GAME NO. 11
DATE: Dec. 21
TIME: 7:00 p.m. (ET)
SITE: Memorial Coliseum(5,800)
LOCATION: Fort Wayne, Ind.
LIVE VIDEO: www.gomastodons.com
LIVE AUDIO www.gomastodons.com
LIVE STATS: www.gomastodons.com
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
Kennesaw State Notes| IPFW Notes
GAME TIME:
• The Kennesaw State men’s basketball team continues its stretch of three games in five days when it travels to Fort Wayne, Ind., to take on IPFW at the Memorial Coliseum on Friday (Dec. 21). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) and will be video streamed live on the internet at www.mastadon.com.
• Following Friday’s contest, Kennesaw State will travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., to visit Pittsburgh on Sunday (Dec. 23) at 5 p.m.
• The Pittsburgh game will mark the Owls’ final non-conference game of the season before they open Atlantic Sun Conference play versus Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 31 at the KSU Convocation Center beginning at 2:30 p.m.
• Kennesaw State is coming off an 85-57 loss to No. 22 Notre Dame on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
• The Owls seek their second win of the season. Their lone victory was a 67-65 overtime triumph at South Carolina State on Nov. 12.
• IPFW enters Friday’s contest with a 5-7 record following a 74-62 loss at Notre Dame on Monday.
• Kennesaw State plays nine of its 12 non-conference games on the road. The Owls’ lone home non-league contests were versus Georgia Southern (Nov. 21), Chattanooga (Nov. 24) and Charlotte (Dec. 16).
• Head Coach Lewis Preston is in his second season guiding the Kennesaw State program after spending the previous three seasons (2008-11) as an assistant coach at Penn State.
IPFW SERIES HISTORY:
• Friday’s contest marks the first-ever meeting between Kennesaw State and IPFW. The Mastodons will represent the first member of the The Summit League the Owls have played since Nov. 14, 2008 when they defeated Western Illinois, 85-63 at the KSU Convocation Center. Kennesaw State is 1-2 all-time against Summit League opponents.
A LOOK AT IPFW
• IPFW is 5-7 on the season and has lost three straight road contests to Valparaiso (63-52), Drake (74-64) and Notre Dame (74-62). Mastodons are 3-0 at home, claiming wins over Rochester (73-56), Judson (92-22) and Miami (Ohio) (57-56).
• Senior guard Frank Gaines is the lone IPFW player scoring in double figures as he is averaging 18.8 points a contest.
• The Mastodons are65.0 points a game and limiting their opponents to 62.3 points a contest. IPFW is shooting just 39.5 percent shooting but have a plus-6.3 rebounding advantage. The team is 39.6 rebounds a contest and limiting the opposition to 33.2 boards a contest.
• Head coach Tony Jasick is in his second season leading the IPFW program and has compiled an overall record to date of 16-26 (.381). The Mastodons completed the 2011-12 season with an 11-19 overall record, including a 5-12 Summit League record and 8th place finish.
NEXT UP:
• Kennesaw State concludes its stretch of three games in five days when it travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., to take on Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center on Sunday (Dec. 23). Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. (ET).
NOTRE DAME RECAP:
• The Kennesaw State men’s basketball team went up against No. 22 Notre Dame and for more than a half remained competitive. However, the size and athleticism of the hosts ultimately showed itself as the Fighting Irish defeated the Owls, 85-57, on Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson led a trio of Kennesaw State (1-9) players in double figures as he poured in 16 points. Fellow senior Markeith Cummings contributed 15 points and sophomore guard Delbert Love added 10 points. Cummings also collected four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• National Player of the Year candidate senior forward Jack Cooley paced Notre Dame (11-1) with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Cooley entered the game averaging a double-double with 14.5 points and 10.8 rebounds a contest. Junior guard Jerian Grant also scored 14 points, while sophomore guard Pat Connaughton totaled 12 points and freshman forward Zach Auguste came off the bench to contribute 12 points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes.
MARKEITH CUMMINGS BECOMES KSU’S ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings scored 13 points against Towson on Sunday (Nov. 18) to become Kennesaw State’s all-time leading scorer with 1,693 career points. Cummings surpassed Herman Smith (1986-90) who concluded his Owls’ career with 1,683.
• The Owls’ senior forward currently has 1,765 career points and is No. 2 all-time with a 17.1 points-per-game average.
OWLS AMONG A-SUN CONFERENCE LEADERS
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings currently ranks third in the Atlantic Sun Conference with 18.0 points per game.
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson tops the A-Sun in rebounding (8.0) and in third in field goal percentage (58.0).
• Sophomore guard Delbert Love leads the A-Sun in minutes played (36.4) and is third in steals (1.9) and tied for fourth in assists (3.5).
• Freshman guard Myles Hamilton ranks second in the A-Sun with 2.3 steals a contest.
• Markeith Cummings’ 31 points scored against Radford (11/17) ties the highest single-game output by an Atlantic Sun Conference player. USC Upstate’s Torrey Craig scored 31 points versus Texas San Antonio (12/8).
FRESHMEN SEE SIGNIFICANT PLAYING TIME:
• The Kennesaw State roster includes five freshmen and all making contributions. Guards Myles Hamilton and Yonel Brown are both averaging over 20 minutes a contest. Hamilton has come off the bench in each game and is averaging 24.8 minutes a game while Brown has started all eight of nine games and is playing 22.9 minutes a contest.
AARON ANDERSON NAMED A-SUN PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson (Tucson, Ariz. / Central Arizona College) was named the Atlantic Sun Conference’s Player of the Week (Nov. 13) after averaging 14 points and 11.5 rebounds in two games at Tennessee (11/9) and at South Carolina State (11/12).
• A first time recipient of the award, Anderson scored game-high totals of 16 points and 12 rebounds versus the Volunteers and followed that performance with 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Bulldogs.
KENNESAW STATE SIGNS JONES DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD:
• Continuing to build for the future, head coach Lewis Preston signed local product Jordan Jones to a national letter-of-intent earlier this week.
• Jones is a 6-8, 205-pound combo forward who will play his senior season at nearby Saint Francis High in Alpharetta. He averaged 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks a game while helping Furtah Prep (Acworth, Ga.) to an undefeated regular season.
• Jones earned first team All-Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) honors and was selected to play in the Under Armour Grind Session in Atlanta last June. The event features many of the top high school prospects in the region and focusses on skill development and concludes with games.
NATE RUCKER ADDED TO ROSTER
• Junior forward Nate Rucker (Memphis Tenn. / Southwest Tennessee CC) joined the Kennesaw State roster on Monday and is enrolled in classes for the spring semester. A 6-6, 228-forward, Rucker begane his collegiate career at Northern Illinois before playing at Southwest Tennessee Community College last season. During his freshman, Rucker appeared in 30 games, starting 29, and averaged 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds a contest.
• Rucker shot a team-high 53.7 percent from the field and scored in double figures 12 times. He also produced two double-digit rebounding games.
• Rucker will practice with the Owls for the remainder of the season and will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2013-14 campaign.
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 their high school teams claim four state titles and one runner-up finish.
• Hobbs played 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.
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 entered the season with 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.
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
CLIMBING THE CHARTS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings is Kennesaw State’s all-time scoring leader with 1,765 points.
• Cummings also ranks second all-time in rebounds (550) since Kennesaw State became a Division I program in 2005.
• Cummings is the all-time KSU leader in free throws made (451) and free throws attempted (662).
• Cummings also ranks No. 2 in points-per-game (17.1), field goals made (620) and field goal attempts (1,353).
• 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 54.1 percent (251-464).
• Anderson is first in the KSU Division I era with 553 rebounds and rebounds-per-game (7.7).
A LOOK AT THE 2012-13 SCHEDULE:
• The Kennesaw State schedule includes three teams that are receiving preseason national attention. Notre Dame began 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 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, 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 as a member of 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 selection 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 season marks the 28th year of basketball at Kennesaw State. The 1985-86 campaign 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 in 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 game 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 was 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 a 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.
WHAT’S NEW?
• 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.
• 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’s table 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.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
