UMKC Looks To Get Back On Track Against Idaho State On Saturday
11/27/2009 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
THE SETTING
The UMKC men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday night when it hosts Big Sky foe Idaho State at the Swinney Recreation Center in Kansas City. The 'Roos and Bengals are set to tip the contest at 7:05 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on Metro Sports.
ON THE AIR
Radio: 810 AM WHB (Steven Davis - p-b-p; Steven St. John - color)
Television: Metro Sports (Neil Harwell - p-b-p; Doug Elstun - color)
Web: Roo Vision (UMKCKangaroos.com)
Live Stats: www.UMKCKangaroos.com
LAST TIME OUT
The Kangaroos suffered their first loss of the 2009-10 season when it dropped a 70-48 road decision at Nebraska. The Huskers used a 21-8 run late to close out the first half, which turned a one point advantage into a 41-24 half time lead. UMKC shot just 35 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from long range in the defeat.
THE COACHES
Head Coach Matt Brown is in his third season with the UMKC men's basketball program, where he has compiled an 21-46 overall record and has coached three players to all-Summit League recognition. Former forward Dane Brumagin was a second team all-league honoree and Reggie Hamilton was an all-newcomer team selection in 2007-08, while Brumagin earned an honorable mention all-league nod in 2008-09. Last season, Brown guided the 'Roos to a pair of wins over Missouri Valley Conference foes Wichita State and Bradley. It was just the third time in school history for the team to beat two MVC teams in the same season.
Joe O'Brien is in his third season as the head coach of the Idaho State basketball program, where he has posted a 39-59 overall record. Before moving to Portatello, O'Brien served as the head coach at Southeastern Iowa CC, where he led the Blackhawks to three NJCAA National Championships and finished with a 213-64 overall record. He is one of just three coaches to win three NJCAA titles.
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE
The Bengals enter Saturday's game with a 1-4 overall record after dropping a 77-44 decision at Utah State on Tuesday night. ISU opened the year with three losses at Iowa State (88-68), at Bradley (74-69) and at BYU (87-53) before picking up its lone victory over Colorado Christian (77-60) on Nov. 21.
Two Idaho State players enter the contest averaging in double digits on the year. Amorrow Morgan leads the squad with an 18.0 per game average, while shooting .451 from the floor. Broderick Gilchrest is second on the squad with 13.4 points per game, while Demetrius Monroe is pulling down a team-best 8.8 boards per game.
ISU is averaging 62.2 points per game on the year, while giving up 77.2. The Bengals have struggled shooting through five games, as they have a .402 field goal percentage and a .268 mark from long range. They are also -3.4 on the boards and have 25 more turnovers than assists.
BENGAL GAME NOTES
• ISU Director of Basketball Operations Cody VanFleet is familiar with The Summit League, as he spent the 2005-06 season as an assistant coach at Western Illinois.
• The Tennessee Bengals? ISU has five players from the state of Tennessee and eight players from the southeast on its roster.
• Head Coach Joe O'Brien has ties to the state of Missouri, as he was an assistant at Central Missouri State (now Central Missouri) from 1984-89. He helped the Mules to three 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament berths during his time in Warrensburg.
THE SERIES
Saturday's game will be just the second meeting in the series between Idaho State and UMKC. In 2002, the Bengals were victorious in the first contest, winning 75-61 in Logan, Utah, in the Gossner Foods Classic.
UMKC AGAINST THE BIG SKY
The 'Roos are 1-7 against the Big Sky Conference, as the squad picked up its first win against the league last season in the 68-61 victory at Eastern Washington.
QUICK HITTERS
• UMKC scored a season-low 48 points and allowed a season-high 70 points in the road loss at Nebraska. The 'Roos also committed a season-high 14 turnovers against the Huskers.
• The 'Roos are shooting .479 from the floor in two games at the SRC and .396 from the field in two road games. UMKC has a higher three point field goal percentage (.324 to .289) in the two road contests.
• Freshman Alex Bazzell has yet to commit a turnover and has handed out 15 assists in 102 minutes of collegiate basketball action.
• Junior Jay Couisnard tied a career-high with three long balls in the road loss at Nebraska.
• The 'Roos have forced 77 turnovers in four games, while committing just 39 TOs. This includes just four turnovers in the road win at North Dakota.
• UMKC's margin of victory in its two wins at home is 36.5 points.
• UMKC won on the road in its first opportunity on Nov. 21 at North Dakota. Last season, the squad went 3-13 on the road and it was 5-26 away from KC the last two seasons.
SHARING THE ROCK
UMKC is averaging 15.5 assists per game through four games as it has recorded an assist on 64 percent of its field goals. The squad finished with a season-high 20 assists on 29 field goals in the season-opening win over Truman State, which matched the high for the program during the Matt Brown era.
KEEPING THE ROCK
Not only is UMKC doing an excellent job distributing the rock, but the squad is doing an even better job taking care of the rock. The 'Roos turned the ball over a season-low four times in the road win at North Dakota, which is the lowest figure during Coach Brown's tenure. On the year, UMKC is averaging under 10 turnovers per contest (9.8), while forcing 19.3 TOs a game.
LAST MAN STANDING
Junior Jay Couisnard is the only UMKC player to reach double figures in all four contests to start the year. The forward finished with 11 points on 4-of-11 (3-of-5 3PT) shooting at Nebraska. The performance came on the heels of a game where the Texas native notched a career-high with 21 points in the road win at North Dakota.
Couisnard is pacing the 'Roos with a 15.0 per game average, while shooting .412 (21-51) from the field.
MUSHATT PULLS DOWN EIGHT BOARDS
Sophomore LaTreze Mushatt's hot shooting came to a halt in the road loss at Nebraska, but the the forward continued being UMKC's top rebounder. Mushatt grabbed eight boards against the Huskers to give him a total of 23 over the past three games (7.7 p/game).
In addition to his rebounding prowess, the Michigan native has been one of the team's top offensive threats. Despite making just 3-of-9 shots for eight points at NU, Mushatt is still averaging 13.5 points per game, while shooting .595 from the floor and .429 from long range.
DEFENSIVE INTENSITY
UMKC has stepped up its defensive intensity by mixing up its defense through the first four games. The 'Roos have relied more on man-to-man defense, while throwing in some of Coach Brown's disruptive 1-3-1 zone.
In the season opener, the defensive variety helped UMKC limit Truman State to a total of just 33 points. The figure is the second fewest points allowed in a single game in school history (William Jewell - 29 pts. - 11/21/99).
THE GOOD THING ABOUT MISSING FGS
One good thing can happen on a missed field goal, and the 'Roos are making the most of their misses this season. UMKC has 41 offensive rebounds, which is more than double its opponents total (17), through four games. Overall on the glass, the 'Roos are +3.0, as they average 31.8 boards compared to 28.8 for its opposition.
QUICK HANDS
UMKC has forced 77 turnovers this season, 35 of which have come via the steal. Three players have more than five steals on the year with sophomore LaTreze Mushatt pacing the squad with 11.
SETTLING FOR THE LONG BALL
Chicks dig the long ball... when they are going in. UMKC has been hot and cold with the long ball this season, as the squad is shooting just 30 percent in four games (23-75). At Nebraska, the 'Roos stayed in the game in the first half thanks to six three-pointers in the first 13 minutes. The squad, however, went cold for the remainder of the game, as it missed its last eight attempts in the game.
A ROUT
UMKC's 47-point win over Truman State is the fifth largest margin of victory in school history and the biggest win for a Matt Brown coached team.
JOHNSON NEARING 500 CAREER POINTS
Junior Spencer Johnson is approaching the 500-point mark for his career in Blue and Gold. The forward currently has 430 points in 65 career games for the 'Roos. This is remarkable considering Johnson scored a grand total of 54 points during his freshman season in Kansas City.
A KORVER DEBUT
Freshman Kirk Korver opened his UMKC career in grand fashion by finishing with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the win over Truman State on Nov. 14. In the first half alone, the center was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor en route to 10 points in his first 20 minutes of collegiate basketball.
Kirk's performance is the top single game output among the Korver brothers in their collegiate debuts. Kyle and Kaleb, both of whom played at Creighton, scored two points apiece in wins over Mississippi Valley State and DePaul, respectively, while Klayton (Drake) netted three points in a victory over Simpson in 2003.
TEAM CAPTAINS
The Kangaroos have a trio of captains for the 2009-10 season. Juniors Spencer Johnson and Jay Couisnard and sophomore LaTreze Mushatt will don the captain titles this season. Couisnard assumes the leadership role despite not having played a single minute in UMKC Blue and Gold.
The UMKC men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday night when it hosts Big Sky foe Idaho State at the Swinney Recreation Center in Kansas City. The 'Roos and Bengals are set to tip the contest at 7:05 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on Metro Sports.
ON THE AIR
Radio: 810 AM WHB (Steven Davis - p-b-p; Steven St. John - color)
Television: Metro Sports (Neil Harwell - p-b-p; Doug Elstun - color)
Web: Roo Vision (UMKCKangaroos.com)
Live Stats: www.UMKCKangaroos.com
LAST TIME OUT
The Kangaroos suffered their first loss of the 2009-10 season when it dropped a 70-48 road decision at Nebraska. The Huskers used a 21-8 run late to close out the first half, which turned a one point advantage into a 41-24 half time lead. UMKC shot just 35 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from long range in the defeat.
THE COACHES
Head Coach Matt Brown is in his third season with the UMKC men's basketball program, where he has compiled an 21-46 overall record and has coached three players to all-Summit League recognition. Former forward Dane Brumagin was a second team all-league honoree and Reggie Hamilton was an all-newcomer team selection in 2007-08, while Brumagin earned an honorable mention all-league nod in 2008-09. Last season, Brown guided the 'Roos to a pair of wins over Missouri Valley Conference foes Wichita State and Bradley. It was just the third time in school history for the team to beat two MVC teams in the same season.
Joe O'Brien is in his third season as the head coach of the Idaho State basketball program, where he has posted a 39-59 overall record. Before moving to Portatello, O'Brien served as the head coach at Southeastern Iowa CC, where he led the Blackhawks to three NJCAA National Championships and finished with a 213-64 overall record. He is one of just three coaches to win three NJCAA titles.
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE
The Bengals enter Saturday's game with a 1-4 overall record after dropping a 77-44 decision at Utah State on Tuesday night. ISU opened the year with three losses at Iowa State (88-68), at Bradley (74-69) and at BYU (87-53) before picking up its lone victory over Colorado Christian (77-60) on Nov. 21.
Two Idaho State players enter the contest averaging in double digits on the year. Amorrow Morgan leads the squad with an 18.0 per game average, while shooting .451 from the floor. Broderick Gilchrest is second on the squad with 13.4 points per game, while Demetrius Monroe is pulling down a team-best 8.8 boards per game.
ISU is averaging 62.2 points per game on the year, while giving up 77.2. The Bengals have struggled shooting through five games, as they have a .402 field goal percentage and a .268 mark from long range. They are also -3.4 on the boards and have 25 more turnovers than assists.
BENGAL GAME NOTES
• ISU Director of Basketball Operations Cody VanFleet is familiar with The Summit League, as he spent the 2005-06 season as an assistant coach at Western Illinois.
• The Tennessee Bengals? ISU has five players from the state of Tennessee and eight players from the southeast on its roster.
• Head Coach Joe O'Brien has ties to the state of Missouri, as he was an assistant at Central Missouri State (now Central Missouri) from 1984-89. He helped the Mules to three 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament berths during his time in Warrensburg.
THE SERIES
Saturday's game will be just the second meeting in the series between Idaho State and UMKC. In 2002, the Bengals were victorious in the first contest, winning 75-61 in Logan, Utah, in the Gossner Foods Classic.
UMKC AGAINST THE BIG SKY
The 'Roos are 1-7 against the Big Sky Conference, as the squad picked up its first win against the league last season in the 68-61 victory at Eastern Washington.
QUICK HITTERS
• UMKC scored a season-low 48 points and allowed a season-high 70 points in the road loss at Nebraska. The 'Roos also committed a season-high 14 turnovers against the Huskers.
• The 'Roos are shooting .479 from the floor in two games at the SRC and .396 from the field in two road games. UMKC has a higher three point field goal percentage (.324 to .289) in the two road contests.
• Freshman Alex Bazzell has yet to commit a turnover and has handed out 15 assists in 102 minutes of collegiate basketball action.
• Junior Jay Couisnard tied a career-high with three long balls in the road loss at Nebraska.
• The 'Roos have forced 77 turnovers in four games, while committing just 39 TOs. This includes just four turnovers in the road win at North Dakota.
• UMKC's margin of victory in its two wins at home is 36.5 points.
• UMKC won on the road in its first opportunity on Nov. 21 at North Dakota. Last season, the squad went 3-13 on the road and it was 5-26 away from KC the last two seasons.
SHARING THE ROCK
UMKC is averaging 15.5 assists per game through four games as it has recorded an assist on 64 percent of its field goals. The squad finished with a season-high 20 assists on 29 field goals in the season-opening win over Truman State, which matched the high for the program during the Matt Brown era.
KEEPING THE ROCK
Not only is UMKC doing an excellent job distributing the rock, but the squad is doing an even better job taking care of the rock. The 'Roos turned the ball over a season-low four times in the road win at North Dakota, which is the lowest figure during Coach Brown's tenure. On the year, UMKC is averaging under 10 turnovers per contest (9.8), while forcing 19.3 TOs a game.
LAST MAN STANDING
Junior Jay Couisnard is the only UMKC player to reach double figures in all four contests to start the year. The forward finished with 11 points on 4-of-11 (3-of-5 3PT) shooting at Nebraska. The performance came on the heels of a game where the Texas native notched a career-high with 21 points in the road win at North Dakota.
Couisnard is pacing the 'Roos with a 15.0 per game average, while shooting .412 (21-51) from the field.
MUSHATT PULLS DOWN EIGHT BOARDS
Sophomore LaTreze Mushatt's hot shooting came to a halt in the road loss at Nebraska, but the the forward continued being UMKC's top rebounder. Mushatt grabbed eight boards against the Huskers to give him a total of 23 over the past three games (7.7 p/game).
In addition to his rebounding prowess, the Michigan native has been one of the team's top offensive threats. Despite making just 3-of-9 shots for eight points at NU, Mushatt is still averaging 13.5 points per game, while shooting .595 from the floor and .429 from long range.
DEFENSIVE INTENSITY
UMKC has stepped up its defensive intensity by mixing up its defense through the first four games. The 'Roos have relied more on man-to-man defense, while throwing in some of Coach Brown's disruptive 1-3-1 zone.
In the season opener, the defensive variety helped UMKC limit Truman State to a total of just 33 points. The figure is the second fewest points allowed in a single game in school history (William Jewell - 29 pts. - 11/21/99).
THE GOOD THING ABOUT MISSING FGS
One good thing can happen on a missed field goal, and the 'Roos are making the most of their misses this season. UMKC has 41 offensive rebounds, which is more than double its opponents total (17), through four games. Overall on the glass, the 'Roos are +3.0, as they average 31.8 boards compared to 28.8 for its opposition.
QUICK HANDS
UMKC has forced 77 turnovers this season, 35 of which have come via the steal. Three players have more than five steals on the year with sophomore LaTreze Mushatt pacing the squad with 11.
SETTLING FOR THE LONG BALL
Chicks dig the long ball... when they are going in. UMKC has been hot and cold with the long ball this season, as the squad is shooting just 30 percent in four games (23-75). At Nebraska, the 'Roos stayed in the game in the first half thanks to six three-pointers in the first 13 minutes. The squad, however, went cold for the remainder of the game, as it missed its last eight attempts in the game.
A ROUT
UMKC's 47-point win over Truman State is the fifth largest margin of victory in school history and the biggest win for a Matt Brown coached team.
JOHNSON NEARING 500 CAREER POINTS
Junior Spencer Johnson is approaching the 500-point mark for his career in Blue and Gold. The forward currently has 430 points in 65 career games for the 'Roos. This is remarkable considering Johnson scored a grand total of 54 points during his freshman season in Kansas City.
A KORVER DEBUT
Freshman Kirk Korver opened his UMKC career in grand fashion by finishing with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the win over Truman State on Nov. 14. In the first half alone, the center was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor en route to 10 points in his first 20 minutes of collegiate basketball.
Kirk's performance is the top single game output among the Korver brothers in their collegiate debuts. Kyle and Kaleb, both of whom played at Creighton, scored two points apiece in wins over Mississippi Valley State and DePaul, respectively, while Klayton (Drake) netted three points in a victory over Simpson in 2003.
TEAM CAPTAINS
The Kangaroos have a trio of captains for the 2009-10 season. Juniors Spencer Johnson and Jay Couisnard and sophomore LaTreze Mushatt will don the captain titles this season. Couisnard assumes the leadership role despite not having played a single minute in UMKC Blue and Gold.
Players Mentioned
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