Men's Basketball Hosts Winthrop in Saturday Matinee

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Men's Basketball Hosts Winthrop in Saturday Matinee

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Chants Face Winthrop in Saturday Matinee The Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball team (8-11, 2-5 Big South, fresh off a seven-point win against UNC Asheville Jan. 19, will host in-state rival Winthrop (5-12, 4-4 Big South) Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m., in Kimbel Arena. The game can be heard on 93.9 FM in Myrtle Beach with Joe Cashion on the call. The game also will be video streamed on THE EDGE at www.BigSouthSports.com. The Chanticleers are in the second game of a four-game homestand and are 6-3 at home this season. A Coastal Carolina Win Would... - Give Head Coach Cliff Ellis his 634th career win and his 22nd with the Chanticleers. - Give the Chants a 35-31 series advantage over the Eagles. Coastal Carolina also would have a 23-10 advantage in Conway. - Improve Cliff Ellis’ all-time record against Winthrop to 6-1. Ellis defeated the Eagles twice at Clemson and twice at Auburn. - Give the Chanticleers a two-game winning streak in conference play. - Tie the Eagles in the loss column. Winthrop has play one more game in the Big South than the Chanticleers. Storylines - Fans are encouraged to wear their teal shirts for “Turn It Teal” Day at Kimbel Arena. - Roster note - Senior Ashton Lawrence will wear #33 for the Winthrop game instead of #31. - Senior Matt Brennan made his first start of the season in the UNC Asheville win, scoring six points and adding three rebounds in 20 minutes of action. It was Brennan’s eighth career start and 82nd game played. He is averaging 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds a game at Coastal Carolina. - Redshirt junior Joseph Harris is one block away from recording his milestone 100th swat. Harris also would be just the seventh player in Big South history with at least 600 rebounds, 100 blocked shots and 100 steals in a career. Scouting Winthrop The Eagles came back to defeat Charleston Southern 65-63 Jan. 20 in Charleston, S.C. Mantoris Robinson led four Eagles in double figures with 16 points, while he added seven rebounds. Andre Jones had 15 points and a team-high four assists in the win. The Eagles are led in scoring by Cameron Stanley, who is averaging 10.4 points and 5.0 rebounds a contest. Winthrop has won three of its last four games in the Big South and is tied with Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville for fifth place in the League. Series vs. Winthrop Coastal Carolina holds a 34-31 advantage on Winthrop in the season series. The two teams each won on its home court last season. The Chants used two free throws from sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) with 6.1 seconds remaining for a 50-49 win in Conway. Winthrop won the game in Rock HIll 65-43. Coastal Carolina is 22-10 against the Eagles in Conway. Breeze a Beast in UNCA Win Sophomore Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) scored 15 points and added a career-high 15 rebounds in the 64-57 win over UNC Asheville Jan. 19. Breeze had eight offensive rebounds and was 6-of-9 from the field. The sophomore is averaging 10.7 points and 5.9 rebounds a game. His rebound total is 10th in the Big South. Rebounds the Story at Gardner-Webb The Chanticleers were outrebounded 44-32 at Gardner-Webb Jan. 17. Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) led the team with 11, but the next highest Chant had three. Gardner-Webb’s Joshua Henley had 18 rebounds, while the Bulldogs had 20 offensive boards. Turnovers Hurt Chants in Loss to Liberty Coastal Carolina had 19 turnovers, 14 in the second half, in the 68-55 loss to Liberty Jan. 12. The Chanticleers led by as much as eight points in the first half, while committing only three turnovers in the first 19 minutes. Liberty went on a 13-2 run, helped by two Chants turnovers in the final minute, then the Chants had 10 turnovers in the final 10 minutes while being outscored 16-9. Another Double-Double for Harris Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) recorded his eighth double-double on the year in the 68-55 loss to Liberty Jan. 12. Harris had 19 points and 11 rebounds in recording his second straight double-digit rebounding performance and his sixth straight double-digit scoring output. Harris is averaging 14.1 points and 9.9 rebounds a game. VMI Game News and Notes As is the case in most games against VMI, the Chanticleers had plenty of interesting notes that came out of the 103-102 loss against the Keydets...Coastal Carolina came into the game averaging 68.1 points per game as the Chanticleers scored 34 points above its season mark... Coastal Carolina’s 56 second-half points was four more than it had in the whole game vs. Radford Jan. 5... The Chanticleers set or tied 14 career highs in the game, including senior Mario Sisinni’s (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) 20 points and redshirt junior Joseph Harris’ (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) 16 rebounds... Coastal Carolina had 58 points in the paint and 31 points from its bench... The 29 assists by the Chants were just three off a school record, set Dec. 28, 2005 against Ohio Valley... Coastal Carolina has now averaged 98.4 points in its last five contests against the Keydets... Coastal Carolina set season highs in points, field goals attempted and made, rebounds and assists. Harris Named Big South Co-Player of the Week Coastal Carolina junior forward Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) and VMI senior guard Chavis Holmes (Charlotte, N.C.) were named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Men’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week for games played Dec. 22-Jan. 4, it was announced by the Conference office. Harris averaged 13.7 points and 11.7 rebounds in three wins, helping the Chanticleers improve to 7-7 on the season. He posted a double-double in each game and became the 28th player in Big South history to pull down 600 career rebounds. Harris started the week by scoring 11 points and adding 12 rebounds and four assists in a 63-55 win over East Carolina, then added 13 points and 11 boards in a victory over Emmanuel College. He concluded the week with 17 points and 12 rebounds in a Big South win over High Point. Harris, who also had two steals in each game, was 17-of-27 from the floor ( =.630) and averaged 4.7 offensive rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocked shots. 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 as he now has 653 career rebounds. He also is one blocked shots away from becoming the seventh Big South player to have 600 rebounds, 100 blocked shots and 100 steals in a career. He would be the first Chanticleer to reach that mark. 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 99 blocks in his career after having a block vs. Gardner-Webb. The blocked shots record is 112, set by DeWayne Cheatam from 1987-91. Harris also is sixth in career rebounds with 653. 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 33-of-39 (84.6 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). Bench Vital to Chants This Season Coastal Carolina’s bench has outscored its opponents’ bench 460-350 after 19 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 24.2 points per game off the bench. 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. 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 47.3 percent from the floor in the first half and 42.2 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 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds a game. 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 3.4 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 8.6 points and 1.7 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. 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 33.2 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. 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. 21, 2009. 1. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)............ 820 2. Jim Calhoun (Connecticut)....... 791 3. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)........... 788 4. Bob Huggins (W. Virginia)........ 629 5. Tom Penders (Houston)............ 620 6. Gary Williams (Maryland).......... 617 7. Homer Drew (Valparaiso)......... 590 8. Roy Williams (N. Carolina)....... 577 9. Bo Ryan (Wisconsin)................. 568 10. Mike Montgomery (Cal)........... 562 11. Ben Braun (Rice)...................... 562 12. Cliff Ellis (Coastal Carolina)..... 555 13. Pat Douglass (UC Irvine)....... 553 14. Larry Hunter (W. Carolina).... 552 15. Rick Byrd (Belmont)................ 551 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. 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 67-24 (73.6 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. 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. 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. Jack Leasure just signed a deal to play for Worthersee in the Austrian A League. Pele Paelay is averaging 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds a game for the Kaiserslautern Braves in Germany. Moses Sonko is averaging 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a contest for UJAP Quimper in France. Clint Reed is averaging 5.3 points and 2.3 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 0-3 this year after falling 66-65 to Savannah State Nov. 18, 56-53 to Presbyterian Dec. 3 and 103-102 to VMI Jan. 10. 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 hosts Gardner-Webb Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m., in Kimbel Arena.