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Utes Prepare for Loyola, St. Francis
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
December 15, 1998
Next Matchup:
UTAH (5-4) VS LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (4-4)
UTAH (5-4) VS SAINT FRANCIS (PA.) (3-5)
PROBABLE UTE STARTERS
F-50 Alex Jensen (6-7, 215, Jr) 10.9 6.6, 3.9 F-13 Hanno Mottola (6-10, 240, Jr) 16.1, 6.7 C-52 Nate Althoff (6-11, 245, So) 4.6, 3.8 G-32 Jeremy Killion (6-0, 197, Jr) 8.2, 2.9 G-24 Andre Miller (6-2, 203, Sr) 18.6, 5.8, 5.6OFF THE BENCH
F-40 Phil Cullen (6-9, 200, Fr) 4.4, 3.6 G-4 Adam Sharp (6-2, 184, Fr) 2.4, 1.8 F-20 Brad Crockett (6-4, 208, Fr) 0.4, 0.4 F-41 Tyson Johnston (6-10, 233, Fr) 0.4, 0.9 G-11 Ben Heusser (5-11, 177, Fr) 0.0, 0.3
QUICKLY: The Utes return home to start a six game home stand ...Utah has played seven of nine games on the road so far this season ... Utah faces Loyola Marymount Saturday (Dec. 19) and St. Francis (PA.) on Dec. 22 ... Both games will be broadcast on K-news radio ... The Utes fell out of the top 25 this week ... it's the first time Utah has not been ranked since the beginning of the 1994-95 season.
MAJERUS' MARK: Ute coach RICK MAJERUS is in his 10th season at the helm of the Runnin' Utes. Majerus has a 215-63 (.774) 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 314-115 career record. His .732 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.
RADIO: Both games 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: None
SATELLITE COORDINATES: None
INTERNET: Online, Utah basketball information can be found at www.UtahUtes.com.
UTES IN THE HUNTSMAN CENTER: The Utes have won 23 straight games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center dating back to the 1996-97 season. That is currently tied for the 6th longest home winning streak in the country.
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.
UTES AMONG THE TOP TEAMS IN THE 90'S: The Runnin' Utes have been one of the most successful college basketball teams in this decade. Under coach RICK MAJERUS the Utes have posted a 227-75 record for a .752 winning percentage in the 1990's. Utah is ranked 8th in the nation in winning percentage and 9th in total victories during the decade.
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 Utes 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. Currently Andre is leading the Utes in scoring averaging 18.6 points per game. He is also averaging 5.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the season. Miller's floor game is excellent this year. He is averaging 5.6 assists to 3.6 turnovers per game.
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. This year he has been named to the all-tournament team at the Maui Invitational and the MVP of the Great Eight Tournament as well as WAC Player of the Week
The Utes signed three players during the early signing period. They are:
LANCE ALLRED, F/C (6-10, 220, SALT LAKE CITY/EAST HIGH SCHOOL): Averaged 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game as a junior ... shot 68.5 percent from the field ... 39 blocked shots ... academic honor roll.
CHRIS HUBER, G (6-1, 188, GARLAND, UTAH/BEAR RIVER HIGH SCHOOL): Started since freshman year ... averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 steals and 5.0 assists a game for his career ... shot 40 percent from three-point range ... first team all-state two years ... academic honor roll ... 3.8 GPA.
NICK JACOBSEN, F (6-5, 188, ROSEVILLE, MINN./ROSEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL): Played three years at Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota before moving to Minnesota ... all-time leading scorer with 1,598 points in Shanley High School ... as a junior averaged 30.7 points per game ... shot 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range ... all-state two years ... MVP of state tournament two years ... Shanley won state championship two straight years .... academic honor roll ... 4.0 GPA.for his games against Rhode Island and Long Beach State when he scored 57 points in the two games.
UTES FALL TO LONGHORNS: The Utes ran into a hot shooting Texas team in Austin Saturday, falling to the Longhorns 73-68. HANNO MOTTOLA led the Utes with a career-high 28 points and 8 rebounds. ANDRE MILLER failed to score in the first half but ended the evening with 12 points. He also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists. ALEX JENSEN and JEREMY KILLION were also in double figures with 11 points each. Texas shot .521 from the floor and blistered the nets from three-point range hitting .643 (9-14) for the game. The Utes were 4-10 from behind the arc.
HOME SWEET HOME: After their string of seven games out of nine on the road the Utes start a stretch that will see them play six straight games in The Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah will finish out the month with home games against Loyola Marymount (Dec. 19), Saint Francis (Dec. 22), Wake Forest (Dec. 28) and High Point (Dec. 30). They will also start the new year with home games against Ripon (Jan. 2) and BYU (Jan. 9). The next road trip for the Utes takes place in mid-January when they head to San Diego State (Jan. 16) and Hawaii (Jan. 18).
A LOOK AT LOYOLA: Loyola Marymount is 4-4 going into the game with the Utes on Saturday. They are coming off a 71-62 win over Pacific on Saturday ... top scorer is forward ELTON MASHACK who is averaging 13.4 points per game .... Loyola is coached by former Wyoming star CHARLES BRADLEY. He is 11-24 in his second year at Loyola.
SERIES RECORD VS. LOYOLA: Utah holds a 20-1 lead in the series against the Lions. Last year the Utes won 89-50 at Loyola ... only Loyola win in the series came in Los Angeles during the 1960 season when the Lions won 85-64. Before last season the two teams had not met since
ANDRE ON CAREER SCORING CHART: ANDRE MILLER is ranked 17th on the Ute career scoring chart with 1,265 points. He needs 27 points to pass KEN GARDNER, 1968-71, 1291 points) to move into the 16th spot on the list.
ANDRE'S ASSISTS: Miller is in third place on the career assist list with 585 He needs 19 assists to pass SCOTT MARTIN (1978-81, 603 assists) 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.
MAJERUS RADIO SHOW: The weekly Rick Majerus radio show can be heard every Tuesday night from 6:05 -7:00 p.m. on KALL RADIO (910). BRAD STONE is the host.
MAJERUS TV SHOW: The weekly Rick Majerus television show can be seen every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. on KJZZ-TV, channel 14 (channel 3 on cable).
UTE NOTES: The Utes are struggling in the shooting department hitting .447 from the field and just .298 from three-point range ... Utes are outscoring their opponents 66.0 to 59.3 and outrebounding them 36.2 to 31.2 ... Ute opponents are shooting .399 from the field and .403 from three-point range ... ANDRE MILLER and HANNO MOTTOLA are the only two Utes to lead the team in scoring in a game this year. Miller has been the top scorer in five games while Mottola has led the Utes in four.
1984 when the Utes took an 89-85 overtime win in Salt Lake City.
UTES VS. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE: Utah is 44-16 over the years against teams from the West Coast Conference.
PROBABLE LOYOLA STARTERS:
F-4 Tim Kennedy (6-5, 200, Sr) 12.2, 5.6 F-32 Elton Mashack (6-5, 210, So) 13.4, 7.2 C-41 Silvester Kainga (6-11, 220, Sr) 7.1, 5.0 G-12 Willie Allen (5-11, 160, Sr) 11.8, 2.5 G-30 Robert Davis (6-3, 190, Fr) 7.4, 2.7
A LOOK AT SAINT FRANCIS: Saint Francis is located in Loretto, Pennsylvania. The Red Flash are 3-5 on this season and don't play until they face the Utes. Forward SAM SUTTON is the leading scorer averaging 14.0 points per game. He is having his knee operated (scoped) on Wednesday and will probably miss the Utah game. Saint Francis is coached by TOM MCONNELL who is 79-93 in his seventh year as head coach.
SERIES RECORD VS. SAINT FRANCIS: This is the first meeting between Utah and Saint Francis.
UTAH VS. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE: This will be the third meeting between Utah and a team from the Northeast Conference. The Utes are 2-0 against the conference with wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Long Island.
PROBABLE SAINT FRANCIS STARTERS:
F-21 John McLean (6-3, 190, Jr) 7.3, 2.6 F-53 Tom Fox (6-7, 190, Jr) 9.4, 4.1 C-45 Melvin Scott (6-6, 225, Jr) 9.4, 7.4 G-33 Rob Krimmel (6-2, 190, Jr) 7.8, 1.5 G-5 Jamal Ragland (5-10, 155, So) 8.3, 2.9
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 ... is now Utes career steals
leader ... is also in 17th place on career scoring chart and third
place on career assist list ... opened season with 10 points, 5
rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals in win over Azusa Pacific ... 18
points and 7 boards in Utah State game ... 24 points in win over
Arizona State in Maui ... had 15 points and a season-high 12 assists
in Ute win over Michigan ... went 9-10 from free throw line in that
game ... 28 points in Great Eight loss to Rhode Island ... also had 6
steals to tie career-high and set Great Eight single-game record ...
career-high 29 points in win at Long Beach ... named to Maui
Invitational All-Tournament team and MVP of the Great Eight ... named
WAC Player of the Week for games against Rhode Island and Long Beach
State ... 19 points in win over Weber State ... 5 steals in that game
broke career steals mark ... leads Utes in scoring (18.4), assists
(5.6) and steals (3.2) ... also top field goal shooter hitting .535
... averaging 5.6 assists to 3.6 turnovers per game.
#13 HANNO MOTTOLA, F
(6-10, 240, JR. HELSINKI, FINLAND)
Led Utes in scoring with 16 points in opening win over Azusa Pacific ... 12
points, 8 rebounds in Utah State game ... led Utes in scoring in
Indiana game with 17 points ... top Ute scorer and rebounder in
Michigan win with 21 points and 6 rebounds ... 13 points against
Rhode Island ... career-high 12 rebounds vs. Long Beach State ... 17
points in Weber win ... career-high 28 points in Texas game ...
averaging 16.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
#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 ... had 11 points and 7 boards in USU game ... career-high
8 assists vs. Weber State ... passed for 7 assists against Azusa
Pacific and Arizona State ... had 9 points in Ute win over Michigan
... season -high 15 points and 10 rebounds in win at Long Beach ...
15 points and 8 boards in Weber win ... 11 points 7 rebounds and 4
steals vs. Texas ... averaging 10.9 points and 6.6 boards per game
... also averaging 3.9 assists per 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 ... 4 points, 4 assists, 3 steals vs.
Utah State ... 7 points, 6 rebounds in Indiana game ... career-high
18 points against Michigan on 6-12 shooting from three-point range
... 13 points against Weber State ... 11 points against Texas ...
averaging 8.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per 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 ... 4 points, 3 rebounds vs. USU
... 4 rebounds vs. Arizona State and Indiana ... career-high 7
rebounds in win at Long Beach ... career-high 14 points in Weber
State win ... averaging 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per 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 ... first
start against Arizona State ... had 3 points and 4 rebounds ... had 6
rebounds and career-high 4 blocks against Indiana ... had 6 points
against Michigan ... 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals in Long
Beach win ... 7 points and 5 rebounds vs. Weber State ... averaging
4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
#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 ... 5 points and 4 rebounds in Arizona State win ... 3 steals
and played excellent defense against Indiana ... had great defensive
game against Michigan with 3 steals ... played well in
Rhode Island game with career-high 7 points ... also had 4 rebounds in
the game ... averaging 2.4 points per game.
#20 BRAD CROCKETT, F
(6-4, 208, FR. CENTERVILLE, UTAH)
Played 14
minutes in first college game against Azusa Pacific ... 2 points
against Arizona State ... played good defense vs. Indiana ... did
excellent defensive job in Rhode Island game ... had 2 points and
played good defense against Weber State.
#41 TYSON JOHNSTON, F
(6-10, 233, FR. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COL.)
Had 2
points and 3 rebounds in first college game against Azusa Pacific ...
had 2 rebounds, 1 block in USU game ... played in 8 games this
season.
#11 BEN HEUSSER, G
(5-11, 177, FR. PRESTON, IDAHO)
Played 11 minutes
in first college game against Azusa Pacific ... played in 4 games
this season.
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
(215-63, .774 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 .734 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 5-4 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 NIT Utah Total 215- 63 (.774), 9 years Career Total 314-115 (.732), 14 years (7th in the country)
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