GAME NOTES: Statesmen Basketball versus Union/North Alabama (1.03-05.12)

CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Statesmen (4-5, 0-1 GSC) of Delta State University return to Gulf South Conference action, traveling to face the Bulldogs (3-1, 0-0 GSC) of Union University on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 8 p.m., then return to play host to the hot-handed Lions (9-1, 2-0 GSC) of the University of North Alabama inside the confines of  Walter Sillers Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 05.  Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.       

The clash between the GSC newcomers of Union University and Delta State might be new to most, but it is the rebirth a long renewed rivalry between the two, with the Statesmen holding a commanding 34-10 all-time lead over the Bulldogs with the last meeting resulting in an 88-61 victory for the Green-and-White on Jan. 5, 1977.
 
Delta State recorded a 2-0 record during the holiday break, as the Statesmen took wins from Selma University (W, 71-53) and Belhaven University (W, 81-73).  Behind back-to-back double-double performances of Terry Leake, Jr., and the career-high scoring performances of Ryan Smith and Matt Albritton. 
 
Terry Leake, Jr., a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, was named to the Gulf South Conference Preseason All-GSC Team by a vote of the league's coaches in October.  The Memphis, Tenn., native, who was an Second Team All-GSC pick in 2011-12, currently leads the GSC in scoring (22.8) and in rebounding (11.1).  
 
Junior point guard Cornel Knight is looking to build upon a solid sophomore campaign last season.  The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 8.0 points and 2.7 assists per game.  The Mobile, Ala., native has jumped started his season averaging 9.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game for the Statesmen.
 
Ryan Smith and Matt Albritton are both coming off of career-high performances against Belhaven University (12.19.12), both shattered their previous scoring highs by producing 21 & 15 point performances respectively. Smith has provided the Statesmen with a constant inside presence while Albritton has kept opposing defenses off-balance due to his ability to shoot from the perimiter and cut to the basket.
 
Jim Boone (4-5/DSU) enters his first season as head coach of the Statesmen, while bringing 26 years of collegiate experience to Walter Sillers Coliseum.  The Winfield, W.V., native is 434-333 in his career, including six conference championships, four tournament titles and seven NCAA postseason appearances.  Twice Boone led California (Pa.) to the NCAA Final Four.
 
The Statesmen return just four letterman off last season's squad, joining Leake, Jr., and Knight are Ryan Smith, a 6-foot-5 power forward, and John Hudson, a 6-foot-7 forward.  Smith averaged 3.7 points per game, while Hudson delivered 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds a game.
 
The Statesmen were picked to finish sixth overall this season in the annual Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.  DSU received 20 poll points, while preseason favorite and defending league champion Alabama-Huntsville garnered 49. 
 
UP NEXT 
Delta State hits the road to face another GSC newcomer in Shorter University on Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. then will make the trip to Alabama-Huntsville to face the dangerous Chargers inside Spragins Hall on Jan. 12 with tip slated for 4 p.m. Both games will be broadcasted on the Statesmen Sports Network.

DELTA STATE FACES FAMILIAR OPPONENT IN GSC NEWCOMER UNION UNIVERSITY
Saturday's contest against Gulf South Conference newcomer Union University will mark the first time that Delta State will have faced the Bulldogs since Jan. 5, 1977.

In the 44 previous meetings between the two schools, the Statesmen hold a 34-10 overall advantage over the Bulldogs, with the last meeting resulting in a 88-61 triumph for the Green-and-White.

STATESMEN HOST STREAKING LIONS
Delta State welcomes the University of North Alabama to Walter-Sillers on Jan. 5 to try and play spoiler to the 9-1 Lions.

In the long standing rivalry the Statesmen hold a 39-36 all-time record versus the team hailing from Florence, Ala. with the last meeting between the two resulting in a 69-83 loss on Feb. 18, 2012.

KNIGHT LEADS STATESMEN FROM PG SPOT
Junior point guard Cornel Knight is looking to build upon a solid sophomore campaign last season. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 8.0 points and 2.7 assists per game. In 2011-12 the Statesmen won six games, oddly each DSU victory came in contests where Knight scored in double figures. Through four games this season, the Marion Military Institute transfer is averaging 9.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

LEAKE LEADS GSC IN SCORING
After leading the Statesmen in scoring in the first four games of the season, Terry Leake Jr. also leads the Gulf South Conference in that category. The Memphis, Tenn., native has posted five double-doubles on the season. The Marion Military Institute transfer also pulled down a career best 15 rebounds in the win against Selma University. Leake is the only player in the GSC averaging a double double and leads the way with 22.8 points per game while he also leads in the GSC with 11.1 rebounds per contest.

Leake, Jr.'s outstanding scoring numbers also ranks 14th nationally in the NCAA statistics.

MADGEN LEARNING AS HE GOES
Jack Madgen has been forced to learn on the fly for the Statesmen basketball team. The freshman has started six games this season, and has averaged 8.6 points while doing so. The Williamstown, South Australia native has also shot 33.3 percent from behind the arc so far on the season.

WEEMS WOWS WITH 3-BALL
Michael Weems exploded offensively for the Statesmen on Tuesday, Nov. 27 against Concorida - Selma posting a career-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc in the 67-62 win over the Hornets. 

SMITH & ALBRITTON RECORD CAREER-HIGHS
Ryan Smith and Matt Albritton are both coming off of career-high performances against Belhaven University (12.19.12), both shattered their previous scoring highs by producing 21 & 15 point performances respectively.

Smith has provided the Statesmen with a constant inside presence while Albritton has kept opposing defenses off-balance due to his ability to shoot from the perimiter and cut to the basket.

DOWN UNDER STATESMEN
Delta State will feature 10 newcomers this season, including two with international flare.  Australia natives Jack Madgen, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, and Declan Harrick, a 6-foot-9 center, will figure heavily in the plans for the Statesmen this season.

The duo are the first Australians to play for DSU since former power forward Oliver Mansour, a 6-foot-8 Melbourne native, finished his career in 2009-2010. 


LOOKING FOR 15
Should the Statesmen collect 15 victories this year, two major milestones will fall for the program - 1,200 all-time victories and 700 Gulf South Conference wins. 

The Statesmen boast the second most wins all-time amongst GSC institutions with a career record of 1,185-789-1.  DSU is also a blistering 684-444 in league games.

STATESMEN PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN GSC; LEAKE NAMED PRESEASON ALL-GSC
For the third consecutive year, Alabama-Huntsville was selected as a GSC Men's Basketball Pre-Season Coaches' Poll Favorite.  Delta State was picked sixth. 

UAH was also a unanimous selection by the league's head coaches for the second year in a row, securing seven first-place votes en route to 49 points.  The Chargers proved the prognosticators correct a year ago, capturing their first-ever GSC Tournament Title and also claiming their second straight NCAA South Regional Championship.

Christian Brothers came in second (36) after posting runner-up efforts in last year's GSC and Regional Finals.  Third-place West Georgia (30) was the only other team to hit the 30-point total, while fourth-place West Alabama earned the lone remaining first-place vote to rack up 29 points.  North Alabama (26) finished in the No. 5 spot, while Delta State and Valdosta State finished in a tie for sixth-place (20).  West Florida rounded out the Pre-Season list by garnering 14 points.

Alabama-Huntsville was the lone school to place multiple players by posting at least two members for the third year in a row.  Senior guard Jaime Smith and senior forward Zane Campbell return to the Pre-Season squad for the third consecutive season.  Smith collected All-GSC First Team laurels a year ago, while Campbell is a 2011 First Team winner.  Both players helped lead the Chargers to their first-ever GSC Title and second straight NCAA Regional Crown.  Smith led the GSC a year ago in three-point field goal percentage (.486—107-220) and was second in free throw percentage (.849—146-172) and third in scoring (18.0).  Campbell, a former GSC Player of the Year in 2010-11, placed third in field goal percentage (.607—193-318) and blocked shots (1.3) and ninth in scoring (14.7).

Delta State senior forward Terry Leake, West Alabama senior guard Steven Samuels and Christian Brothers junior guard Harry Green round out the GSC Pre-Season Team.  Leake finished ninth in the Conference in steals a year ago (0.7) and 10th in scoring (14.0).  Samuels is UWA's first Pre-Season player since 2010 after he led the Tigers in scoring (14.1) and rebounding (6.4) in just 17 games.  Green started in all but one of CBU's 32 contests a year ago, placing eighth in the GSC in assists (3.3) and ninth in assists/turnover ratio (1.4).

SIX AND COUNTING
Delta State enters the 2012-13 season with six Gulf South Conference championships, the most by any member institution.  The Statesmen also own GSC records for postseason tournament appearances (24), wins (26), semifinal berths (17) and finals appearances (12).

STATESMEN, NOT FIGHTING OKRA
Despite some rowdy student objections, athletic programs at Delta State University do not use the student-chosen sub-mascot, Fighting Okra.  The Fighting Okra, the most vicious of all vegetables, was created by a band of students at DSU in the late 1980's and early 1990's.  While some on campus embrace the scary veggie, DSU Athletics does not.  Our programs have always been, and will continue to be the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen.  If you have a problem with that, take it up with the vegetable in the corner with boxing gloves.