and four assists.

Ramblers handed tough defeat
Loyola dropped to 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the League following Saturday's 76-71 loss at Youngstown State.

Senior guard Majak Kou paced the Ramblers with a career-high 30 points, becoming the 36th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career. The 30 points were the most by a Rambler since Blake Schilb's 39-point outtburst versus UIC in the second round of the 2005 League Championship.

Kou raised his season pace to 12.9 points per game, putting him 15th on the League charts. Loyola boasts three of the circuit's top 15 scorers, with Schilb ninth at 15.1 points per game and sophomore guard J.R. Blount averaging 13.4. As a team, Loyola tops the loop in scoring (73.8 points per game), field-goal percentage (.463) and rebound margin (plus-3.1 per game).

Schilb managed only five points in 15 minutes before leaving Saturday's game with an injury to his left hand. That snapped a string of 33 consecutive double-figure scoring efforts in League play, and leaves him one point short of the eighth spot on Loyola's all-time scoring list. Javan Goodman posted 1,564 points in a Loyola uniform from 1995-99.

Blount has canned a three-point field goal in a career-best seven straight outings. Kou's milestone gives Loyola a pair of active 1,000-point teammates for the first time since Carl Golston and Andre Battle in the 1980s. Schilb leads all active League players with 1,563 career markers, putting him 34th in loop history.

Sophomore forward Leon Young notched his second double-double of the year with 11 points and ten rebounds at Youngstown State. His five-of-seven shooting from the floor pushed his League-leading field-goal percentage to .612 for the season, and Young is also sixth in the League at 6.5 rebounds per game. Freshman forward Andy Polka is one step above his teammate on the charts at 6.6 caroms per contest after grabbing eight caroms against the Penguins.

Phoenix enjoying home cooking
UW-Green Bay has won six of its last seven games, climbing over the .500 mark at 8-6 after winning its own Oneida Casino Holiday Classic. UWGB defeated Jacksonville State, 90-67, and Michigan Tech, 62-50, before claiming the crown with a 65-62 victory over Bowling Green.

The Phoenix opened the season at 2-5 but has taken full advantage of its home floor, going 6-0 at the Resch Center in December and staying perfect in seven home dates this season.

Sophomore forward Terry Evans was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, averaging 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in the three games. He netted a career-best 16 points versus Jacksonville State and grabbed a personal-best six steals versus Bowling Green in the title tilt. He leads the League with 2.14 thefts per game for the year and also stands fourth at 6.9 rebounds per contest.

Senior forward Ryan Evanochko had 24 points versus Michigan Tech, and stands fifth in the League in scoring at 16.4 points per game. He also serves as the circuit's top distributor, averaging 5.50 assists per contest.

Sophomore forward Mike Schachtner has been one of the League's most accurate shooters so far in 2006-07, boasting a loop-best .524 mark from three-point territory. He is also fourth-best in field-goal percentage (.492) and free-throw accuracy (.872), compiling a 12.9 points-per-game rate which is 14th on that list.

Evanochko has reached double figures in 11 consecutive games and 12 of 14 outings this season.

UW-Green Bay boasts the League's top three-point shooting group, hitting 40.2 percent of its attempts from behind the arc this season. Schachtner is 22-of-42 from the tri-light zone, with freshman guard Troy Cotton at 45.3 percent (24-of-53), the third-best mark in the League. Evanochko is at 36.8 percent, with sophomore forward Ryan Tillema at 37.1 percent in limited action this season.

Titans anxious for return home
Detroit dropped to 3-9 on the season with Thursday's 63-43 loss at ninth-ranked Kansas. The Titans are now 0-7 in road games and face two more contests away from home with contests at UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee this week. After those games, UDM will have played ten of its first 14 games away from Calihan Hall.

Detroit's tough schedule to date has included three road games against Top 25 teams---Marquette (ranked 16th at the time), Xavier (24th) and Kansas (ninth). Despite a season-worst 30-percent shooting night and the Jayhawks' 36-32 rebounding advantage, the Titans trailed by only four points (41-37) with 8:47 to play before Kansas responded with a 9-0 run to assume control.

Junior guard Brandon Cotton scored nearly half of Detroit's points against the Jayhawks, netting 20 points. It marked the fourth time he has reached the 20-point mark this season and the 27th time in his career. Cotton also moved into 25th place in Titan history with 1,115 career points. Cotton's pace of 16.1 markers per game this year is seventh-best on the loop charts.

Senior center Ryvon Covile grabbed a game-best ten rebounds at KU, the tenth time he has hit twin figures off the glass this year. Covile, who has a League-best nine double-doubles, ranks fifth in the nation (according to cbssportsline.com) with an average of 11.3 rebounds per outing. He also stands 11th in the circuit at 14.8 points per game, second in field-goal percentage (.458) and second in blocked shots (1.75 per appearance).

Vikings split home dates
Cleveland State begins the new year at 6-9 overall following a 73-52 victory over West Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Vikings' 72-62 loss to UIC on Wednesday dropped CSU to 0-2 in League play.

Senior guard Raheem Moss has averaged 19.8 points in his last four games, shooting 50 percent (27-of-54) from the field and 43 percent (15-of-35) from three-point range during that span. In the process, he has climbed to 17th in the League with an average of 11.4 points per game for the year.

Sophomore forward J'Nathan Bullock is five spots ahead of Moss on the loop charts with a 14.6 points-per-game pace, and also stands third with 6.9 rebounds per outing. Bullock posted his second double-double of the season on Saturday, scoring 17 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds while also handing out a game-best five assists.

Junior forward Kevin Francis ranks third with 22 blocked shots in 15 games, including six rejections versus West Virginia Tech. He has ten blocks in his last four games after going without one in his previous four appearances.

Cleveland State held a 50-38 lead with 12 minutes remaining versus UIC but let that advantage slip away as the Flames outscored CSU 34-12 the rest of the way. The Vikings have now lost four games in which they had a ten-point or larger lead after intermission, including three in a row before Saturday's victory.

Panthers stop streak
UW-Milwaukee snapped a seven-game skid with a 75-73 victory over Wyoming on Wednesday, but dropped to 3-12 on the year and 0-2 in League play with a 55-50 loss to Butler on Saturday.

Junior guard Avery Smith averaged 24.5 points in the two outings, including a 28-point night versus Wyoming when he hit 10 of 13 shots from the field. Smith's sixth 20-point game of the season lifted his scoring pace to 16.1 points per game, sixth-best in the League. Smith averaged 20.4 points in seven games during the month of December, hitting double figures in six of those contests.

Junior forward Paige Paulsen currently ranks 16th in the circuit at 11.6 points per game after his 17-point effort Saturday. He also had nine rebounds, enhancing a season stat line which features 6.4 rebounds per game (seventh in the League).

Senior forward Kevin Massiah tallied a career-best 18 points versus Wyoming, connecting on seven of ten field-goal attempts while pullling down six rebounds. He stands 11th in the League at 5.5 caroms per contest.

UW-Milwaukee has shot 40 percent or better from the field in each of the last three games, including a season-high 44.1 percent versus Wyoming. The Panthers managed 40 percent accuracy in only one of their first 12 games this year, while finishing under 35 percent six times during that span.

Crusaders open final Mid-Con ride
Valparaiso---which officially joins the Horizon League in 2007-08---improved to 5-8 overall with a 67-64 victory over Chicago State on Saturday, the Crusaders' second consecutive victory following an eight-game losing streak. Junior guard Shawn Huff led the way with 17 points and six rebounds.

Sophomore guard Brandon McPherson added 13 points against CSU, remaining atop the team scoring charts at 12.0 points per game for the year. Huff is next in line at 10.8 and freshman guard Samuel Haanpaa stands at 10.3 following his 14-point effort versus the Cougars.

McPherson also dished out five assists without a turnover, and leads the Mid-Continent Conference with a 1.63 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also tops that circuit in three-point field-goal percentage (.571, 20-of-35) and ranks third in field-goal shooting (.584).

McPherson scored only 45 points in 25 appearances last season, but has 156 in 13 contests so far in 2006-07. Huff has nearly surpassed his 2005-06 output with 141 points this year compared to 147 in 27 outings as a sophomore.

Sophomore forward Urule Igbavboa stands second in the Mid-Con, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game to supplement his 9.1 points-per-game scoring pace.

Valpo opens its final season of Mid-Con play with games at Centenary and Oral Roberts this week. The Crusaders have never won in ten attempts against ORU at the Mabee Center.

On the Horizon This Week:

Tuesday, January 2
Detroit at UW-Green Bay, 8:05 p.m. - *
IPFW at Wright State, 7 p.m.
Akron at Youngstown State, 7:05 p.m.

Thursday, January 4
UIC at Wright State, 7 p.m. - *
Cleveland State at Loyola, 8 p.m. - *
Detroit at UW-Milwaukee, 8 p.m. - *
Valparaiso at Centenary, 8 p.m.

Saturday, January 6
Wright State at #13 Butler, 2 p.m. - *
UW-Milwaukee at Loyola, 4 p.m. - *
Youngstown State at Detroit, 4:05 p.m. - *
Cleveland State at UW-Green Bay, 8:05 p.m. - *
Valparaiso at Oral Roberts, 4:05 p.m.

* - Horizon League games
ALL TIMES EASTERN / rankings noted are from Jan. 1 AP poll