MBB GAME NOTES: Selma University/Champion Baptist College at Delta State University (11.18-24.13)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Delta State University Men's Basketball team will face two non-conference foes this week at Walter Sillers Coliseum. The Statesmen (2-1) will host Selma University (2-2) on Wednesday, Nov. 20 before closing out the week on Saturday, Nov. 23 with Champion Baptist College. Wednesday's tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's start time is slated for 4 p.m.
THE OPENING TIP
The Statesmen are coming off an impressive 82-71 victory at LeMoyne-Owen College last Saturday, Nov. 16 in Memphis, Tenn.
Willie Readus led all scorers with 31 points and 13 rebounds.
Alister Chisholm added 13 points and six rebounds as well.
Jim Boone (West Virginia State, 1981) is in his second season as head coach at Delta State. He guided the Statesmen to a 11-16 overall finish in 2012-13 in his first season at DSU. His career record stands at 443-345, but he owns an outstanding 351-183 mark in NCAA DII play. Boone spent 10 seasons as coach at California (Pa.), where he led the Vulcans to six PSAC titles, nine NCAA Tournament appearances and two NCAA Final Fours. His "Pack Line" defense is known as one of the top defensive systems in the game.
The Statesmen were picked to finish fourth in the GSC Preseason Coaches Poll. Delta State received one third place vote, three fourth place votes, and two fifth place votes for a total of 27 points. North Alabama was selected the 2013-14 GSC Men's Basketball Pre-Season Coaches' Poll favorite.
The Statesmen were one of the top defensive units in the GSC last season, allowing opponents a mere 61.1 points per game and 41.3 percent shooting from the floor.
Delta State opened the 2013-2014 campaign by hosting the Delta Challenge on Nov. 9-10 at Walter Sillers Coliseum. The Statesmen went 1-1 at the event with an 89-66 loss to No. 9 Florida Southern and a thrilling 79-73 overtime victory against Eckerd College.
Senior guard
Cornel Knight needs just four points to top 500 for his career here at Delta State. In 57 games played, the Mobile, Ala., native has scored 496 points for an average of 8.7 points per game.
Jack Madgen, a sophomore shooting guard from Williamstown, Australia, broke the 300 points scored plateau with seven points in DSU's 82-71 win at LeMoyne-Owen. In just 26 games, Madgen has scored 305 points (10.2 ppg). Madgen is 104-of-259 from the field (40.2 percent) in his young career.
True freshman point guard
Devin Schmidt has made an immediate impact on DSU, averaging 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Alister Chisholm is proving to be quite the sixth man for the Statesmen, as the redshirt junior is averaging 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds a game off the bench.
UP NEXT
Delta State will travel to Henderson State on Tuesday, Nov. 26 for an in-region clash in Arkadelphia, Ark. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Duke Wells Center. DSU is 24-23 all-time versus the Reddies, a former GSC institution.
INSIDE THE STATESMEN
READUS NAMED GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Delta State forward
Willie Readus (SR, 6-7, 265, Morton, MS) is this week's Noah Basketball Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week. The senior led DSU to victory in its lone game of the week behind his first double-double of the season.
Readus guided the Statesmen to an 82-71 victory at in-region, LeMoyne-Owen, leading all players with 31 points and 13 rebounds in 37 minutes of action. The Morton, MS native also shot 75.0 percent from the field and hit 13 of his 19 free throw attempts. His point total was the highest in the league this year and his rebound mark was one shy of the season's top effort.
DIFFICULT HOME TESTS IN SELMA/CHAMPION BAPTIST
The Statesmen will play a pair of non-conference games this week versus Selma University and Champion Baptist College. DSU welcomes the SU Bulldogs to campus on Wednesday, Nov. 20 for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, while the Tigers of CBC enter Sillers Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 23. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
Wednesday's contest between the Statesmen and the Bulldogs will be the first in men's basketball. DSU and SU have met previously in women's basketball. The Bulldogs enter the game with a 2-2 overall record and are led by Jamie Washington's 14.8 points per game.
Saturday's clash with Champion Baptist will be the second meeting on the hardwood between the two schools. DSU blasted Champion 105-40 in former head coach Jason Conner's second season on Jan. 8, 2008.
APPROACHING TWO MILESTONES
The Statesmen are on the cusp of eclipsing two major milestones this season- 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 1,198-805-1. DSU is also a blistering 691-455 in league games.
READUS & STATESMEN STUFF MAGICIANS
The Delta State University men's basketball team defeated Lemoyne-Owen College 82-71 to improve to 2-1 on the season. The Statesmen were lead on the afternoon by
Willie Readus, who scored a career high 31 points. The senior from Morton, Miss shot 9 of 14 from the field and made 13 of 19 free throws. In his 36 minutes played, Readus scored 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.
It was a tightly contested matchup throughout as the game was tied at 37 at halftime. The largest lead in the half was 12 from Delta State. Both teams shot the ball well in the first half with the Statesmen making 15-of-30 shots from the field.
In the second half, the Statesmen shot even better, making 13-of-25 from the field, with the majority of their shots inside the paint.
Cornel Knight provided 16 points as well as eight rebounds, while
Alister Chisholm provided a spark off the bench with a career-high 13 points and six rebounds.
SIX AND COUNTING
Delta State enters the 2013-14 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.
DEFENSE NAME OF THE GAME FOR BOONE'S STATESMEN
The Statesmen are led by one of the nation's top defensive coaches in
Jim Boone. The 27-year veteran skipper has hung his hat on his ability to draw up defenses to stop any opponent.
Delta State was one of the top defensive units in the GSC last season, allowing opponents a mere 61.1 points per game and 41.3 percent shooting from the floor.
BOONE ENTERS SECOND SEASON AT DELTA STATE
Jim Boone (West Virginia State, 1981) is in his second season as head coach at Delta State. He guided the Statesmen to a 11-16 overall finish in 2012-13 in his first season at DSU.
His career record stands at 443-345, but he owns an outstanding 351-183 mark in NCAA DII play. Boone spent 10 seasons as coach at California (Pa.), where he led the Vulcans to six PSAC titles, nine NCAA Tournament appearances and two NCAA Final Fours. His "Pack Line" defense is known as one of the top defensive systems in the game.
DELTA STATE PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN GSC
As the Statesmen prepare for the 2013-2014 season, the GSC Coaches Preseason Poll picked Delta State to finish fourth in the annual vote. North Alabama was selected the 2013-14 GSC Men's Basketball Pre-Season Coaches' Poll favorite in the closest voting in recent memory. Seven points separates the poll's top three squads and four teams collected at least one first-place vote.
UNA garnered the four first-place votes, en route to 44 points, while defending Champion Christian Brothers clipped the Lions' heels with 43 points led by two first-place nods. Alabama-Huntsville posted one first-place vote and came in third-place via 37 total points. Delta State (27) and Valdosta State (20) finished, fourth and fifth, respectively. West Alabama owned the final first-place vote and sixth-place via 19 points, while West Florida and West Georgia tied for the final position at 17 points.
All eight teams advance to the 2014 GSC Tournament which returns to the Pete Hanna Center on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, AL from March 6-9.
