Men's Basketball Ends Four-Game Homestand Monday Against Radford
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Chants End Homestand with a Big South Tilt Against Radford
The Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball team (7-7, 1-1 Big South) ends its four-game homestand with a Big South game against Radford (5-9, 2-1 Big South) Monday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m., in Kimbel Arena. The game can be heard on THE TEAM 93.9 FM in Myrtle Beach with Matt Hogue on the call. The game also can be viewed on THE EDGE at www.BigSouthSports.com. The Chanticleers are riding a four-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game after defeating High Point 82-69 Jan. 3.
A Coastal Carolina Win Would...
- Give the Chants a fifth-straight win for the first time since Dec. 29, 2006-Jan. 10, 2007.
- Give Head Coach Cliff Ellis his 633rd career win and his 21st with the Chanticleers.
- Move the Chants to above .500 for the first time this season.
- Give the Chants a fourth-straight win over Radford. Coastal Carolina won both games against the Highlanders last year and defeated Radford 85-67 Feb. 5, 2007.
- Move Coastal Carolina to 2-0 in 2009.
- Give the Chants its seventh win in the last eight contests.
- Give Coastal Carolina a sixth straight win at home.
- Move the Chants to 2-1 in the Big South for the third straight year.
Storylines
- The Chanticleers shot a blistering 69.1 percent from the field in the first half of its 82-69 win over High Point Jan. 3. It’s the best field-goal percentage in a half by the Chants since they shot 73.9 percent in the first half of a 71-65 win over Liberty Jan. 15, 2001.
- Tonight’s game could be billed as the Battle of the Double-Double. Coastal Carolina’s Joseph Harris has six of them after scoring 17 points and adding 12 rebounds in the High Point win. Radford’s Artsiom Parakhouski leads the Big South with seven double-double’s after scoring 14 points and pulling down 14 rebounds at Presbyterian.
- Coastal Carolina has won six of its last seven games and a big reason for that is rebounding. The Chants have a +5.4 rebounding advantage in the last seven games, with redshirt junior Joseph Harris averaging 10.4 boards a contest. Coastal Carolina also has a positive turnover ratio and is shooting 49.0 percent from the field in the seve contests.
- Head Coach Cliff Ellis will be looking to move to 4-0 all-time against Radford tonight. Ellis and the Chants won both games last season against the Highlanders, while his team at Clemson defeated Radford 114-76 Dec. 9, 1989.
Scouting Radford
The Highlanders are coming off a 65-55 win over Presbyterian Jan. 5 in Clinton, S.C., which moved them to 2-1 in the Big South on the year. Joey Lynch-Flohr led Radford with 15 points, while Art Parakhouski added 14 points and 14 rebounds. Radford has a 5-9 record, but has played ACC foes Virginia and Wake Forest along with top-25 team West Virginia and George Mason from the CAA. Parakhouski leads the Highs with 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a contest.
Series vs. Radford
Radford leads the season series 31-16, but Coastal Carolina has won the last three meetings, including a 65-61 win Feb. 11, 2008 in Radford. Senior Steven Sexton (Monticello, Ky./Wayne County) scored 15 points off the bench for Coastal Carolina in that win. The Chants are 10-13 all-time against Radford at home.
Chants Getting to the Charity Stripe in Last Three Games
The Chanticleers have gone to the free-throw line 87 times in the last three wins against East Carolina, Emmanuel and High Point. The 31 attempts against High Point is a season high. Coastal Carolina has 293 attempts on the year, compared to 264 from its opponents.
Sisinni A Big Part of Win Streak
Senior Mario Sisinni (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) is a big part of why the Chanticleers have reeled off a four-game winning streak. The senior is averaging 15.0 points and 3.5 assists in those four games. He also has scored in double figures in all four contests and has a 1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Sexton Goes for Career High In High Point Win
Senior Steven Sexton (Monticello, Ky./Wayne County) had a career-high 22 points in the 82-69 win over High Point Jan. 3. The senior was 6-of-12 from the floor, 4-of-9 from three-point range and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He beat his previous high of 18, set Dec. 13 against Southern Virginia.
Mr. 600
Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) pulled down 12 rebounds in the High Point win Jan. 3, which put him at 602 boards for his career. Harris is just the 28th player in Big South history to achieve that feat. He also is four blocked shots away from becoming the seventh Big South player to have 500-plus rebounds, 100 blocked shots and 100 steals in a career.
Balanced Scoring Lifts Chants over Emmanuel
Coastal Carolina had a season-high five players score in double figures in the 87-55 win over Emmanuel Dec. 30. All 12 players that saw action scored, while redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) was the high scorer with 13 points. Senior Mario Sisinni (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) added 12, while three Chants chipped in with 11 points.
Sisinni Perfect From the Charity Stripe
Senior Mario Sisinni (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in Coastal Carolina’s 63-55 win over East Carolina Dec. 28. Sisinni scored 15 points, had five rebounds and two assists in the win. He set career highs in free-throw makes and attempts and is now 27-of-33 (81.8 percent) from the line this season.
Harris, Breeze Double Up The Boards
Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) and sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) had 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively, in the 63-55 win over East Carolina Dec. 28. Harris earned his fourth double-double of the year while Breeze had a season high in rebounds and was one carom away from tying a career high. Harris currently is second in the Big South in rebounding (9.9).
Rebounding a Big Key In Georgia State Win
Coastal Carolina outrebounded Georgia State 38-27 in the 69-52 win over the Panthers Dec. 20. The Chants limited Georgia State to just three offensive rebounds in the first half, while sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) led the Chants with nine caroms. Coastal Carolina is second in the Big South with a +3.5 rebounding margin and leads the League in defensive rebounds per game.
Sisinni Goes for a Career High in Georgia State Win
Senior Mario Sisinni (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) scored a career-high 17 points in the 69-52 win over Georgia State Dec. 20. He hit three three-pointers and was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line in the win over the Panthers. He also had a season high with five field goals and upped his season average to 6.5 points per game.
Chants Start Hot, End Cold vs. C of C
Coastal Carolina made eight of its first 11 shots against the College of Charleston to take an eight-point lead on three occasions in the first half. The Chants then went just 13-of-46 (28.3 percent) the rest of the way to fall 73-58 Dec. 17. On the year, Coastal Carolina is shooting 49.6 percent from the floor in the first half and 42.7 percent in the second.
Edwards Perfect on Weekend
In Coastal Carolina’s two wins over Southern Virginia and Virginia-Wise, junior Mario Edwards (Massillon, Ohio/Chipola J.C.) was a perfect 11-of-11 from the field. This included going 7-of-7 from three-point range. Edwards had 23 points in the Virginia-Wise win and added seven rebounds and three assists. He is averaging 9.4 points and 3.8 rebounds a game.
Harris Hosts Block Party
Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) is now second in career blocked shots in Coastal Carolina history. Harris has 96 blocks in his career after having a block vs. High Point. The blocked shots record is 112, set by DeWayne Cheatam from 1987-91. Harris also is sixth in career rebounds with 602.
Pack on Track
Redshirt freshman Jon Pack (Dallas, Ga./East Paulding) was 6-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-5 from the line for a career-high 15 points in the 90-51 win over Virginia-Wise Dec. 14. Pack also had six rebounds on the game after grabbing a career-high nine against Southern Virginia. Pack is averaging 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds a contest.
Sexton Hits Threes and Dishes Rock in SVU Win
Senior Steven Sexton (Monticello, Ky./Wayne County) scored a career-high 18 points and tied a career-high with six assists in the 89-59 win over Southern Virginia Dec. 13. Sexton was 5-of-9 from three-point range and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line in 27 minutes of action. He also dished out six assists, which was a team high. Sexton is now averaging 9.5 points and 2.0 rebounds a game.
Chants on Fire in Southern Virginia Game
The Chanticleers shot 58.2 percent from the floor and 52.2 percent from three-point range in the 89-59 win over Southern Virginia Dec. 13. Coastal Carolina was 12-of-23 from beyond the arc, while sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) was 8-of-10 from the floor. This is the highest field-goal percentage since shooting 60.7 percent in a 99-97 win over VMI Jan. 15, 2007.
Bench Vital to Chants This Season
Coastal Carolina’s bench has outscored its opponents’ bench 358-247 after 14 games this season, including scoring 40 points in the 56-53 overtime loss to Presbyterian Dec. 3. Sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) had 18 points off the bench, while junior Mario Edwards (Massillon, Ohio/Chipola J.C.) added seven points. Coastal Carolina is averaging 25.6 points per game off the bench.
Chants Go in Extra Time For Second Time
Coastal Carolina is now 1-1 in overtime games this season after falling to Presbyterian 56-53. Earlier in the year, Coastal Carolina defeated Western Illinois 69-60 in overtime. Coastal Carolina is 2-1 in overtime under Head Coach Cliff Ellis and is 23-18 in school history in extra frames.
Breeze Goes Global
Sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Global Sports Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. Breeze averaged 12.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in the four tournament games. He scored nine points in the last 2:14 of regulation and overtime of the 69-60 win over Western Illinois. His tip-in with two seconds left sent the game into overtime against the Leathernecks. Breeze led the Chanticleers with 15 points against North Carolina A&T. Florida State’s Toney Douglas was named the Most Valuable Player of the Global Sports Classic.
Harris Stuffs Stat Sheet in Western Illinois Win
Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) had a season-high 27 points and made it a double-double with 13 rebounds in the 69-60 overtime win over Western Illinois Nov. 28. Harris was 12-of-16 from the floor and had three steals and two blocked shots on the night. Sixteen of Harris’ 27 came in the first half as he helped the Chants to a then-season high 55.8 percent from the field in the win. His third rebound of the game also earned Harris his 500th career rebound, becoming just the 49th player in Big South history to pull down 500 career caroms.
Comeback Kids
Coastal Carolina was trailing by 10 points with 7:06 remaining in regulation against Western Illinois, but the Chants hit 6-of-9 field goals in those last seven minutes and sent the game into overtime, where the Chants would take the 69-60 win. A big reason for the comeback was sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville), who had nine of his 14 points in the last 2:14 of regulation and in overtime. His tip-in with two seconds left sent the game into overtime, and he scored five points in the extra session.
Chants Off to Good Starts in Global Sports Classic
Coastal Carolina has had good starts in its losses to Florida State and Cincinnati. Against the Seminoles, Coastal Caroilna built a 15-point lead at the 8:35 mark of the first half and led most of the first half. Coastal Carolina shot 51.7 percent in the first half against FSU. Then against Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina had a six-point lead eight minutes in and shot 53.3 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
Coastal Carolina Shows Range In FSU Game
The Chanticleers shot 11-of-22 from three-point range in the 82-70 loss to Florida State Nov. 22. Junior Mario Edwards (Massillon, Ohio/Chipola J.C.) and freshman Dexter Moore (Bluefield, W. Va./Hargrave Military) had four three-pointers apiece, while senior Mario Sisinni (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) had two triples for the Chants. Coastal Carolina now is shooting 35.9 percent from behind the arc this year.
Harris Goes for the Daily Double in Savannah State Game
Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) recorded his 12th career double-double in the 66-65 loss to Savannah State Nov. 18, scoring 16 points and adding 14 rebounds. His rebounding total was just two away from a career high, while he tied a career high with four blocked shots. Harris is second in the Big South with a 9.9 rebounding average after getting 11 caroms in the 82-70 loss to Florida State.
Harris Returns to the Court
Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) played in his first game since Dec. 9, 2007 in the loss to Coker Nov. 15. Harris missed the last 20 games of the 2007-08 season due to a thumb injury suffered in the 80-68 loss to UNC Wilmington. The Lejeune, N.C., native had 13 points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots against the Cobras.
Welcome to Chant Basketball for Seven Players
There are seven players on the roster who are newcomers on the 2008-09 squad. Redshirt freshman Jon Pack (Dallas, Ga./East Paulding) redshirted last season and has had a year of pracitce in Coach Ellis’ system. Junior Mario Edwards (Massillon, Ohio/Washington (Chipola J.C.)) helped Chipola Junior College to a 68-5 record in his two years with the Indians. Freshmen Dexter Moore (Bluefield, W. Va./Bluefield (Hargrave Military)) and Darius Steger (Guntersville, Ala./Guntersville) will both vie tor time at point guard. Moore helped Hargrave to a Post-Graduate National Championship, while Steger was a Class 4A All-State First Team in Alabama. Freshman Sam McLaurin (Havana, Fla./East Gadsden) was the Big Bend Player of the Year last season for East Gadsden High School. Freshman Marcus Macellari (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph’s) was a First Team selection by the South Bend Tribune. Junior Marshawn Martin (Columbia, S.C./Richland Northeast) made the team after walking on in the fall and will also see time at point guard.
Ellis High On Active Division I Career Wins List
Head Coach Cliff Ellis is 12th in Division I wins by an active coach. Here is a list of the top 15 active coaches in Division I wins as of Jan. 3, 2009.
1. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)............ 814
2. Jim Calhoun (Connecticut)....... 786
3. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)........... 785
4. Bob Huggins (W. Virginia)........ 627
5. Tom Penders (Houston)............ 616
6. Gary Williams (Maryland).......... 615
7. Homer Drew (Valparaiso)......... 589
8. Roy Williams (N. Carolina)....... 573
9. Bo Ryan (Wisconsin)................. 567
10. Ben Braun (Rice)...................... 561
11. Mike Montgomery (Cal)........... 55912. Cliff Ellis (Coastal Carolina)..... 554
13. Pat Douglass (UC Irvine)....... 550
14. Larry Hunter (W. Carolina).... 549
15. Rick Byrd (Belmont)................ 547
Breeze Comes Back from All-Freshman Performance
Sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) returns to the lineup this season after averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in his rookie campaign for the Chanticleers. He was named to the All-Freshman Team for his efforts, becoming the 11th player in Coastal Carolina history to be named to the All-Freshman Team. Breeze was a two-time Freshman of the Week honoree and had a season-high 25 points against Cincinnati Nov. 16.
Chants Picked Eighth in Big South Preseason Poll
The Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball team has been picked to finish eighth in the Big South Conference in 2008-2009, the League announced Oct. 14 in its annual Basketball Media Day in Concord, N.C. The poll was voted on by the Big South’s head coaches and a media panel.
The Chanticleers earned 107 points in the poll. Coastal Carolina had one second-place vote and 12 votes in the top-five of the conference. The parity of the league in 2008-2009 was shown in the poll, as Winthrop, last year’s Big South Tournament champion, was picked to win the conference with 202 votes and nine-first place votes, but the Eagles also received one 10th-place vote. Seven teams earned a first-place vote in the poll.
Winthrop was followed by Radford (189 points, seven first-place votes), Gardner-Webb (188 points, three first-place votes) and Liberty (148 points, two first-place votes) in the top four. High Point was picked fifth with 132 points and one first-place vote, while Charleston Southern was sixth with 128 points and one first-place vote. VMI was picked just ahead of the Chanticleers with 110 points and one first-place votes. Coastal Carolina was next, followed by 2007 Big South co-regular season champion UNC Asheville (83 points) and Big South newcomer Presbyterian (33 points).
Kimbel Has Its Advantages
Coastal Carolina’s Kimbel Arena may seat just over 1,000 fans, but it has been large for the Chanticleers the last six seasons. Coastal Carolina is 34-6 (85.0 percent) since the start of the 2002-03 season in non-conference games at Kimbel. Coastal Carolina had a stellar 14-1 overall record at home in 2005-06, the most home victories since the program went Division I for the 1985-86 season. CCU is also 66-23 (74.2 percent) overall at the Conway campus venue in the last six years.
Harris Named to Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Big South Team
Coastal Carolina University redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) was named to the All-Big South Preseason Team by the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook, it was announced Sept. 24. The magazine also forecasted the Chanticleers to finish in fifth place in the Big South Conference standings.
Harris, a 6-5 forward, returns to the Chant lineup after missing most of last season with a thumb injury. Harris averaged 7.9 points and 2.8 assists in the eight games he played for Coastal Carolina. This included a 14-point, 14-rebound performance against Presbyterian Dec. 7 and a 16-point, 10-rebound night at Houston Nov. 24. The redshirt junior had 13 blocked shots in eight games and now has 74 in his career, which is tied for fourth in Coastal Carolina history.
Harris was joined by Liberty’s Anthony Smith, Charleston Southern’s Omar Carter, Gardner-Webb’s Grayson Flittner and Radford’s Joey Lynch-Floor on Blue Ribbon’s All-Conference Team. The magazine picked Smith as the Player of the Year, with Liberty’s Seth Curry earning Preseason Newcomer of the Year honors.
Chants Sporting New Uniforms This Season
The Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball team is in new uniforms for the 2008-09 season. The uniforms, made by Nike, have more of a bronze accent on the sides and in the type and also include last names on the back of the uniform. The men’s basketball team is now the only team on campus with names on the back of the uniforms.
Coach Ellis Can Be Seen and Heard
Head Coach Cliff Ellis will have a radio and television show for the second straight season. The Cliff Ellis Show can be seen on WDPE-TV Channel 15 starting with a preview show Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a Dec. 7 show and then it will pick up after the New Year on Sunday’s at 12 p.m. The Chanticleer Call-In for basketball will start Thursday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m., at Logan’s Roadhouse in the Coastal Grand Mall. Matt Hogue will be the host of the hour show, which will take place every Thursday during the season except for the Christmas and New Year holiday and Feb. 26, as the Chants have a game at Charleston Southern.
Charleston Southern Game Has Date Change
The Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball game at Charleston Southern has been moved from Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, to Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, it was announced today. The game will remain at 7:30 p.m. at the CSU Field House in Charleston, S.C.
With the change, Coastal Carolina will have just one Big South game before the New Year (vs. Presbyterian Dec. 3) and will have 10 days off before the next contest against Southern Virginia Dec. 13.
Gray Joins Chants Roster, Has to Sit Out 2008-09
Junior Chad Gray (Kingstree, S.C./Florida Prep (South Carolina)) will practice with the team but will not see game action in 2008-09 due to NCAA transfer rules after transferring from South Carolina to Coastal Carolina over the summer. Gray played for the Gamecocks for two seasons, averaging 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds a contest last season. He had a career-high 10 points against Georgia as a freshman.
Leasure Left Mark on Chanticleer Program
For the first time since March 4, 2004, Coastal Carolina will play a game without Jack Leasure on the roster. Leasure ended his Coastal Carolina career by scoring 1,893 points, which is second in Coastal Carolina and sixth in Big South Conference history. His 411 career three-pointers set a Big South record and Leasure is the eighth player in Division I history to post more than 400 three-pointers in his career.
Chanticleers Sign Miller to Letter-of-Intent
The Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball program has signed Devin Miller (Chicago, Ill./Martin Luther King (Kennedy-King College)) to a National Letter-of-Intent, Head Coach Cliff Ellis announced Nov. 13.
Miller, a 6-5 guard, is averaging 16 points and is shooting 52.9 percent from three-point range this season for Kennedy-King College in Chicago, Ill. Miller also is shooting 47 percent from the floor for the Statesmen. Miller attended Martin Luther King High School and went to prep school at Boys to Men Academy in Chicago. Miller also received interest from Eastern Illinois and Chicago State.
Chanticleers in the Pros
There are plenty of former Chanticleers playing professionally overseas this season. Pele Paelay is averaging 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds a game for the Kaiserslautern Braves in Germany. Moses Sonko is averaging 11.2 points and 6.4 rebounds a contest for UJAP Quimper in France. Clint Reed is averaging 5.9 points and 2.2 rebounds a game for the Sydney Spirit in Australia.
Everyone Stay in Their Seats
Coastal Carolina played in 10 games that were decided by five points or less in 2007-08, going 6-4 in those contests. The Chanticleers had another game against Charleston Southern Feb. 2 go into overtime ending with a seven-point Coastal Carolina victory. The Chanticleers are now 0-2 this year after falling 66-65 to Savannah State Nov. 18 and 56-53 to Presbyterian Dec. 3. Coastal Carolina also had an overtime game turn into a nine-point win against Western Illinois.
Big South Could Be Wide Open in 2008-09
The Big South Conference loses nine of the 10 players that were on the All-Big South First and Second Teams in 2007-2008, including all five players on the First Team. The only player that is back with his respective team is VMI’s Chavis Holmes. Coastal Carolina did have an All-Freshman Team selection in Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville), as he averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Breeze was joined on the All-Freshman Team by Jamarco Warren and Omar Carter of Charleston Southern, Charles Corbin of Winthrop and Jeremy Anderson of Liberty, all of whom return to their respective teams this year.
Up Next
Coastal Carolina starts a three-game roadtrip Saturday, Jan. 10 at VMI. Game time is at 1 p.m., in Cameron Hall.
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