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Utes Begin Six-Game Road Swing
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
November 16, 1998
UTAH (1-0) VS UTAH STATE (1-0) Wednesday, Nov. 18 - 7:05 p.m. The Spectrum (10,270) - Logan, Utah
QUICKLY: The Utes start a string of six straight road games Wednesday when they travel to Logan to face Utah State at 7:05 p.m. in the Spectrum ... the game will be televised live by KJZZ-TV and broadcast on radio by K-news (570) ... Utah opened the regular season Saturday with 76-47 win over Azusa Pacific in the Huntsman Center ... Utes are ranked 10th by Associated Press and 12th by USA Today/ESPN in pre-season polls.
PROBABLE UTE STARTERS
F - 50 Alex Jensen (6-7, 215, Jr) 14.0, 9.0
F - 40 Phil Cullen (6-9, 200, Fr) 10.0, 6.0
C - 13 Hanno Mottola (6-10, 240, Jr) 16.0, 3.0
G - 32 Jeremy Killion (6-0, 197, Jr) 10.0, 3.0
G - 24 Andre Miller (6-2, 203, Sr) 10.0, 5.0, 7.0
OFF THE BENCH
G - 4 Adam Sharp (6-2, 184, Fr) 4.0, 4.0
G - 11 Ben Heusser (5-11, 177, Fr) 0.0, 1.0
F - 20 Brad Crockett (6-4, 208, Fr) 0.0, 1.0
F - 41 Tyson Johnston (6-10, 233, Fr) 2.0, 3.0
C - 52 Nate Althoff (6-11, 245, SO.) 10.0,7.0
MAJERUS' MARK: Ute coach RICK MAJERUS is in his 10th season at the helm of the Runnin' Utes. Majerus has a 211-59 (.781) mark as Ute coach, the best record of any coach in the modern era of Utah basketball. He is in his 14th year as a major college head coach and has a 310-111 career record. His .736 career winning percentage ranks him seventh in the country among active coaches and 21st all-time. Majerus has won six WAC titles and made six trips to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the "Sweet 16" four times, the "Elite Eight" twice and the "Final Four" once.
USA TODAY/ESPN PRE-SEASON POLL
1. Duke 32-5 2. Stanford 30-5 3. Connecticut 32-5 4. Michigan State 22-8 5. Maryland 21-11 6. Kentucky 33-4 7. Temple 21-9 8. Kansas 35-4 9. Tennessee 20-9 10. Xavier 22-8 11. North Carolina 34-4 12. UTAH 30-4 13. UCLA 24-9 14. Washington 20-10 15. Cincinnati 27-6 16. Purdue 28-8 17. Indiana 20-12 18. Oklahoma State 22-7 19. Arkansas 24-9 20. Arizona 30-5 21. New Mexico 24-8 22. Syracuse 26-9 23. Massachusetts 21-11 24. TCU 27-6 25. Rhode Island 25-9
ASSOCIATED PRESS PRE-SEASON POLL
1. Duke 32-4
2. Connecticut 32-5
3. Stanford 30-5
4. Kentucky 35-4
5. Michigan State 22-8
6. Maryland 21-11
7. Temple 21-9
8. Kansas 35-4
9. Tennessee 20-9
10. UTAH 30-4
11. North Carolina 34-4
12. UCLA 24-9
13. Oklahoma State 22-7
14. Washington 20-10
15. Cincinnati 27-6
16. Purdue 28-8
17. Xavier 22-8
18. Arizona 30-5
19. Arkansas 24-9
20. New Mexico 24-8
Syracuse 26-9
22. Indiana 20-12
23. Rhode Island 25-9
24. Massachusetts 21-11
25. TCU 27-6
ANDRE TIME: ANDRE MILLER leads the Ute attack this season. The 6-2, senior guard was a non-qualifier as a freshman but became one of the first athletes to take advantage of a new NCAA rule allowing non-qualifiers an extra year of eligibility if they graduated in four years. Miller received his degree in sociology last June and the Utes are the better for it this season. Andre had an outstanding NCAA Tournament. He was named the MVP of the West Region after the Ute knocked off defending champion Arizona 76-51. In that game Miller became the first player since Magic Johnson to hit for a triple double when he scored 18 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and passed for 13 assists. He also was named to the "Final Four" all-Tournament team as the Utes made it to the NCAA Championship game. For the six NCAA games Andre averaged 16.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. This season Andre is averaging 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists.
ANDRE HONORS: ANDRE MILLER is a candidate for the Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year Awards. He has also been named to most pre-season All-American teams including garnering first team honors on the Associated Press and Playboy Magazine pre-season teams. He is rated by most pre-season publications as one of the top two point guards in the nation.
UTES DUMP COUGARS: Utah opened the season with a 76-47 victory over Azusa Pacific Saturday in the Huntsman Center. The Utes shot .676 from the field in the first half to take a 51-18 lead at halftime. HANNO MOTTOLA led the way with 16 points as six Utes scored in double figures. ALEX JENSEN added 14 points and was the top rebounder with 9 boards. Four players, ANDRE
RADIO: The Utah-Utah State game will be broadcast live on K-news (570 AM) radio and the Utah Sports Network. Stations on the network are KOAL (Price), KVEC (Vernal), KSVC (Richfield), KSGI (St. George), KUTA (Blanding) and KSHP (Las Vegas). BILL MARCROFT will call the play-by-play with JEFF JONAS adding color commentary. BRAD STONE handles pre and post game and halftime duties.
TV: The game will be televised live by KJZZ-TV, Channel 14 (channel 3 on cable). STEVE BROWN will call the play-by-play with Utah Jazz President and Utah Starzz coach FRANK LAYDEN adding color commentary.
UTES IN THE HUNTSMAN CENTER: The Utes have won 22 straight games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center dating back to the 1996-97 season. Last year the Utes were 13-0 in the JMHC. Last loss in the building was to Wake Forest (70-59) on Dec. 31, 1996.
ANDRE'S STEALS: Miller is currently in second place on the career steals list with 175 career thefts. He needs 17 steals to pass JOSH GRANT (1989-93) and become the all-time Utah steals leader.
MILLER, PHIL CULLEN, JEREMY KILLION and NATE ALTHOFF each scored 10 points. Althoff, who grabbed 7 boards, saw his first action after missing the two exhibition games with a broken finger. Although the Utes shot .522 from the field for the game they did struggle from three-point range going 0-13 on the night.
SERIES RECORD: Utah leads in the series with the Aggies 125-85 ... the Aggies lead 53-50 in games played in Logan ... last year the Utes won 71-55 in Salt Lake ... Utes have won five games in a row ... last USU win was an 85-75 victory in Logan during the 1992-93 season ... the Utes have not lost to the Aggies since the teams began playing just one game a season in 1993-94 ... Ute coach RICK MAJERUS has a 10-5 record against Aggie coach STEW MORRILL. All games were played when Morrill was coaching at Colorado State.
PROBABLE AGGIE STARTERS
F - 22 Troy Rolla (6-2, 203, Jr) 17.0, 8.0
F - 34 Pharoah Davis (6-5, 231, Sr) 13.0, 12.0
C - 40 Donnie Johnson (6-6, 217, Sr) 17.0, 5.0
G - 21 Tyrone Allick (6-1, 176, Sr) 8.0, 2.0
G - 31 Tony Brown (6-3, 194, Fr) 18.0, 4.0
ANDRE ON CAREER SCORING CHART: ANDRE MILLER is ranked 23rd on the Ute career scoring chart with 1,108 points. He needs 23 points to pass CHAS MENATTI (1972-76) to move into 22nd place on the list.
ANDRE'S ASSISTS: Miller is in third place on the career assist list with 542. He needs 62 assists to pass SCOTT MARTIN (1978-81) to move into second place on the list. Current Utah radio color man JEFF JONAS (1974-77) is the Utes' career assist leader with 736 during his career.
UTE PLAYER UPDATES
#24 ANDRE MILLER, G (6-2, 203, SR. LOS ANGELES, CALIF.) -
Candidate for
Wooden and Naismith Awards ... named first team pre-season
All-American ... serves as team captain ... opened season with 10
points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals in win over Azusa Pacific.
#13 HANNO MOTTOLA, F (6-10, 240, JR. HELSINKI, FINLAND) -
Led Utes in
scoring with 16 points in opening win over Azusa Pacific.
#50 ALEX JENSEN, F (6-7, 215, JR. CENTERVILLE, UTAH) -
Hit for 14 points
in first game against Azusa Pacific ... went 6-8 from the field in
that game.
#32 JEREMY KILLION, G (6-0, 197, JR. SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) -
Started first
game of college career against Azusa Pacific ... hit for 10 points
and 3 rebounds in that game.
#40 PHIL CULLEN, F (6-9, 200, FR. CHELAN, WASH.) -
Started first game of
college career against Azusa Pacific ... scored 10 points and had 6
rebounds and 3 steals in that game.
#52 NATE ALTHOFF, C (6-11, 245, SO. DELANO, MINN.) -
Suffered broken
index finger in pre-season drills ... first game back was Azusa
Pacific where he scored 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
#4 ADAM SHARP, G (6-2, 184, FR. SALT LAKE CITY) -
Redshirt freshman ...
hit for 4 points and 4 rebounds in first college game against Azusa
Pacific.
#41 TYSON JOHNSTON, F (6-10, 233, FR. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COL.) -
Had 2 points and 3 rebounds in first college game against Azusa Pacific.
#11 BEN HEUSSER, G (5-11, 177, FR. PRESTON, IDAHO) -
Played 11 minutes in first college game against Azusa Pacific.
#20 BRAD CROCKETT, F (6-4, 208, FR. CENTERVILLE, UTAH) -
Played 14 minutes in first college game against Azusa Pacific.
RICK MAJERUS - HEAD BASKETBALL COACH
Nine years under Head Coach Rick Majerus has entrenched the University of Utah in the nation's basketball power structure. Majerus, the winningest Utah basketball coach in modern times (210-59, .781 winning percentage), has led the Utes to unprecedented success. That fact was crystallized when Majerus led his 1997-98 Utes to the NCAA "Final Four" where they beat number one ranked North Carolina in the semifinals to advance to the final game. It was the first time since 1944 a Ute team had made it to an NCAA Championship game.
In the 90-year history of Utah basketball, the Utes have never enjoyed a nine-year stretch like the Majerus tenure. Despite the fact Majerus coached just six games in his first season, due to heart surgery, his clubs have averaged 23 wins per year during that time. His seven postseason appearances (six NCAA) is a school coaching benchmark. Never before has a Ute team advanced to the Sweet 16 four times in a seven-year span. Majerus' teams own six Western Athletic Conference championships, including the last four, a feat never before achieved at Utah. In 1996-97, his Utes captured both the Mountain Division crown and the WAC Tournament title. Last year, Utah repeated as the WAC Mountain Division champion with a 12-2 record.
Majerus' success goes far beyond the conference level. In six trips to the NCAA as Utah's coach, he has yet to lose a first round game. Utah, Kentucky and Arizona are the only teams to make the Sweet Sixteen in each of the last three years. For the second straight year, Majerus led his team into the Elite Eight. For the last two years, his teams have taken up permanent residence in the Top-10. He coached last year's team to Utah's first Final Four berth in 22 years. Actually, it is his second "Final Four" of some sort at Utah. In 1992, Utah made the Final Four of the National Invitational Tournament.
In terms of wins and losses, Majerus has few peers. His .736 career winning percentage is seventh among active NCAA coaches and ranks 21st all-time. Majerus' feats have earned him national recognition and respect. The three-time WAC Coach of the Year (1991, '93, '95), was tapped for national honors in 1991 (Basketball Times' and UPI Coach of the Year) and 1992 (Playboy Coach of the Year). He received Playboy National Coach of the Year honors again in 1998. He is also a six-time District Coach of the Year. In a previous two-year stint with Ball State, Majerus received The Hoop Scoop Coach of the Year honors in 1988-89. Most recently, the WAC media voted him Mountain Division Coach of the Year in 1996-97. He also was voted the John Wooden National Coach of the Year for 1997-98 by the Utah Tip Off Club.
Success has followed Majerus at all of his stops. His head coaching career began at Marquette, where he compiled a 56-35 record from 1983-86 and took his teams to three NIT Tournaments. He preceded his Utah tenure with a successful two-year stint at Ball State, where he logged a 43-17 mark, including a 29-3 record and an NCAA 2nd Round berth in 1988-89. Majerus has an international resume, as well. He served during the summer of 1997 as the head coach of the USA Basketball Men's 22 and under team that competed in the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. He spent the summer of 1994 as an assistant coach to Don Nelson for the USA "Dream Team 2, which featured the top NBA players in the Men's World Basketball Championships in Toronto.
Majerus' reach extends into the classroom. In his time at Utah, 86 players have made the honor roll, including nine winter quarter and seven spring quarter. Michael Doleac was named to the 1998 GTE Academic All-America first team, while Drew Hansen made the third team. The Utes were the only school with two players on the 1998 GTE Academic All-America squad. Hansen also won the 1997 Playboy Magazine Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete Award for basketball, was a Rhodes Scholar candidate, an NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship winner and was a finalist for the Walter Byers Award, the highest academic award given by the NCAA. The 1997-98 Utes racked up an excellent 3.31 team GPA spring quarter.
RICK'S RECORD
YEAR TEAM RECORD WAC FINISH POSTSEASON 1998-99 UTAH 1-0 1997-98 Utah 30-4 1st NCAA Championship Game 1996-97 Utah 28-3 1st NCAA "Elite Eight" 1995-96 Utah 27-7 1st NCAA "Sweet 16" 1994-95 Utah 28-6 1st NCAA 2nd Round 1993-94 Utah 14-14 5th (tie) 1992-93 Utah 24-7 1st NCAA 2nd Round 1991-92 Utah 24-11 4th NIT "Final Four" 1990-91 Utah 30-4 1st NCAA "Sweet 16" 1989-90 Utah 4-2* 6th (tie) 1988-89 Ball State 29-3 NCAA 2nd Round 1987-88 Ball State 14-14 1985-86 Marquette 19-11 NIT 1984-85 Marquette 20-11 NIT 1983-84 Marquette 17-13 NITUtah Total 211-59 (.781), 9 years Career Total 310-111 (.736), 14 years (7th in the country)
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