ASU Uses Strong Second Half to Overtake Murray State, 55-47

JONESBORO (11/19/08) – Arkansas State (2-1) used a strong second-half performance and got 28 points from its bench to overcome a five-point halftime deficit and defeat Murray State (1-1) 55-47 Wednesday night at the Convocation Center in a non-conference men’s basketball game.
The Red Wolves won their second straight game and improved to 2-0 at home, getting a game-high 16 points from junior guard Donald Boone off the bench. Junior forward Shawn Morgan added 15 points and eight rebounds, while tying Boone with a team-high three steals.
ASU gave up two more rebounds to Murray State in the first half, but finished the game with 37 rebounds to the Racers 28. ASU took advantage of 14 offensive rebounds, recording 16 second-chance points. Junior guard Mike Lance had a career-high eight rebounds to tie Morgan for the most on the team.
Trailing 36-29 with 14:33 remaining, the Red Wolves went on 10-2 run over the next six minutes to take its first lead of the game at 39-38. The Racers took the lead right back on their next possession, but ASU responded with a basket of its own to take a 41-40 advantage and didn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the game.
Murray State, the preseason favorite to win the Ohio Valley Conference, kept it close, but ASU held at least a two-possession lead over the game’s final four minutes. The Red Wolves led 51-47 with 1:21 remaining when Lance found senior guard Ifeanyi Koggu on a deep inbounds pass for an easy layup, and then Koggu made two free throws in the final minute to help hold off the Racers. Koggu finished the night with seven points.
“I compliment our team on playing hard, hustling and paying attention,” said ASU Head Coach John Brady. “We were doing all that in the first half, but we didn’t get a lot done, particularly offensively. But we played hard for 40 minutes, hustled and tried to do the things that were necessary to win the game.
“Our team showed some fight and that’s a good sign. At halftime I told them to slow down a little bit and execute a little bit better, drive the ball a little more and maybe get fouled and get to the foul line. That’s what we were able to do. Fourteen offensive rebounds is a good stat, that’s hustle is all that is. You can’t coach a lot of that. You can instill it in your players and that’s what we’re showing.”
ASU finished with a .362 shooting percentage, while Murray State shot 37 percent from the floor. Both team’s shot under 30 percent from beyond the arc and combined to hit just six three-pointers, but ASU made 18 free throws to the Racers six.
Murray State built a 24-14 lead, its largest of the game, at the 3:51 mark of the first half, but ASU went on a 9-2 run to cut the Racers advantage to just 26-23 with 26 seconds left. Murray State’s Ivan Aska hit a layup with one second left to set the first-half score at 28-23.
ASU returns to action Nov. 25 at Tennessee-Martin, which will be the first of three consecutive road games for the Red Wolves.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 25, 2008
Arkansas State University
Contact: Anthony Reynolds


ASU Men’s Basketball Controls UTM In 76-67 Win

MARTIN, Tenn. (11/25/08) – The Red Wolves were in control and never trailed as the ASU men’s basketball team improved its record to 3-1 with a, 76-67, win over UT Martin (2-2) Tuesday night at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. The Red Wolves win snapped a six-game home winning streak for the Skyhawks.

Four ASU players scored in double-figures, led by senior guard Ifeanyi Koggu and junior guard Mike Lance who each tossed in 13 points. Sophomore Brandon Ayers added 12 points in his ASU debut while junior JeJuan Brown added 11 points, which was a season high.

“I have always felt that good teams are made on the road and championships are won on the road.,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “It was just a good win for us and we are a better team because of what we went through tonight.”

The Red Wolves led at the half, 37-25. Brown led the way at the half with nine points, while Shawn Morgan was perfect from the field at the break, shooting 3-3 and was 2-2 from the charity stripe, for eight points.

ASU built its largest lead of the game when freshman guard Daniel Bryant scored a layup with 6:01 remaining in the first half, putting the Red Wolves up by 20 (30-10).

Fifteen of UTM’s 25 first half points came from the duo of Marquis Weddle (8) and Lester Hudson (7).

“It was critical for us to start well and not dig ourselves a hole,” added Brady. “It was a great way to start the game and we made some free throws down the stretch to finish things up.”

Hudson finished the game as the Skyhawks’ leading scorer tossing in 23 points, while leading UTM on the boards with seven rebounds and two blocks. Weddle registered 22 points and along with Hudson was the only other UTM player to score in double figures.

ASU’s defense continued to be a bright spot for the Red Wolves. ASU held the Skyhawks to 25% shooting from the floor in the first half and 36.7% (22-60) for the game. ASU also held the Skyhawks to 37.5% (12-32) from behind the three-point arc .

The Red Wolves outrebounded UT Martin 37-27, pulling down 30 defensive boards. Morgan paced ASU with eight rebounds while Brown, junior Eric MicKinney and Koggu each pulled down five boards. ASU won the battle in the paint by outscoring the Skyhawks 24-18 in the lane.

ASU had its best free-throw shooting night of the season connecting on 20 of 26 shots (.769). ASU stole the ball nine times and forced the Skyhawks into 13 total turnovers. The Red Wolves converted those turnovers into 19 points.

ASU’s bench came up big again for the Red Wolves scoring 36 points while the Red Wolves played all 11 available players.

The Red Wolves return to the road for a pair of games in Indiana facing Ball State on Saturday at 2 p.m. and traveling to Indiana State for a 7 p.m. tip on Monday.

Kansas State Holds Off Red Wolves

JONESBORO, Ark. (11/25/08) — The Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-3) won the turnover battle, won the battle on the boards and launched 21 more shots than Kansas State, but the Wildcats (4-0) shot 52.9 percent from the floor and got a triple-double from senior guard Shalee Lehning to post a 69-58 win over the Red Wolves Tuesday night at the ASU Convocation Center.

Arkansas State out-rebounded the Wildcats 44-38, including a 25-10 advantage on the offensive boards and forced 16 K-State turnovers, but the Red Wolves hit just 22 of their 72 shots on the night to help the Wildcats get out of Jonesboro with the win.

Junior forward Lyndsay Schlup delivered her first career double-double to lead the Red Wolves, finishing the night with 10 points and career-high 10 rebounds, while Lehning put up 11 points, 12 assists and 14 rebounds to lead the Wildcats. The triple-double was the third of Lehning’s career and set at new Big XII record for career triple-doubles.

“Obviously, this is a disappointing loss,” said ASU head coach Brian Boyer. “As good as Kansas State is, any time we are on our home court we feel like we have a chance to win. With that being said, this performance was our strongest from an effort, intensity and execution standpoint since (the season opener against) Creighton. We just went up against a much stronger team than we have faced in the last few games and it ended up falling short.”

Kansas State built its only double-digit lead of the first half at 31-20 on a three-pointer from Lehning with 41 seconds to play before the break, but ASU sophomore forward Sherina Scott answered with a short jumper just before halftime to trim the K-State lead to 31-22 at the midway point.

The Wildcat lead expanded to as much as 17 in the second half, but ASU wouldn’t go away, cutting the KSU lead to 10 at 52-42 on a jumper from junior Veronica Smith with 8:37 to play.

Arkansas State made another push with just under four minutes remaining, getting consecutive buckets from Schlup and senior guard Brittney Hiles to again cut the Wildcat lead to 10 at 60-50, but Lehning scored three straight to bump the Kansas State lead back to 13 and ASU could not get within nine points the rest of the way.

In addition to Schlup’s double-double, the Red Wolves also got nine points and seven rebounds from Smith, and eight points and eight boards from Scott.

Arkansas State will be back in action Nov. 28 when the Red Wolves open play in the Star Shuttle Texas-San Antonio Thanksgiving Classic. The Red Wolves will take on Charleston Southern at 5:00 p.m., then face host UTSA Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Red Wolves Go Unbeaten In UTSA Thanksgiving Classic

With 73-59 Victory Over Host Texas-San Antonio



SAN ANTONIO, Texas. (11/29/08) - Four players scored in double figures for Arkansas State as the Red Wolves wrapped up play in the Star Shuttle UTSA Thanksgiving Classic with a 73-59 victory over host Texas-San Antonio Saturday afternoon at the UTSA Convocation Center.



Arkansas State finished the Classic as the lone team to go 2-0 on the weekend. The Red Wolves defeated Charleston Southern 88-69 Friday, while North Texas and Charleston Southern went 1-1. The UTSA Roadrunners finished 0-2 after falling to North Texas Friday.



Junior guard Ebonie Jefferson and sophomore forward Shay Scott led Arkansas State with 16 points against the Roadrunners while juniors Veronica Smith and Lyndsay Schlup added 12 and 11 points, respectively.



"I thought our depth was a huge factor," said ASU head coach Brian Boyer. "We've talked about that since before the season started and how it is a real positive for this team. This weekend, we may have seen it even more. There was more of an understanding and urgency when players got in. They understood their roles and our rotation really helped us today."



Arkansas State jumped out to double-digit lead at 17-7 when Schlup scored off of an offensive rebound with 8:47 remaining in the first half. The Red Wolves stretched the lead to as many as 18 in the first half before settling in for a 40-25 lead at the break.



Smith finished the first half with 10 points, Schlup added nine and Scott eight.



The Roadrunners outscored ASU 19-9 to cut the Red Wolves' lead to five at 49-44 with just over 10 minutes to play, but Arkansas State countered with a 14-point effort from Jefferson in the second half, including a pair of free throws with 7:04 to play that bumped the ASU lead back to 10 points at 57-47.



Texas San Antonio cut the Red Wolves' lead back to single digits just once after that, narrowing the ASU lead to 68-59 on a basket from Onika Anderson with just over a minute to play, but Arkansas State answered with a three-point play from Scott and the Roadrunners did not score again.



In addition to the double-figure efforts from Jefferson, Scott, Smith and Schlup, the Red Wolves also got five points from freshman Elyseia Dunn, four from senior Brittney Hiles, three from freshman Shania Hurst and two each from senior Caroline Starr, junior Jazmine Taylor and junior LaDe'sha Stoudemire.



Dunn, Scott, Schlup and Smith all had seven rebounds to lead a balanced ASU effort on the boards.



Smith and Schlup were named to the All-Classic team at the game's conclusion. Smith finished with a two-game total of 33 points and 14 rebounds while Schlup added 22 points and 13 boards.



"I'm very proud of Veronica and Lyndsay for making all-tournament," said Boyer. "It is also hard for the voters to keep Ebonie Jefferson off of that team after the way she played this weekend."



Arkansas State will wrap up a string of three consecutive games on the road when the Red Wolves travel to Terre Haute, Ind. Dec. 2 for a matchup with the Sycamores of Indiana State. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. (CT).

ASU Continues Indiana Swing At Indiana State Monday Night

Arkansas State at Indiana State (Game Notes)
Radio: 95.9 FM “The Wolf”?ASRN
Livestats Available via AStateRedWolves.com
December, 1 Terre Haute, Ind. Hulman Center (10,200) 7 p.m.

TIPPING IT OFF: The Red Wolves will look to keep their four-game winning streak alive when they take on the winless Sycamores of Indiana State, Monday night in Terre Haute, Ind. at the Hulman Center. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

SERIES?VERSUS?INDIANA?STATE: The Red Wolves and the Sycamores renew a series that dates back to the 1947-48 season and hasn’t been played since the 1948-49 season. Indiana State took both meetings during the 1940’s over ASU.

THE PRINCIPALS: The Arkansas State Red Wolves are 4-1 and have won four straight since dropping its season opener at Ole Miss. The Red Wolves downed Lyon College (88-46) and?Murray State (55-47) at the Convocation Center and beat UT?Martin (76-67) and Ball State (54-53) on their home floors over the past week. Senior forward Shawn?Morgan leads the Red Wolves with 10.2 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Junior guard Donald Boone ranks second on the squad with 8.6 ppg while leading the team with eight steals and ranking third with 12 assists. Junior Eric McKinney is leading the team with 7.0 rpg and averaging 1.6 blocks per game while scoring 8.3 ppg. Senior point guard Ifeanyi Koggu leads the team with 15 assists while tossing in 5.8 ppg and pulling down 3.6 boards per game. Indiana State is still hunting their first victory this season. The Sycamores have fallen to Northern Illinois (86-79), North Texas (80-69), Murray State (67-61) and DePaul (75-70). Four of Indiana State’s five starters are averaging in double-figure scoring led by junior guard Rashad Reed who is averaging 14.3 ppg. Sophomore guard Aaron Carter is adding 14.0 ppg while senior forward Jay Tunnell is leading the team with 6.3 rpg and tossing in 10.5 ppg. 6-11 junior forward/center Josh Crawford has blocked 12 shots so far this season and is averaging 3.0 blocks per game.

HOT?START:?At 4-1 ASU?is off to its best start since the 2004-05 season when they went 5-1 to start the season. ASU’s four game winning streak is the longest it has enjoyed since the 2006-07 season. If ASU beats Indiana State, it will mark the first time the Red Wolves have won three straight road games since the 2003-04 season when ASU?won four in a row.

MCKINNEY HAS CAREER NIGHT: Junior forward Eric McKinney had a career performance against Ball State by leading all players with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. The totals were the most of any player during a single game so far this season and the first double-double recorded by a Red Wolves player this year. McKinney is averaging 8.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg and is averaging 1.6 blocks per game.

AYERS?BUSTS?OUT:?After spending three games as a spectator due to an injury, sophomore-transfer guard Brandon Ayers broke out in a big way against UT Martin, coming off the bench to score 12 points in 15 minutes of action, while pulling down two defensive boards. Ayers was 2-5 from three-point range and was 2-2 from the charity stripe.

BALL?STATE?GAME (11/29/08) – Junior forward Eric McKinney doubled his career highs in points (20) and rebounds (16) while recording the first double-double of the season for the Arkansas State men’s basketball team in their 54-53, grind out victory at Ball State Saturday afternoon. The Red Wolves improved to 4-1 on the season, which is the first time an ASU team has started that well since the 2004-05 season.
ASU trailed by as many as nine points in the second half before regaining the lead with 1:30 left in the game on a layup by junior JeJuan Brown.
Ball State’s Anthony Newell cut the final lead to one point on a free-throw with 20 seconds remaining in the game. Newell missed his second shot and ASU’s Shawn Morgan pulled down the defensive rebound. Morgan was then fouled but missed his first shot on a one-and-one.
Brandon Lampley missed a layup with one second remaining and after a defensive rebound by Morgan, ASU’s victory was sealed.
Freshman Jarrod Jones, who was averaging a double-double for Ball State was held scoreless and limited to only five rebounds in the con-*test*-('").
Junior JeJuan Brown added 11 points with six rebounds as the only other ASU player to score in double-figures.
The Red Wolves held the Cardinals without a field goal until the 14:21 mark of the first half and ASU led by as many as five points in the first period, before giving up the lead at the 5:52 mark in the half. ASU was down at the half by five, 32-27.
Senior point-guard Ifeayni Koggu scored five of the Red Wolves first seven points in the second half and finished the contact with seven points and three assists.
ASU outrebounded Ball State 46-30 and dominated play in the paint by scoring 30 points to the Cardinals 14.
The Red Wolves shot 41 percent (22-54) from the field and connected on sixty percent of its shots from the charity stripe (9-15). Ball State entered the con-*test*-('") averaging 46 percent from the field but was held to 31 percent (16-52) shooting by the Red Wolves.

JOHN?BRADY’s 500th GAME: ASU’s game against Murray State marked the 500th career coaching game for ASU head coach?John Brady. Brady owns a career head coaching record of 284-217 (.566 win%).

CATEGORY LEADERS: Senior forward Shawn Morgan leads the Red Wolves by scoring 10.2 points per game. Morgan is second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game and second with seven steals and five blocks, while connecting on 69-percent of his shots from the floor. Junior Eric McKinney leads ASU?by pulling down 7.0 rebounds per game and has recorded eight blocks this season (1.6/game). McKinney is third on the team averaging 8.4 ppg. Junior Donald Boone ranks second on the team with 8.6 ppg and leads the team with 8 steals while ranking third on the team with 12 assists. Senior point guard Ifeanyi Koggu leads the Red Wolves with 15 assists, while averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Daniel Bryant is second on the squad with 13 assists while averaging 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

TEAM?BY?COMMITTEE: ASU?has been utilizing its deep bench, playing all available players all five games this season. ASU?has had eight different players score in double-figures this season and have had only three players play more than 30 minutes (P.J. Keaton had 34 minutes against Ole Miss., Shawn Morgan played 35 against Murray State and UT?Martin and Ifeanyi Koggu played 31 at Ball State). eight of ASU’s 10 available players are averaging five points per game or more, with all of them averaging over 10.8 minutes per game.

BLOCKING?SHOTS: The Red Wolves have racked up 19 blocks so far this season through five games. Junior Eric McKinney leads the Red Wolves with eight blocked shots, which ranks him tied for seventh in the Sun?Belt in the category. Senior forward Shawn?Morgan has also netted five blocks which places him tied for tenth in the conference.

THE?RED WOLVES AT HOME: Over the 21 years that ASU has competed in the ASU?Convocation Center, the Red Wolves have compiled a 206-78 record (.727). Arkansas State has gone undefeated twice during a single season at the Convocation Center; they were a perfect 14-0 in 1988-89 and went 13-0 in 1990-91.

PRESEASON?COACHES?POLL: ASU has been tabbed to finish fourth in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference by the SBC Preseason Coaches’ Poll announced by the league office at the SBC Basketball Tip-Off.
“I’ve never put a lot of stock in preseason polls; most of the polling is based on what you did the year before. It is a position better than where the team finished a year ago, but the reality of it is it isn’t really where you start its how you finish,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “I anticipate our team playing its best basketball in February and the first of March.”
UALR was picked to finish in a tie with North Texas for the top spot in the West Division, each receiving 76 points. The Trojans received six first-place votes while the Mean Green got four first-place nods. Louisiana-Lafayette was picked third, followed by the Red Wolves, Louisiana-Monroe was tabbed sixth with Denver and New Orleans coming in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Middle Tennessee was picked atop the East Division with 11 first-place votes, followed by South Alabama, which netted the other two first place votes. Reigning league champion Western Kentucky was picked third with Florida Atlantic (fourth), Florida International (fifth) and Troy (sixth) rounding out the poll.
Desmond Yates from Middle Tennessee was voted the SBC Preseason Player of the Year and was joined by Carlos Monroe from FAU, Russell Hicks from FIU, Josh White from North Texas and Brandon Davis from South Alabama on the Preseason All-SBC first team.

ASU’S?BROWN?NAMED?BLUE?RIBBON?SBC?NEWCOMER?OF?YEAR: Arkansas State junior forward and Los Angeles Southwest College transfer JeJuan Brown has been tabbed the Preseason Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year by Blue Ribbon publications.
Along with forward Eric McKinney, Brown was announced as new ASU?Head Coach John Brady’s first signee at Arkansas State on April 25. Brown transferred from Vanderbilt to LASC for his sophomore season, where he averaged 17 points and seven rebounds. He helped lead the Cougars to a 23-9 record and the South Coast Conference regular-season title and was named a first team all-conference selection in 2007-08.
“We are excited about the possibilities JeJuan brings to our team,” said Brady. “We feel he will be an outstanding player for us.”
The Biloxi, Miss. native originally signed with Vanderbilt out of high school, playing in all 34 games as a true freshman on a team that advanced to the Sweet 16. Brown averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game during his lone season with the Commodores, while scoring his SEC-high nine points on 4-of-6 shooting with four rebounds and two assists at South Carolina. He posted season highs of 10 points (twice) and eight rebounds and finished the 2006-07 campaign with a .511 (48-of-94) shooting percentage.
Brown finished his prep career as an all-state and all-district selection at Biloxi High School and was a Rivals.com national top 150 (No. 121) ranked player in the class of 2006. He was ranked as the 26th-best small forward in the nation by Rivals.com as well. He was named the Sun Herald Gulf Coast Player of the Year after averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists as a senior. He helped lead Biloxi to four District 8 titles from 2003-06 and graduated with honors as a Mississippi Scholar.

FINN?SIDELINED 6-8 WEEKS: ASU head men’s basketball coach John Brady has disclosed that the Red Wolves will be without the services of freshman Trey Finn for the beginning of the season and possibly longer due to a foot injury he sustained during a conditioning workout this past week.
“It is unfortunate that Trey has had this injury occur. He was making real progress in his preparation for the beginning of practice and I was excited about the possibilities he would bring to the team,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “We have talked with the doctors, trainers, and of course his parents and will make a determination on his freshman year once he is completely healed. Whichever decision is made, Trey will have an excellent career at Arkansas State.”
Finn will be out 6-8 weeks and the Red Wolves are looking at the possibility of redshirting the freshman standout that joined the Red Wolves from Parkview High School in Little Rock.
At Parkview, Finn earned AHSAA Class 6A All-State honors in 2007-08. He also led Parkview to the state semifinals and was named to the All-Tournament team as a senior.

CHANGES AT THE CONVO: During the offseason, the Clopton Clinic Strength and Conditioning room was unveiled at a ceremony in the Convocation Center. The strength and conditioning room used by the Red Wolves features new weights, lighting, floor and wall coverings and entrance doors. Also completed during the offseason was the resurfacing and repainting of the Convocation Center playing court. The court now features the new Red?Wolves logo and a large “stAte” logo at center court.

HEAD COACH JOHN BRADY: With a Final Four appearance and 281 career victories already to his credit, John Brady was announced as Arkansas State’s 15th head men’s basketball coach by Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee at a press conference on March 18 held in ASU’s Convocation Center.
Brady spent the last 10-plus seasons serving as LSU’s head coach, leading the Tigers to six postseason berths, two SEC?championships and three SEC?Western Division titles. Twice named the SEC?Coach of the Year, Brady is a proven winner who brings a well-documented record of success and a long list of accomplishments with him to Arkansas State.
Brady’s 16-year tenure as a head coach at both LSU?and Samford in Birmingham, Alabama, has been decorated with achievements. He has coached a combined 25 All-TAAC and SEC selections, 48 academic all-conference choices, posted 11 winning seasons and collected five division championships. Brady piled up the third most wins in LSU?history with 192 and left Samford after the 1996-97 season as the Bulldog’s all-time leader in coaching victories (89) as well.
He quickly turned around an LSU’s men’s basketball program that had suffered four consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival, leading the Tigers to a 28-6 record, an SEC?championship and an NCAA?Sweet 16 appearance in just his third season (1999-00) at the helm. Under Brady’s direction, the Tigers recorded six consecutive winning seasons from 2001-02 to 2006-07 while making three trips to the NCAA Tournament and two more to the NIT. The 2005-06 campaign saw LSU?post a 27-9 record and advance to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years.
Not only did Brady coach the Tigers to 23 wins versus ranked opponents, he also led them to victories over two teams ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll (Arizona in 2002-03 and Duke in 2005-06). Additionally, he orchestrated a 19-game home winning streak over SEC?opponents, the third longest stretch in LSU history.
While at LSU, Brady coached two NBA Lottery picks and six current NBA?players. The Tigers signed nine Parade All-Americans and four McDonald All-Americans under Brady, who also coached three SEC?Players of the Year, four players named SEC?Freshman of the Year, one SEC?Scholar-Athlete of the Year and 17 All-SEC?selections.
Prior to taking over the reigns at LSU, Brady served as Samford’s head coach from 1991-92 through 1996-97. It didn’t take long for him to turn around a Samford program coming off six straight losing seasons, either, guiding the Bulldogs to a 17-10 record in his second season. He led Samford to three straight winning seasons (1995-97) for the first time since 1982-84, all leading up to a 19-9 record and division title in 1997. Samford won the TAAC West Division each of Brady’s final two seasons at the school for the first time in school history.
His four winning campaigns at Samford were the first for any coach at the school, and he led the Bulldogs to an 89-77 record after they went 27-83 the four seasons prior to his initial year. He coached eight All-TAAC and 14 Academic All-TAAC players over six seasons.
The McComb, Miss., native earned his bachelor’s degree in 1976 from Belhaven College, where he was three-year starter and scored over 1,000 points during his college playing career. Brady was a two-time All-Southern States Conference selection and was later inducted into his alma mater’s Hall of Fame.
He got his coaching start as a graduate assistant with the Mississippi State men’s basketball program while earning his master’s degree from 1976-77. Brady took his first head coaching position in Louisiana at Crowley High School in 1977 and led the basketball squad to a 129-49 (.725) record in five seasons. He was named the 1981 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3-A Coach of the Year.
Brady returned to the college coaching ranks in 1982 as an assistant coach at Mississippi State. He spent the next eight years with the Bulldogs, the first four seasons under coach Bob Hoyt and the next four as a chief recruiter for coach Richard Williams. Following his tenure in Starkville, Brady returned to Louisiana for the second time, this time to serve as an assistant coach at the University of New Orleans. Brady helped lead UNO to the NCAA?Tournament during his only season with the Privateers.



ASU’S?DOLLAR?NAMED?TOP-10 MID-MAJOR?ASSISTANTS?IN?NATION: Fox Sports recently polled head coaches, assistants and others who deal with assistants on a daily basis to get their take on who should be included among the nation’s elite assistant basketball coaches and Arkansas State associate head coach Chad Dollar was included among the top-10 mid-major coaches receiving votes.
The article, written by FOXSports.com senior college basketball writer Jeff Goodman, stated Fox Sports wanted to “target the guys that instill a level of fear into their colleagues when they stroll into the gym”.
The article included a few brief notes on each coach and listed some of their “key recruits”. Included among the key recruits listed for Dollar were Jarvis Hayes and Elton Nesbitt. Hayes was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year at Western Carolina and Nesbitt the league’s player of the year and an honorable mention All-America selection at Georgia Southern.

BOONE SCORES 26; LEADS ASU TO FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (12/1/08) – Junior Donald Boone led all scorers with 26 points and was the only Red Wolves player to score in double figures as the ASU men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five games with a 56-54 win over Indiana State Monday night.

“Donald Boone made some big baskets for us,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “We were fortunate that Boone was able to make some plays for us down the stretch.”

Boone’s 26 points was the most scored by an ASU player this season.

The Red Wolves battled back from a 13-point first half deficit to take their first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Donald Boone at the 19:35 mark in the second half. Indiana State tied the game at the 2:35 mark and again at the 1:48 mark, but after senior forward Jay Tunnell missed three-straight free throws and Boone connected on a layup, ASU had secured its fortunes.

Indiana State then missed three straight shots, all of which could have tied the game or given the Sycamores the lead in the final 43 seconds.

After shooting only 33 percent from the field to be down 23-25 at the break, ASU shot 48.3% in the second half to finish the game shooting 41.5%. ASU has not allowed an opponent to shoot better than 36% from the field this season.

“Our team toughened up defensively in the second half,” said Brady. “We guarded better and got on the glass a little bit. We have been defending and rebounding all year, but we have to get a little more consistent offensively.”

ASU held Indiana State to 30.6% from the field and beat the Sycamores in the paint 22-12, while outrebounding ISU, 40-32.

“For this team to get three road wins, that is pretty good for where we are right now and I am proud of our team,” said Brady.


Junior Eric McKinney led all players by pulling down nine rebounds and for the second-straight game set a career high in blocks. McKinney had five blocked shots tonight.

The Red Wolves got off to a slow start, not scoring their first field goal until senior forward Shawn Morgan connected on a layup at the 12:23 mark. ASU got on the scoreboard at the 14:03 mark when sophomore Jeremy Thomas connected on two free throws at 14:03.

Senior guard Ifeanyi Koggu set a career high by recording nine assists for the Red Wolves. Koggu also added four points and pulled down six rebounds with no turnovers recorded by the point-guard.

Junior forward JeJuan Brown added seven points and seven rebounds for the Red Wolves, while sophomore Brandon Ayers tossed in eight points and had two assists.
ASU’s bench had its strongest performance of the year by tossing in 41 points for the Red Wolves cause.

The Red Wolves return home on Thursday to face Central Baptist College at 7:05 p.m.

ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES
at INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 6:05 p.m.
Hulman Arena (10,200) Terre Haute, Indiana
Radio: KWHF 95.9 FM "The Wolf" & AStateRedWolves.com
LiveStats Available at AStateRedWolves.com


TIPPING IT OFF: The Arkansas State Red Wolves travel to Terre Haute, Indiana to take on the Sycamores of Indiana State Dec. 2 at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on KWHF 95.9 FM?"The Wolf." The live audio webcast may be accessed online at AStateRedWolves.com. LiveStats may also be accessed online by logging on to AStateRedWolves.com.
THE TEAMS: The Red Wolves go into Tuesday night's game on a two-game win streak after defeating Charleston Southern and Texas-San Antonio last weekend at the Star Shuttle UTSA Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio, Texas. Arkansas State stands at 4-3 overall on the season. The Sycamores are also on a two-game win streak, picking up road wins at Detroit and Southeast Missouri State last week to even their slate at 2-2 on the year.

THE INDIANA STATE SERIES: Tuesday night's game will be the third meeting between the two programs, with the series tied at 1-1. Arkansas State won the first matchup - a 70-63 victory during the 1987-88 season. Indiana State evened the count last year with a 63-49 win over ASU. Both of the previous games were played in Jonesboro.
THE?COACHES: Arkansas State head coach Brian Boyer is in his 10th season at the helm of the Red Wolves program. Boyer holds a career record of 156-124 and has directed the Red Wolves to the Women's National Invitation Tournament four times, including three of the past five years. Boyer is assisted by Tanya Ray, Rebecca Peoples and Sean Weibling. Jim Wiedie is currently in his ninth season as head coach at Indiana State, compiling a record of 143-94 along the way.
CLASSIC PERFORMANCES: Juniors Veronica Smith and Lyndsay Schlup were named to the Star Shuttle Texas-San Antonio Classic All-Tournament team Nov. 29 following their performances in helping ASU go 2-0 in the Classic. A-State defeated Charleston Southern and Texas-San Antonio to finish as the only undefeated team in the four-team field, with Smith finishing with a two-game total of 33 points and 14 rebounds while Schlup added 22 points and 13 boards. Junior Ebonie Jefferson would have likely been the fifth member of the all-tournament team had the voting not been completed at halftime of the final game against Texas-San Antonio. At the half, Jefferson had just two points, but finished the game with 16 points - giving her a 31-point total on 12-of-22 shooting in the Classic.
TEXAS SHARPSHOOTERS: Junior Veronica Smith became the first Red Wolf this season to score at least 20 points in a game when she hit for 21 against Charleston Southern Nov. 28 in the opening game of the Texas-San Antonio Thanksgiving Classic. Smith hit a team season-high 10 field goals in the game on a team-high 18 attempts...juniors Lyndsay Schlup and Ebonie Jefferson combined to hit 10-of-10 free throws against Charleston Southern, with Schlup draining seven from the line...sophomore Shay Scott posted ASU's highest shooting percentage of the season (.750) when she hit 6-of-8 from the field Nov. 29 against Texas-San Antonio in the final game of the Classic...Arkansas State's 88 points against Charleston Southern was the Red Wolves' highest offensive output of the season...Arkansas State hit 33 field goals against Charleston Southern and shot .471 from the floor and .900 (18-20) from the line, with both being season highs.
DOMINATING?THE?BOARDS: Arkansas State grabbed a season-high 51 rebounds against Charleston Southern Nov. 28 in the UTSA?Thanksgiving Classic while holding the Buccaneers to just 31 rebounds - the lowest total for any A-State opponent thus far.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: ASU turned the ball over just 8 times Nov. 29 against Texas-San Antonio, the fewest this season. Arkansas State forced 21 Roadrunner turnovers in the game.
HILES' HANDOUTS: Brittney Hiles has earned a reputation as one of ASU's strongest defenders during her three-plus seasons at Arkansas State, but Hiles also has been particularly effective at distributing the ball this season. The senior from Baton Rouge, La., has A-State's highest two assist totals this season, handing out eight assists in the Red Wolves' season opening victory against Creighton, and five in the win over Charleston Southern. Hiles is the team's assist leader on the season with 21 through seven games.
ALL?OR?NOTHING: Arkansas State did not trail in any of its four wins this season, leading all the way against Creighton, Northern Arizona, Charleston Southern and Texas-San Antonio.
FIRING THE ROCK: Arkansas State's 72 field goal attempts attempts against Kansas State Nov. 25 were the most taken in any game this season, and the most since ASU launched 84 shots in its overtime victory over Florida International Jan. 23, 2008.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR SCHLUP: Junior forward Lyndsay Schlup recorded her first career career double-double Nov. 25 against Kansas State. Schlup scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against the Wildcats.

DEFENSIVE?PRESSURE: Arkansas State held Northern Arizona to just 20 points in each half in the Red Wolves' 71-40 win Nov. 16. Additionally, the Red Wolves held the Lumberjacks to just 29.2 percent shooting from the floor and forced 23 turnovers while allowing just six assists. Arkansas State notched 13 steals in the game with junior guard Jazmine Taylor and Ebonie Jefferson leading the way with three steals each.
OFFENSIVE?BALANCE: Twelve players scored for Arkansas State in the Nov. 16 win over Northern Arizona, with 10 of those players scoring in the first half. Junior guard Ebonie Jefferson led ASU with 12 points, and seven other Red Wolves had at least six points in the game.
HOME?SWEET?HOME: Arkansas State's 73-56 victory over Creighton Nov. 14 was the Red Wolves' 200th victory at the ASU Convocation Center. Over the last five-plus years, the ASU women's basketball program boasts a winning percentage of .847 (61-11) at the ASU Convocation Center. The Red Wolves are 200-57 (.778) all-time at the Convocation Center and 89-34 (.723) under head coach Brian Boyer.
TAYLOR'S TREYS: Junior point guard Jazmine Taylor played in 61 games for Arkansas State before hitting her first three pointer. Taylor connected on her first three during ASU's 80-70 victory at North Texas Feb. 23, 2008. Just over three minutes into ASU's season-opening victory over Creighton Nov. 14, Taylor took - and made - her first three pointer of the season, the fourth of her career at ASU.
ASU IN SEASON OPENERS: With ASU's 73-56 win over Creighton Nov. 14, The Red Wolves are 20-15 all-time in season openers, with a record of 13-2 when opening the season at home. The Red Wolves have opened the season at home just three times in Brian Boyer's nine-plus years as head coach, winning against Maryland-Eastern Shore to open the 2002-03 season, against Missouri to open the 2005-06 season, and against Creighton to open the current season. Arkansas State is 5-4 in all season openers under Boyer and 3-0 in home openers under Boyer.
SBC?HONORS: The Arkansas State Red Wolves finished in a first-place tie with Arkansas-Little Rock in the Sun Belt Conference preseason West Division poll, released Oct. 13 at the SBC Basketball Tip-Off in Hot Springs. The poll was voted on by the 13 head coaches throughout the league. Arkansas State junior guard Veronica Smith was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference first team, while sophomore forward Shay Scott was named third team All-Sun Belt Conference.
"It's exciting and I think it's a great motivator for this team," said ASU head coach Brian Boyer when asked about the preseason poll. "It is a nice reward for our team for their hard work as we get ready to start the season."
A third-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection a year ago, Smith led ASU in scoring last year, averaging 9.6 points per game and 12.1 points per game in SBC play. As a true freshman, Scott finished the 2007-08 regular season averaging a double-double in SBC play, putting up 10.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. In league play, Scott led the league in offensive rebounding at 4.33 per game and was second overall in rebounding at 9.7 per game.
"Veronica and Shay are both very deserving," said Boyer. "Based on last year, we were so balanced that it is hard to pick a preseason all-conference team. Certainly Veronica's numbers and the way she improved and played during the conference season last year have allowed her to become recognized. Shay had a great freshman year last year, then made the all-tournament team, so I think they both are natural picks to be preseason all-conference."
The Red Wolves received eight first-place votes and 83 total points in the poll while UALR finished with 83 points and five first-place votes. ASU and UALR were followed by Louisiana-Monroe, North Texas, New Orleans, Denver, and Louisiana-Lafayette. Middle Tennessee topped the East Division poll with 71 points and six first-place votes, followed by Western Kentucky, South Alabama, Florida International, Troy and Florida Atlantic.
Western Kentucky's Dominique Duck was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year.
Arkansas State returns all five starters, seven of the top eight scorers and the top five rebounders from last year's 20-win team.
BOYER?CLIMBING: With 79 Sun Belt Conference victories, ASU head coach Brian Boyer is now fifth all-time in Sun Belt Conference wins. Boyer trails former New Orleans head coach Joey Favoloro who is in fourth place with 86 wins to his credit. Former Louisiana Tech head coach Leon Barmore tops the list with 135 SBC victories. With 156 overall victories to his credit, Boyer is in second place on the Arkansas State all-time wins list, trailing only Jerry Ann Winters, who finished with 196 victories in 11 seasons at ASU.
RECORDS?WATCH: ASU junior forward Lyndsay Schlup enters the season tied for 11th place all-time on the ASU blocked shots list. Schlup needs just one blocked shot to move into 10th place and five to move up to eighth place...ASU junior point guard Jazmine Taylor finished the 2007-08 season with a team-high 26 blocked shots, bringing her career total to 29. Taylor now needs just three more blocks to move into 15th place on the Red Wolves' all-time leaderboard...Taylor also has 77 steals heading into the season and needs just 20 to move into 20th place all-time at ASU...Taylor also needs just 22 assists to move into 20th place on the ASU all-time assists list...senior guard Caroline Starr enters the season in 15th place on the ASU all-time assists list...Starr also needs just 10 steals to move into 20th place on the ASU career steals list.
CHANGES AT THE CONVO: During the offseason, the Clopton Clinic Strength and Conditioning Room was unveiled at a ceremony in the Convocation Center. The strength and conditioning room used by the Red Wolves features new weights, lighting, floor and wall coverings and entrance doors. Also completed during the offseason was the resurfacing and repainting of the Convocation Center playing court. The court now features the new Red?Wolves logo and a large "stAte" logo at center court.
ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND: In conjunction with the Red?Wolves' season-opening weekend, the ASU Women's Basketball Alumni Reunion was held Nov. 14-16. The reunion was open to all former ASU women's basketball players, and got underway with the Red Wolves' season opener against Creighton, Friday, Nov. 14. A reception was held Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Cooper Alumni Center beginning at 7:00 p.m. Sunday's slate included the Red Wolves' pregame shootaround, pickup games on the ASU Convocation Center playing court, ASU's 2:00 p.m. game against Northern Arizona and a Fast Break Club reception following the game.
NEW?ERA?AT ASU: The 2008-09 season is the first season in which Arkansas State University will compete as the Red Wolves. After 77 years of competition as the Indians, the Red Wolves mascot was adopted in January 2008 after many hours of work by the University's Mascot Selection Steering Committee. The job of the committee was to make a new mascot recommendation to Chancellor Dr. Robert L. Potts and the University administration. The committee recommended "Wolves" at a Jan. 31 meeting, and the Red Wolves mascot evolved from that point.
LAST?TIME?OUT: SAN ANTONIO, Texas. (11/29/08) - Four players scored in double figures for Arkansas State as the Red Wolves wrapped up play in the Star Shuttle UTSA Thanksgiving Classic with a 73-59 victory over host Texas-San Antonio Saturday afternoon at the UTSA Convocation Center.
Arkansas State finished the Classic as the lone team to go 2-0 on the weekend. The Red Wolves defeated Charleston Southern 88-69 Friday, while North Texas and Charleston Southern went 1-1. The UTSA Roadrunners finished 0-2 after falling to North Texas Friday.
Junior guard Ebonie Jefferson and sophomore forward Shay Scott led Arkansas State with 16 points against the Roadrunners while juniors Veronica Smith and Lyndsay Schlup added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
"I thought our depth was a huge factor," said ASU head coach Brian Boyer. "We've talked about that since before the season started and how it is a real positive for this team. This weekend, we may have seen it even more. There was more of an understanding and urgency when players got in. They understood their roles and our rotation really helped us today."
Arkansas State jumped out to double-digit lead at 17-7 when Schlup scored off of an offensive rebound with 8:47 remaining in the first half. The Red Wolves stretched the lead to as many as 18 in the first half before settling in for a 40-25 lead at the break.
Smith finished the first half with 10 points, Schlup added nine and Scott eight.
The Roadrunners outscored ASU 19-9 to cut the Red Wolves' lead to five at 49-44 with just over 10 minutes to play, but Arkansas State countered with a 14-point effort from Jefferson in the second half, including a pair of free throws with 7:04 to play that bumped the ASU lead back to 10 points at 57-47.
Texas San Antonio cut the Red Wolves' lead back to single digits just once after that, narrowing the ASU lead to 68-59 on a basket from Onika Anderson with just over a minute to play, but Arkansas State answered with a three-point play from Scott and the Roadrunners did not score again.
In addition to the double-figure efforts from Jefferson, Scott, Smith and Schlup, the Red Wolves also got five points from freshman Elyseia Dunn, four from senior Brittney Hiles, three from freshman Shania Hurst and two each from senior Caroline Starr, junior Jazmine Taylor and junior LaDe'sha Stoudemire.
Dunn, Scott, Schlup and Smith all had seven rebounds to lead a balanced ASU effort on the boards.
Smith and Schlup were named to the All-Classic team at the game's conclusion. Smith finished with a two-game total of 33 points and 14 rebounds while Schlup added 22 points and 13 boards.
"I'm very proud of Veronica and Lyndsay for making all-tournament," said Boyer. "It is also hard for the voters to keep Ebonie Jefferson off of that team after the way she played this weekend."
Arkansas State will wrap up a string of three consecutive games on the road when the Red Wolves travel to Terre Haute, Ind. Dec. 2 for a matchup with the Sycamores of Indiana State. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. (CT).

Arkansas State vs. Central Baptist (Game Notes)
Radio: 95.9 FM “The Wolf” ASRN
Livestats Available via AStateRedWolves.com
December, 4 Jonesboro, Ark. ASU Convocation Center (10,737) 7:05 p.m.

TIPPING IT OFF: ASU returns home and will look to keep its five-game winning streak alive when they take on the Mustangs from Central Baptist College, Thursday night at the ASU Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
SERIES oVERSUS CENTRAL BAPTIST: ASU beat Central Baptist, 101-49 in the two team’s only previous meeting on Dec. 8, 2007. Jeremy Thomas scored 13 points while Shawn Morgan poured in 11. Yima Chia-Kur led all scorers with 17 points for ASU.
THE PRINCIPALS: The Arkansas State Red Wolves are 5-1 and have won five straight since dropping its season opener at Ole Miss. The Red Wolves downed Lyon College (88-46) and Murray State (55-47) at the Convocation Center and beat UT Martin (76-67), Ball State (54-53) and Indiana State (56-54) on their most recent road trip. Junior guard Donald Boone leads the Red Wolves by averaging 11.5 ppg and leads ASU with nine steals. Junior forward Eric McKinney leads ASU with 7.3 rpg and has blocked 13 shots this season, while tossing in 7.3 ppg. Senior forward Shawn Morgan is second on the team tossing in 8.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg while leading the squad connecting on 63% of his shots. Senior Ifeanyi Koggu leads the Red Wolves with 24 assists while tossing in 5.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg. Central Baptist College stands at 7-5 after dropping its last game to Harding University Tuesday.
HOT START: At 5-1 ASU is off to its best start since the 2004-05 season when they went 5-1 to start the season. ASU’s five game winning streak is the longest it has enjoyed since the 2006-07 season. ASU has already tripled its output of road wins from a year ago. With the win over Indiana State ASU won three road games in a row for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
TOUGH DEFENSE: Much of ASU’s early success this season has been due to the tough defense the Red Wolves have played. ASU has held opponents to a combined .282 shooting percentage, while not allowing a single opponent to shoot over 37.3% from the field. ASU has also outrebounded every opponent this season, averaging 40.0 boards a game to their oppositions 30.2.
BOONE HAS CAREER NIGHT: Junior guard Donald Boone had a career scoring night against Indiana State, tossing in 26 points to lead the Red Wolves to a 56-54 victory over the Sycamores. Boone has led the Red Wolves in scoring three times this season and is averaging 11.5 ppg, while leading the Red Wolves in steals. Boone is also third on the team in minutes played, averaging 25.0 a game has connected on 20-25 shots from the charity stripe.
MCKINNEY HAS CAREER NIGHT: Junior forward Eric McKinney had a career performance against Ball State by leading all players with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. The totals were the most of any player during a single game so far this season and the first double-double recorded by a Red Wolves player this year. McKinney is averaging 8.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg and is averaging 1.6 blocks per game.
AYERS BUSTS OUT: After spending three games as a spectator due to an injury, sophomore-transfer guard Brandon Ayers broke out in a big way against UT Martin, coming off the bench to score 12 points in 15 minutes of action, while pulling down two defensive boards. Ayers was 2-5 from three-point range and was 2-2 from the charity stripe.
INDIANA STATE GAME (12/1/08) – Junior Donald Boone led all scorers with 26 points and was the only Red Wolves player to score in double figures as the ASU men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five games with a 56-54 win over Indiana State Monday night.
Boone’s 26 points was the most scored by an ASU player this season.
The Red Wolves battled back from a 13-point first half deficit to take their first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Donald Boone at the 19:35 mark in the second half. Indiana State tied the game at the 2:35 mark and again at the 1:48 mark, but after senior forward Jay Tunnell missed three-straight free throws and Boone connected on a layup, ASU had secured its fortunes.
Indiana State then missed three straight shots, all of which could have tied the game or given the Sycamores the lead in the final 43 seconds.
After shooting only 33 percent from the field to be down 23-25 at the break, ASU shot 48.3% in the second half to finish the game shooting 41.5%. ASU has not allowed an opponent to shoot better than 36% from the field this season.
ASU held Indiana State to 30.6% from the field and beat the Sycamores in the paint 22-12, while outrebounding ISU, 40-32.
Junior Eric McKinney led all players by pulling down nine rebounds and for the second-straight game set a career high in blocks. McKinney had five blocked shots tonight.
The Red Wolves got off to a slow start, not scoring their first field goal until senior forward Shawn Morgan connected on a layup at the 12:23 mark. ASU got on the scoreboard at the 14:03 mark when sophomore Jeremy Thomas connected on two free throws at 14:03.
Senior guard Ifeanyi Koggu set a career high by recording nine assists for the Red Wolves. Koggu also added four points and pulled down six rebounds with no turnovers recorded by the point-guard.
Junior forward JeJuan Brown added seven points and seven rebounds for the Red Wolves, while sophomore Brandon Ayers tossed in eight points and had two assists.
ASU’s bench had its strongest performance of the year by tossing in 41 points for the Red Wolves cause.
JOHN BRADY’s 500th GAME: ASU’s game against Murray State marked the 500th career coaching game for ASU head coach John Brady. Brady owns a career head coaching record of 284-217 (.566 win%).
BLOCKING SHOTS: The Red Wolves have racked up 25 blocks so far this season through five games. Junior Eric McKinney leads the Red Wolves with 13 blocked shots, which ranks third in Sun Belt. Senior forward Shawn Morgan has also netted six blocks which places him tied for 15th in the conference.
THE RED WOLVES AT HOME: Over the 21 years that ASU has competed in the ASU Convocation Center, the Red Wolves have compiled a 206-78 record (.727). Arkansas State has gone undefeated twice during a single season at the Convocation Center; they were a perfect 14-0 in 1988-89 and went 13-0 in 1990-91.
PRESEASON COACHES POLL: ASU has been tabbed to finish fourth in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference by the SBC Preseason Coaches’ Poll announced by the league office at the SBC Basketball Tip-Off.
“I’ve never put a lot of stock in preseason polls; most of the polling is based on what you did the year before. It is a position better than where the team finished a year ago, but the reality of it is it isn’t really where you start its how you finish,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “I anticipate our team playing its best basketball in February and the first of March.”
UALR was picked to finish in a tie with North Texas for the top spot in the West Division, each receiving 76 points. The Trojans received six first-place votes while the Mean Green got four first-place nods. Louisiana-Lafayette was picked third, followed by the Red Wolves, Louisiana-Monroe was tabbed sixth with Denver and New Orleans coming in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Middle Tennessee was picked atop the East Division with 11 first-place votes, followed by South Alabama, which netted the other two first place votes. Reigning league champion Western Kentucky was picked third with Florida Atlantic (fourth), Florida International (fifth) and Troy (sixth) rounding out the poll.
Desmond Yates from Middle Tennessee was voted the SBC Preseason Player of the Year and was joined by Carlos Monroe from FAU, Russell Hicks from FIU, Josh White from North Texas and Brandon Davis from South Alabama on the Preseason All-SBC first team.
ASU’S BROWN NAMED BLUE RIBBON SBC NEWCOMER OF YEAR: Arkansas State junior forward and Los Angeles Southwest College transfer JeJuan Brown has been tabbed the Preseason Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year by Blue Ribbon publications.
Along with forward Eric McKinney, Brown was announced as new ASU Head Coach John Brady’s first signee at Arkansas State on April 25. Brown transferred from Vanderbilt to LASC for his sophomore season, where he averaged 17 points and seven rebounds. He helped lead the Cougars to a 23-9 record and the South Coast Conference regular-season title and was named a first team all-conference selection in 2007-08.
“We are excited about the possibilities JeJuan brings to our team,” said Brady. “We feel he will be an outstanding player for us.”
The Biloxi, Miss. native originally signed with Vanderbilt out of high school, playing in all 34 games as a true freshman on a team that advanced to the Sweet 16. Brown averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game during his lone season with the Commodores, while scoring his SEC-high nine points on 4-of-6 shooting with four rebounds and two assists at South Carolina. He posted season highs of 10 points (twice) and eight rebounds and finished the 2006-07 campaign with a .511 (48-of-94) shooting percentage.
Brown finished his prep career as an all-state and all-district selection at Biloxi High School and was a Rivals.com national top 150 (No. 121) ranked player in the class of 2006. He was ranked as the 26th-best small forward in the nation by Rivals.com as well. He was named the Sun Herald Gulf Coast Player of the Year after averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists as a senior. He helped lead Biloxi to four District 8 titles from 2003-06 and graduated with honors as a Mississippi Scholar.
FINN SIDELINED 6-8 WEEKS: ASU head men’s basketball coach John Brady has disclosed that the Red Wolves will be without the services of freshman Trey Finn for the beginning of the season and possibly longer due to a foot injury he sustained during a conditioning workout this past week.
“It is unfortunate that Trey has had this injury occur. He was making real progress in his preparation for the beginning of practice and I was excited about the possibilities he would bring to the team,” said ASU head coach John Brady. “We have talked with the doctors, trainers, and of course his parents and will make a determination on his freshman year once he is completely healed. Whichever decision is made, Trey will have an excellent career at Arkansas State.”
Finn will be out 6-8 weeks and the Red Wolves are looking at the possibility of redshirting the freshman standout that joined the Red Wolves from Parkview High School in Little Rock.
At Parkview, Finn earned AHSAA Class 6A All-State honors in 2007-08. He also led Parkview to the state semifinals and was named to the All-Tournament team as a senior.
CHANGES AT THE CONVO: During the offseason, the Clopton Clinic Strength and Conditioning room was unveiled at a ceremony in the Convocation Center. The strength and conditioning room used by the Red Wolves features new weights, lighting, floor and wall coverings and entrance doors. Also completed during the offseason was the resurfacing and repainting of the Convocation Center playing court. The court now features the new Red Wolves logo and a large “stAte” logo at center court.
HEAD COACH JOHN BRADY: With a Final Four appearance and 281 career victories already to his credit, John Brady was announced as Arkansas State’s 15th head men’s basketball coach by Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee at a press conference on March 18 held in ASU’s Convocation Center.
Brady spent the last 10-plus seasons serving as LSU’s head coach, leading the Tigers to six postseason berths, two SEC championships and three SEC Western Division titles. Twice named the SEC Coach of the Year, Brady is a proven winner who brings a well-documented record of success and a long list of accomplishments with him to Arkansas State.
Brady’s 16-year tenure as a head coach at both LSU and Samford in Birmingham, Alabama, has been decorated with achievements. He has coached a combined 25 All-TAAC and SEC selections, 48 academic all-conference choices, posted 11 winning seasons and collected five division championships. Brady piled up the third most wins in LSU history with 192 and left Samford after the 1996-97 season as the Bulldog’s all-time leader in coaching victories (89) as well.
He quickly turned around an LSU’s men’s basketball program that had suffered four consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival, leading the Tigers to a 28-6 record, an SEC championship and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in just his third season (1999-00) at the helm. Under Brady’s direction, the Tigers recorded six consecutive winning seasons from 2001-02 to 2006-07 while making three trips to the NCAA Tournament and two more to the NIT. The 2005-06 campaign saw LSU post a 27-9 record and advance to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years.
Not only did Brady coach the Tigers to 23 wins versus ranked opponents, he also led them to victories over two teams ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll (Arizona in 2002-03 and Duke in 2005-06). Additionally, he orchestrated a 19-game home winning streak over SEC opponents, the third longest stretch in LSU history.
While at LSU, Brady coached two NBA Lottery picks and six current NBA players. The Tigers signed nine Parade All-Americans and four McDonald All-Americans under Brady, who also coached three SEC Players of the Year, four players named SEC Freshman of the Year, one SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and 17 All-SEC selections.
Prior to taking over the reigns at LSU, Brady served as Samford’s head coach from 1991-92 through 1996-97. It didn’t take long for him to turn around a Samford program coming off six straight losing seasons, either, guiding the Bulldogs to a 17-10 record in his second season. He led Samford to three straight winning seasons (1995-97) for the first time since 1982-84, all leading up to a 19-9 record and division title in 1997. Samford won the TAAC West Division each of Brady’s final two seasons at the school for the first time in school history.
His four winning campaigns at Samford were the first for any coach at the school, and he led the Bulldogs to an 89-77 record after they went 27-83 the four seasons prior to his initial year. He coached eight All-TAAC and 14 Academic All-TAAC players over six seasons.
The McComb, Miss., native earned his bachelor’s degree in 1976 from Belhaven College, where he was three-year starter and scored over 1,000 points during his college playing career. Brady was a two-time All-Southern States Conference selection and was later inducted into his alma mater’s Hall of Fame.
He got his coaching start as a graduate assistant with the Mississippi State men’s basketball program while earning his master’s degree from 1976-77. Brady took his first head coaching position in Louisiana at Crowley High School in 1977 and led the basketball squad to a 129-49 (.725) record in five seasons. He was named the 1981 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3-A Coach of the Year.
Brady returned to the college coaching ranks in 1982 as an assistant coach at Mississippi State. He spent the next eight years with the Bulldogs, the first four seasons under coach Bob Hoyt and the next four as a chief recruiter for coach Richard Williams. Following his tenure in Starkville, Brady returned to Louisiana for the second time, this time to serve as an assistant coach at the University of New Orleans. Brady helped lead UNO to the NCAA Tournament during his only season with the Privateers.
ASU’S DOLLAR NAMED TOP-10 MID-MAJOR ASSISTANTS IN NATION: Fox Sports recently polled head coaches, assistants and others who deal with assistants on a daily basis to get their take on who should be included among the nation’s elite assistant basketball coaches and Arkansas State associate head coach Chad Dollar was included among the top-10 mid-major coaches receiving votes.
The article, written by FOXSports.com senior college basketball writer Jeff Goodman, stated Fox Sports wanted to “target the guys that instill a level of fear into their colleagues when they stroll into the gym”.
The article included a few brief notes on each coach and listed some of their “key recruits”. Included among the key recruits listed for Dollar were Jarvis Hayes and Elton Nesbitt. Hayes was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year at Western Carolina and Nesbitt the league’s player of the year and an honorable mention All-America selection at Georgia Southern.

Red Wolves Win Overtime Thriller at Indiana State





TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (12/02/08) - Freshman Shania Hurst hit a 25-footer at the buzzer to force overtime, and from there the Arkansas State Red Wolves went on to a 76-68 victory over the Indiana State Sycamores (2-3) Tuesday night at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Ind.



Arkansas State dominated the first half and the overtime periods to get the win.



The Red Wolves led 43-28 at the half behind five three-pointers from senior Caroline Starr, who led ASU on the night with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.



Indiana State rallied to take the lead late in regulation, going up 63-60 on a free throw from junior Kelsey Luna with 3.2 seconds remaining, but Hurst took the inbounds pass from junior Veronica Smith, dribbled down court and double-pumped before dropping in the shot that sent the game into overtime tied at 63.



The Red Wolves and Sycamores traded buckets to open the extra period before ASU went on a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach.



"We're very grateful to get out of here with a win," said ASU head coach Brian Boyer. "I told the players in the locker room that these types of games don't come around very often, where you hit a shot like that. You could certainly see the momentum shift when we got into overtime."



"As much fun, luck, fate or whatever it was to hit that shot, I'm proud of our team for giving ourselves a chance with how well we played in the first half," added Boyer. "That is the best half we've had on the road all season."



Arkansas State shot 44.4 percent from the field in the first half, including six three pointers to grab the 15-point lead at the break. The Red Wolves also forced 10 Indiana State turnovers while committing just five, held the Sycamores to 33.8 percent shooting from the field and held Luna, who went into the game averaging a team-high 18 points, to a single bucket in the first 20 minutes.



Indiana State outscored ASU 17-6 in the first 10 minutes of the second half to cut the Red Wolves' lead to 50-44, then went on top for the first time since early in the game when senior Leah Phillips dropped in a three with 5:50 remaining to put the Sycamores on top 56-54.



The Sycamores broke a 60-60 tie when senior Kara Schilli hit one of two from the line with 46.3 seconds remaining, then added another free throw from Schilli with 18.3 second to play and the final free throw from Luna with 3.2 left in regulation before Hurst tied the game to force overtime.



In addition to Starr's 18 points, the Red Wolves also got 12 from junior Ebonie Jefferson and 11 from Smith. Hurst finished the game with nine points, sophomore Shay Scott added eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds and junior Lyndsay Schlup scored eight points to go along with eight boards.



Mattox led the Sycamores with 14 points, with Luna and sophomore Kelsie Coolie adding 12 points each. Coolie and Schilli led ISU on the boards with 10 rebounds each.



Arkansas State will return to action Sunday, Dec. 7 when the Red Wolves host sixth-ranked Oklahoma in a 2:00 p.m. game at the ASU Convocation Center.

Hoops Action Packs Now Available
JONESBORO, Ark. (12/3/08) – Arkansas State basketball fans can get geared up for ASU Red Wolves basketball at a financially-friendly price. Hoops Action Packs will be available at all men and women's basketball games beginning with Sunday's matchup against sixth-ranked Oklahoma.
Hoops Action Packs include 4 general admission tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 Pepsi products and 4 popcorns. These packages will be $40 for men's games and $35 for women's games.

"These packages are ideal for families wanting to enjoy Red Wolves basketball at an economical price," said Gleen Hart, Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Promotions. "We had tremendous response to the packages during football season and wanted to continue them through basketball season."
The Red Wolves will be back in action at the Convocation Center Dec. 7 with the women's team taking on the Sooners of Oklahoma Sunday at 2:05 p.m. and the men teaming up against Mississippi Valley State at 7:05 pm. December 15th.

JONESBORO (12/4/08) - Suddenlink Cable channel 26 in Jonesboro and Comcast channel 18 in Little Rock, as well as several other media outlets, will televise Arkansas State’s 6:00 p.m. football game against Troy this Saturday that will determine which team receives the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic bowl berth.
The game will also air live on Cox Sports TV, WRJM (Montgomery), WFGX (Pensacola/Fort Walton Beach), and on a pay-per-view basis by ESPN GamePlan. It will be tape-delayed on Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). CSS will air the game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
More information about ESPN GamePlan packages and ordering information can be found online on ESPN.com’s college football page by clicking on the ESPN GamePlan link listed under the “more+” tab at the top of the page.
The game will also be available online via astateredwolves.com and ESPN360.com, ESPN's signature broadband sports TV network. ESPN360.com is available at no charge to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. It is available free to approximately 18 million students and military personnel via any computer on a U.S. campus or military base computer network. Additionally, it is available in 24 million households nationwide via more than 20 Internet service providers around the country including AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more.
The ESPN360.com player can be downloaded by clicking on the ESPN360.com link at the top of ESPN.com’s home page, which will take the Web site’s visitor directly to the network’s player.

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ASU Tops Central Baptist 108-71 For Sixth Straight Win

JONESBORO (12/4/08) – Led by a season-high five players scoring in double figures, Arkansas State (6-1) extended its winning streak to six games with a 108-71 victory over Central Baptist College (7-6) Thursday night in a non-conference men’s basketball game at the Convocation Center.
ASU’s 6-1 start is its best through seven games since the 2003-04 season and its six-game winning streak its longest since the 2006-07 campaign.
The Red Wolves’ 108 points were just 12 shy of the Convocation Center record and there most since defeating Lambuth 113-70 during the 2004-05 season. Leading just 46-39 with 4:18 remaining in the first half, Arkansas State pulled away with a 17-4 run to close the first half with a 63-43 advantage. ASU’s 63 points were only one shy of the Convocation Center record for a first half, also set in the 2004 Lambuth game.
Arkansas State still led by 20 points seven minutes into the second half, but eventually extended its lead to as much as 40 points late in the game before the final margin was set at 37. ASU outscored CBC 45-28 over the game’s final 20 minutes.
Sophomore forward Jeremy Thomas scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, both career highs, to register his first double-double at ASU.  Daniel Bryant, Mike Lance and Eric McKinney all followed Thomas with 14 points and Brandon Ayers added 11 to round out the ASU players scoring in double figures. Bryant and Lance both scored season highs, while Bryant also set season highs for rebounds (5), assists (5) and steals (2).
ASU shot 59 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and a season-best 82 percent from the free throw line. The Red Wolves outrebounded the Mustangs 45-26 and have now posted more rebounds than every opponent they’ve faced this year.
“Offensively, we had several guys shoot the ball really well,” said ASU Head Coach John Brady. “We just need to keep improving. We got better the second half. We had some good ball movement and player movement against the zone. We moved the ball with a purpose and we recognized the keys against the zone and who catches the ball and what they do. Being 9-of-18 from the three was a real positive for our team. Our team knows they can defend, and now tonight’s game gave us a little confidence offensively in terms of shooting the ball.”
Central Baptist finished the game with a .409 field goal percentage and hit 13 three’s, but couldn’t counter ASU’s dominance on the boards and in the paint. The Red Wolves recorded 40 points in the paint and tallied 22 second-chance points, while the Mustangs finished with just 12 points in the paint and four second-chance points.
Daron Hall finished with 18 points to lead four Central Baptist players scoring in double figures.
Arkansas State will be back in action Dec. 6 at Missouri State before returning to the Convocation Center for a Dec. 15 con-*test*-('") against Mississippi Valley State. The Red Wolves will open Sun Belt Conference play at home against Florida International on Dec. 18.

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