Upstate Set To Open Season Friday At Georgia
11/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2008
Upstate vs. Georgia Game Notes | Upstate at Georgia Live Video
Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate opens the 2008-09 season Friday, Nov. 14 at Georgia at 7:30 p.m. in Stageman Coliseum in Athens, Ga. The Spartans face an SEC team for the first time since Nov. 30, 1985 when then-USC Spartanburg took an 85-74 loss at Ole Miss. The game against Georgia is one of two Upstate will play against an SEC team this season with South Carolina on the schedule for a Nov. 22 showdown in Columbia. Fans can follow the action live via the Georgia Bulldog radio network or online at www.georgiadogs.com.
Looking Back At 2007-08
Upstate finished the 2007-08 season with a 7-23 record in its first year playing on the NCAA Division I level as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Spartans won its first-ever game against a DI opponent on Dec. 18, 2007 at SMU when Mezie Uzochukwu hit two free throws with 0.6 seconds to play to give Upstate a 58-56 win over the Mustangs. The Spartans also claimed five conference wins in its inaugural season in the A-Sun. Luke Payne, a senior on the `07-'08 squad and son of head coach Eddie Payne, led the team in scoring as the only player to average in double figures with 14.9 ppg. Payne was named to the All-Tournament Teams at the BP Top of the World Classic and the State Farm Sun Bowl Tournament. Bobby Davis, a senior on this year's team, led the Spartans in rebounding at 7.5 rpg a year ago and averaged double figures in scoring during league play at 10.8 points per outing. According to Ken Pomeroy in his final non-conference strength of schedule rankings, Upstate played the 20th-toughest non-conference schedule in the nation.
Scouting Georgia
George enters the 2008-09 campaign after finishing the 2007-08 season on a roll. The Bulldogs entered the SEC Tournament with a 13-16 record and having lost 10 of its last 12 games. However, Georgia ran off four-straight wins in the SEC Tournament, beating Ole Miss, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.
Head Coach Dennis Felton looks to build on the strong finish last season and will count on seven returning letterman to lend leadership to the team. The Bulldogs return just two players who started at least 15 games a year ago, so the starting lineup will have several new faces. Felton returns just one player who averaged in double figures, with five of the seven lettermen averaging less than 4.0 points per game.
About The Team
Georgia returns two starters and seven lettermen from the 2007-08 squad which won the SEC Tournament for just the second time in school history. The Bulldogs' leading returning scorer is Terrance Woodbury. Woodbury started all 34 games for Georgia last year and was third on the team averaging 11.0 points per game. He also pulled down 4.1 rbeounds per outing and was second on the Bulldogs with 47 three-pointers on the year. Jeremy Price started 15 of the 34 games he played last season. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring at 8.1 ppg and was third in rebounding at 4.4 rpg.
Travis Leslie, Howard Thompkins, Drazen Zlovaric and Dustin Ware all freshmen who were Top 35-ranked prospects in the nation at their respective positions.
Georgia averaged 68.1 points per outing a year ago and held opponents to 67.4 points per game. The Bulldogs played an Atlantic Sun team last year, taking a 76-58 loss at the hands of East Tennessee State University on Dec. 20.
About The Coach
Dennis Felton is in his sixth season at the helm of the program at Georgia. He had a solid first year in 2003-04, leading the Bulldogs to a 16-14 record and an appearance in the NIT. After a 19-14 record in 2006-07, Georgia made its second appearance in the NIT before making a run into the NCAA Tournament a year ago. In all, Felton has led Georgia to three postseason appearances in his five seasons with the Bulldogs.
Prior to accepting the position at Georgia in 2003, Felton served as the head coach at Western Kentucky. He led the Hilltoppers to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2001-03, winning at least 24 games all three years.
Felton, a 1985 graduate of Howard University, owns a 175-134 career record and a 75-80 mark at Georgia.
Spartans In Season Openers
Upstate is 28-13 in season openers since the program began play in the 1967-68 season. The Spartans' longest winning streak in season openers is nine games as Upstate won each of its openers from 1995-2003. The Spartans are 3-3 in season openers under head coach Eddie Payne, winning two in a row in 2002 and 2003 before losing in each of the last two season openers. Last year, Upstate dropped an 86-52 decision at Utah in the Spartans' first game in the history of the program playing on the DI level.
Hitting The Century Mark
Upstate head coach Eddie Payne won his 100th game at the helm of the Spartans' program at Campbell on Feb. 21, 2008. Payne is now in his seventh season at Upstate and his 24th overall as a head coach. He owns a 100-77 record at Upstate and led the Spartans to two Peach Belt Conference championships and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament prior to Upstate's move to Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference last season.
Defense A Staple At Upstate
Despite making the transition to NCAA Division I last year, Upstate's trend of playing solid defense continued. The Spartans ranked third in the A-Sun in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score 71.1 points per game. Upstate was also one of just four teams in the league to finish with a positive turnover margin.
Spartans' 2007-08 Non-Conference Schedule Ranked 20th
In Upstate's first season as a member of NCAA Division I last year, head coach Eddie Payne did not shy away from playing some of the top traditional basketball powers. According to Payne, "We felt like we shouldn't tiptoe into the water, but jump right in." The Spartans did just that, playing the 20th toughest non-conference schedule in the nation, according to Ken Pomeroy in his final analysis of the 2007-08 non-conference strength of schedule ranking. Upstate's nearest competitor in the A-Sun was Jacksonville, which played the 60th-toughest non-conference schedule, according to Pomeroy.
Another Year, Another Tough Schedule
While the 2007-08 schedule was indeed demanding, Upstate has taken another step up in playing some of the toughest competition in college basketball. Not only will the Spartans play a grueling 20-game A-Sun schedule, the Spartans play four teams - Belmont, Georgia, Gonzaga and Notre Dame - which earned bids to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. In addition, Upstate plays two teams ranked highly in the preseason polls with Notre Dame holding down the No. 9 spot in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Top 25 polls and Gonzaga coming in at No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Upstate Road Warriors
By season's end, USC Upstate will have played 30 games with nearly two-thirds of the contests played away from the G.B. Hodge Center. The Spartans open the season playing at Georgia, Notre Dame and South Carolina before its home opener against Duquesne on Nov. 25. However, Upstate will hit the road for seven more games away from the Hodge Center, and for the entire month of December, before returning home for its A-Sun home opener against North Florida on Jan. 3. By season's end, Upstate will have traveled more than 17,000 miles roundtrip from Spartanburg to play its 30-game schedule, playing in 11 states and three time zones.
Upstate-Georgia Connection
Two members of the Upstate basketball family have also been members of the Georgia basketball family. Former head coach Jerry Waters, who led Upstate to the 1982 NAIA National Championship and is the program's all-time winningest coach with 364 wins, left Upstate in 1997 to become an assistant coach at Georgia under head coach Ron Jirsa. He coached for the Bulldogs for three seasons before returning to the high school sidelines as the head coach at Pinewood Christian Academy (Ga.). He is currently the head boys' basketball coach at Chapman High School in Inman, S.C., just down the road from Upstate.
Former Upstate standout point guard and Harlem Globetrotter, James Holland, was a starter on the 1982 NAIA National Championship team at Upstate. Holland was named assistant coach at Georgia in 1999 and spent four years with the Bulldogs. Georgia won the SEC Eastern Division Championship in 2002 and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament during Holland's time with the program. He is currently an assistant coach at Alabama.
Upstate Vs. The SEC
Upstate is playing only its second game against an SEC opponent in the history of the men's basketball program. Prior to Friday's game at Georgia, the Spartans played at Ole Miss on Nov. 30, 1985. Ole Miss claimed an 85-74 victory over the Spartans in Oxford, Miss. In addition to Georgia, Upstate will play SEC foe South Carolina in Columbia on Nov. 22.
Spartans Play Conference Variety
Upstate has strategically scheduled its non-conference opponents to play a slate of games in a variety of locations and teams from several different conferences. Outside of their 20-game A-Sun slate, the Spartans will play schools from nine different conferences in its 10-game non-conference schedule this season. Last year, Upstate played schools from 10 different conference in addition to its A-Sun schedule.
Gaining Tournament Experience
While Upstate is not allowed to compete in the A-Sun and NCAA Tournaments until 2011-12 when it completes its provisional status as a new DI member, head coach Eddie Payne has seen fit to give the Spartans a dose of tournament experience in its first two seasons in DI. Upstate competed in the BP Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the State Farm Sun Bowl Tournament in El Paso, Texas, last season. This year, the Spartans play in the four-game Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic.
Davis Set To Lead Spartans
Senior forward and Aiken, S.C., native Bobby Davis is set to take the reigns as the leader in the program. Davis had a solid season last year after transferring to Upstate from Hutchinson CC in Kansas. Davis, typically a role player, was asked early on in the season to become a focal point of the offense, a role he was unaccustomed to playing. Midway through the season, though, Davis settled into his role and finished the A-Sun slate of games averaging 10.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. For the season, he averaged 9.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 30 games for the Spartans.
Schneiders The Tallest Tree In The Forest
Nick Schneiders, Upstate's only center on the roster, is the tallest player to ever wear a uniform at Upstate. At 7-3, he holds the distinction by five inches over Michael Gibson, who tipped the height chart at 6-10. He is also the tallest player playing in the A-Sun. The Rietberg, Germany, native has played organized basketball for just four and a half years. He is a redshirt junior after sitting out his first season on the Upstate campus in 2005-06. Despite his youth in the game of basketball, he has developed at a rapid rate. In his first year playing with Upstate in 2006-07, he averaged 2.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while blocking 13 shots. A year later, he more doubled his averages to 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing while blocking 25 shots. In his third season on the court for Upstate, his development is expected to steadily continue.
Striking It Rich
Senior guard Zac Rich is an important role player for the Spartans. His forte is knocking down the trifecta. He ranks sixth all-time at Upstate with a .411 shooting percentage from behind the arc, hitting 51-of-124 attempts from downtown.
Uzochukwu A Calm Customer
Some freshmen, no matter how talented, shy away from taking the ball in key situations. That was not the case last year when Mezie Uzochukwu, now a sophomore on Upstate's team, put himself in position to deliver Upstate's monumental win at SMU (Dec. 18). He was fouled with 0.6 seconds to play in the game and with the score tied at 56-56. He calmly stepped up to the free throw line and sank both tosses to give Upstate the 58-56 win over the Mustangs, securing the Spartans' first-ever win over a Division I opponent.
Uzochukwu played in all 30 games for Upstate and started 15 contests. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring at 7.5 points per game and grabbed the third-most rebounds per outing at 4.7.
Chavis Set To Be Promoted To Floor General
Sophomore guard Josh Chavis received a tremendous amount of experience playing in 30 games as a freshman last year for Upstate. He cracked the starting lineup 13 times while playing behind three-year starter Jeremy Byrd at the point. He also spent time at shooting guard throughout the year. With the departure of Byrd and Luke Payne, Chavis is in position to assume the starting spot at point guard as the Spartans' floor general. His versatility and ability to knock down the three will also allow him to see time at shooting guard. He averaged 5.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for Upstate in his first season in the program. He was also one of the top outside shooters on the team, hitting 31 three-pointers and 32.3 percent of his shots from behind the arc.
Big Shoes To Fill
When Upstate takes the floor this season, it will do so without the services of guard Luke Payne for the first time in four years. Payne graduated in May and has been on tour with Athletes In Action while waiting for an opportunity to play professionally overseas. Payne was simply the do-all leader for the Spartans last season. He led Upstate in scoring with 14.9 points per game. He also led Upstate in making 63 three-pointers, making 87 free throws and dishing out 84 assists. He also led the Spartans in scoring in 18 of 30 games and finished in double figures on 25 occasions.
Payne finished his career ranked ninth all-time in scoring at Upstate with a 1,381 points. He garnered all-tournament honors at the BP Top of the World Classic and State Farm Sun Bowl tournaments, while also earning A-Sun Player of the Week honors.
Looking For Newcomer Assistance
Although Upstate has a solid core of returning players who are expected to increase their productivity, the Spartans will rely heavily on the contributions of several newcomers in 2008-09. Upstate returns just 51.2 percent of its scoring, 59.9 percent of its rebounding and 45.1 percent of its assists from last year's team.
Home Sweet Home
Despite playing just 11 games at home this season, the Spartans will be happy to do so. Upstate has a solid home record, going 58-22 (.725) in seven years under head coach Eddie Payne. Overall, the Spartans are 317-133 (.704) in 450 games played at the Hodge Center since it opened in 1973. Prior to 1973, Upstate played its games at a local junior high school. The Spartans won a school-record 50 straight regular season home games from March 4, 1989 to Feb. 17, 1993.
Hold `Em At 59
Last season, Upstate was 6-1 when holding opponents under 60 points and 1-20 when allowing opponents to score 60 or more. The only time Upstate lost while holding opponents under 60 points came on Feb. 14 against Lipscomb as the Spartans fell, 57-53.
Hard Luck Spartans In `07-'08
Newcomers to the Division I level are supposed to take their lumps, but Upstate proved to be a solid program in its new surroundings. While Upstate's 7-23 record was less than sterling, the record was also misleading. The Spartans lost 10 games by eight points or less and four games by four points or less last season. Had a few plays broken differently, Upstate could easily have looked at a double-digit win total and, possibly, a record approaching .500. One thing head coach Eddie Payne hopes the Spartans have learned from last year's experience is how to win close games on the DI level.
Shaking Up The Lineup
Last year, Upstate head coach Eddie Payne used 12 different starting lineups in 30 games on the season. With five players returning to the team who had extensive playing time, Payne was forced to mix up his lineups. With a solid core of returning players this season, Payne is hopeful of staying away from having to use the large number of different starting lineups.
Upstate Picked 10th In A-Sun Preseason Polls
Upstate has been picked to finish 10th in the A-Sun this season in both the preseason coaches' and media polls released by the A-Sun in October. The Spartans finished tied for 10th last season with a 5-11 league record, having picked up wins over Campbell, Gardner-Webb (now playing in the Big South), Kennesaw State, Mercer and North Florida. The Spartans were picked to finish ahead of North Florida in 2008-09 and right behind Florida Gulf Coast. Belmont, which nearly pulled off the upset against Duke in the NCAA Tournament, is picked to win the regular season and tournament championships in the A-Sun this season.
Carolina On Our Mind
Of the 14 players listed on the Upstate roster, nine hail from either South Carolina or North Carolina. Bobby Davis (Aiken), Pat Posey (Greenville), Zac Rich (Lexington), Chalmers Rogers (Fort Mill) and Cameron Rousey (Greenville) all call the Palmetto State home, while Josh Chavis (Greensboro), Carter Cook (Clemmons), Matt Preston (Nags Head) and Mezie Uzochukwu (Greensboro) call the Tar Heel State home.
Even the Upstate coaching staff is rooted in either South Carolina or North Carolina. Head Coach Eddie Payne was born in Winston-Salem, N.C., and grew up in Charlotte. Assistant Coach Steve Smith was born and raised in the Lowcountry of South Carolina in Varnville. Assistant Coach Ryan Walker was born in Charlotte and lived in the Queen City until the start of his junior year in high school before the family moved to Galesburg, Ill. Assistant Coach Bill Burrows was born in Baltimore, Md., but spent most of his late childhood and nearly all of his adult life in North Carolina.
Monumental Win
USC Upstate's 58-56 win at SMU on Dec. 18, 2007, was a milestone victory for the Spartans last year. Upstate claimed its first win in the Division I era against Brevard on Dec. 6, 2007. However, Brevard is a Division II member, making the SMU win the first against a Division I program last year as well as the first win over a Division I opponents in the history of the program.
Upstate has several wins over programs currently competing on the Division I level, but the wins came in the 1970s and 80s when the institutions played in the NAIA before moving to NCAA Division I membership.
A-Sun Looks To Duplicate Success From A Year Ago
While Belmont was introduced to the nation by nearly upsetting Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, folks in the basketball world already knew that A-Sun hoops is strong. In 2007-08, A-Sun teams pulled off six wins over marquee programs, starting with Gardner-Webb's (now playing in the Big South Conference) 84-68 victory at Kentucky on Nov. 7. Below is a listing of the notable wins last season by A-Sun schools.
Nov. 7--Gardner-Webb def. No. 22 Kentucky, 84-68...(Gardner-Webb now plays in the Big South Conference)
Nov. 9--Belmont def. Cincinnati, 86-75
Nov. 10--Mercer def. No. 18 Southern Cal, 96-81
Nov. 19--Belmont def. Alabama, 85-83
Dec. 18--USC Upstate def. SMU, 58-56
Dec. 21--East Tennessee State def. Georgia, 76-58
Burrows Brings Experience To Sidelines
Second-year assistant coach Bill Burrows is anything but new to the game. The veteran of the sideline has been a head coach on the high school level in North Carolina for nearly 30 years and was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech and Towson. He can tell stories of coaching greats such as Brad Daugherty and Brad Johnson, but his best quality may be his ability to tell stories that both entertain and educate.
Paul Makes Good
Former Spartan starting point guard C.J. Paul is now living the life around the NBA. No, he is not playing in the world's top league, he is serving as the personal assistant/manager for his younger brother, Chris, the former NBA Rookie of Year now in his fourth season with the New Orleans Hornets. Paul was on-hand in Beijing, China, to watch his younger brother win a gold medal for the United States in last summer's Olympic Games.
