Upstate Set To Open Season At Nebraska
11/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2009
Game Notes | Live Audio | Live Video | Live Stats
Spartanburg, S.C. - When USC Upstate tips off at Nebraska Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. CST in Lincoln at the Devaney Center, Spartans head coach Eddie Payne will not only begin his eighth season at the helm of the Upstate program and the school's third on the Division I level, he will begin his 25th as a head coach of college basketball. The silver anniversary comes in a crucial year for Upstate as it builds toward the 2011-12 season when the Spartans will gain full eligibility in Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference. Payne's milestone year comes as Upstate looks to build on the progress made last season after the Spartans improved their overall and A-Sun win totals over the 2007-08 campaign.
The season all begins Saturday at Nebraska as Upstate once again opens the season against marquee non-conference opponents. The Spartans will leave Lincoln and travel to Bloomington, Ind., to face Indiana Monday night in a game televised on the Big Ten Network. The Spartans enter the game having played a pair of scrimmage contests, while Nebraska is also playing its season opener after winning a pair of exhibition games against Arkansas-Fort Smith (86-66) and Hastings College (71-39). The game marks the first meeting between Upstate and Nebraska and the second meeting between the Spartans and a school from the Big 12. Upstate dropped a 72-48 decision at Iowa State on Jan. 2, 2008, in Ames, Iowa.
Fans not in attendance can listen to the action via the official Upstate Athletics Web site, www.upstatespartans.com, with play-by-play provided by Scott Larson and color commentary by Bill English. Fans can also watch the action live for a fee at HuskersNside by visiting the official Nebraska Athletics Web site at www.huskers.com.
Upstate will look to 7-3 center Nick Schneiders to carry the load for the team this season. His development has been remarkable in just his fifth year of playing organized basketball. He emerged as a go-to player last season, leading the A-Sun and breaking a single-season school record with 79 blocked shots, while averaging 9.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He returns to lead an experienced group of returning players for Upstate. Josh Chavis and Mezie Uzochukwu, starters since their freshmen seasons in 2007-08, bring a wealth of experience to the team, while De'Marion Gordon, Pat Posey, Carter Cook and Chalmers Rogers have all seen significant time on the court during their careers at Upstate.
Scouting Nebraska
Nebraska enters Saturday's game coming off of back-to-back exhibition wins over Arkansas-Fort Smith and Hastings College. The Cornhuskers claimed an 86-66 victory over Arkansas-Fort Smith as Ryan Anderson and Christian Standhardinger led the way with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Nebraska shot 47 percent from the floor and made a living at the foul line, finishing the game 30-of-41 from the charity stripe. Against Hastings, Standhardinger led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds to lead the Cornhuskers to the victory. Toney McCray added 11 points as the only other player in double figures for Nebraska.
Nebraska is coming off of a solid season in 2008-09 for head coach Doc Sadler, finishing 18-13 on the year and earning a berth in the postseason NIT. The Cornhuskers finished .500 in the Big 12, finishing with an 8-8 record. The squad opened the season with six straight victories and finished the regular season non-conference portion of its schedule with a 10-3 record.
Nebraska returns just five players from last year's team, having lost four of its top-five scorers from a year ago. Sek Henry is the leading returning scorer for the Cornhuskers. He averaged 8.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while starting 29 games as a junior. His senior leadership will be key for Nebraska, especially early on. He started the exhibition opener and finished with six points in 20 minutes of play.
Ryan Anderson is the only other player to have started 10 or more games for the Cornhuskers last year to return for the 2009-10 season. He averaged 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He averaged 10.5 points in the two exhibition games this season.
With only five returning players on the team, Nebraska will rely heavily on its newcomers to make a difference on the court. Jorge Brian Diaz recorded a double-double in the exhibition against Arkansas-Fort Smith, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while turning in eight points and nine boards in the exhibition against Hastings. At 6-11, he will most likely be matched up with Upstate's 7-3 center, Nick Schneiders. Also look for Christian Standhardinger and Lance Jeter to play prominent roles on the team.
Doc Sadler is in his fourth year at the helm of the Nebraska program. He owns a 55-40 record at the school. Overall, he is 103-58 and in his sixth season as a head coach on the Division I level. For his career, he is 223-97, having spent five seasons as a head coach on the junior college level. A 1982 graduate of Arkansas, he got his start as a head coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith from 1998-2003 and was named the NJCAA Region II Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2002. He moved to UTEP first as an assistant coach in 2003 and was elevated to the head position for two seasons from 2004-06. He has been an assistant coach at nine different institutions.
Celebrating 25 Years
When Eddie Payne takes USC Upstate on the court at Nebraska on Nov. 14, he will begin his 25th as a head coach on the collegiate level. With 24 years in the books, he has amassed 369 wins in his illustrious career, coaching at all levels of college hoops. Last year he became the only active coach in Division I to have served as a head coach on all levels of college basketball, coaching in the NCAA at Divisions I, II and III, as well as in the NAIA and JUCO ranks. He coached his 700th career game in the season-ending game at Gonzaga last year, capping a successful second season in Division I after improving the Spartans' overall win total by two games and the conference win total by three games over the 2007-08 season.
Payne began his career as head coach at Truett-McConnell on the JUCO level and moved to Belmont Abbey when the Crusaders were members of the NAIA. He got his first NCAA Division I coaching position at East Carolina before moving to Oregon State. He then coached at Division III Greensboro College before taking the job at Upstate when the Spartans were members of Division II. With Upstate now in Division I, he has coached at three different DI institutions.
Upstate Receives $4 Million Gift For Hodge Renovations
Mrs. Dodie Anderson, a 1981 graduate of USC Upstate and a longtime friend and supporter of the University and its Athletics Department, formally announced a gift of $4 million to completely renovate the G.B. Hodge Center. Renovations are expected to begin on March 1 and expected to be completed by the start of the 2009-10 basketball season. Once complete, the "new" Hodge Center will feature a new floor, lights, seating, state-of-the-art scoreboards and scorer's tables, video capabilities and sound system. The $4 million gift is the largest single gift made to the Athletics Department and one of the largest in school history. Anderson and her late husband, Bob, were owners of Anderson Hardwood Floors, what was once the largest privately owned hardwood floor manufacturing company in the country.
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 five years. He is a redshirt senior 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 than doubled his averages to 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing while blocking 25 shots. He had a breakout year last year, averaging 9.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while blocking a school record 79 shots.
Schneiders The King Of The Block
With four blocked shots against Belmont on Feb. 16, Nick Schneiders moved atop the single-season blocks list at Upstate. He finished the season with 79 blocks, surpassing the 56 swatted by Kevin Harrington in 2002-03. Schneiders, who already had demolished his single-season school Division I blocks record of 25 set in 2007-08, now has 119 in his career and ranks second all-time behind Harrington, who finished his career with 136 in four seasons. Schneiders has become just the second Spartan to reach 100 career blocks.
Making The Grade
While Upstate works hard to try to get it done on the court, the Spartans work to get it done in the classroom as well. The hard work has paid off as the men's basketball program posted a team GPA of 3.026 in the fall semester and a 3.113 GPA in the spring semester. The performance in the spring marked the highest GPA for the basketball team since the department began tracking team GPAs in the early 1990's. Eight members of the men's basketball team were selected to the A-Sun All-Academic team released by the league last summer. Gabor Boros, Cedric Koffi, Matt Preston, Lucas Reiff, Zac Rich, Chalmers Rogers, Nick Schneiders and Mezie Uzochukwu were each selected as All-Academic in the A-Sun. The eight All-Academic selections are the most ever in the history of the program, topping the seven selections to the Peach Belt Conference Presidential Academic Honor Roll in 2007 in the Spartans' final year in NCAA Division II.
The Renaissance Man
Not only is Nick Schneiders developing his game, he is also in the process of developing his skills as a graphic designer. Having done a few volunteer projects for the media relations and marketing departments at Upstate, he also dabbles in artistic expression. The senior center's work was on display at last year's NCAA Convention in Washington D.C. and in the online version of the NCAA Champions magazine featuring the NCAA Student-Athlete Art Exhibit. Schneiders donated two pieces of artwork to the exhibit, a wire shoe and an artistic picture of a fluorescent light bulb. Schneiders was one of 20 student-athletes from all NCAA Division I, II and III schools to have his artwork chosen for the exhibit in Washington D.C. and in the online version of the NCAA Champions magazine.
Koffi Waiting For His Time On The Court
Despite documentation supporting his case, Cedric Koffi was declared ineligible for all of the 2008-09 season and the first 12 games of this season by the NCAA. As a young club player in France, Koffi signed a document promising to only play for the club team in which he developed as a player. The agreement also allowed for typical game-day expenses, such as a meal, to be provided to each player on the club team. The NCAA, despite the assurances on the contrary from the club's president, deemed Koffi had received compensation for his play and that he had played on a team where others had been paid for playing. As a result, the NCAA prohibited him from playing last season and for more than a third of this year. For his part, Koffi decided to remain at Upstate last season instead of transferring to an NAIA school where he could have played immediately. Said Koffi at the time to head coach Eddie Payne, "Coach, I want to wear a Spartan uniform. You committed to me and I am committing to you." The first game the guard from Paris, France, can play for Upstate is the Jan. 4 contest against A-Sun foe East Tennessee State in the Hodge Center.
Rogers Looks To Make Impact
The biggest surprise of the preseason has been the development of sophomore forward Chalmers Rogers. A key role player last year, he averaged 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in 12.4 minutes per outing. However, he has been active on both ends of the court in practice and was more than solid in the Spartans' two scrimmages the last two weeks. His play has been so strong that he may very well find a place in the starting lineup as Upstate looks to fill the void at the position left by Bobby Davis who now plays professionally in Holland.
Chavis and Uzochukwu Bring Steady Experience
Juniors Josh Chavis and Mezie Uzochukwu have been starters for the better part of the last two seasons. As upperclassmen and two of three players who have been on the team since Upstate moved to Division I in 2007, the pair are central to the success of the team. Chavis, from Dudley High School in Greensboro, N.C., averaged 8.3 points and ranked second on the team with 69 assists last year. He finished the year with nine more assists than turnovers from his point guard position. Uzochukwu, from Northeast Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game a year ago while improving his outside game. He ranked fifth on the Spartans with 13 three-pointers. While 7-3 center Nick Schneiders will be much of the focus for opposing teams and fans alike, the play of Chavis and Uzochukwu, with their experience and skill, will be key to the Spartans this season.
Gordon Ready For Primetime
Sophomore combination guard De'Marion Gordon is set to make a major impact for the Spartans this season. A member of the A-Sun's All-Freshman team last year, he enters the season as the potential starter at the point guard position. However, Gordon is not your typical point guard. He can not only direct the offense and penetrate defenses with his dribble, he can be deadly from the outside. He finished 2008-09 fourth on the team in scoring at 6.9 points per game and shot a solid 32.8 percent from the free throw line. His breakout game came at Mercer on Dec. 2 when he sank six three-pointers en route to a career-high 22-point performance to keep Upstate in the game.
Spartans Take "Provisional" Crown
With its 80-51 victory over Kennesaw State on Feb. 28, Upstate claimed the mythical A-Sun provisional title, besting Kennesaw State, North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast with an 8-12 conference record. All four schools are relatively new to the NCAA Division I ranks. Kennesaw State and North Florida finished their final year of provisional status by the NCAA in 2008-09 and will be able to compete in postseason play this season. Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast, now in their third year in DI, will be full Division I members in 2011-12.
Upstate Closes Out Season On Strong Note
Playing a brutal non-conference schedule in November and December led to Upstate beginning the season 0-9 on the year prior to a 72-47 thumping of Southern in the third-game of the Las Vegas Classic. However, after starting the season 0-9, Upstate closed out the year with a 9-12 mark. The Spartans hit their stride during the brunt of the A-Sun conference season, winning seven of their last 13 conference games, including a Division I school record three-game winning streak with wins at Jacksonville and at home against Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast.
Spartans Set Mark
With nine wins overall and eight wins in the A-Sun, Upstate broken the marks for wins established in 2007-08 in Upstate's first season playing on the Division I level. That year, Upstate finished with seven wins overall and five in the A-Sun. Last year, Upstate saw vast improvement despite playing yet another difficult schedule and beginning the season 0-9 after playing Georgia, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Duquesne, Kennesaw State (A-Sun), Mercer (A-Sun), Boston College, Saint Louis and Fresno State.
Record-Breaking Win
When Upstate claimed a 29-point victory over Kennesaw State on Feb. 28, it broke the school's Division I record for largest margin of victory. Prior to the game against the Owls, the record was 28 points against Southern earlier in the season in the Las Vegas Classic.
Lucky 7
Already the school's single-season record holder for blocked shots, Nick Schneiders pulled off back-to-back seven-block games in leading Upstate to wins over Mercer and Kennesaw State to close out the A-Sun portion of the schedule last year. Schneiders had five blocked shots in the second half of the Mercer game as Upstate rallied from 18 down to win in double overtime. He had four blocked shots in the first half against Kennesaw, helping stake the Spartans to a 14-point halftime lead.
A Night To Remember
The epic battle that saw Upstate rally from 18 down in the second half to take a double overtime win over Mercer on Feb. 26 proved to be a night to remember on many fronts. Here are some notable items from the game...
• The game was the first in the A-Sun since Feb. 17, 2006 that players from each team scored 30 points. Bobby Davis finished with 33 points and James Florence finished with 38 in the game. Ironically, the last game also ended in a 93-90 score, but Mercer prevailed over Jacksonville as Mercer's Andrew Brown finished with 35 and Jacksonville's Marcus Allen finished with 30.
• The game marked the first time since Jan. 11, 2005 that Upstate had scored 90 points in a game.
• Bobby Davis' 33 points was the first time since Jay Free's 36 points on Nov. 28, 2005 that an Upstate player scored 30 points or more in a game.
• The last time Upstate won an overtime game was a 79-77 victory over Salem international on Nov. 24, 2006.
• The win marked Upstate's first overtime win in the Division I era.
Payne's Spartans In The Pros
While Upstate has not had a player taken in the NBA Draft under head coach Eddie Payne, the venerable head coach has produced several professional players throughout his tenure at the helm of the Spartans' program. Payne has had six players go on to play professionally, be it in the United States or overseas. Kevin Harrington (2000-04) played professionally in the USBL. Petros Tsampas (2002-04) and Ivica Grgurivic (2004-06) have all played professionally in Europe. Recently, Charleston Long (2003-05) finished his third season playing in Australia, while Luke Payne was named the Most Valuable Player of the Grand Final after leading the Lakeside Lightning to the State Basketball League championship in his first season professionally in Australia. Last year's go-to player, Bobby Davis, signed a contract to play professionally in Holland and is in his first season of his professional career.
Upstate Wins Three In A Row For First Time In DI
When the final buzzer sounded in Upstate's 71-62 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 9, the win marked the first three-game winning streak for the Spartans since joining the ranks of Division I last season.
Pack Your Bags, Boys
Year three in NCAA Division I will start out much the same as the previous two, on the road playing against some of the nation's top teams in the nation's top conferences. Upstate will play another marquee non-conference schedule this season, opening at Nebraska and Indiana and playing the likes of Miami, Wichita State, UNLV and Arizona State. With the A-Sun covering a five-state region in the Southeast, Upstate will travel more than 12,000 miles roundtrip to play its 17-game road schedule.
Davis Stands Alone In The Nation
After research conducted by A-Sun Director of Communications Eric Moyer and the media relations office at Upstate, Bobby Davis ended the year as the only player in all of Division I who led his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and field goal percentage (at least 50 attempts). Davis was one of two players in the nation to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and field goal percentage with Belmont's Alex Renfroe being the other player.
Spartans' Non-Conference Schedule Ranked 29th
In its two seasons playing on the NCAA Division I level, Upstate has not ducked playing anyone. In addition to a demanding A-Sun conference schedule, the Spartans have played the likes of Notre Dame, Utah, South Carolina, Georgia, Boston College, Duquesne, Akron, Oregon State, UTEP, Saint Louis, Fresno State and Buffalo in its first two seasons. In the final non-conference strength of schedule ranking released by Ken Pomeroy for 2008-09, Upstate's schedule was ranked 29th in the country.
Home Sweet Home
Despite playing just 11 games at home last season, the Spartans were happy to do so. Upstate has a solid home record, going 65-26 (.714) in seven years under head coach Eddie Payne. Overall, the Spartans are 324-137 (.703) in 461 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. Upstate will play 12 home games this season the Hodge Center.
A-Sun Schools Knock Off The Big Boys Again
In 2007-08, Belmont nearly stunned Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and introduced the nation to A-Sun basketball. However, the college basketball world already knew how strong the conference was last year and how tough league teams are year-in and year-out. A-Sun schools picked up wins over Kentucky, Southern Cal, Alabama, Georgia, Cincinnati and SMU in `07-'08. Mercer got the A-Sun off to a good start last year with wins against SEC teams as the Bears claimed a 72-69 victory over Alabama on Nov. 16 and a 78-74 win over Auburn on Nov. 19. Mercer's win over Alabama marked the second-straight year the Crimson Tide has fallen to an A-Sun school as Alabama lost to Belmont, 85-83, last year. Lipscomb knocked off a major DI program, defeating Indiana, 74-69, in Bloomington on Dec. 28.
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 eight different conferences in its nine-game non-conference schedule this season. Last year, Upstate played schools from nine different conferences in addition to its A-Sun schedule, while playing schools from 10 different leagues in 2007-08.
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 fifth 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 the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
