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GAME NO. 1 (Nov. 9)
Kennesaw State at Tennessee
Thompson-Boling Arena; 7 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports South (Randy Smith and Bill Justus)
Taped-Delayed in Georgia at (1 a.m. (ET)
Live on DirectTV (CH 648-1 (HD), 648 (SD) and DishNet (CH 9516 (HD), 446 (SD)
Live Internet Audio: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/ksu.portal
THIS WEEK:
• The Kennesaw State men’s basketball team opens its 28th season of play and eighth at the Division I level when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee at the Thompson-Boling Arena on Friday beginning at 7 p.m.
• The Kennesaw State-Tennessee game will be televised by Fox Sports South with Randy Smith and Bill Justus calling the action.
For cable viewers in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, the game will be aired on a tape-delayed basis at (1 a.m. ET). It will be live for those viewers who have DirectTV (Ch. 648-1 (HD)/648 (SD)) and DishNet (Ch. 9516 (HD)/446 (SD)). The game also can be heard live on the internet at ww.ksuowls.com with Nathan McCreary handling the play-by-play.
• The Owls posted an 82-43 exhibition victory over Piedmont College on Thursday.
• Tennessee made its season debut on Monday and defeated Victory University, 99-57, in Knoxville.
• Friday’s season-opener marks the first of five straight road games for the Owls. Kennesaw State does not make its regular-season home debut until Wednesday, Nov. 21, when it hosts Georgia Southern at the KSU Convocation Center beginning at 7 p.m.
• Kennesaw State plays nine of its 12 non-conference games on the road. The Owls are home for games against Georgia Southern (Nov. 21), Chattanooga (Nov. 24) and Charlotte (Dec. 16).
• The Owls are opening on the road for the second consecutive year and fourth time since moving to the Division I level for the 2005-06 season. Kennesaw State opened the 2011-12 campaign at Wisconsin and fell, 85-31, to the Badgers in Madison.
• The Owls are 3-4 in season openers since moving to the Division I level.
• Head Coach Lewis Preston begins his second season guiding the Kennesaw State program after spending the previous three seasons (2008-11) as an assistant coach at Penn State.
TENNESSEE SERIES HISTORY:
• Friday’s contest marks the first-ever meeting between Kennesaw State and Tennessee. The Owls are playing a Southeastern Conference opponent for the second consecutive year and are 0-4 all-time against SEC teams. Kennesaw State visited Auburn last season and suffered a 68-55 setback to the Tigers.
Kennesaw State Versus the Southeastern Conference (0-4)
Date Oppnent Location Result
Feb. 14, 2007 Georgia Athens, Ga. L, 75-66
Nov. 13, 2007 Auburn Auburn, Ala L, 74-62
Dec. 31, 2008 Georgia Athens, Ga. L, 75-52
Nov. 14, 2011 Auburn Auburn, Ala. L, 68-55
A LOOK AT TENNESSEE:
• The Volunteers posted a 19-15 overall record, tied for second in the Southeastern Conference and advanced to the second round of of the National Invitation Tournament a year ago. Tennessee’s season ended with a 71-64 loss to Middle Tennessee State.
• Head Coach Cuonzo Martin begins his second year leading the Volunteers.
• Tennessee was selected to finish fourth in the 14-team SEC by the media. Sophomore forward Jarnell Stokes (9.6 ppg., 7.4 rpg.) was named to the SEC’s preseason all-conference team while senior forward Jeronne Maymon (12.7 ppg., 8.1 rpg) was voted to the second team.
• Junior guard Jordan McRae and redshirt freshman guard Quinton Chievous led the Volunteers with 15 points apiece Tennessee’s 99-57 exhibition victory over Victory University on Monday.
NEXT GAME:
Kennesaw State continues its stretch of five straight road contests on Monday, Nov. 12., when it travels to Orangeburg, S.C., to take on South Carolina State beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Owls and Bulldogs met a year ago at the KSU Convocation Center and the Bulldogs came away with a 104-98 double-overtime victory.
EXHIBITION RECAP:
Kennesaw State made its 2012-13 season debut on Thursday and recorded an 82-43 victory over Division III Piedmont College. The Owls were led by senior forward Markeith Cummings (Birmingham, Ala. / Beach HS), who scored a game-high 23 points on 11 of 15 shooting and added nine rebounds. Freshman guard Yonel Brown (Lawrenceville, Ga. / Berkmar HS) contributed 16 points and six assists, while junior forward Brandon Dawson (Atlanta, Ga. / Tucker HS) came off the bench to add 10 points.
NICE TO MEET YOU:
• Tennessee is one of seven teams on the 2012-13 schedule that the Owls will be playing for the first time. In addition to the Volunteers,
• Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 16), Radford (Nov. 17), Towson (Nov. 18), Georgia Southern (Nov. 21), IPFW (Dec. 21) and Pittsburgh (Dec. 23) also appear on Kennesaw State’s for the first time.
KENNESAW STATE ROSTER REVIEW:
• Kennesaw State returns five letter winners from last year’s club that posted a 3-28 overall record. The list of returnees includes seniors Aaron Anderson, Markeith Cummings, juniors Brandon Dawson and Andrew Osemhen (Loganville, Ga. / Grayson HS) and sophomore Delbert Love.
• The trio of Cummings, Anderson and Love accounted for 58.5 percent of Kennesaw State’s points during the 2011-12 season.
• Kennesaw State’s roster includes two seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen.
• The Owls 13-man roster has a combined 11 years of Division I collegiate experience, an average of 0.85 years per player. It ranks as the sixth-youngest team in the country. The following is a list of 10 youngest Division I teams:
Team (Years, Players, Average)
Dartmouth (11, 15, 0.73)
Navy (13, 17, 0.76)
UC Santa Barbara (14, 18, 0.78)
Lipscomb (12, 15, 0.80)
Missouri State (9, 11, 0.82)
Kennesaw State (11, 13, 0.85)
Rice (8, 9, 0.89)
Western Illinois (11, 12, 0.91)
Tulsa (12, 13, 0.92)
Texas A&M CC (14, 15, 0.93)
EIGHT NEWCOMERS ADDED TO ROSTER:
• Second-year head coach Lewis Preston has added eight newcomers to the program in 2012-13.
• The group includes freshmen Yonel Brown (Lawrenceville, Ga. / Berkmar HS), Myles Hamilton (Cleveland, Ohio / St. Edward HS), Cole Hobbs (Atlanta, Ga. / Greater Atlanta Christian School), Jordan Montgomery (Orlando, Fla. / Orlando Christian Prep), Bernard Morena (Abidjan, Ivory Coast / Auburn) and Nigel Pruitt (Potomac, Md. / Bullis School)
• Junior Kris Drees (Cumming, Ga. / West Forsyth HS) joined the team this fall after making the club as a walk-on, while sophomore Willy Kouassi (Abidjan, Ivory Coast / Auburn) is a highly-regarded transfer.
RECRUITING WINNERS:
• The duo of Cole Hobbs and Jordan Montgomery combined to help the high school teams claim four state titles and one runner-up finish.
• Hobbs play a key role in helping Greater Atlanta Christian School to the 2011 Georgia state title
•Montgomery sparked his Orlando Christian Prep squad to three Florida state titles, and a runner-up finish in 2011.
PRESEASON HONORS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings, a three-time second team all-conference selection, was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference preseason all-conference team.
2012-13 A-Sun Preseason All-Conference Team
Pos Name Class School
G Sherwood Brown Sr. Florida Gulf Coast
F Glenn Powell Sr. Jacksonville
F Markeith Cummings Sr. Kennesaw State
F Jakob Gollon Sr. Mercer
PG Langston Hall Jr. Mercer
G Jerron Grannberry Sr. North Florida
G Parker Smith Sr. North Florida
C Adam Pegg Sr. Stetson
F Torrey Craig Jr. USC Upstate
G Ty Greene So. USC Upstate
A LOOK AT THE 2012-13 SCHEDULE:
• The Kennesaw State schedule includes three teams that are receiving preseason national attention. Notre Dame begins the year ranked No. 22 by the Associated Press and No. 23 in the
USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Both Tennessee and Pittsburgh are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and
USA Today Coaches polls.
• The Owls’ schedule includes five teams (Tennessee, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Mercer, USC Upstate) that advanced to postseason play during the 2011-12 season.
• Notre Dame reached the NCAA Tournament, while Tennessee advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament, and Pittsburgh won the College Basketball Invitational Tournament.
• A-Sun Conference rivals Mercer and USC Upstate participated in the Collegeinsider.com Tournament, with the Mercer Bears capturing the title.
A NEW-LOOK A-SUN CONFERENCE:
• The Atlantic Sun Conference will have a new look to it in 2012-13. Belmont, who has captured the last two conference titles, and five of the last seven, has left the league to join the Ohio Valley Conference.
• Northern Kentucky, a consistent postseason participant at the NCAA Division II level and dominant force in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, begins its first year in Division I and joins the A-Sun Conference.
2011-12 YEAR IN REVIEW:
• The 2011-12 season marked a challenging year for first-year head coach Lewis Preston and the Owls as Kennesaw State posted a 3-28 overall record and went 0-18 in A-Sun Conference play.
• The Owls recorded a 65-59 victory at Chattanooga on Nov. 18, 2011, to reward Preston with his first collegiate win.
•Junior forward Markeith Cummings was a second team A-Sun all-conference selection and rookie guard Delbert Love was a unanimous selecttion to the conference’s all-freshman team.
• Junior forward Markeith Cummings led the Owls in scoring and ranked second in the A-Sun after averaging 15.4 points a game. Cummings produced 25 double-digit scoring games and led the team in scoring 12 times.
•Junior forward Aaron Anderson led the A-Sun in rebounding after averaging 9.0 rebounds a game and contributed 8.9 points a contest. He scored in double-digits 15 times, had 14 double-digit rebounding games, and his 280 rebounds established an Owls’ Division I era single-season record.
• Freshman Delbert Love made an immediate in his first season with the Owls as he averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals a contest. He started all 31 games and led all A-Sun Conference freshmen in scoring while averaging a team-high 36.5 minutes a game.
• Kennesaw State lost seven games by four points or less, including five of its last six.
PROGRAM HISTORY:
• The 2012-13 marks the 28th year of basketball at Kennesaw State. The 1985-86 marked the first season of Owls basketball and the team posted a 7-21 overall record, including a 6-12 mark in the Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while competing as an NAIA member.
•Kennesaw State played nine seasons as an NAIA member, compiled a 146-143 (.505) all-time record and produced six winning seasons.
• Kennesaw State moved to the NCAA Division II level for the 1994-95 season and accumulated a 198-124 (.615) overall record over 11 years.
• Head Coach Tony Ingle led the Owls to their lone national championship in 2004 after the team compiled a program-best 35-4 (.897) record. Kennesaw State defeated Southern Indiana, 84-59, in the national championship on March 27, 2004 in Bakersfield, Calif.
• Kennesaw State moved to the Division I level for the 2005-06 season and has compiled a 66-227 (.225) record in seven seasons. The Owls’ best year at the D-I level during the 2006-07 season when the club posted a 13-18 (.419) mark.
• Kennesaw State’s signature Division I win was an 80-63 victory over Georgia Tech before KSU Convocation Center record-crowd of 4,784 on Nov. 15, 2011.
• Lewis Preston was named the fourth head coach in program history on April 16, 2011.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings ranks No. 3 all-time on Kennesaw State’s career scoring list with 1,603 points. He is 81 points shy of surpassing Herman Smith (1986-90) and becoming the school’s all-time scoring leader. Smith currently ranks No. 1 with 1,683.
• Cummings ranks first all-time in points scored and rebounds (515) since Kennesaw State became a Division I program in 2005.
• Cummings is the all-time KSU leader in free throws made (409) and free throws attempted (604).
• Cummings also ranks No. 2 in points-per-game (17.0) and No. 3 in field goals made (564) and field goal attempts (1,240).
• Cummings holds the top two single season marks for free throws made (158 in 2010-11 and 134 in 2009-10).
• Senior Aaron Anderson holds the KSU Division I school career field goal percentage record of 53.4 percent (211-395).
• Anderson is tied for fourth in the KSU Division I era with 473 rebounds and is third in rebounds-per-game with 7.6 boards.
WHAT’S NEW?
• A revamped roster with eight newcomers is not the only thing that will be new during the upcoming 2012-13 men’s basketball season.
• This past summer, the Kennesaw State Department of Athletics, as part of an overall re-branding initiative, signed a multi-year contract to have its 17 intercollegiate athletics teams outfitted in Adidas apparel and footwear.
• The men’s basketball team will be wearing black uniforms on the road gold at home.
• Kennesaw State Athletics also introduced a whole new family of logos that appear on team apparel, facilities and a re-designed www.ksuowls.com athletics website.
• The KSU Convocation Center also has a refurbished floor, sparkling new video board with sponsorship signage on the south end, a ribbon board on the north side under the hospitality suite, a new LED scorer and media tables highlight the atmospheric changes to the seven-year old facility.
ABOUT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY:
• Kennesaw State University is the third-largest university in Georgia, offering more than 80 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including doctorates in education, business and nursing and a new Ph.D in international conflict management. A member of the 35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of more than 24,600 from 130 countries.
2012-13 KENNESAW STATE ATHLETIC HIGHLIGHTS:
• The KSU women’s soccer team enjoyed a successful season as it posted a 10-8-1 overall record, finished third in the Atlantic Sun Conference and reached the first round of the A-Sun Tournament.
• The Owls’ 10-win campaign marks the ninth winning season in program history and first since 2009.
• The KSU women’s soccer team had four players named to the A-Sun’s All-Conference team, and sophomore forward Katrina Frost was named the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
• The men’s and women’s cross country teams placed third and fourth, respectively, at the A-Sun Conference Championships on Oct. 27.
• A total of four individuals claimed A-Sun All-Conference honors.
• The KSU men’s golf team capped a successful fall season by capturing the Pinetree Intercollegiate by 24 shots over Ball State.
• The tournament was highlighted by the play of sophomore Jimmy Beck, who claimed individual medalist honors and set a course record following a second-round 7-under par 65.
