'Roos Open Up Three-Game Home Stand Against Western Illinois On Thursday Night
1/20/2010 12:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
THE SETTING
The UMKC men's basketball team will open its season-long three-game home stand on Thursday night against Western Illinois. The game between the 'Roos and Leathernecks will be played at Municipal Auditorium beginning at 7:05 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on Metro Sports. UMKC's Matt Brown will coach barefoot in the game in an effort to collect shoes for Samaritan's Feet. Fans are encouraged to donate shoes to support the cause.
COACHING BAREFOOT FOR A CAUSE
UMKC's Matt Brown will coach barefoot in this Thursday's game against Western Illinois in an effort to collect shoes for the non-profit organization Samaritan's Feet. Fans are encouraged to bring new, youth sized pairs of shoes (infant through youth size 11) to Thursday's contest against the Fighting Leathernecks. All donations will go to Samaritan's Feet to be distributed in America and across the world. Shoe donations will be taken in the lobby of Municipal Auditorium and fans who donate will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win prizes.
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: UMKCKangaroos.com
LAST TIME OUT
The Kangaroos dropped a 78-69 road decision at IPFW on Saturday night at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. UMKC trailed by eight points at the break before the 'Dons stretched their lead to as many as 21 midway through the second half. The 'Roos had just one player finish in double digits with Trey McKinney-Jones leading the way with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting.
THE COACHES
Head Coach Matt Brown is in his third season with the UMKC men's basketball program, where he has compiled an 26-54 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.
Jim Molinari is in his second season as the head coach of the Western Illinois men's basketball program, where he has compiled a 16-30 overall record. Prior to joining the Leathernecks, Molinari had been the head coach at Northern Illinois, Bradley and Minnesota.
SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS
The Leathernecks enter Thursday's game with a 7-10 overall and a 1-6 league record after splitting their two games in Macomb last weekend. WIU opened play with a 70-51 victory over Centenary before dropping a 74-62 decision to Oral Roberts on Saturday night.
Guard Ceola Clark is the only Western Illinois averaging in double figures on the season, coming in at 12.6 points per game. Clark is also leading the team in rebounding (5.3), assists (50) and steals (40) on the year. In league play, Matt Lander joins Clark as a double digit scorer by averaging 10.5 points per game.
The Leathernecks are averaging a league-low 58.5 points per game, while shooting .394 from the floor and .331 from long range. The squad is also -2.2 on the glass.
WIU GAME NOTES
• Head Coach Jim Molinari's son, Billy, is a freshman guard for the Fighting Leathernecks.
• WIU is the top scoring defense team in The Summit League, as it gives up just 59.2 points per game. The Leathernecks also have the top field goal percentage defense (.396) and three-point field goal defense (.310). WIU also paces the league in blocks per game (5.0) and is third in steals per game (7.6).
• Guard Ceola Clark is second in The Summit League in assist-to-turnover ration (2.4), while center James Granstra is second in the league with 3.1 blocks per game.
THE SERIES
Thursday's game will be the 36th meeting in the all-time series between UMKC and Western Illinois with the 'Roos holding the 22-13 advantage. The Leathernecks, however, have won the last four meetings in the series, which includes posting a 68-71 win in Macomb and a 56-51 win in Kansas City last season. Prior to the 2007-08 season, UMKC had won 16 straight and 18-of-20 meetings over the Leathernecks. Additionally, the 'Roos have posted a 14-3 record in the series in games played in Kansas City.
'ROO TIDBITS
• UMKC will play a season-high three straight games at home beginning on Thursday against Western Illinois. The squad will then face IUPUI on Saturday and North Dakota State on Tuesday.
• Sophomore Trey McKinney-Jones is fourth in The Summit League in field goal percentage at .528 (66-125). He is one of just three guards among the top-10 in the category. Fellow sophomore LaTreze Mushatt ranks 10th in the league with a .472 shooting clip. As a team, the 'Roos have the fourth best overall mark in the league (.436).
• Head Coach Matt Brown used his sixth different starting line-up of the year at IPFW. Kirk Korver made his first career start against the 'Dons in place of LaTreze Mushatt, who wasn't among the starting five for the first time this season. Trey McKinney-Jones and Bakari Lewis were also replaced in the starting line-up by Alex Bazzell and Dustin Dibble.
• UMKC won the battle on the boards, 36-34, at IPFW. It loss was the first (5-1) for the 'Roos when holding the advantage on the glass.
• All 10 players that saw action scored at IPFW, but only one 'Roo player - Trey McKinney-Jones - reached double figures, finishing with 12 points.
• UMKC has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in three of the last four games and in a total of four contests on the season.
• The X factor? UMKC is 6-2 this season when junior Spencer Johnson reaches double figures.
• UMKC is leading the league and rank 46th nationally in turnover margin (+3.1). The squad is also fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.9), fifth in steals (7.1) and sixth in assists (12.0) per game.
• UMKC's record is below .500 for the first time this season.
• Junior Spencer Johnson has moved into the top-15 in UMKC history in career rebounding, ranking 14th with 345 caroms. He also ranks 30th in the record books in career scoring with 544 points.
• Freshman Kirk Korver has made two or more three pointers in five games on the season. The 'Roos are 3-2 in such contests.
• UMKC's overall leading scorer Jay Couisnard is just the team's fourth leading scorer in Summit League play. The forward averages 12.6 points in all games and 9.2 points in six league contests.
• Foul trouble has been consistently plaguing junior Jay Couisnard, as the forward has had four or more fouls in 11 games with four disqualifications.
• The 'Roos have attempted at least 24 free throws in 7-of-the-last-11 games and the squad has attempted 30 or more from the charity stripe in three of those contests. The squad is 6-1 on the year when attempting more free throws than its opposition with its lone loss coming at IPFW on Jan. 16.
• The 'Roos are shooting .451 from the floor and .349 from long range at home and .426 from the field and .325 from long range on the road.
• In three games at Municipal, UMKC is shooting .389 from the floor, .297 from long range and .685 from the charity stripe. In contrast, the opposition is shooting .449 from the field, .286 from three-point land and .797 from the free throw stripe.
• Junior Spencer Johnson has made 40 consecutive starts and has started 47 of the last 48 contests.
BOMBS AWAY
The 'Roos made and attempted season-highs in three-pointers on Jan. 14 at Oakland. The squad connected on 10-of-23 attempts in the contest to shoot 43.5 percent in the game. The 10 long balls were the most for the squad in more than a calendar year, as it hadn't made 10 three pointers since Dec. 31, 2008, at IUPUI.
This season, the 'Roos have four games where they have made at least eight long balls. The squad is 3-1 in such contests.
BIGS LIGHT UP THE NETS
UMKC's five man combined to score 34 points on Jan. 14 at Oakland. Spencer Johnson and Kirk Korver both made 4-of-6 three-point attempts in the game with the four long balls being a season-high for a 'Roo player. Johnson netted a season-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while Korver made 5-of-7 attempts overall to score a career-high 15 points.
JOHNSON SECURES DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Junior Spencer Johnson tallied his first double-double of the season and the sixth of his career when he finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds at Oakland. The forward made 4-of-6 three-point attempts on the night en route to his season-high point total. Nine of the Illinois native's 10 boards came on the defensive glass, which is a season-high for a UMKC player this season.
Johnson, who has scored in double digits in eight games, is fourth on the team with a 9.2 scoring average, while shooting .440 from the floor and .340 from long range. He also is tied for the team lead in rebounding with 5.5 caroms per game.
'ROOS SURPASS 2008-09 WIN TOTAL
UMKC surpassed its 2008-09 win total when it picked up its eighth victory of the season in the Jan. 2 win over Southern Utah. Additionally, the squad has four road wins and a pair of conference victories thus far in 2009-10. The four road wins surpass last year's total (3), and the team's next Summit League victory will match last year's mark.
The UMKC men's basketball team will open its season-long three-game home stand on Thursday night against Western Illinois. The game between the 'Roos and Leathernecks will be played at Municipal Auditorium beginning at 7:05 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on Metro Sports. UMKC's Matt Brown will coach barefoot in the game in an effort to collect shoes for Samaritan's Feet. Fans are encouraged to donate shoes to support the cause.
COACHING BAREFOOT FOR A CAUSE
UMKC's Matt Brown will coach barefoot in this Thursday's game against Western Illinois in an effort to collect shoes for the non-profit organization Samaritan's Feet. Fans are encouraged to bring new, youth sized pairs of shoes (infant through youth size 11) to Thursday's contest against the Fighting Leathernecks. All donations will go to Samaritan's Feet to be distributed in America and across the world. Shoe donations will be taken in the lobby of Municipal Auditorium and fans who donate will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win prizes.
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: UMKCKangaroos.com
LAST TIME OUT
The Kangaroos dropped a 78-69 road decision at IPFW on Saturday night at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. UMKC trailed by eight points at the break before the 'Dons stretched their lead to as many as 21 midway through the second half. The 'Roos had just one player finish in double digits with Trey McKinney-Jones leading the way with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting.
THE COACHES
Head Coach Matt Brown is in his third season with the UMKC men's basketball program, where he has compiled an 26-54 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.
Jim Molinari is in his second season as the head coach of the Western Illinois men's basketball program, where he has compiled a 16-30 overall record. Prior to joining the Leathernecks, Molinari had been the head coach at Northern Illinois, Bradley and Minnesota.
SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS
The Leathernecks enter Thursday's game with a 7-10 overall and a 1-6 league record after splitting their two games in Macomb last weekend. WIU opened play with a 70-51 victory over Centenary before dropping a 74-62 decision to Oral Roberts on Saturday night.
Guard Ceola Clark is the only Western Illinois averaging in double figures on the season, coming in at 12.6 points per game. Clark is also leading the team in rebounding (5.3), assists (50) and steals (40) on the year. In league play, Matt Lander joins Clark as a double digit scorer by averaging 10.5 points per game.
The Leathernecks are averaging a league-low 58.5 points per game, while shooting .394 from the floor and .331 from long range. The squad is also -2.2 on the glass.
WIU GAME NOTES
• Head Coach Jim Molinari's son, Billy, is a freshman guard for the Fighting Leathernecks.
• WIU is the top scoring defense team in The Summit League, as it gives up just 59.2 points per game. The Leathernecks also have the top field goal percentage defense (.396) and three-point field goal defense (.310). WIU also paces the league in blocks per game (5.0) and is third in steals per game (7.6).
• Guard Ceola Clark is second in The Summit League in assist-to-turnover ration (2.4), while center James Granstra is second in the league with 3.1 blocks per game.
THE SERIES
Thursday's game will be the 36th meeting in the all-time series between UMKC and Western Illinois with the 'Roos holding the 22-13 advantage. The Leathernecks, however, have won the last four meetings in the series, which includes posting a 68-71 win in Macomb and a 56-51 win in Kansas City last season. Prior to the 2007-08 season, UMKC had won 16 straight and 18-of-20 meetings over the Leathernecks. Additionally, the 'Roos have posted a 14-3 record in the series in games played in Kansas City.
'ROO TIDBITS
• UMKC will play a season-high three straight games at home beginning on Thursday against Western Illinois. The squad will then face IUPUI on Saturday and North Dakota State on Tuesday.
• Sophomore Trey McKinney-Jones is fourth in The Summit League in field goal percentage at .528 (66-125). He is one of just three guards among the top-10 in the category. Fellow sophomore LaTreze Mushatt ranks 10th in the league with a .472 shooting clip. As a team, the 'Roos have the fourth best overall mark in the league (.436).
• Head Coach Matt Brown used his sixth different starting line-up of the year at IPFW. Kirk Korver made his first career start against the 'Dons in place of LaTreze Mushatt, who wasn't among the starting five for the first time this season. Trey McKinney-Jones and Bakari Lewis were also replaced in the starting line-up by Alex Bazzell and Dustin Dibble.
• UMKC won the battle on the boards, 36-34, at IPFW. It loss was the first (5-1) for the 'Roos when holding the advantage on the glass.
• All 10 players that saw action scored at IPFW, but only one 'Roo player - Trey McKinney-Jones - reached double figures, finishing with 12 points.
• UMKC has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in three of the last four games and in a total of four contests on the season.
• The X factor? UMKC is 6-2 this season when junior Spencer Johnson reaches double figures.
• UMKC is leading the league and rank 46th nationally in turnover margin (+3.1). The squad is also fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.9), fifth in steals (7.1) and sixth in assists (12.0) per game.
• UMKC's record is below .500 for the first time this season.
• Junior Spencer Johnson has moved into the top-15 in UMKC history in career rebounding, ranking 14th with 345 caroms. He also ranks 30th in the record books in career scoring with 544 points.
• Freshman Kirk Korver has made two or more three pointers in five games on the season. The 'Roos are 3-2 in such contests.
• UMKC's overall leading scorer Jay Couisnard is just the team's fourth leading scorer in Summit League play. The forward averages 12.6 points in all games and 9.2 points in six league contests.
• Foul trouble has been consistently plaguing junior Jay Couisnard, as the forward has had four or more fouls in 11 games with four disqualifications.
• The 'Roos have attempted at least 24 free throws in 7-of-the-last-11 games and the squad has attempted 30 or more from the charity stripe in three of those contests. The squad is 6-1 on the year when attempting more free throws than its opposition with its lone loss coming at IPFW on Jan. 16.
• The 'Roos are shooting .451 from the floor and .349 from long range at home and .426 from the field and .325 from long range on the road.
• In three games at Municipal, UMKC is shooting .389 from the floor, .297 from long range and .685 from the charity stripe. In contrast, the opposition is shooting .449 from the field, .286 from three-point land and .797 from the free throw stripe.
• Junior Spencer Johnson has made 40 consecutive starts and has started 47 of the last 48 contests.
BOMBS AWAY
The 'Roos made and attempted season-highs in three-pointers on Jan. 14 at Oakland. The squad connected on 10-of-23 attempts in the contest to shoot 43.5 percent in the game. The 10 long balls were the most for the squad in more than a calendar year, as it hadn't made 10 three pointers since Dec. 31, 2008, at IUPUI.
This season, the 'Roos have four games where they have made at least eight long balls. The squad is 3-1 in such contests.
BIGS LIGHT UP THE NETS
UMKC's five man combined to score 34 points on Jan. 14 at Oakland. Spencer Johnson and Kirk Korver both made 4-of-6 three-point attempts in the game with the four long balls being a season-high for a 'Roo player. Johnson netted a season-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while Korver made 5-of-7 attempts overall to score a career-high 15 points.
JOHNSON SECURES DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Junior Spencer Johnson tallied his first double-double of the season and the sixth of his career when he finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds at Oakland. The forward made 4-of-6 three-point attempts on the night en route to his season-high point total. Nine of the Illinois native's 10 boards came on the defensive glass, which is a season-high for a UMKC player this season.
Johnson, who has scored in double digits in eight games, is fourth on the team with a 9.2 scoring average, while shooting .440 from the floor and .340 from long range. He also is tied for the team lead in rebounding with 5.5 caroms per game.
'ROOS SURPASS 2008-09 WIN TOTAL
UMKC surpassed its 2008-09 win total when it picked up its eighth victory of the season in the Jan. 2 win over Southern Utah. Additionally, the squad has four road wins and a pair of conference victories thus far in 2009-10. The four road wins surpass last year's total (3), and the team's next Summit League victory will match last year's mark.
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