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Notes and Quotes: KU vs. Coppin St.
Story URL: http://kansas.scout.com/2/816315.html
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David Garfield
Phog.net | Nov 28, 2008 |
Notes and quotes on KU’s matchup with Coppin State Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse while wondering if walk-ons Chase Buford, Brennan Bechard and Jordan Juenemann will score their first points of the season.
CAN WE PLAY TWO?
This is just the second meeting between KU and Coppin State. Kansas
defeated the Eagles, 91-69, on Dec. 5, 1994 in Allen Fieldhouse.
SHERRON IS ON
Junior point guard Sherron Collins leads the way for the Jayhawks
(3-1). He’s paced the team in scoring in each of the four
games. Collins has scored 20-plus points in two games, including a
career-high 25 against Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 18. Collins, who
ranks third in the Big 12 with a 20.0 point scoring average, also leads
the team with nine three-pointers, a .409 three-point
percentage, 13 free throws, and minutes (34.0). He ranks second on the
squad with 3.0 assists per game.
COLE PLAY
Sophomore center Cole Aldrich is emerging as one of the best post
players in America. Aldrich, who had 15 points and 16 rebounds against
Syracuse on Tuesday, is averaging 14 points (No. 2 on team) and a
team-high 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He also has a team-best
28 blocked shots and leads the Big 12 with 3.0 blocks per game.
BRADY JUST DANDY
Sophomore guard Brady Morningstar has been another bright spot early
this season. He leads the team with 3.3 assists per game, and his 4.3
assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the Big 12. He’s
averaging 4.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 28 minutes per game, while
shooting 77.8 percent from the line.
MORRIS TWINS RISING
Freshmen twins Markieff and Marcus Morris are already making their
mark. Markieff averages 7.5 rebounds per game, which rank second on the
team and sixth in the Big 12. He’s averaging 5.5 points in
19.8 minutes per game, and is second on the team with five blocks.
Marcus, meanwhile, ranks 14th in the Big 12 with 6.5 boards per game.
He’s fourth on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game,
while posting four blocks and five steals in 20.8 minutes per contest.
THIS & THAT
*KU’s freshmen represent 37.7 percent of the team’s
scoring, followed by sophomores at 35.8 percent and juniors at 26.5
percent. KU’s seniors — Bechard and Matt Kleinmann
— have combined for one point.
*Kansas leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 32.8
percent and ranks second in the conference with 7.0 blocked shots per
game.
*KU’s 26-game home-winning streak ranks fourth nationally.
The Jayhawks’ contest versus Coppin State begins a
six-game home stand with their matchup with Massachusetts on Dec. 13 at
the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
EAGLES IN THE PROS
CSU boast two alumni who played and coached professionally. Stephanie
Ready became the first female coach of a men’s professional
league, serving as an assistant for the now defunct Greenville Groove
of the NBDL in 2001-03.
Larry Stewart, meanwhile, was a former Eagles star forward who played
in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics and Washington Bullets. His
last year in the League was with Seattle in 1996-97. He also played in
Greece for Panellinios. Stewart led Coppin State to the 1990 NCAA
Tournament, the school’s first appearance in the Big Dance.
JUST CALL HIM “FANG”
Ron “Fang” Mitchell is in his 23rd year as Coppin
State head coach. Mitchell, a six-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Coach of the Year, is the winningest coach in school history (358
career victories). His Eagles won a stare of nine of 10 Mid-Eastern
Athletic Conference regular-season titles during the 1990s, equaling
the most won by any NCAA Division I program the past decade. Mitchell
led Coppin State to 11 straight winning seasons from 1988 to 2000.
He has 585 wins as a head coach, including eight seasons at Gloucester
County College.
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