Jags Basketball Face Golden Eagles Tonight in Hattiesburg
After defeating Carroll to being the season, the Jaguars travel to Southern Miss as they try to go 2-0 on the season.
The Jags used a late run to defeat Carroll 85-64 as the Golden Eagles used a strong second half to defeat William Carey 86-63.
Southern Miss has a new coach this season. Doc Sadler has a career record of 150-107 in his ninth season as a head coach. USM is ranked #138 in the Sagarin ratings while the Jaguars are ranked #280.
The Jags only shot 45.3% against Carroll on Friday night however the Jags won the rebounding battle 38-27 with 19 offensive rebounds. Freshman Abdul Lewis led the Jags in rebounding with 10 in his first career game. All 10 game in the first hald in 11 minutes of play. Augustine Rubit was the last Jaguar to pull down double-digit rebounds in his first-ever game in 2010.
Junior John Brown led all players with 22 points, 14 of them came in the second half where he made all four 3-point attempts. He also went 6-of-6 from the foul line.
The Jags look to improve on their 10-36 all-time record in road openers where they have lost 18 of their last 20. They broke an 11-game string in 2012-2013 when they defeated then #24 ranked Florida State 76-71 in Tallahassee.
The Jags and Golden Eagles are set to tipoff at 7pm in Hattiesburg. The game can be heard on WNTM 710 AM with J.D. Byers calling the play-by-play.
Jags Win Exhibition Game Over UM 69-52
The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team opened their season with an exhibition game against University of Mobile at the Mitchell Center last night. Sophomore Ken Williams led the Jags with 19 points, 13 of them in the first half, as they pulled away in the second half for a 69-52 win.
USA started slow but used a 7-0 run midway through the second half to pull away.
Freshman Taishaun Johnson scored 14 off the bench, seven of them from the charity stripe. Junior John Brown added 13 in his Jaguar debut as well.
The Jags led out of the gate behind Williams and Brown’s three-pointers in the first two-plus minutes, but a shooting slump midway through the first half allowed the Rams to take a 15-13 lead. But they could only hit once from the field for almost 11 minutes.
Sophomore Georgi Boyanov broke the slump with a three at the 6:53 mark to ignite a 19-6 run to take a 32-23 lead at the half.
The Jaguars season officially opens on November 14 against Carroll (Montana) at the Mitchell Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05pm.
SBC Holds Basketball Media Day
The University of South Alabama held its annual basketball Media Day. It featured all 11 head coaches including USA head men’s basketball coach Matthew Graves. Here are some highlights from the event.
Graves’ opening statement
“I’m very excited about my second year in the Sun Belt. I’m looking forward to the improvements that we can make to our program, and excited to be competing in what looks to be another outstanding year in the Sun Belt.”
Graves spoke about where the team is going to turn this season after losing the team’s top three scorers from a year ago.
“We don’t know where we’re getting our scoring. That’s probably our biggest concern this year. You’re not going to replace an Augustine Rubit with one or two guys, it’s going to take a committee. Antoine Allen had his moments where he could score 20 points on a given night. To get that kind of consistent production, it’s going to be by committee. We’re still feeling that process out. We’re an extremely young, inexperienced basketball team, and it’s one I am very excited about and I think we have a bright future, but right now we’re still really trying to see what guys can do and how they’re going to fit together with all of the pieces that we have. That’s going to take place in the games, for us to get that under our belt and have a great feel.”
Graves talked about what he already knows about his team.
“Ken Williams has had a great offseason. I really look for him to be a key player for us this season, as he grows and develops into a role where night in and night out, he’s probably going to get one of the better defenders on him. He’s going to have to adjust and be able to handle that, but I’m really excited about his development. The thing I’m probably most excited about is we have a group of guys that are starting to understand and embrace what we’re trying to teach them as a coaching staff. There is a lot more buy-in from player No. 1 all the way through player No. 13 and the managers and staff. There’s a better vibe and more togetherness and that’s what I’m really excited about, because when you have that, you have a team that is capable of getting a lot better throughout the season and making things happen.”
Graves was asked about what newcomers have stook out to him.
“John Brown, our junior-college kid, has come in and done a nice job. Where he can help us is giving us some size on the wing. We really lacked that last year and he going to come in and play some minutes for us at that small forward spot. With his size and athleticism, that’s really going to help us, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Taishaun Johnson, a freshman point guard, has really shown bursts in practice of giving us a little more quickness on the perimeter and getting the ball into the paint. With his size at 5-foot-10 or 5-foot-11, and his quickness, it’s really added an extra element to our offense that we didn’t have last year. Out of the newcomers, those two have really stood out early. Tafari Whittingham is still coming back from off-season surgery, so we’re bringing him along slowly. He’s full-go at practice, but just watching him, you can tell with his conditioning that he’s still several weeks away.”
Graves was then asked about the starting point guard position.
“That’s Barrington’s (Stevens) position right now, and as I tell all the players, you have to earn your spot and your minutes, and once you do, you have to keep producing and keep that. If we were going to play today, Barrington would be our starting point guard. The nice thing about our roster is we do not have a lot of depth this year. Guys are going to have a lot of opportunities to play and contribute. We have 10 scholarship players, so we have five guys that I feel like are basically our 1s, 2s and 3s, and we’ve got five guys that primarily will play the 4 and the 5. Playing time should not be an issue. Guys will get opportunities, and what they do with those opportunities will ultimately determine how many minutes they play.”
Graves answered a question about his team and if they will play more up tempo this season.
“That’s one of the areas that we’ve put an emphasis on—trying to score and do a better job out of our transition offense. Last year, statistically we were one of the worst teams in the league in scoring out of transition opportunities. We’ve put a major emphasis on taking advantage when we have 3-on-2 or 4-on-3 opportunities in transition and looking to push the ball and play a little faster to help offset some of the scoring in the halfcourt.”
South Alabama hosts University of Mobile in an exhibition game on November 6 at the Mitchell Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05pm.
Jaguar Men’s Basketball Begin 2014-2015 Season with First Workout
The Jaguars Men’s Basketball team kicked off the 2014-2015 season and year two under Matthew Graves on Monday morning with their first team workout.
It was their first practice session as they begin preparation for the season and their exhibition match on November 6 against Mobile.
Six players return from last years team including the leading returning scorer Ken Williams but will ahve nine newcomers as well.
Those six player will be key as last season Graves was working to implement his system, they will have knowledge of his system and can help their new teammates learn the system.
“We are further along (than we were last year),” Graves said. “We still have a long ways to go, but this first practice, we were able to get through probably 50 percent more than we were a year ago, and that’s in part to how hard our guys worked this summer, and even though half of our roster is new, we were still able to accomplish some things because the new guys were here all summer and that made a huge difference.
“It helps that (the returning players have) been through it and when we call out a drill or running a play, they know what we’re doing. They’re getting more comfortable with helping the new guys, and one thing I noticed from this morning is we have a lot more competition from the second group. Last year it was pretty one-sided but this year our second group, with a guy like Nick Stover, that’s sitting out with a redshirt, is really going to be vital for that second group to push the first group. Having that competition in practice on a daily basis is really going to help us get better throughout the year.”
The Jags only have one scholarship senior on the roster in Dionte Ferguson. The team is comprised of two seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.
Last season the Jaguars finished 11-20 overall and 5-13 in conference play. The season begins on November 11 against Carroll (Mont.) after their exhibition match against the University of Mobile on November 6.
Former Jag Augustine Rubit Signs Pro Deal With Walter Tigers
Rubit becomes the second player from the 2013-2014 team to sign a professional contract. Photo by John Adams | usajaguars.com
Former South Alabama men’s basketball player Augustine Rubit has signed his first pro contract with the Walter Tigers Tuebingen of the Beko BBL, Germany’s top professional league.
As a Jaguar, Rubit was named to four All-Sun Belt Conference teams, voted Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year for 2012-2013, and finished his career as the All-Time leading rebounder in conference history as well as set school records with: free throws made (550), free throws attempted (763), and double-doubles (54). He also ranks in the schools top five in points (1,917, 2nd), field goals made (673, 5th), field goals attempted (1,360, 3rd), rebounding average (10.0, 3rd), blocks (139, 3rd) and games played (118, T-2nd).
He is the second player from last year’s team to play professionally after Mychal Ammons announced he was leaving school early and signed with Macedonian club Feni Indistrijia back in May.
Rubit joins a team in the Tigers who were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2005 and have finished as high as 10th on two occasions (2007, 2013).
He will leave for Germany on August 7 to begin working out with his new team.
Congrats Aug!
USA Sports And Coaches Radio Shows Moving To Clear Channel Station
The University of South Alabama and Athletics Director Dr. Joel Erdmann made a huge announcement on Monday concerning radio broadcasts of South Alabama sports.
The University and Clear Channel radio agreed to a three year partnership that will move South Alabama Football radio broadcast from 105.5FM WNSP to 99.9FM WMXC and USA coaches radio shows as well as Men’s Basketball and Baseball games will be broadcast on NewsRadion 710AM WNTM. All broadcast will be available to stream through Clear Channel Media + Entertainment’s iHeartRadio app for smartphones and tablets.
Previously all of the same content was broadcast on 105.5 WNSP and streamed online through their website and other applications that gave access to their stream through smartphone and tablet devices.
Though the football broadcast will be the only thing broadcast on Lite Mix 99.9, it will expand their reach further into Florida and Mississippi as well as north into Alabama.
Officials hope that, by getting on a Clear Channel station, they could be cross promoted and may potentially be rebroadcast on other Clear Channel stations if things go well.
Unfortunately the Men’s Basketball, Baseball and coaches radio shows will be relagated to their AM radio station, NewsRadio 710. Though their streaming is available through the iHeartRadio app, they are limited to the AM radio waves for the forseeable future.
“We are excited about this partnership and the opportunities it provides for our department,” stated Erdmann. “Of significance is the broadcast reach for our football games, and priority broadcasting for the men’s basketball and baseball programs. The iHeartRadio application provides dependable and easy-to-access free broadcasts of our games nationally on digital radio, smartphones, tablets and home computers. In addition, the ability to market and cross-promote through various Clear Channel stations directly targets males, females and families of various ages and interests.”
“This partnership is a natural for us. Many of the great people who work here at Clear Channel Mobile are USA alumni and fans, and we’re all excited to bring the games to Jag Nation and our Gulf Coast community,” Lite Mix 99.9 and NewsRadio 710 WNTM Program Director Dan Mason said. “Like the student-athletes and coaches who give their best every day, we’ll bring our best to coverage of Jaguar Athletics and offer unprecedented access to the program. Every football game will air live on Lite Mix 99.9, which serves the Central Gulf Coast with the most powerful FM signal between Tampa and New Orleans, while games and coaches shows for all three programs will be available at iHeartRadio.com.”
Dates and times for the Joey Jones Radio Show have not been released yet, but the first broadcast of South Alabama Football will be on Saturday, September 6 when the Jags travel to Kent State with kickoff scheduled for 1pm.
The initial three-year contract includes a provision to extend the agreement at the end of the initial contract.
What do you think about the move? Comment on this post or, on Facebook or tweet @usathunderjags with your thoughts about this move.
Four Former Jaguar Student-Athletes To Be Inducted Into USA Hall Of Fame
The University of South Alabama Athletics department announced that four new members will be added to the USA Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.
Henry “Dock” Richardson, Ronnie Powell, Shaun Rothuysen and Virgil Stanescu will be inducted in to the Hall of Fame in November, the time and date is yet to be determined. All four will also be honored on November 15 at halftime of the Jaguars football game against Texas State at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Richardson played baseball at USA from 1965-1968, in the schools first four years of competition. He led the team in batting average and RBI for three seasons and stolen bases all four seasons. He had a career high batting average of .371 as a freshman with 12 RBI and 12 stolen bases in just 15 games. As a sophomore he led the team with 11 steals and 10 RBI. As a junior he hit .316 with 17 RBI and 13 stolen bases. Then to close out his Jaguar career, he hit .355 with 21 stolen bases his senior season to help the Jaguars to a 18-9 record.
Ronnie Powell was an assistant coach in baseball from 1987-2006 where he served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. During his time at USA the team went 794-431-1 for a 64.8% winning percentage with 17 NCAA Regional appearances. During that time the Jaguars claimed nine Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championships, four division championships and seven tournament titles. Five other times the Jaguars were one win away from a regional championship and a berth in the College World Series. Six pitchers under coach Powell earned All-American recognition while 35 signed contracts with professional organizations. Six players would go on and advance to the Major Leagues.
Shaun Rothuysen played men’s soccer from 1993-1995 and led the Jags to a 49-15 record, three Sun Belt Conference Championships and its first-ever NCAA play-in game in 1995. He was voted the league’s player of the year twice, was a three-time All-Sun Belt selection and named second-team All-South Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as a sophomore. He led the conference, ranked eighth in the Region and 17th in the country in scoring with 40 points in 1993 as the team finished 16-5. He scored 40 points against in 1994 to help the Jags to a 18-2-2 record. As a senior he scored a team-high 45 points to end his career as the fifth highest at USA with 47 goals and 125 points.
Virgil Stanescu played men’s basketball from 1999-2001 and was a First-Team All-Conference selection as a senior. He was named the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player his junior season. In his final two seasons as a Jaguar he led the team in scoring and rebounding while helping the team to a 42-21 record overall and a 24-8 record in conference action during that time. He ranks 12th in school history with 1,126 points and sixth overall with 648 rebounds. He was selected to the SBC All-Tournament team twice and led the Jags to the Western Division Championship and a berth in the NIT his last season as a Jaguar.
The four additions to the Hall of Fame will make 68 former Student-Athletes to be enshrined in the South Alabama Athletics Hall of Fame since its inception in 1989.
Coach Fowler Announces Promotion And Hiring On Women’s Basketball Staff
South Alabama Women’s Basketball head coach Terry Fowler announced the promotion of Mallory Luckett to assistant head coach and the hiring of Matthew Daniels as the new director of basketball operations on Monday.
Luckett served as the director of operations for the women’s team last season. She served on coach Fowlers staff at the University of North Alabama for the previous three seasons. Her first two seasons she served as a graduate assistant before moving into an assistant coaching position for the 2012-2013 season at UNA after earning her master’s degree in criminal justice.
She arrived at UNA after playing four seasons at Murray State where she was a walk-on. She earned a scholarship her sophomore year and became a starter for her junior and senior seasons. During her senior season she became the only Racer to earn a triple-double when she posted 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Jacksonville State.
During her first season with coach Fowler she helped guide the team to a 21-7 record and a first place finish in the Gulf South Conference East Division. They advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 1994.
Daniels joins the program after spending one season as Jacksonville University where he was a graduate assistant coach on the men’s basketball staff under Cliff Warren for the 2013-2014 season. As a graduate assistant with the Dolphins, he organized and edited video for scouting and player development and also scheduled team functions and events.
Daniels received his bachelors of science degree from UNA in 2012 and began working on his masters of education degree while at JU. While at UNA, Daniels served as a student manager for four seasons 2008-2012 for UNA’s head coach Bobby Champagne. As a senior he also worked as a student worker in the UNA Compliance Office. He has been a member of the Rising Coaches Elite since June 2011.
Congratulations Coach Luckett and welcome to JagNation Coach Daniels.
USA Basketball Signs One; Announces Departure Of Two
The Jags announced three changes to the Men’s Basketball roster on Wednesday.
First, they announced that they signed junior college transfer John Brown, a 6’4″ forward from Olney, Illinois Central College. He is the first of four expected spring signees. He joins three players who signed with USA in the early signing period in November.
Brown will be used at the wing/small forward position but could play power forwardin a smaller lineup.
Brown averaged 16.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 32 games with Olney. He shot 51.8 percent on field goals and 63.5 percent at the free throw line. As a freshman he averaged 10.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
On the same day as their announcement of the addition of Brown, they also announced two players will leave the program.
Forward Mychal Ammons and guard Aakim Saintil will both be leaving the program. Ammons, a 6’6″ 225-pound Vicksburg, Mississippi native, would have been a senior next season, has hired an agent with the intention of playing professional overseas. Ammons was the third leading scorer last season with 9.3 points per game and second in rebounds with 7.2 per game. He averaged 27.9 minutes per game and shot 43.9 percent from the floor, 37.1 percent from 3-point range and 64.4 percent from the free throw line. He also added 35 blocked shots, 13 steals, and 44 assists.
Saintil, a 6′ 160-pound Roselle, NJ native, would have been a sophomore next season, wanted to transfer closer to home to be near his mother who is ill. Coach Graves said that he wants to transfer to a Division I school in the northeast or, if nothing is available, wants to transfer to a junior college for a year in hopes of being recruited by different schools in the northeast.
Saintil averaged 22.7 minutes per game and averaged 6.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He shot 32.9 percent from the field, 27.1 percent from 3-point range and 73.9 percent from the free throw line. He also recorded 32 steals and 57 assists (second on the team).
With two open scholarships, coach Graves wants to add another guard who can handle the ball and add depth in the backcourt. They will probably look towards the JuCo route in order to add experience.
USA Men’s Basketball Announce Two Transfers Leaving The Team
Viktor Juricek as a freshman in December 2012 | USAJaguars.com
The University of South Alabama announced that sophomore Viktor Juricek and freshman T.J. Johnson intend to transfer to other programs from the men’s basketball program.
Juricek, 6’11” 210-pound native of Prievidza, Slovakia, played in 26 games over his two seasons at USA and averaged one point per game.
Johnson, a 6’2″ 175-pound guard from Tamarac, Florida and Deerfield Beach High School played in 20 games this past season and averaged 2.6 points per game for the Jaguars.
This will free up two more scholarships for head coach Matthew Graves who has already signed 6’8″ forwards Tafari Whittingham and Abdul Lewis in the early signing period. Whittingham will come from Hutchinson KA Community College and Lewis from Newark, New Jersey’s East Side High.
They also signed 6’5″ Luka Andjusic who enrolled in December and practiced with the team using his redshirt.
Coach Graves has mentioned that they want to sign a post player and a wing player with some size and quickness.
The Jags played with six freshmen this season, Andjusic made seven, out of a 14 man roster and graduated two seniors in Antoine Allen and preseason Player of the Year and multi-record holder Augustine Rubit.
Back in December of 2012 Matt Weaver wrote a piece on Viktor for Thunderjags. You can read it by clicking here.
Viktor Juricek has breakout performance in South Alabama’s victory over Corpus Christi