Nov. 9, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.--The Marshall University men's basketball team hosts NCAA Division II West Virginia Wesleyan in an exhibition game Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the Cam Henderson Center.
Tickets for Tuesday night's exhibition are $5. Season tickets for all 18 home games in the lower bowl chair back sections are $205 for the season and require a Big Green Scholarship Foundation donation. Bench seating located behind the west basket is $180 for the season. All upper reserved chair backs are $95. Season basketball tickets can only be purchased by calling 1-800-THE-HERD or visiting the Cam Henderson Center Box Office Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Thundering Herd is playing West Virginia Wesleyan for the first time since Jan. 2, 1964 when Marshall defeated the Bobcats 93-74. MU leads the all-time series 30-12 and has won eight in a row in the series since Feb. 24, 1942 when West Virginia Wesleyan defeated Marshall 67-62.
Coming off a 15-17 season, MU returns seven letterwinners and four starters to the squad. A total of seven newcomers is ready to play for the Herd this season. Here is a look at Marshall coming into the 2009-10 season;
Backcourt: Senior Darryl Merthie earned an additional year of eligibility due to academic progress, and returns after playing in all 32 games a year ago. Averaging 4.8 points per game, Merthie posted a season high 14 points and tied his career high with four steals against Rice in first round of C-USA Tournament. Merthie led MU in assists six times last season.
"We are proud of Darryl earning his fifth year," said Marshall head coach Donnie Jones. "He brings experience and depth at the guard spot."
Senior Chris Lutz is Marshall's leading returning scorer with a 10.7 ppg average. Lutz led the team in made three-pointers (65) and three-point percentage (.374). He finished fourth in Conference USA in three-point percentage and was seventh in the league in made three-point field goals per game (2.32). Lutz scored 34 points in the second half and overtime, leading the Thundering Herd from 13 down to defeat the Green Wave 89-86 in overtime. Lutz's 37 points was a career high and the most by a Marshall player since Ronald Blackshear scored 40 at East Michigan in 2003. Lutz had a strong offseason as he earned a spot on the Philippines National Team.
"Chris had a great offseason and we are excited to have him healthy coming into the year," Jones said. "Chris brings leadership and experience to our young team."
Sophomore Damier Pitts was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. Pitts led Marshall in assists with 103 and free throw percentage (.841, 95-of-113). Pitts emerged as MU's go-to-guy from the free throw line late in games as he made 32-of-34 attempts in the final two minutes of games. He was 12th in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio and 15th in assists. Pitts averaged 9.7 points per game.
"Damier is coming off a very good freshman season," Jones said. "He has gotten stronger in the offseason. He gained some great experience last year and we are expecting him to lead our team."
Sophomore Shaquille Johnson led the Herd in steals with 31. He was third amongst the MU cagers in assists (67) and fourth in rebounding (3.1 rpg). Johnson averaged 9.6 points per game.
"Shaquille played valuable minutes as a freshman," said Jones. "He improved in each game last year. We expect him to play some minutes at both guard positions this season."
Freshman DeAndre Kane is expected to contribute to the varsity rotation in the backcourt. Kane played prep basketball at The Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C. in 2008-09 where he averaged 15.6 points per game. He led Pittsburgh's Schenley High School to a State Championship as a junior and a third consecutive Pittsburgh City League Championship as a senior where he scored 35 points in the title game. As a senior, Kane led all WPIAL and City League players in scoring during the regular season with 33.1 points per contest while averaging 11 rebounds per game.
Currently, Kane is awaiting word from the NCAA Clearinghouse on his eligibility and will not play until he is cleared.
"DeAndre brings toughness and the ability to score and defend," Jones said.
A pair of freshman walk-ons, Noah Fischer and Bobby Horodyski should add depth to the backcourt. Fischer began his high school career at Sissonville (W.Va.) High School before transferring to Ripley (W.Va.) High to end career.. Fischer scored 1,577 points during high school career, converting 227 three-point field goals during his prep career (including state leading 94 as a senior). He led the Mountain State Athletic Conference in scoring during senior campaign (23.3 ppg). A first team All-State selection as a senior, Fischer was chosen second team All-State as a junior, and third team All-State as a sophomore.
Horodyski, a native of Gainesville, Fla., was selected the Class 6A District 1 Player of the Year in 2009 for Buchholtz High School after leading team in assists and charges taken. A talented high school diver, Horodyski finished fifth at the state meet as a senior, eighth as a junior, 10th as a sophomore, and 12th as a freshman.
FRONTCOURT: Senior Tyler Wilkerson should anchor the frontcourt. Wilkerson, who had his season ended by a fractured jaw against Tulsa on Feb. 4, 2009, still led Marshall in rebounding (6.2) and blocks (16). The 6-8 forward was third on the squad in scoring (10.7 ppg). He shot .529 from the field (82-of-155).
"Tyler had a terrific summer," Jones said. "He got stronger and worked hard on his face-up game. We are expecting leadership and big things from him."
Junior Tirrell Baines started 17-of-32 appearances last season as he averaged 8.7 points per game. Baines was second on the team in blocks (15), third on the squad in rebounding (4.9 rpg) and field goal shooting (.520, 103-of-198).
"Tirrell has worked hard to improve his skills and in the weight room," Jones commented. "He is an important part of our style with his energy and passion."
Sophomore Dago Pena played in 21 games, starting three before shoulder surgery ended season in February. Pena averaged 4.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
"Dago took six months to rehab his injury," Jones said. "He improved his conditioning and strength. He can play multiple positions and we love his attitude."
Sophomore Camden Miller is eligible to see action for the Herd after sitting out last season as a transfer from Western Carolina. Miller averaged 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 16 games as a freshman for the Catamounts two years ago.
"Cam has the ability to change games with the way he can shoot," Jones said. "He is smart, tough, and fits our system. We are excited for him to play after sitting last season."
Frontcourt newcomers include junior Antonio Haymon, sophomore Nigel Spikes, and freshman Hassan Whiteside.
Haymon led Cecil (Community) College to a two-year record of 65-3 by scoring 1,209 points and grabbing 558 rebounds. He earned first-team NJCAA Division II All-American honors as a sophomore by leading Cecil to a 34-2 overall record. Haymon averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game for head coach Bill Lewit's squad that was ranked No. 1 in the national junior college rankings for several weeks in 2008-09.
"Antonio is versatile, tough, and a winner," Jones said. "Antonio can really be good in our press and in our running game. He brings depth and energy to our team."
Spikes sat out last season as a non-academic qualifier at Marshall. The 6-11 forward averaged 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as a senior for Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Spikes served as a starter for Dillard's Florida Class 5A state champions during his senior season.
"After sitting out, this should be a great year for Nigel to have chance to practice daily," Jones said. "His skills and strength have improved. He brings shot blocking and athleticism to our team."
Whiteside who played prep basketball at the Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C., in 2008-09, was rated as the No. 19 center in the Class of 2009, according to Scout.com and was ranked as the No. 87 recruit in the Class of 2009 by www.rivalshoops.com. He averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5.5 blocked shots per game as a senior 2007-08 at East Side High School in Newark, N.J. Whiteside and Kane led Patterson to a 34-2 record a year ago and a No. 1 prep school ranking.
"Hassan has worked hard in the weight room," Jones said. "He is a shot blocker and can change games with his defense. He has great upside as time goes on, he can be good in our style of play."
Sophomore Eladio Espinosa will be redshirting this season after transferring to Marshall from the University of South Florida. As a freshman for the Bulls, Espinosa played in all 31 games and started 12. He averaged 1.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
THE SCHEDULE: On tap for MU this season are 17 home games with 10 games against teams that qualified for postseason play in 2009.
The Conference USA schedule is challenging and features five C-USA teams that earned a spot in postseason play a year ago (NCAA-Memphis; NIT-UAB, Tulsa; CBI-UTEP, Houston). Marshall will also play home-and home league games against East Carolina, UCF, Tulane, UAB, and Tulsa.
"I am excited to have the opportunity to compete in this year's C-USA schedule," Jones continued. "I feel this year's conference schedule will be the most difficult from top to bottom since my arrival with lots of parity among all of the conference teams."
The Herd hosts Memphis, the defending league champion, Jan. 27. Marshall has single league games at home against Southern Miss and UTEP. MU will travel to Houston, Rice, and SMU. The Conference USA Tournament moves out of Memphis for the first time and moves to the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The tournament is scheduled for March 10-13.
"Our non-conference schedule is set up to prepare our team which is younger than it was last year for Conference USA play," Jones said. "We are playing two teams in North Carolina and West Virginia that are potential preseason top-10 teams. We are also playing several other teams such as Ohio that have the potential to make the NCAA Tournament."
Marshall opens the season by hosting North Carolina A&T Nov. 15 as part of the Global Sports Invitational. Marshall's games against North Carolina A&T, Middle Tennessee State (at home Nov. 17), Lamar (at home Nov. 25), and Ohio (in Charleston Nov. 28) comprise the Global Sports Invitational which has earned NCAA exempt status. This exemption means only one of the games will count toward MU's regular-season schedule.
The Nov. 21 game at Old Dominion is against a Monarchs' team that went 25-10 and advanced to the finals of the first CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament last season. Marshall travels to defending national champion North Carolina on Dec. 22. The remaining non-conference foes which were playoff teams last season are Binghamton (NCAA/Dec. 7), Troy (CBI/Dec. 12 & 28), and West Virginia in Chesapeake Energy Classic Jan. 20. Other non-conference opponents include Salem International, Brescia University, High Point, and St. Bonaventure.
Marshall's non-conference opponents compiled 254 wins last season and a .583 winning percentage (254-182). With 17 home games, the Herd hopes to continue the tradition of success in the Henderson Center. Since opening in 1981, Marshall is 296-94 (a .751 winning percentage) in the facility.
