Nov. 15, 2001
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SAN DIEGO - Game Notes for the Northern Iowa vs. San Diego State men's basketball game.
Northern Iowa (0-0) vs. San Diego State (0-0) Ford Red Raider Classic
Friday, November 16, 2001
9:15 p.m. CDT/7:15 p.m. PDT
United Spirit Arena (15,050)
Lubbock, Texas
Tip Time: No earlier than 9:15 p.m. CDT or 20 minutes after completion of first game.
Television: None
Radio: XTRA 690-AM in San Diego. Jim Stone (play-by-play), Dave Marcus (producing). Please note, due to a conflict with the SDSU football broadcast, Saturday's game will be called by Mel Proctor and will air on KOGO 600-AM in San Diego.
The Records: This is the season-opening game for both Northern Iowa and San Diego State.
SDSU Coach Steve Fisher: Fisher (Illinois State '67) is in his third season at San Diego State with a record of 19-37. In 10 full seasons he has amassed a 203-119 mark. Fisher led Michigan to the 1989 national championships and made three trips to the national championship game in his eight full seasons in Ann Arbor. The 1991-92 national coach of the year led the Aztecs to a 14-14 mark last year.
Northern Iowa Coach Greg McDermott: McDermott (UNI '88) is in his first season at his alma mater after serving as the head coach at Wayne State (Neb.) the previous seven seasons where he amassed a 116-53 record. McDermott played at UNI from 1984-88.
The Series: Northern Iowa leads 1-0, having claimed a 68-66 victory at the San Diego Sports Arena on Dec. 29, 1996.
Officials: Announced by Texas Tech on game day.
Travel Information: San Diego State will depart for Lubbock, Texas at 11:50 a.m. on Nov. 15 on Southwest Flight No. 1604. The Aztecs are scheduled to return on Southwest Flight No. 2291 through Albuquerque.
Aztecs Open Most Anticipated Season in School History at Ford Red Raider Classic
San Diego State begins its 81st season of basketball and the third under the direction of Steve Fisher with a two-game, two-day exempt tournament in the Ford Red Raider Classic in Lubbock, Texas.
On Friday the Aztecs meet the Northern Iowa Panthers at 7:15 p.m. PST, while Texas Tech and William & Mary will play in the tournament's opening game at 5 p.m. PST
San Diego State is coming off a 14-14 campaign, only the second .500 or better season in the last 16 years for the Aztecs and a notable improvement over the 5-24 record in 1999-2000. The Aztecs return four starters off that team and mix in two transfers that started for major programs and a top 25 recruiting class.
A member of the Missouri Valley Conference, UNI is under the direction of first-year coach Greg McDermott. The Panthers return four starters off a squad that went 7-24 overall and 3-15 in league play. Northern Iowa is led by senior guard Robbie Sieverding, who averaged 11.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest last season.
For the first time in three years, San Diego State posted a perfect 2-0 record in exhibition play. The Aztecs recorded a 109-84 victory over the EA Sports West All-Stars on Nov. 1 and an 82-80 win over the L.A. City All-Stars on Nov. 7.
Game time for Saturday will be based around host-school Texas Tech's game. The Red Raiders, regardless of the outcome of their game Friday, will play at 6:15 p.m. PST, with the other contest beginning at 4 p.m. PST.
Cliff Notes: An Abridged Version
u San Diego State is 50-30 (.625) all-time in season openers, and 16-16 (.500) in lidlifters since joining the Division I ranks in 1969-70.
u Steve Fisher coached teams have won nine consecutive season-opening games dating back to an 82-75 loss to Arizona on Nov. 25, 1989.
u Steve Fisher coached squads have compiled a 17-7 record in November games, and his Aztec squads are 4-2 in the Thanksgiving month.
u San Diego State is playing in its first in-season tournament since December of 1992 when the Aztecs played host to the Texaco Star Classic in Peterson Gym.
u San Diego State's last tournament championship (including postseason conference tournaments) came in December of 1987 when the Aztecs won the Holiday Bowl Classic at the San Diego Sports Arena. San Diego State defeated Texas Tech 72-63 on Dec. 28, 1987, to claim that title.
u San Diego State is opening the season on the road for the first time since the current Aztec home of Cox Arena was christened for the 1997-98 season. San Diego State's last opener not considered a home game was a neutral court game against San Diego at the Sports Arena on Dec. 1, 1992 (USD 85, SDSU 60). The previous year the Aztecs played San Diego at the same venue in what was considered a "road" game, with the Toreros winning 60-57. The Aztecs last season opening victory away from home came on Nov. 29, 1984 when San Diego State defeated UC Irvine 86-77. That season the Aztecs finished 23-8 and advanced to their third and most recent NCAA tournament. Since that time, San Diego State has dropped seven straight season-opening road/neutral games.
u San Diego State has won consecutive season openers under Steve Fisher, defeating UC Riverside 73-57 on Nov. 24, 1999 and UC San Diego on Nov. 18, 2000. It is the first time the Aztecs have won consecutive season openers since the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.
Aztecs Complete Successful Exhibition Season San Diego State overcame a 10-point second-half deficit and outscored the L.A. City All-Stars 19-10 over the final 6:34 to claim an 82-80 victory at Cox Arena on Wednesday evening. The victory, coupled with last Thursday's 109-84 win over the EA Sports West All-Stars gave the Aztecs their third consecutive exhibition win dating back to last season and completed a perfect 2-0 exhibition mark this year. This is the first time since 1998 that the Aztecs won both of their preseason contests. "I thought we were really good in the first four minutes of the game and then became a team that reacted and didn't play with poise," Aztec head coach Steve Fisher said. "Mistakes definitely affected the way we played." San Diego State spurted out to a 14-2 lead in the first six minutes of the contest. Junior college transfer Mike Mackell scored the games' first six points and ended the evening with a game-high 28 points on the strength of 11-of-13 shooting from the floor. A native of Washington D.C., Mackell was 21-of-26 from the field in two exhibition games, scoring 48 points. The L.A. City All-Stars, which entered the game with a 1-2 record including an overtime loss at 20th-ranked USC, stormed back and led by as many as seven points three times in the first half. The Stars settled for a 40-37 lead at intermission. The visitors built the lead to 10 points on a Doug Silva free throw with 17:18 to play. San Diego State tied the game at 59 with 12:22 remaining on a lay-up by Aerick Sanders but the Stars used an 11-4 run to go up by seven points with 6:34 left. But the Aztecs chipped away, taking their first lead of the second half on a basket by Mackell with three minutes remaining. San Diego State never trailed again. Joining Mackell in double-figures were senior forward Randy Holcomb and junior guard Tony Bland. Holcomb had 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Bland added 14 points and five assists. Junior point guard Deandre Moore, who did not play against EA Sports last week due to injury, played 29 minutes. The point guard had five points, six assists and just one turnover. Derrick Higgins, who went 11-of-14 from the field en route to a 25-point performance, led the Stars.
Quick Look at the Aztecs San Diego State returns four starters and eight letterwinners off a squad that went 14-14, posting just the second .500 or better season in the last 16 years for the Aztecs. San Diego State also added two high-profile transfers and a top 25 recruiting class to attract national attention. Returning starters include three-year starter and 1,000-point scorer Myron Epps. The senior forward averaged 11. 1 ppg and 4.5 rpg last season. Both figures were second on the team in 2000-01. Joining Epps in the frontcourt is preseason first-team all-Mountain West Conference selection Randy Holcomb. The senior was The Sporting News Mountain West newcomer of the year last season and led the team in points and rebounds, averaging 15.9 and 6.6, respectively. Deandre Moore and Al Faux return to the Mesa this season to provide stability in the backcourt. Moore led the Mountain West Conference during league play in assists, despite playing the last half of the season with a separated shoulder. Faux, a walk-on, turned heads last season when he connected on 7-of-8 three-point field goal attempts vs. Oklahoma State. Faux was one of three players to average in double figures last season with a 10.5 ppg. Other returning letterwinners include senior guard Karlo Kovacic (5.3 ppg, 1.8 apg), senior guard Jim Roban (4.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg), sophomore forward Aerick Sanders (3.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and sophomore forward Chris Walton (3.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg). Added to the mix this season are two high-profile transfers. Tony Bland, voted by the league media as the MWC newcomer of the year, played two seasons at Syracuse. The 6-4, junior guard started 32 games for the 1999-2000 Sweet 16 Orangemen squad. A player Coach Fisher originally recruited to Michigan, Brandon Smith has joined the Aztecs for his senior season. The 6-7 swingman, played 80 games and made 39 starts in three seasons in Ann Arbor. Both Bland and Smith have started during the exhibition campaign. San Diego State's recruiting class was ranked among the top 25 nationally. Thus far, only two players new to the program have seen action, as the staff looks to redshirt a majority of the class. Immediate impact players include Mike Mackell, a 6-9 junior college transfer from Porterville JC. A native of Washington D.C., Mackell was named the junior college player of the year in the Golden State last season. Also finding a spot in the rotation is true freshman Tommy Johnson. Johnson, a 6-4 guard, was the Los Angeles city player of the year last season while at Crenshaw High. GAME NOTES: vs. Northern Iowa/Nov. 16, Know Thy Enemy: About UNI Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa Founded: 1876 Enrollment: 13,800 President: Dr. Robert Koob Athletic Director: Rick Hartzell Nickname: Panthers Colors: Purple and Old Gold Arena: UNI-Dome (10,000) Conference: Missouri Valley
Noting the Panthers First-year coach Greg McDermott inherits a team with six seniors off a squad that went 7-24 last season. Most notable among the returners is guard Robbie Sieverding, the team's leading scorer in 1999-2000 with a 16.3 scoring average. Sieverding suffered a severe knee injury in the first regular-season game at Montana last season and missed the remainder of the season. Guard Andy Woodley is back for his senior season after averaging 4.4 assists (5.5 in Missouri Valley play) and 3.0 steals (3.2 in league play) and was ranked first in the league and sixth in the nation in swipes. The Panthers were victorious in their first exhibition game, with an 89-74 victory over the London Leopards. The Panthers built a 15-point halftime lead and cruised to the win. Sieverding connected on 10-of-15 field goal attempts en route to a game-high 27 points. 2 SDSU-UNI Series History There is not a lot of history between the Panthers and the Aztecs as the teams will tangle for just the second time in school history. On Dec. 29, 1986, Northern Iowa defeated San Diego State 68-66 at the San Diego Sports Arena. It was the third game in three nights for the Aztecs. San Diego State enjoyed a 43-36 rebound edge but connected on just 23-of-68 field goal attempts (33.8 percent). SDSU led by two points at the break and built an eight-point lead (53-45) with 9:35 remaining. The Aztecs were led by Juan Espinoza who scored a team-high 15 points and added seven rebounds. Northern Iowa got a game-high 17 points from Maurice Newby. San Diego State would like to forget that 1986-87 season when the Aztecs finished with a 5-25 overall record. The loss to the Panthers was the second of 17 consecutive defeats.
SDSU-UNI Connections u San Diego State director of basketball operations Gregg Gottlieb played college basketball at Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa. He was pictured on the front page of the Des Moines Register sports section after a loss to the Panthers in the UNI-Dome during his junior campaign. u Freshman walk-on guard Steve Sir played against several of the current members of the Panther squad. Sir played against Chris Foster in the Howard Pully League. He also saw action against Adam Jacobson during the summer when Jacobson lived in Roseville, Minn., prior to his family's move to Fargo, N.D. Jacobson is the younger brother of Utah sophomore Nick Jacobson. Sir encountered UNI freshman forward Matt Bennett in summer ball. As a rising high school senior, Sir helped lead his AAU team to a tournament victory at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. GAME NOTES: vs. Northern Iowa/Nov. 16, Know Thy Enemy: About Texas Tech Location: Lubbock, Texas Founded: 1923 Enrollment: 24,558 President: Dr. David Schmidly Athletic Director: Gerald Myers Nickname: Red Raiders Colors: Scarlet and Black Arena: United Spirit Arena (15,050) Conference: Big 12
Noting the Red Raiders Former Indiana coach Bob Knight takes over a Red Raider program that went 9-19 last season. Two starters and four letterwinners return off the 2000-01 Texas Tech squads. Senior center Andy Ellis averaged 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest last season for the Red Raiders. Also returning from last season's starting lineup is sophomore guard Mikey Marshall. Marshall averaged 3.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest last year. The Red Raiders play 10 of 13 nonconference games at home this season. 2 SDSU-Texas Tech Series History The two programs have met a total of four times, with the series tied at two wins apiece. The home team has been victorious in all four contests and three of the four games have been decided by nine points or less. The Red Raiders won the initial meeting between the teams, a 93-86 decision, on Dec. 1, 1971. The teams did not meet again until the late 80's, when San Diego State and Texas Tech played in three consecutive Decembers from 1987-89. The most recent game between the teams was on Dec. 4, 1989, at the Sports Arena. Shawn Jamison made two free throws with 16 seconds remaining to lift the Aztecs to a 51-50 victory over Texas Tech. Jamison scored a game-high 18 rebounds and added nine rebounds for San Diego State. The Red Raiders were led by Derex Butts, who tallied 14 points. The Aztecs connected on just 16-of-44 field goals (36.4 percent) and made just one three-point field goal in the contest, but San Diego State used an 18-9 advantage at the free-throw line to claim the victory.
SDSU-Texas Tech Connections u Two of the three head coaches west of the Mississippi that have won national championships are represented in this tournament. Steve Fisher led Michigan to the title in 1989, while Bob Knight took Indiana to the winner's podium in 1976, 1981 and 1987 (the other coach is Jerry Tarkanian who led UNLV to the title in 1990. Fisher and Knight went head-to-head 16 times while both coached in the Big Ten Conference, with Knight owning a 10-6 lead. However, Fisher has a 4-3 edge over the last seven encounters between the two championship coaches. u San Diego State senior Brandon Smith is from Amarillo, Texas, approximately 130 miles north of Lubbock. Smith played on an AAU squad out of Lubbock called the Warriors that finished fifth in the national tournament. Among the members of that AAU team is current Red Raider is Jesus Arenas.
Know Thy Enemy: About William & Mary Location: Williamsburg, Va. Founded: 1693 Enrollment: 5,600 President: Timothy J. Sullivan Athletic Director: Terry Driscoll Nickname: Tribe Colors: Green, Gold and Silver Arena: William and Mary Hall (8,600) Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
Noting the Tribe William & Mary returns three starters and eight letterwinners off a squad that was 11-17 last season. Senior Mike Johnson averaged 12.0 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds last season. The 6-7 Johnson made 50 three-point baskets a year ago. Joining Johnson in the frontcourt is returning starter Tom Strohbehn. A three-year starter for the Tribe, Strohbehn averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. William & Mary, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, have just one regular-season home game prior to January.
SDSU-William & Mary Connections u San Diego State walk-on Ben Wardrop stayed with grandparents in Williamsburg, Va. this summer. Wardrop played pick-up basketball games with many of the current members of the Tribe.
Talkin' Bout A Revolution The rise of the San Diego State basketball program under Steve Fisher has turned heads across the country. Below is a look at some of the accomplishments for third-year head coach Fisher and the Aztecs. San Diego State was 14-14 last season. The 14 victories in the 2000-01 season equal the total number of wins San Diego State had in the 66 games prior to last season. The 14 victories surpass the number of wins for the Aztecs in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons combined and helped the Aztecs post their second .500 or better season in 16 years. The Aztecs broke four significant losing streaks last season. In addition to snapping a 24-game conference road losing streak with a win over Air Force on Feb. 19, San Diego State opened the season by snapping a 17-game overall losing streak with a victory over UC San Diego. On Jan. 6, the Aztecs put to rest a 30-game road losing streak by defeating Loyola Marymount, 61-58. It had been 1,067 days since the Aztecs claimed a road win on Feb. 4, 1998. The Aztecs claimed their first Mountain West Conference victory, snapping a 17-game conference losing streak with the win over Air Force on Feb. 19. Last season the Aztecs won six consecutive games, tying for the fifth-longest winning streak of the Division I era and the longest since the Aztecs won eight straight games in December of 1984. Prior to the streak, San Diego State had gone 109 consecutive games without a three-game winning streak. The Aztecs' dramatic turnaround carried over to the turnstiles. Attendance for the 2000-01 season is up 73.3 percent over last season. Last season the Aztecs played before home crowds of 4,000 or more 10 times after drawing only one crowd of more than 4,000 in 1999-2000.
Sweet November Openers San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher will try and continue his success in early season play. Fisher coaches teams have won nine consecutive season openers (his final seven at Michigan and the first two at San Diego State). In fact the only season-opening contest a Fisher coached team has lost was in his first full season at Michigan. His Wolverine squad lost to Arizona 82-75 on Nov. 25, 1989. Since that time, Fisher coached clubs have defeated Central Michigan (1990-91), Detroit (1991-92), Rice (1992-93), Georgia Tech (1993-94), Tulane (1994-95), DePaul (1995-96), Ball State (1996-97), UC Riverside (1999-2000) and UC San Diego (2000-01). Overall, Fisher led teams have posted a 17-7 mark in November, including a 4-2 mark while at San Diego State. That 4-2 record is particularly impressive when considering the Aztecs were 1-8 in their previous turkey month games prior to Fisher's arrival.
If You Win, They Will Come The San Diego community responded to the Aztecs' improved play in nearly record numbers last year, resulting in the best attendance average since the 1981-82 season. In 17 regular-season home games in 2000-01, San Diego State averaged 4,538 fans, for an increase of 73 percent. In 1999-2000, the Aztecs averaged 2,618 fans for 15 home games. The 73 percent increase in home attendance over the previous season, was the second largest percentage increase nationally behind Oklahoma State. Last season, the Aztecs played before the 11th largest home crowd in school history and the second biggest crowd of the Cox Arena era when the Aztecs hosted San Diego. In fact four of the six and six of the largest 10 crowds in the history of Cox Arena have occurred during the 2000-01 season. The attendance boom is certain to continue this season with the Aztecs fans purchasing a school-record number of season tickets.