UMKC Hosts Harris Stowe State On Saturday In Exhibition Opener At The Swinney Recreation Center
10/26/2007 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
Homecoming will hit the UMKC campus, as the Kangaroo men's basketball team will play its lone exhibition game of the season on Saturday night against Harris Stowe State. The game, which will be held at the Swinney Recreation Center at 7:05 p.m., will be the first for UMKC under first year head coach Matt Brown.
Homecoming 2007
With the men's basketball game being held on campus, UMKC is having its first ever homecoming celebration on Saturday afternoon. Tailgating will open the festivities beginning at 2 p.m. at the University Playhouse with a barbeque set to begin at 4 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., there will be the International student parade of flags inside the SRC followed by the game against Harris Stowe State at 7 p.m.
The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a free rally towel, and additional in-game promotions will also take place. The first 250 students will receive free tickets to the game.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM or 97.3 FM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season. Former Kangaroo Michael Watson, meanwhile, is in his first season as the color commentator for the UMKC home games this season.
On The Web
Fans can watch all UMKC home games live on Summit TV. To access Summit TV go to www.thesummitleague.org and click on the Summit TV icon. Fans can watch all Summit League games for $49.95. UMKC fans will also be able to see all away games once league games begin in December.
Live Stats
Fans can follow Saturday's game live at www.umkckangaroos.com via live stats.
A Look At Harris Stowe State
Harris Stowe State is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and it is located in St. Louis, Mo. Last season, the Hornets finished with a 6-24 overall record and a 2-10 mark in the American Midwest Conference. Head Coach Rich Fanning is in his fourth year at the helm of the program, where he has compiled a 16-74 overall record.
Forward Phillip B. Stewart is the team's top returning scorer, as he averaged 11.2 points per game for HSSU a season ago. Guard Mack Caldwell also averaged in double digits with a 10.3 clip in 28 games for the Hornets.
HSSU Game Facts
? Head Coach Rich Fanning also serves as the Director of Athletics at Harris Stowe State University. This season is Fanning's fifth year at the University.
? In addition to his duties as an assistant basketball coach, Phil Hunt also serves as the sports information director for the Hornets.
2006-07 Review
? UMKC finished the 2006-07 season with a 12-20 overall record and a 6-8 mark in the Mid-Continent Conference.
? The Kangaroos advanced to the Mid-Con semifinal game for the fifth time in school history last season before falling to Oakland, 83-79.
? Quinton Day was a first team all-Mid-Con selection after finishing second in the league in scoring (16.9), second in assists (4.09) and three point field goals made (92) and third in steals (1.69).
? Dee Ayuba was a second team all-league honoree after ranking 10th in league only games in scoring (13.4) and rebounding (5.0).
? Day also set the single season assist record for UMKC with 131 assists in 32 games. He also became seventh player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point mark for his career.
It's Only Been A Decade
UMKC will be playing its first game in the Swinney Recreation Center in more than a decade on Saturday night against Harris Stowe State. The team's last game at the SRC came on Feb. 1, 1997, against Troy State. The Kangaroos played at the venue after a power outage occurred at Municipal Auditorium.
A Whole New Coaching Staff
A new era of UMKC history began in April when Matt Brown was selected as the fifth head coach in the Division I era for the Kangaroos. Brown came to Kansas City after serving as an assistant coach under John Beilein at West Virginia and Richmond.
Brown hired Kareem Richardson, Ed Kohtala and Martin Unger to fill out his coaching staff. Richardson previously served an assistant coach at Evansville University, while Kohtala spent the last six years as the head coach at Division III Alma College. Last season, Unger was the top assistant/recruiting coordinator at Nicholls State University.
Brown also added Drew Molitoris as his graduate assistant. Molitoris was an assistant varsity high school coach in Georgia before joining the UMKC staff.
Blackwell To Miss First Two Games
Senior Tim Blackwell will not play in UMKC's exhibition game against Harris Stowe State or in the regular season opener at Kansas on Nov. 11. Blackwell is missing the two contests for violating team rules.
Looking For Some Offense
The Kangaroos will need to replace 52 percent of its scoring this season with the departures of Quinton Day, Dee Ayuba, Blake Crawford, Kyle Spears and Dominique Johnson. UMKC finished the 2006-07 season with 2,290 points with 1,194 of those points coming from the five previously mentioned players. The inside-outside duo of Day and Ayuba accounted for 850 of the team's points.
Brumagin Is Top Returning Scorer
Junior Dane Brumagin is UMKC's top returning scorer from a season ago after averaging 9.6 points per game. The Montgomery City, Mo., native finished in double figures in 11 games as a sophomore, which included four contests with 20 or more points.
Brumagin put on a show for the fans in attendance during a Feb. 10 match-up at Centenary, as he finished the game with 31 points. Nineteen of those points came over the final seven minutes of the contest, as UMKC rallied from an 18-point deficit.
Stephens Looks For Expanded Role
Senior Brent Stephens will be looked upon to increase his offensive production in Coach Brown's new scheme this season. The Oklahoma native is the second leading returning scorer for UMKC after averaging 9.3 points per game a season ago.
Early in his junior campaign, Stephens scored in double figures in eight of his first nine contest on the year, as he was the primary post player for the Kangaroos. During this stretch, he averaged 12.7 points per game for the team.
Three-Point Specialists
Senior Tim Blackwell and junior Brian Gettinger both enter the 2007-08 season among the top-10 in the UMKC recordbooks in career three-point field goal percentage. Blackwell has the second best mark at .428 (98-229), while Gettinger is tied for fifth with a .393 (48-122) clip. Blackwell also ranks sixth in school history for three pointers made with 135 in his career.
Bombs Away
Dane Brumagin also fits the bill as an excellent three point threat for UMKC heading into his junior campaign. The Montgomery City, Mo., native ranked eighth in the Mid-Con a season ago with 60 three point field goals for the Kangaroos. He made at least one long ball in 26-of-32 games on the year, which included a career-best six treys against Baker on Nov. 15, 2006.
UMKC Looking For The “Old” Blackwell
A key to the upcoming season will be the play of senior Tim Blackwell. The Kangaroos are hoping the Cameron, Mo., native can return to form from his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Last season, Blackwell finished with an average of 5.3 points per game, while shooting .378 from the floor and .352 from long range. In contrast, the guard averaged in double digits (10.1 and 11.4 points, respectively) in each of his first two years in Blue and Gold.
Hemingway Returns After Redshirt Season
Junior Akeem Hemingway returns to action for the Kangaroos after redshirting last season due to a nagging foot injury. Prior to joining the UMKC program, Hemingway played the 2005-06 season at Connors State College in Warner, Okla., where he averaged 19.7 points, four assists and three rebounds per game.
Simms Ready To Play After Transferring From FIU
Junior Kenny Simms spent his first two years of college basketball at Florida International University, where he saw action in 58 games. The Jackson, N.J., native averaged 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds, while shooting .455 from the floor for FIU. He also had 66 blocks, 28 assists and 13 steals for the the Golden Panthers.
The Frosh
The Kangaroos welcome four freshman from three different states to the squad this season in Nathan Balch, Reggie Hamilton, James Humphrey and Spencer Johnson.
Balch, a walk-on from Westerville, Ohio, was a three-time first team all-district and all-county selection at Olentangy High School. He was also named his team's most valuable player from 2005-07.
Hamilton, a native of Harvey, Ill., averaged 17.7 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals at Thornwood High School. He was a first team all-Sica East Conference selection both as a junior and senior.
Humphrey comes to Kansas City after spending one season at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Va., where he averaged nine points and five rebounds per game. Prior to attending FUMA, Humphrey was an all-conference, all-area and all-state tournament team selection at Paul Harding High School in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Johnson joins the program after spending the 2006-07 season at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina. As a prep, Johnson was named the 22nd-best player in the state of Illinois by MidStateHoops.com following the 2006 season. He received a three-star ranking on a five-star scale.
Kangaroos Picked Sixth In Summit League Preseason Poll
UMKC is picked to finish sixth in the preseason Summit League poll, which was released on Oct. 17. The Kangaroos received 205 points in a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and selected media members. IUPUI, meanwhile, was chosen as the preseason league favorite.
Coaching Ties
When filling out his staff, head coach Matt Brown looked no further than his previous coaching stops to find the right individuals to join his staff at UMKC. The first year coach hired a pair of past colleagues in Martin Unger and Ed Kohtala.
Brown and Unger spent four years together working under John Beilein at the University of Richmond. The pair helped the Spiders to an NCAA Tournament bid in 1998.
Brown and Kohtala, meanwhile, crossed paths at the University of Florida during the 1996-97 season. Both were graduate assistant coaches under Billy Donovan.
Coaching Ties Part 2
Assistant coach Martin Unger and graduate assistant Drew Molitoris are also in their second University stint together. Unger served as the video coordinator at Florida State University, while Molitoris was the team's graduate manager.
An NBA Connection
Freshman guard Reggie Hamilton and current New York Knicks center/forward Eddy Curry both attended Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois. Curry was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.
Fork Union Ties
Junior Akeem Hemingway and freshman James Humphrey both attended Fork Union Military Academy prior to finding their way to UMKC. Humphrey played for head coach Fletcher Arritt in 2006-07, while Hemingway prepped at FUMA from 2002-04.
Two Kangaroos - One Family
Junior Brian Gettinger and his younger sister, Kelly, are currently both student-athletes at UMKC. Kelly is a sophomore on the Kangaroo volleyball team, where she is an outside hitter.
Day, Ayuba Continuing Careers Overseas
Former Kangaroos Quinton Day and Dee Ayuba are both continuing their basketball careers overseas. Day is a member of Klima-Vill Kaposvar Se team in Hungary, while Ayuba is playing in Sweden for Plannja Basket Lulea.
A New League Identity
The 2007 season will mark the first year of The Summit League, which is formerly known as the Mid-Continent Conference. The name change is a part of an initiative called the Summit Plan. The goal of the Summit Plan is to improve the overall athletic image of the conference and bring a more intense focus on the welfare of student-athletes.
In addition to the name change, the league welcomes three new schools to the mix in 2007-08. IPFW, North Dakota State and South Dakota State all join the conference this season to push the number of members to 10. Valparaiso, a founding member of the conference, departed the league and is now a member of the Horizon League.
