Men's Basketball Opens 2008-09 Schedule At Home Against Coker
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Game 1
Coastal Carolina (0-0) vs. Coker (0-0)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 15
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Kimbel Arena, Conway, S.C.
Series: Coastal Carolina leads 13-1
Radio: www.GoCCUSports.com (Chris Burgin)
Live Stats: www.GoCCUSports.com
TV/Live Video: THE EDGE at www.BigSouthSports.com
Chants Start Sesaon with Home Game Against Coker
The Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball team (0-0) opens the 2008-09 season at Kimbel Arena, hosting the Coker Cobras (0-0) Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on THE TEAM 93.9 FM and on www.GoCCUsports.com with Chris Burgin on the call. The game also will be video streamed on THE EDGE at www.BigSouthSports.com. Coastal Carolina welcomes back three starters and five lettermen back for Head Coach Cliff Ellis’ second season in Conway.
A Coastal Carolina Win Would...
- Give the Chanticleers its second straight season-opening win.
- Keep Coker’s record at 0-0, since the Cobras games Friday at East Carolina and Saturday at Coastal Carolina count as exhibition games on its schedule.
- Give the Chanticleers a win for the fourth straight time in the home opener.
- Give Head Coach Cliff Ellis his 626th career win and his 14th with the Chanticleers.
- Give Coastal Carolina its third consecutive win over the Cobras.
- Give Head Coach Cliff Ellis his eighth consecutive win in a season opener.
Storylines
- Coastal Carolina is 20-14 all-time in season openers, including its 95-76 win over North Greenville Nov. 9, 2007. Coastal Carolina is 12-11 in season openers in the Division I era.
- Coastal Carolina will welcome back Joseph Harris to the lineup. Harris missed the last 20 games of the 2007-08 season with a thumb injury.
- Coastal Carolina will play an in-state opponent eight times this season, starting wtih Saturday’s game against Coker. Last season, the Chants were 5-2 against teams from South Carolina.
- This will be the first time Cliff Ellis has faced Coker in his head coaching career.
- This will be the last home game for the Chants until Dec. 3, when Coastal Carolina opens Big South play against Presbyterian. During that time, the Chants will play in four states and two time zones in an 11-day span.
- On the women’s side, Head Coach Alan LeForce is looking for his 400th win as a collegiate head coach in Friday’s game against Erskine. Coach LeForce and Coach Ellis have a combined 1,024 collegiate head coaching wins.
- Coastal Carolina will have a mix of youth and experience this season as the Chanticleers have six players in their fourth year of school and eight juniors and seniors. Coastal Carolina also has seven newcomers five freshman on the roster.
Scouting Coker
Coker is coming off a 9-19 regular-season and a 7-14 record in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference last season. The Cobras return three starters and 11 letterwinners to from last year’s squad, including junior Mason Ambler, who averaged 12.3 points and 7.4 rebounds a game in 2007-08. This will be the first of two Big South teams the Cobras face this season, as Coker will play Liberty in the Flames’ Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 28.
Series vs. Coker
The Chanticleers hold a 13-1 series advantage on Coker. The two teams last played during the 2005-06 season with Coastal Carolina coming away with a 70-35 win Nov. 30, 2005. Coastal Carolina also defeated Coker 86-50 in the 2004-05 season. The only win Coker has against Coastal Carolina came in the 1988-89 season as the Cobras won 63-61.
Harris Returns to the Court
Saturday’s game against Coker will be the first game that redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) has played in since Dec. 9, 2007. 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. Harris averaged 8.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in eight games last season, including recording double-doubles in games against Houston and Presbyterian last season.
Welcome to Chant Basketball for Seven Players
There will be seven players on the roster who will be looking to play in their first game in a Chanticleer uniform on Saturday night. 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.
Ellis High On Active Division I Career Wins List
Head Coach Cliff Ellis is tied for 11th in Division I wins by an actice coach heading into the 2008-09 season. Here is a list of the top 14 active coaches in Division I wins.
1. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)............ 805
2. Jim Calhoun (Connecticut)....... 774
3. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)........... 771
4. Bob Huggins (W. Virginia)........ 616
5. Tom Penders (Houston)............ 608
6. Gary Williams (Maryland).......... 604
7. Homer Drew (Valparaiso)......... 585
8. Roy Williams (N. Carolina)....... 560
9. Bo Ryan (Wisconsin)................. 556 Ben Braun (Rice)..................... 55611. Cliff Ellis (Coastal Carolina)..... 547 Pat Douglass (UC Irvine)....... 547
13. Larry Hunter (W. Carolina)..... 543
14. Rick Byrd (Belmont)................. 541
Viva Las Vegas
Coastal Carolina will play in an exempt tournament for the first time since the 1991-1992 season as the Chanticleers have four games in the Global Sports Classic, set in three different sites over the Thanksgiving break. Coastal Carolina will actually play two games on campus sites to open the tourney, then travel to Las Vegas to play two games in the Thomas and Mack Center. Coastal Carolina faces Florida State Saturday, Nov. 22, in Tallahassee, Fla., and are at Cincinnati Monday, Nov. 24 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Coastal Carolina then will play Western Illinois Friday, Nov. 28 and either Texas-Pan American or North Carolina A&T Saturday, Nov. 29 in Las Vegas, Nev. The last exempt tournament the Chanticleers played in was the Great Alaska Shootout Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2001.
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 is 31-4 (88.6 percent) since the start of the 2002-03 season in non-conference games at Kimbel, including winning the last 20 non-conference tilts in the home gym. CCU 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 62-21 (74.7 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 to Unveil New Uniforms This Season
The Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball team will have new uniforms for the 2008-09 season. The uniforms, made by Nike, will have more of a bronze accent on the sides and in the type and also will include last names on the back of the uniform. The men’s basketball team will now be 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. The show will then 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 excpet for the Christmas and New Year holiday and Feb. 26, as the Chants have a game at Charleston Southern.
Harris Hosts Block Party
Redshirt junior Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) is tied for fourth in career blocked shots in Coastal Carolina history. Harris has 74 blocks in his career, which is tied with Derek Wilson (1985-89). The blocked shots record is 112, set by DeWayne Cheatam from 1987-91. Harris also is 10th all-time in career rebounding average at 6.8 caroms per game.
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.
Marshawn Goes from Walk-On to In the Rotation
Junior Marshawn Martin (Columbia, S.C./Richland Northeast) made the team through the walk-on tryouts, and the point guard could see considerable time for the Chanticleers this season. Martin originally came to Coastal Carolina to run track, as he was the two-time 800-meter state champion at Richland Northeast High School.
Gray Joins Chants Roster, Has to Sit Out 2008-09
Junior Chad Gray (Kingstree, S.C./Florida Prep (South Carolina)) will practice wtih 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, averging 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.
Coastal Carolina Bit By Injury Bug in 2007-08
Injuries were a big story for Coastal Carolina in 2007-08. Nine different Chanticleers started games as Jack Leasure, Anthony Breeze (Greenville, S.C./Greenville) and Steven Sexton (Monticello, Ky./Wayne County) were the only players who played in all 28 games. Joseph Harris (Lejeune, N.C./Lejeune) missed 20 games to a thumb injury, while Everage Richardson did not play after Jan. 21 after appendectomy surgery.
Chanticleers in the Pros
There are plenty of former Chanticleers playing professionally overseas this season. Pele Paelay is averaging 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds a game for the Kaiserslautern Braves in Germany. Moses Sonko is averaging 11.9 points and 6.7 rebounds a contest for UJAP Quimper in France. Clint Reed is averaging 4.4 points and 2.0 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.
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 will play its next five games away from Conway, starting with a game at Savannah State Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
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