Nov. 27, 2003
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game #3Illinois State (1-1) at Utah State (2-0)Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270)*Logan, UtahNov. 29, 2003*7:05 p.m. (MST)*Aggie Radio Network
Utah State Aggies (2-0)Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APGF 30 Jason Williams 6-7 198 Jr. 5.5 3.5 1.0F 32 Spencer Nelson 6-8 225 Jr. 14.5 6.5 2.5C 42 Mike Ahmad 6-9 240 R-Sr. 5.0 3.5 0.5^G 15 Cardell Butler 6-4 195 Sr. 9.0 3.5 1.5G 20 Mark Brown 5-10 150 Sr. 9.5 1.5 3.0
Off The Bench
G 2 Quenton Harvey 6-2 175 Jr. 5.5 1.5 0.5F 4 Nate Harris 6-7 225 So. 11.0 7.0 1.5^G 21 Calvin Brown 5-10 160 Jr. 0.0 1.0 3.0G 23 Chris Huber 6-1 190 So. 3.5 1.5 1.5G 24 Tyler Williams 6-1 200 Jr. 0.0 0.0 0.0F 25 John Neil 6-6 210 R-Jr. 5.5 1.0 1.5C 31 Ian McVey 6-9 225 R-Jr. 3.5 6.0 2.5^F 44 Chad Evans 6-7 210 Sr. 3.5 2.0 0.0
Game Day Headlines
* Under head coach Stew Morrill, Utah State is 70-7 (.909) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum and Aggie teams have won 98 of their last 107 games (.916) at home. Against non-league opponents during the regular season, Utah State has won 19 straight home games and is 32-2 (.941) under Morrill. The last non-league opponent to beat the Aggies at home during the regular season was BYU on Jan. 8, 2000, 82-73. Overall, USU has won six straight at home against non-league competition, with its last lost coming against Montana State 77-69 in the first round of the 2002 National Invitation Tournament. USU is 364-100 (.784) all-time in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
* Utah State is 2-0 to start a season for the fifth time in six years under Morrill, and for the 49th time in school history. Of the previous 48 teams who began the year 2-0, 36 of them went on to improve its record to 3-0.
* Utah State has won 11 straight games in the month of November and is 21-3 (.875) in November under Morrill. The last time USU lost a game during the month was on Nov. 19, 2000 against Austin Peay 80-76 in overtime in the championship game of the Top of the World Classic.
* Utah State is 47-14 (.770) in games played on Saturday over the last four years and 4-2 in known games played on Nov. 29.
* Utah State's seven losses at home under Morrill have been by a total of 24 points (3.4 points per loss), with four of those losses being by one point. The worst loss by USU at home under Morrill was an 82-73 loss to BYU on Jan. 8, 2000.
This Week
Utah State (2-0) hosts Illinois State (1-1) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Sat., Nov. 29 at 7:05 p.m.
About Illinois State
Illinois State (1-1) opened its 2003-04 season with an 87-70 home win over Florida A&M and then lost its first road game of the season at Northern Illinois 66-55 on Wednesday night. ISU is led by sophomore forward Marcus Arnold who is averaging 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Other Redbirds who are averaging double-figures in scoring include junior guard Trey Guidry (13.5), junior guard Gregg Alexander (13.0), and sophomore guard Neil Plank (12.5). As a team, Illinois State is shooting 38.8 percent on the year, while its opponents are shooting 42.3 percent. The Redbirds are tabbed to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference after recording an 8-21 record last season and finishing in ninth-place in the league with a 5-13 conference mark. Illinois State does return three starters and seven letterwinners from last year's club, while head coach Porter Moser is in his first season at ISU, and has an overall coaching record of 54-34 in three previous seasons.
Utah State-Illinois State Series
Illinois State leads the all-time series against Utah State, 2-1, which includes a 1-0 record at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. USU won its only game in the series last year to open the 2002-03 campaign with a 68-53 road win. The first game in the series was on Dec. 16, 1983, with the Redbirds notching an 80-74 win at the Indiana Classic. The only prior meeting between the two teams in Logan was on Mar. 16, 1995 in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, as ISU recorded a 93-87 overtime win.
Versus The Missouri Valley Conference
Utah State is 12-13 (.480) all-time against current members of the Missouri Valley Conference, while USU head coach Stew Morrill is 3-2 (.600). At USU, Morrill is 1-0 versus the Missouri Valley Conference with the win coming at Illinois State last year.
Against the State Of Illinois
Utah State is 3-10 all-time against teams from the state of Illinois as USU has faced Bradley (1-2), DePaul (1-0), Illiniois (0-2), Illinois State (1-2), Notre Dame (0-2) and Southern Illinois (0-2).
What's Ahead
Utah State will play at Utah on Wed., Dec. 3 at 7:05 p.m. The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV. USU has won three straight games against the Utes and four of the last five.
Utah State-Illinois State Series Quick FactsOverall USU trails 1-2In Logan USU trails 0-1In Normal USU leads 1-0Neutral Sites USU trails 0-1Current Streak USU, 1 winFirst Meeting 12/16/83 (ISU, 80-74)Biggest Utah State Win 68-53 (11/23/02)Biggest Illinois State Win 80-74 (12/16/83) & 93-87 ot (3/16/95)USU Under Coach Morrill 1-0
Last Meeting Between Utah State and Illinois State
Desmond Penigar scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench, while Mark Brown added a career-high 19 points and four steals to lead Utah State to a convincing 68-53 road win at Illinois State to open the 2002-03 season. Utah State built an early seven-point lead in the game at 11-4, and held the advantage for much of the first half. Illinois State took its only lead of the game at 17-16, but the Aggies answered with an 11-0 run to take a 10-point advantage into the half at 32-22. The Redbirds fought back in the second half and cut the Aggie lead to two at 43-41 with 12:32 remaining. Once again, USU answered the Redbirds with an 8-0 run to extend the lead back to 10 points. With Illinois State down eight with 2:21 remaining, USU finished the game with a 10-3 run to record the 15-point win. Utah State shot 50 percent from both the field and three-point range in the game, and held Illinois State to 38.9 percent shooting. The Aggies also recorded seven more rebounds (35-28) and notched 10 steals. Penigar was 8-of-12 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range in the contest, while Brown went 7-of-12 overall. Cardell Butler added nine points and four rebounds off the bench, while Mike Puzey scored nine points and added a career-high 11 rebounds in the contest.
Recapping The Weber State Game
Spencer Nelson scored 13 points and had eight rebounds, while Nate Harris chipped in 12 points, recorded a career-high nine rebounds and added a career-high three blocks to lead Utah State to a 66-60 win at Weber State on Tuesday night at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. With the victory, the Aggies stopped Weber State's 19-game homecourt winning streak. Mark Brown added 11 points for the Aggies, while Weber State was led by Slobodan Ocokoljic, who scored 22 points and had a game-high 10 rebounds. Lance Allred was the only other Wildcat to score in double figures with 15 points. USU, which shot just 31.8 percent from the field in the first half, hit 61.1 percent of its attempts in the second half, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. USU excelled at the free throw line, connecting on 25-of-29 of its attempts. WSU made just 13-of-22 free throws, while shooting 42.3 percent for the game and just 18.8 percent from the three-point line. Both teams overcame sluggish first halves as USU shot just 31.8 percent from the field and had nine turnovers, while WSU hit 33.3 percent of its field goal attempts and had four turnovers. USU led 27-24 at the break after holding its biggest advantage in the half at 26-20.
Leftovers From Weber State
* Nate Harris recorded a career-high nine rebounds and a career-high three blocks to go along with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He also made his first career three-pointer in the contest.
* Over the last four-plus years, Utah State is now 31-18 (.633) on the road and is 33-27 (.550) on the road all-time under Morrill. In non-conference games, USU is now 8-7 on the road under Morrill.
* Utah State is now 7-3 against its in-state rivals (BYU, Utah and Weber State), over the last three-plus years and 8-8 versus in-state opponents under Morrill.
* Utah State is now 89-7 over the last four-plus years when leading at the half.
Sagarin Ratings
With its 66-60 road win at Weber State on Tuesday night, Utah State now has a sagarin rating of 29th in the country.
Scouting The Utah State Offense
Utah State is shooting 53.8 percent from the field (50-93), 50.0 percent (12-24) from three-point range and 88.9 percent (40-45) from the free-throw line... USU has made nine more free throws (40) than its opponents have attempted (31) thus far this year... USU averaged 66.6 points last year and is averaging 76.0 through two games this year... USU has 11 players who are averaging at least 10 minutes per game thus far this year and five players who are averaging over 20 minutes per game... USU has 31 assists on 50 made field goals... USU has out-scored its opponents 82-52 in the first-half thus far this year.. USU is averaging 35.0 points and 22.5 rebounds per game from its bench players, while its opponents are getting only 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game from its bench.
Scouting The Utah State Defense
Utah State is limiting its opponents to 57.0 points per game thus far, while holding its opponents to 36.4 percent shooting from the field, 31.4 percent shooting from three-point range, and 54.8 percent shooting from the free throw line... USU is averaging 42.0 rebounds per game and allowing its opponents only 23.5 rebounds per contest for a rebounding margin of plus 18.5 per contest (USU out-rebounded Fort Lewis College 46-23, and out-rebounded Weber State 38-24)... USU has already blocked 13 shots this year and had a total of 69 blocks last year... USU has held both of its opponents this season to less than 30 points in the first half, and has won 18 of its last 20 games when holding the opposition to less than 30 points in the first half.
Aggie Notes
* Utah State returns three starters and seven letterwinners from the 2002-03 team that went 24-9, finished in third-place in the Big West Conference with a 12-6 record, won the 2003 Big West Tournament with victories over Cal State Fullerton (89-83 ot), UC Irvine (62-55) and Cal Poly (57-54), and advanced to the NCAA Tournament (West Region) in Oklahoma City, Okla., losing to No. 6 Kansas (64-61).
* Utah State returns four players from last season who were honored by the Big West Conference in senior point guard Mark Brown (Honorable Mention All-Big West, 2003 Big West All-Tournament Team), junior forward Spencer Nelson (Honorable Mention All-Big West, Co-Hustle Player of the Year in the Big West), senior guard/forward Cardell Butler (2003 Big West All-Tournament Team), and sophomore forward Nate Harris (All-Freshman Team).
* For the first time in four years, Utah State does not return a first or second-team all-league selection. In 2001, USU returned Shawn Daniels (1st team), in 2002 USU returned Tony Brown (2nd team), and in 2003 the Aggies returned Desmond Penigar (1st team). The last time Utah State did not return a first or second-team all-league selection (2000), USU went 28-6 on the season with a 19-0 record in league play.
* Utah State lost six lettermen from last season, including two-time first-team all-Big West selection Desmond Penigar, two-year starter Toraino Johnson who was named to the honorable mention all-Big West team as a senior, and Ronnie Ross who started 48 games in his two years at USU. Penigar led Utah State in scoring in each of the last two seasons.
Utah State Among The Best In The Country
Over the last four-plus years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 105-29 (.784) record. Those 105 wins are the seventh most in the country, while the 78.4 percent winning percentage is also the seventh-best. USU has also been among the top-13 teams in the country in points allowed in each of the last four seasons, and is just one of seven teams in the country to participate in it's conference's post-season tournament championship game in each of the last four years.
Aggies In The Big West Conference
Utah State has had unparalleled success in the Big West Conference over the last four years, winning two regular season conference championships, three tournament championships, and advancing to four straight postseason tournaments (NCAA-3, NIT-1). Over the last four years, USU leads the Big West in overall titles won with five, postseason appearances with four, and all-conference selections with seven. USU has also dominated the conference's post-season tournament with an amazing 11-1 record over the last four years.
Utah State Tradition
* Over the past four years, Utah State has won two regular season Big West championships and three tournament championships.
* Utah State has advanced to four straight postseason appearances, which is a school record, going to the NCAA Tournament in 2000, 2001 and 2003, and the National Invitation Tournament in 2002.
* Over the last four years, Utah State has gone 11-1 (.917) in the Big West Conference tournament.
* The Aggies have won 20-plus games in each of the last four seasons, which is a school record.
* During the 2002-03 season, Utah State recorded the fourth-most wins in school history (24) and advanced to postseason play for the 21st time.
* Over the past four-plus seasons, Utah State has gone 104-29 overall and 65-15 in the Big West Conference. Those 104 wins are the seventh-most in the country over that time period.
* The 1999-2000 team set a school record with 28 wins and went a perfect 19-0 in the Big West Conference, marking only the third time in league history a team has gone undefeated.
* The 2000-01 team tied the school record for wins (28) and recorded Utah State's first NCAA Tournament win in 31 years with a 77-68 overtime victory against Ohio State.
* From 2000-2001, Utah State won 26-straight Big West games, which is the third-longest winning streak in the history of the conference.
* Over the last four years, Utah State has recorded four of the top-five winningest seasons in school history.
* Over the past four years, Utah State has had (1) All-American selection, (7) First-Team all-Big West selections, (13) all-Conference selections, and (14) Big West Player of the Week honorees, not to mention Coach Morrill being named the league's Coach of the Year on two separate occasions.
* Utah State is one of just seven teams in the country to advance to its conference's postseason tournament championship game in each of the last four season, along with Duke (ACC), Gonzaga (West Coast), Oklahoma (Big 12), Tulsa (WAC), Valparaiso (Mid-Continent), and UNC-Wilmington (Colonial Athletic Association).
* Under Morrill, Utah State graduated five players last year (Chad Evans, Toraino Johnson, Desmond Penigar, Mike Puzey and Ronnie Ross) and USU players have posted better than a 90 percent graduation rate in Morrill's five years at Utah State.
* Playing in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum is definitely an advantage for the Aggies. In the six-year Stew Morrill era, Utah State teams have won 91 percent of their home games (70-7). The Aggies have a 364-100 (.784) all-time record in the facility. Utah State has gone unbeaten three times in the Spectrum's 33-year history. The Aggies have also never lost back-to-back home games under Morrill. The Aggies have won 98 of their last 107 games (.915) in the Spectrum, including 54 of their last 58 (.931) home games against Big West competition. From 2000-2002, Utah State teams combined to record a 34-game winning streak in the facility, setting a school record.
Aggies Return Three Starters And Seven Letterwinners
After posting its fourth straight 20-win season, winning its third Big West Tournament championship in the last four years, and advancing to its third NCAA Tournament in the last four years, Utah State will be looking to make yet another run at a conference title during the 2003-04 season. Leading the way for USU will be senior guards Mark Brown and Cardell Butler, and junior forward Spencer Nelson. Brown earned honorable mention all-Big West honors as a junior as he finished second in the league in assists (4.52) and first in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.99-1.00). Brown also led USU in minutes played (32.3), assists (149) and steals (43), and finished fourth on the team in scoring (8.6). He was also named to the 2003 Big West all-tournament team as he averaged 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in three games. Butler was also named to the 2003 Big West all-tournament team as he averaged 16.0 points and 4.7 rebounds during the tournament and finished the year third on the team in scoring at 8.7 points per game. Nelson earned honorable mention all-Big West honors as a sophomore after leading the league in rebounding (7.4) and finishing second on the team in scoring (10.2). He was also named the league's Co-Hustle Player of the Year. USU also welcomes back three lettermen from last year in senior forward Chad Evans, junior guard Calvin Brown and sophomore forward Nate Harris. Harris was named to the Big West all-freshman team after averaging 5.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Evans averaged 1.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game as a junior, while Brown averaged 0.5 points and 0.6 assists per game. Utah State also returns three redshirts from a year ago in senior center Mike Ahmad and junior forwards Ian McVey and John Neil. Ahmad averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds as a junior during the 2001-02 season, as he appeared in all 31 games for USU. McVey averaged 17.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as a sophomore at Fergus Falls Junior College, while Neil averaged 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game at Canada Junior College during the 1999-2000 season.
Utah State Welcomes Six Newcomers
Utah State head coach Stew Morrill welcomes six new players to this year's team adding a lot of size and perimeter shooting to one of the best programs in the Big West Conference. Among the group is five junior college transfers and a former high school player. Highlighting this group should be junior forward Jason Williams who earned all-state and all-conference honors both years at Santa Rosa Junior College and was rated as the best junior college small forward in California by Networx Basketball Scouting Services as he averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Another player who could make an immediate impact for USU is junior center Cassiano Matheus who was rated as one of the top-100 players in junior college last year as he averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game at South Plains College. USU also added two perimeter shooters in junior guard Quenton Harvey and sophomore guard Chris Huber. Harvery averaged 13.3 points and 3.5 assists per game as a sophomore at Compton College, while Huber averaged 8.4 points and 3.9 assists per game as a freshman at Dixie State College. Two other players who will add depth to the team include junior guard Tyler Williams and freshman guard Jimmie Edwards. Williams ranked as one of the top-10 three-point shooters in California as a sophomore as he averaged 13.4 points per game, while Edwards averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 assists per game as a senior at Malad High School in Malad, Idaho.
Aggies Picked Second In Preseason Big West Polls
UC Santa Barbara is considered the favorite to win the Big West Conference men's basketball title according to both the league's coaches and media, while Utah State is picked second in both polls it was announced Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the conference's media day. UC Santa Barbara, which won the league's regular season title a year ago received 78 points in the coaches poll including six first place votes. Utah State received 74 points and three first place votes, while UC Irvine was third in the poll with 67 points and one first place vote. Cal Poly (50) and Idaho (40) rounded out the top five. In the media poll, UCSB had 22 first place votes and 271 points, with the Aggies receiving four first place votes and 246 points. UCI had 224 points with three first place votes, while Cal Poly was fourth with 192 points and UC Riverside was fifth with 132 points. Last year, Utah State won the Big West Tournament championship after finishing third in the league during the regular season with a 12-6 record. UC Santa Barbara won the regular season championship with a 14-4 record, but lost to Cal Poly in the semifinals of the conference tournament. For the second straight year the Big West announced a preseason all-conference team, and USU did not have a player voted on the team by the league's media. The six players selected preseason all-conference included Varnie Dennis of Cal Poly, Branduinn Fullove of UC Santa Barbara, Vili Morton and Nate Carter of UC Riverside, Ian Boylan of Cal State Northridge, and Adam Parada of UC Irvine.
Aggies Ink Two Junior College Standouts
Utah State's head basketball coach Stew Morrill announced the signings of David Pak (pronounced PACK) and Danny Gray to national letters of intent to compete for the Aggies beginning in the 2004-05 season. Pak, a 6-2, 200-pound guard is currently a sophomore at Saddleback Junior College in Mission Viejo, Calif., and will have two years of eligibility with the Aggies. As a freshman at Saddleback JC, Pak averaged 12.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range. He finished second on the team in scoring and earned first-team all-league honors as the Gauchos went 29-7 on the season, registered a perfect 14-0 mark in the Orange Empire Conference and advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament. Pak was rated as the fourth-best junior college point guard in California as a freshman by Networx Basketball Scouting Services. Gray, a 6-8, 230-pound forward is currently a sophomore at Ventura Junior College in Ventura, Calif. As a freshman at Ventura JC, Gray averaged 9.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while shooting 60.0 percent from the field. He earned honorable mention all-league honors and helped his team to a 23-7 record, a Western State Conference North Division Championship with a 10-2 record, and an appearance in the regional finals of the state tournament.
Note-able Streaks
* USU is now 54-5 under Morrill when holding its opponents under 60 points.
* Over the last four-plus years, Utah State is 46-10 when recording more steals than its opponent; 72-5 when they shoot better from three-point range than its opponent; and 74-7 when committing fewer fouls than its opponent.
Head Coach Stew Morrill
Stew Morrill (Gonzaga, 1974) is in his sixth season at the helm of the Utah State men's basketball program after posting four straight 20-win seasons and guiding the Aggies to four straight postseason appearances. In his first five years at USU, he had an incredible 118-42 record, which is the best record by any coach at Utah State during that time span. Over the past four years, Morrill has coached six first-team all-league players in Shawn Daniels (twice), Troy Rolle, Bernard Rock, Tony Brown and Desmond Penigar (twice). In his five years at USU, he has had over a 90 percent graduation rate. He has been involved in postseason action seven times in his career, including the NCAA Tournament at Utah State in 2000, 2001 and 2003, 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 17 years as a head coach, Morrill's teams have won at least 20 games eight times and have won at least 17 games in 14 of his 17 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 1st2003 Utah State 24-9 .727 12-6 3rd2004 Utah State 2-0 1.00 0-0 ------Totals 17th Year 338-180 .653 172-108 .614
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 120-42 .741 62-22 .738Totals 17th Year 338-180 .653 172-108 .614
