Nov. 11, 2002
LOGAN, Utah -
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November 11, 2002
Game #2 (Exhibition)Global Sports All-Stars at Utah StateDee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) * Logan, UtahNov. 15, 2002 * 7:05 p.m. (MST)
This Week: Utah State will play its second and final exhibition game of the 2002-03 season on Fri., Nov. 15 at 7:05 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum versus Global Sports All-Stars.
About Global Sports All-Stars: Global Sports All-Stars is currently 1-5 during its 12-game tour across the United States. Global Sports opened its tour with a 56-80 loss at Providence before recording its only win thus far at Southern Utah 77-76. Since its win over the Thunderbirds, Global Sports has lost to UNLV (61-70), Nevada (74-87), Oklahoma (61-76) and Creighton (61-83). This week, Global Sports will face Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Long Beach State on Wednesday, and San Diego on Thursday before playing the Aggies on Friday. They will then conclude their tour at Weber State on Saturday and at Iowa State on Monday after facing USU.
Next Week: Utah State will open the 2002-03 season on Sat., Nov. 23 at Illinois State at 6:05 p.m. (MST). USU opens the season on the road for the third straight year as the Aggies began the 2001-02 season with a 66-51 win at Montana State. During the 2000-01 season, USU played its first game on a neutral court against Santa Clara in the first round of the 2000 Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. USU won that game 76-67. USU is a perfect 4-0 in season opening games under head coach Stew Morrill.
Versus Global Sports All-Stars: Utah State lost its final exhibition game of the 2001-02 season to Global Sports by a final score of 72-67. The Aggies held a 41-31 halftime lead, but were outscored by 15 in the second half as USU shot just 24.1 percent from the field after shooting 57.7 percent in the first half. Once again, turnovers were a problem in the game for Utah State as they committed 21. Tony Brown led USU with 19 points, while seniors Desmond Penigar and Ronnie Ross added 15 and 14 points respectively. Other current Aggies who played in this game last year include Mike Ahamd who scored six points, Toraino Johnson who scored three points, Chad Evans who scored two points, and Michael Stowell who did not score. Former Aggie Shawn Daniels led Global Sports with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Global Sports All-Stars Numerical Roster:No. Player Pos. Ht. School3 Fredie Williams G 5-10 Texas10 Andre Laws G 6-1 San Diego22 Cary Cochran G 6-1 Nebraska23 Corey Benjamin F 6-4 Oregon State32 Donte Mathis F 6-3 Southwest Texas33 Charles Gosa F 6-8 UTEP34 Mack McGadney F 6-7 Auburn40 Marcus Mason F/C 6-9 Xavier42 Daniel Watts F/C 6-8 Nevada44 Patrick Okafor F/C 6-8 HoustonCoaches: Maury Hanks, Clay Moser
Global Sports All-Stars Exhibition Schedule:Nov. 2 at Providence L 56-80Nov. 5 at Southern Utah W 77-76Nov. 6 at UNLV L 61-70Nov. 7 at Nevada L 74-87Nov. 9 at Oklahoma L 61-76Nov. 10 at Creighton L 61-83Nov. 12 at Oklahoma StateNov. 13 at Long Beach StateNov. 14 at San DiegoNov. 15 at UTAH STATENov. 16 at Weber StateNov. 18 at Iowa State
Aggies Return Three Starters And Eight Letterwinners: After posting its third straight 20-win season, winning its second Big West Conference regular season championship in three seasons, and advancing to its third straight postseason tournament with an appearance in the 2002 National Invitation Tournament, Utah State will be looking to make yet another run at a conference title during the 2002-03 season. Leading the way for USU will be senior forward Desmond Penigar who was named a first-team all-Big West selection as a junior as he led the Aggies in scoring (17.2) and rebounding (6.9). Other starters returning for Utah State include senior Ronnie Ross who averaged 7.1 points and 3.1 assists per game at the point, and senior forward Toraino Johnson who missed 10 games early in the season with a foot injury but rebounded late in the year to average 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Along with the three returning starters, USU welcomes back five other letterwinners including senior Mike Ahmad, junior Chad Evans, and sophomores Calvin Brown, Spencer Nelson and Michael Stowell. Ahmad played in all 31 games for USU as a junior and averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds. Evans, who started the first 17 games of the year for USU, averaged 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds. Brown appeared in 19 games for USU as a redshirt freshman and finished the year averaging 1.1 points and 1.7 assists per game. Stowell played in 28 games on the year and averaged 0.9 points and 0.8 rebounds per contest. Nelson, who redshirted last season after suffering a knee injury in late October, played in all 28 games for Coach Morrill during the 1998-99 season and averaged 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Utah State also returns redshirt freshman Nate Harris and senior Mike Puzey who both sat out the 2001-02 season but participated in practice. Harris was the Player of the Year in the state of Utah as a prep senior averaging 23 points and 13 rebounds a game, while Puzey averaged 2.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game during the 2000-01 season at the University of Utah.
Utah State Welcomes Five Newcomers: Utah State head coach Stew Morrill welcomes five new players to this year's team adding a lot of athleticism and depth to one of the best programs in the Big West Conference. All five newcomers are junior college transfers and several players will be looked upon to make immediate contributions during the 2002-03 season. Highlighting this group should be junior guard Mark Brown who was named the Southern California Junior College Player of the Year as a sophomore after averaging 15.0 points, 4.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game at Saddleback Junior College. Junior Cardell Butler will also see plenty of time after sitting out during the 2001-02 season after transferring from the College of Southern Idaho where he averaged 10.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Junior Greg Patton will be another player looked upon to make an immediate impact after averaging 10.3 points, 4.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game at Northeastern Junior College. USU also welcomes juniors Ian McVey and John Neil who may both redshirt this season. McVey averaged 17.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game at Fergus Falls Junior College as a sophomore, while Neil averaged 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game at Canada Junior College as a sophomore during the 1999-2000 season. Neil has spent the past two years on an LDS Church Mission in Venezuela.
Penigar Named To Preseason All-Conference Team: Senior forward Desmond Penigar was named to the 2002-03 Big West Conference preseason all-conference team as voted on by media members at the annual basketball media day on Nov. 6. Penigar was named a first-team all-league selection as a junior after leading Utah State in scoring (17.2) and rebounding (6.9). Other players selected to the preseason all-conference team include Varnie Dennis (Cal Poly), Branduinn Fullove (UC Santa Barbara), Mark Hull (UC Santa Barbara), Adam Parada (UC Irvine), and Pape Sow (Cal State Fullerton).
Preseason Predictions: Despite losing two starters from the 2001-02 team, including All-American Tony Brown, Utah State is once again getting a lot of recognition in several preseason publications. Basketball News has picked the Aggies to finish in first-place in the Big West Conference, along with naming senior forward Desmond Penigar a first-team all-league selection and the preseason favorite for Player of the Year This publication also has USU ranked 60th in the country. Junior Mark Brown is also tabbed as the best Newcomer of the Year by Basketball News. Lindy's picked the Aggies to finish second in the conference with Penigar being named a first-team all-leauge selection along with being named Player of the Year. Mark Brown is named the best "Playmaker" in the conference and was also ranked as the 10th best point guard signed during 2002. Street & Smith's also picked USU to finish second in the Big West Conference, while naming Penigar a first-team selection as well as the "Top Player" in the conference. Athlon picked USU to finish second in the league and named Penigar a first-team all-conference selection and the leading candidate for Player of the Year. The Sporting News has Utah State finishing third in the Big West with Penigar a first-team all-league selection. Toraino Johnson is tabbed as the best "Dunker" in the conference and coach Morrill is regarded as the best "Game Coach" in the league.
Three Aggies Named All-Conference: For the third straight year, Utah State had two players earn first-team all-league honors in 2002 as Tony Brown and Desmond Penigar were named by the league's coaches, while Jeremy Vague earned honorable mention all-conference honors. The duo of Brown and Penigar joined USU's other pair of first-team selections in Shawn Daniels and Troy Rolle in 2000 and Daniels and Bernard Rock in 2001. The honor for Brown marked the fourth straight year he has received a postseason honor by the Big West Conference. In 1999 he was named to the league's all-freshman team, while earning honorable mention all-conference honors in 2000 and second-team accolades as a junior in 2001. Brown ranked in the top five in the conference in eight different statistical categories during the 2001-02 season. He led the conference in free throw percentage (85.7), three-point percentage (43.6), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.29), while ranking second in assists (4.81) and three-pointers made per game (2.42), fifth in field goal percentage (48.9) and sixth in scoring (14.9) and fourth in steals (1.65). Penigar finished the season second in the league in scoring at 17.2 points per game, while also ranking sixth in rebounding at 6.9 and ninth in blocks with 0.68 per game. He also ranked seventh in field goal percentage (48.7) and seventh in free throw percentage (79.1). Vague was selected to the honorable mention all-conference team while averaging 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds on the season. He led the team in field-goal percentage at 57.8 percent and ranked ninth in the conference in rebounding.
Morrill Named Big West Coach Of The Year Again: Utah State head coach Stew Morrill was named the 2020 Big West Conference Coach of the Year for the second time in the past three years after leading the Aggies to a 23-8 record and a 13-5 mark in league play, tying UC Irvine for top honors. USU was picked to finish second in the conference by the league's coaches and third by the media in the preseason polls. Morrill also won coach of the year honors in the Big West during the 2000 season after leading USU to a perfect 16-0 league record. Overall, it is the third time Morrill has been named conference coach of the year, as he won the award in 1991 while the head coach at Montana.
Utah State Records 20-Wins For Third Straight Year: With its 23-8 record during the 2001-02 season, Utah State notched its third straight 20-win season, marking only the second time in school history that feat has been accomplished. USU won 28 games during the 2000 and 2001 seasons. The only other time USU won 20-plus games in three straight seasons was from 1962-64 when those teams won 22, 20, and 21 games.
Aggies Advance To Third Straight Postseason Tournament: Utah State made its third straight postseason appearance during the 2001-02 season going to the NIT (NCAA in 2000 and 2001) as well as its fourth postseason appearance in the last five years (three NCAA and one NIT), and its fifth appearance in the last eight seasons (three NCAA and two NITs). It is the second time Utah State has appeared in three straight postseason tournaments with the other time occurring from 1962-64 when that team appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments. USU is the first team from the Big West Conference to make three straight postseason appearances since New Mexico State went to six straight postseason tournaments from 1989-94.
Aggies In The Big West: Utah State has dominated the Big West Conference over the past three years recording an amazing 50-9 (.847) record which includes an 8-1 record in the conference tournament. USU went 19-0 in league during the 1999-2000 season, 16-3 during the 2000-01 season, and 15-6 during the 2001-02 season, which includes a 2-1 record in the conference tournament.
Utah State Wins Sixth Regular Season Title: Utah State won its sixth regular season Big West championship during the 2001-02 season with its 13-5 league mark. It is the fourth time that USU has won the regular season championship in the last six years.
Utah State Records Fifth-Most Wins In School History: Utah State's 23 wins during the 2001-02 season are the fifth-most in school history trailing the 2000-01 and 1999-2000 teams that won 28 games each, the 1997-98 team that won 25 games, and the 1959-60 team that won 24 games.
Aggies Fourth In The Country In Scoring Defense: Utah State finished the 2001-02 season fourth in the country in scoring defense at 58.1 points allowed per game. USU was also 11th in field-goal percentage defense (39.3), 12th in rebound margin (+6.5), 25th in scoring margin (+8.9), 29th in field-goal percentage offense (47.1), and 29th in winning percentage at 74.2 percent.
Evans Named Academic All-Big West: Chad Evans was one of six student-athletes in the Big West Conference to be named academic all-Big West during the 2001-02 season. Evans, a junior forward from Ogden, Utah, played in all 31 games for Utah State this past season, starting 17. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and played 21.4 minutes per contest.
Aggies Win Old Oquirrh Bucket For First Time In 17 Years: Utah State won the Old Oquirrh Bucket for the first time in 17 years during the 2001-02 season, as the Aggies had the best winning percentage versus in-state opponents among the five division one schools in the state. USU went 2-1 on the season with wins over BYU and Utah. The Old Oquirrh Bucket (named after the Oquirrh Mountains to the west of Salt Lake City) is the symbol of in-state basketball supremacy in Utah. The trophy is awarded every year to the in-state college team (BYU, Southern Utah, Utah, Utah State and Weber State) which has the best won-loss record against in-state competition. The last time Utah State won the Old Oquirrh Bucket was during the 1984-85 season when the Aggies went 5-1 against in-state competition. All-time, USU has now won the award on six different occasions.
Penigar Named To All-Tournament Team: Senior forward Desmond Penigar was named to the 2002 Big West Conference all-tournament team after leading the Aggies to a runner-up finish. Penigar scored 20 points versus Pacific and averaged 14.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Penigar Named To NABC All-District Team: Senior forward Desmond Penigar was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)/Pontica Division I All-District Team in 2002 recognizing the best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes in the country. Penigar was named to the second team in District 14.
Penigar Named Big West Conference Player Of The Week For Three Times: Desmond Penigar was selected as the Big West Conference Player of the Week three times during the 2001-02 season after leading Utah State to its first conference road sweep of the season at Long Beach State and UC Irvine. Against the 49ers, Penigar recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds to go along with a career-high three steals. Against UC Irvine, Penigar just missed another double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds to go along with a career-high three blocks, two of which came in the final 1:06 of play to preserve the Aggie win. Penigar received his first player of the week selection on Nov. 26 after leading the Aggies to a road win at Utah with 22 points. He followed that performance up with a 34 point, nine rebound effort against BYU the following weekend to win the award in back-to-back weeks. Penigar is the second Aggie ever to win the award three times during a season, joining Eric Franson, and the only player in the Big West Conference to receive the award three times.
Penigar Becomes 38th Aggie Ever To Score 500 Points During A Season: Desmond Penigar became the 38th player in Utah State history to score 500 points in a single-season with his 12 points against UC Santa Barbara in the championship game of the 2002 Big West Tournament. Penigar finished the 2001-02 season with 532 points which ranks as the 30th most points scored at USU in a single-season.
Morrill Records 20 Wins Again: Utah State head coach Stew Morrill has recorded at least 20 wins in a season for the seventh time in his 16 year career and the third in a row at Utah State. It is also the 13th time in his career that he has won at least 17 games in a season.
Aggies Go 14-2 At Home On The Season: Utah State went 14-2 at home during the 2001-02 season marking the sixth time in school history that USU has won 14 home games during a season. The 14 home wins are the third most all-time in a single year.
Aggies Continue Winning Ways At Home In League Play: Despite having its 31-game home court winning streak snapped during the 2001-02 season, USU has still had tremendous success against the Big West Conference at home. Over the past six years, Utah State has gone 49-2 (.961) at home against league opponents. Those two losses came against UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine by one point each and both baskets to beat the Aggies came at the buzzer.
Morrill Comfortable At Home: Utah State head coach Stew Morrill is very comfortable at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, and his record would confirm that fact. Since becoming USU's head coach prior to the 1998-99 season, he is 57-5 (.919) at home.
Home Sweet Home: Utah State has had tremendous success at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum since the building was opened for the 1970-71 season. In its first 31 years, USU has had only one losing season at home, with a 3-8 record during the 1981-82 year. All-time, USU is 351-98 (.782) at home. Over the past five-plus seasons, USU has compiled an incredible 82-5 (.943) record at home.
Recapping The EA Sports All-Stars Game: Desmond Penigar scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Cardell Butler scored 21 points off the bench to lead Utah State to a 106-97 overtime win against EA Sports. Butler scored 17 of his points in the second half including seven in the overtime period, while Penigar's 25 points and 13 rebounds were both game highs. In all, five players scored in double figures for the Aggies, who reached the 100-point mark for the first time in the Stew Morrill era. Utah State shot 48.8 percent from the field and out-rebounded EA Sports 55-35. Former Wyoming guard Brett McFall led EA Sports with 24 points. USU built an eight-point lead at 29-21 late in the first-half before EA Sports cut the margin to two at the break after a 12-6 run. USU never trailed in the second half and led 80-68 with 5:27 left in the game. EA Sports, however, ended the second half on a 19-7 run to tie the game and force overtime with the teams tied at 87. EA Sports went ahead 88-87 early in the extra period before USU gained control as Butler scored on a three-point play to lead a quick 13-4 run. Other Aggies in double figures included Mike Puzey who had 15 points and eight rebounds and Toraino Johnson and Ronnie Ross, who each scored 11 points. All 12 Aggies that played in the game scored. Mark Brown started at point guard and had seven assists and five points, while Ross, last year's point guard moved to the shooting guard position and added six assists to go along with his 11 points.
Head Coach Stew Morrill: Stew Morrill (Gonzaga, 1974) is entering his fifth season at the helm of the Utah State men's basketball program after posting three straight 20-win seasons and guiding the Aggies to three straight postseason appearances. In his four years at USU, he has an incredible 94-33 record, which is the best record by any coach at Utah State during that time span. Over the past three years, Morrill has coached five first-team all-league players in Shawn Daniels (twice), Troy Rolle, Bernard Rock, Tony Brown and Desmond Penigar. In his four years at USU, he has had over an 80 percent graduation rate. He has been involved in postseason action six times in his career, including the NCAA Tournament at Utah State in 2000 and 2001, and the National Invitation Tournament in 2002. He has been named Coach of the Year three times, winning the award in 1991 at Montana, and in 2000 and 2002 at Utah State. He is only the third coach in the history of the Big West Conference to go undefeated in the league, as he led the 1999-2000 squad to a perfect 19-0 league record, joining Lou Henson and Jerry Tarkanian. Prior to coming to Utah State, Morrill had been the head coach at Colorado State University for seven seasons, recording a 121-86 record (1992-98). Prior to his stint at CSU, Morrill spent five seasons as the head coach at the University of Montana (1987-91), where he went 97-52. During his 16 years as a head coach, Morrill's teams have won at least 20 games seven times and have won at least 17 games in 13 of his 16 seasons as a head coach. He was the second winningest coach at Colorado State behind only Boyd Grant.
Morrill Year-by-Year Coaching RecordYear School Overall Pct. Conf. Place1987 Montana 18-11 .621 8-6 3rd1988 Montana 18-11 .621 7-9 t6th1989 Montana 20-11 .645 11-5 3rd1990 Montana 18-11 .621 10-6 3rd1991 Montana 23-8 .742 13-3 1st1992 Colorado State 14-17 .451 8-8 6th1993 Colorado State 17-12 .586 9-9 5th1994 Colorado State 15-13 .536 8-10 5th1995 Colorado State 17-14 .548 7-11 t7th1996 Colorado State 18-12 .600 11-7 4th1997 Colorado State 20-9 .689 10-6 4th1998 Colorado State 20-9 .689 8-6 4th1999 Utah State 15-13 .536 8-8 4th2000 Utah State 28-6 .824 16-0 1st2001 Utah State 28-6 .824 13-3 2nd2002 Utah State 23-8 .742 13-5 1stTotals 16 Years 312-171 .646 160-102 .611
Years School Overall Pct. Conf. Pct.87-91 Montana 97-52 .651 49-29 .62892-98 Colorado State 121-86 .585 61-57 .51799- Utah State 94-33 .740 50-16 .758Totals 16 Years 312-171 .646 160-102 .611
