UMKC Prepares For Jackrabbits On Thursday Night
1/14/2009 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will continue its season-long three-game home stand with a Thursday night match-up against South Dakota State. The Kangaroos and Jackrabbits will square off at Municipal Auditorium beginning at 7:05 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast live on Metro Sports.
On The Tube
Thursday's game against South Dakota State will be broadcast live on Metro Sports. Neil Harwell will call the play-by-play, while Doug Elstun will serve as the color commentator.
On The Air
Thursday's game will be aired on 810 AM with the “Voice of the Kangaroos” Steven Davis calling the play-by-play with Steven St. John serving as the color commentator. Davis is the son of long-time Kansas and Royals play-by-play announcer Bob Davis, while St. John is the host of “The Border Patrol” on 810 WHB.
Last Game
UMKC dropped a 66-50 decision to Southern Utah on Jan. 10 at Municipal Auditorium. The Kangaroos trailed by a point at the break, but the Thunderbirds outscored the Kangaroos 37-22 in the second half to hand UMKC its fifth straight defeat. SUU shot 49 percent in the win, while limiting just one UMKC player - Dane Brumagin - to score in double figures.
Game Notes
- Southern Utah held the Kangaroos to a season-low 22 second half points. UMKC also had season-lows in three point field goals (2), three-point field goal attempts (13) and three-point field goal percentage (.154).
- Two SUU players - Davis Baker and Tyler Quinney - combined to score 48 of the team's 66 points. Both players finished with 24 points in the contest.
- UMKC connected on all 12 of its free throw attempts in the first half against the Thunderbirds. The squad followed it up, however, by making just 4-of-10 attempts over the final 20 minutes.
Scouting South Dakota State
The Jackrabbits enter Thursday's game with an 8-10 overall record and an even 3-3 mark in Summit League play. Last weekend, SDSU picked up a pair of league home victories, as it defeated Western Illinois (65-55) and IUPUI (83-63). In the game against the Jaguars, four Jackrabbit players finished in double figures with guard Garrett Callahan leading the way with 23 points.
Callahan leads a group of four SDSU players that are averaging in double figures on the season. The guard scores 16.3 points per game, while shooting .482 from the floor and .466 from long range. Fellow guard Clint Sargent is second on the team with a 14.0 per game average followed by forward Anthony Cordova (10.2) and Kai Williams (10.0). Cordova is also leading the team with 6.8 rebounds pre game.
The Jackrabbits are shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from long range en route to 69.2 points per game. The squad is +0.7 on the boards (33.9-33.2) on the year, which includes 12.5 offensive rebounds per contest.
SDSU Game Notes
- The Jacks shot a blazing .615 (32-52) percent from the floor and .545 (12-22) from three-point range in the 20-point win over IUPUI. Over the last two contests, SDSU is shooting 57.3 (55-96) percent from the field.
- SDSU has already matched its 2007-08 win total - both overall and in league play. Last season, the Jacks finished with an 8-21 overall mark and a 3-15 record in Summit League action.
- Much like the Kangaroos, the Jackrabbits are a youthful squad in 2008-09. SDSU has nine underclassmen on its roster, six of which are sophomores.
Nail Biters Not Kind To Kangaroos
The Kangaroos have been competitive in just about every game this season, but the squad is having its difficulties in tight contests. UMKC has posted a 3-7 record in games decided by seven points or less this season.
Brumagin Notches Seventh 20-Point Game
Senior Dane Brumagin notched his fourth 20-point game in five games when he netted 20 points on a 7-of-14 effort from the floor against Southern Utah on Jan. 10. The forward also was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the contest.
During the five-game stretch, the Montgomery City, Mo., native is the only Kangaroo player averaging in double figures. The senior is averaging 23.6 points on .539 (41-76) shooting from the floor and .370 (10-27) from long range.
Brumagin opened the stretch with a 26-point effort against UTSA before scoring season-high 34 points vs. SIU Edwardsville and 23 points at IUPUI. In the lone game under 20, the forward scored 15 points at Western Illinois.
This season, Brumagin is leading team and is third in The Summit League with an 18.5 scoring average, while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from long range. He has scored in double figures in 16-of-18 games, while hitting the 20-point mark in a total of seven contests.
For his career, Brumagin has scored in double digits in 54 games and in 23 of those contests he has hit the 20-point mark.
Trez Grabs Career-High In Rebounds
Freshman Latreze Mushatt grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds at Western Illinois on Jan. 2. It was the Michigan native's second career game with 10 or more rebounds.
Mushatt has been one of UMKC's top rebounders this season, as he is second on the team with 6.2 boards per game, which ranks 11th in The Summit League. The forward has grabbed at least eight rebounds in a total of seven contests on the year.
Offensively, Mushatt is fifth on the team with an 7.8 per game scoring average, and he's scored in double figures in five games this season.
UMKC is....
- 0-10 when allowing 70 or more points this season.
- 5-3 when allowing 69 or fewer points this season.
- 3-1 when it goes into the half with a lead.
Dane Quickies
- Senior Dane Brumagin has not made a three-point field goal in the last two contests. The forward went 0-4 from three-point range on Jan. 2 at Western Illinois and 0-2 on Jan. 10 vs. Southern Utah. The game against the Leathernecks was the first contest this season and the first game since Jan. 24, 2008 - a span of 26 games - that the forward did not make a long ball. Brumagin has made at least one three pointer in 84-of-108 career games.
- Brumagin is the only Kangaroo player to start every game this season. The Missouri native has started 20 straight games dating back to last season.
Brumagin Sixth All-Time In UMKC History In Career Scoring
Senior Dane Brumagin moved past David Robinson into sixth place in the UMKC record books in career scoring with his 34-point performance against SIU Edwardsville on Dec. 28. The forward, who is just the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone, currently has 1,280 career points, which is 124 points behind Quinton Day (1,404) for fifth place all-time.
FF Reaches DD
Redshirt freshman Fred Ford scored a career-high 15 points off the bench, which included eight points over the final two minutes, at Western Illinois on Jan. 2. The guard made 4-of-5 field goal attempts in the contest and all six of his free throws.
It was Ford's second career game in double figures, as he netted first hit the mark with his 12-point performance at Northwestern on Dec. 15.
Spence A Beast On The Boards
Sophomore Spencer Johnson has been a beast on the boards for the Kangaroos this season despite regularly facing taller players at the five position throughout the year. The 6-6 forward has seven games this season where he has grabbed double-digit rebounding totals. The Illinois native is leading the team with 7.6 rebounds per game, which is tied for the league lead. He is also pacing the league with 3.1 offensive rebounds per contest. Additionally, the forward has been UMKC's top rebounder in 14-of-18 games on the year.
Improving His All Around Game
Sophomore Spencer Johnson has been UMKC's most consistent post player this season, as he's scored in double digits in a total of eight contests on the year. Among the eight contests is three games with 20 or more points.
Johnson is third on the team with an 11.3 scoring average this season, while shooting .441 (75-170) from the floor. The offensive production is staggering, as the forward scored a total of 54 points as a true freshman, where he averaged 1.8 points per contest.
UMKC's 2008-09 Double-Doubles
Dane Brumagin
29 points/10 rebounds - vs. Oakland (12/4)
Spencer Johnson
20 points/13 rebounds - vs. Oakland (12/4)
12 points/10 rebounds - vs. IPFW (12/6)
14 points/14 rebounds - at Loyola (Ill.) - 12/13
22 points/12 rebounds - at Northwestern - 12/15
23 points/11 rebounds - at Eastern Washington - 12/18
Spence's December To Remember
Sophomore Spencer Johnson had an outstanding month of December for the Kangaroos, as he averaged a double-double with 14.9 points and 10.4 rebounds. The Illinois native posted five straight double-doubles to lead the nation from Dec. 4 to Dec. 18. He posted career-highs in points three times during the month and in rebounds on a pair of occasions.
Summit League Player of the Week Honorees
The Kangaroos have had a pair of student-athletes earn Summit League Player of the Week honors this season after having just one honoree in 2007-08.
Sophomore Spencer Johnson earned the team's first POW honor on Dec. 22 after posting back-to-back double-doubles at Northwestern and Eastern Washington on Dec. 15 and Dec. 18. The forward had 22 points and 12 boards against NU before finishing with a career-best 23 points and 11 boards at EWU.
Senior Dane Brumagin became the second straight Kangaroo to earn the Player of the Week accolade on Dec. 28 after averaging 30 points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists in a pair of contests. The forward scored 26 points against UTSA before following it up with a season-high 34 points against SIU Edwardsville.
Lewis Gives UMKC Another Scoring Option
Sophomore Bakari Lewis has given the Kangaroos a much needed fourth scoring option since becoming eligible on Dec. 15. On Dec. 31 at IUPUI, the guard had the best scoring game of his Kangaroo career when he finished with 18 points on a 7-of-11 shooting performance, which included a perfect 4-of-4 day from long range.
Lewis, who has started 5-of-7 games since becoming eligible, has averaged 8.9 points on .442 shooting over seven games. He also has an 22 assists to 12 turnovers on the year.
Master Thief
Senior Dane Brumagin has tallied at least two steals in nine of the last 12 games for the Kangaroos. The Missouri native has a total of 31 steals or 1.7 per game on the season, which ranks fourth in The Summit League.
Brumagin Named A Semifinalist For The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Dane Brumagin has been named to the initial list of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The award, given annually to senior student-athletes across nine NCAA Division I sports, has become one of the most prestigious honors in college athletics and is sponsored by Lowe's, an Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA. Based on criteria focusing on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition, the award winners will be selected by national balloting of head basketball coaches, national media and college basketball fans.
The 2008 candidates on the men's sides includes student-athletes from 27 different schools from around the country representing 14 conferences. Brumagin is the lone representative from The Summit League.
UMKC Surpasses 2007-08 Road Win Total
The Kangaroos surpassed their 2007-08 road win total when they defeated Eastern Washington on Dec. 18 in Cheney. The squad is 3-6 on the road this season. Last year, UMKC went 2-13 in games away from Kansas City.
The Kangaroos picked up their first road victory at Wichita State on Nov. 19. The win was the program's first win in Wichita and the first road victory against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent. The win over WSU was also the largest crowd (10,282) that UMKC has won in front of since the squad topped Oral Roberts in from of 10,331 fans at the Mabee Center during the 2004-05 season.
Closing Out On The 3's
UMKC has been contesting the three-point shots well through the first half of the season. The Kangaroos are third in the league in allowing its opposition to shoot 31.1 percent (92-296) from three-point range. UMKC has held its opponents under 30 percent from three-point land in a total of 10 games on the year.
Etching Their Name In The Record Books
Sophomores Reggie Hamilton and James Humphrey have both etched their names in the single game record books this season. Hamilton finished with five steals against Florida on Nov. 30, which are tied for the third most in a single game in school history. Humphrey, meanwhile, swatted five shots in the win over IPFW. The five blocks are also tied for the third most in a single game in school history.
Getting Others Involved
Sophomore Reggie Hamilton registered his third game this season with seven or more assists when he tallied eight in the loss at Northwestern on Dec. 15. The guard has six games this season with five or more assists, which included a career-best nine helpers against Oakland on Dec 4. Hamilton currently ranks third in The Summit League with 4.1 assists per game.
Hamilton Shines In Florida
Sophomore Reggie Hamilton had a superb five-game stretch during UMKC's trip to the state of Florida from Nov. 22-30. The guard hit the 20-point mark in four of the team's five games, and he averaged 19.4 points on .493 (34-69) shooting from the floor and .483 (14-29) from long range. Hamilton also averaged 5.6 assists and 2.6 steals for the Kangaroos.
Hamilton was the first Kangaroo player since Michael Watson to score 20 or more points in four straight games. Watson had two different six-game streaks during the 2003-04 season.
Since returning from the Sunshine State, however, Hamilton has struggled for the team. The guard has averaged 8.9 points over the last 10 games, and he is shooting just 28.3 (26-92) percent from the floor and 21.7 (10-46) from three-point range.
On the year, Hamilton is second on the team with a 12.9 scoring average. The Harvey, Ill., native has reached double figures in 13-of-18 games this season, and in five of those contests, the guard finished with at least 20 points.
Switch-A-Roo
Head Coach Matt Brown has used 11 different starting line-ups over the first 18 games this season. Last season, UMKC used a total of 17 different starting line-ups on the year.
Returners Carry The Load
Through 18 games, the four returning players on the UMKC roster have been carrying the scoring load. Dane Brumagin, Reggie Hamilton, Spencer Johnson and James Humphrey have accounted for 69.1 percent of the team's scoring. The four players have scored 813 of the team's 1177 points on the season. In the season opener against North Dakota, the group scored 50 of the squad's 56 points, and in the Dec. 13 game at Loyola (Ill.), the foursome scored 44 of the team's 47 points.
Raining Threes
UMKC has made at least one three-point basket in 263 consecutive regular season or tournament games dating back to January 22, 2000.
Brumagin In The Career Record Books
Free Throw Percentage - 1st - .851 (222-261)
Three-Point Field Goals Made - 3rd - 210
Three-Point Field Goal Attempts - 3rd - 537
40-point scoring games - t3rd - 1
30-point scoring games - 4th - 4
20-point scoring games - 5th - 23
Field Goals Attempted - 6th - 1006
Points - 6th - 1280
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - 7th - .391 (210-537)
Field Goals Made - 7th - 424
Double Figure Scoring Games - 7th - 54
Games Played - 8th - 108
Minutes - 8th - 2635
Free Throws Made - 9th - 222
Steals - 9th - 111
Rebounds - 10th - 380
