Jan. 2, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format
USF OPENS THREE-GAME HOMESTAND SATURDAY AGAINST CAL STATE EAST BAY: After visiting five cities, three time zones, three states and logging thousands of frequent flier miles, San Francisco returns at long last to the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym. The Dons welcome Cal State East Bay to the Hilltop for its first home game since December 6, a 78-74 double overtime triumph against Long Beach State. USF places its unblemished 4-0 home record on the line against the Pioneers of the California Pacific Conference (NAIA), who enter the contest with a 5-4 overall record. Cal State East Bay is the final non-conference tune-up for the Dons, who open a three-game homestand. USF hosts 2008 West Coast Conference Tournament Champion San Diego Friday, January 9, before welcoming Bay Area rival Saint Mary's Sunday, January 11. WCC TIP-OFF DINNER SET FOR MONDAY JANUARY 5: USF Athletics and Athletic Development will host the 3rd Annual USF Basketball West Coast Conference Kick-Off Dinner this Monday night, January 5th, 2009 in the McLaren Center on the USF Campus. Come and join us for this exciting event and meet Head USF Basketball Coaches Rex Walters and Tanya Haave, along their coaching staffs and student-athletes, as they preview their upcoming West Coast Conference season and Road to a WCC Championship! A no-host reception will begin at 5:30pm and buffet dinner starts at 6:00pm. Please RSVP by Sunday, January 4th. Call 415-260-4734 with any questions and to RSVP. WEST COAST CONFERENCE PLAY LOOMS: San Francisco hosts Cal State East Bay Saturday night in its final non-conference tune-up prior to kicking off the 2009 West Coast Conference campaign. According to the Collegiate Basketball News, the WCC has played the third toughest overall non-conference schedule in the country and features two teams in the top-20 among national RPI leaders - Saint Mary's (12) and Gonzaga (19). EARLY RETURNS: With 14 games in the books, USF has demonstrated some positive tendencies to watch for in the upcoming contests. - Dons leads the WCC in 3-point field goal percentage at .383 (101-264) USF DONS BASKETBALL ON GREEN 960 AM: USF men's basketball returns to the airwaves and cyberspace for the 2008-2009 season and all games will be available live at USFDons.com, with the bulk of the schedule available on Green 960 AM. Join Pat Olson for the play-by-play in his 18th year behind the microphone courtside. USF Hall-of-Famer Jim Brovelli will join Olson on selected broadcasts. Other features available on USFDons.com include live scoring via GameTracker, courtesy of CBS Sports. YAHOO ONLY BROADCASTS: Only one remaining 2008-09 regular season games will not be carried on Green 960 and will be available on the internet via Yahoo Broadcast on USFDons.com: USF vs. Cal State East Bay (1/3/09). Dior Lowhorn - 2008 WCC FIRST TEAM AND LEAGUE SCORING LEADER: After sitting out the entire 2006-07 season under NCAA transfer rules, junior forward Dior Lowhorn made up for lost time in his first season in the Green and Gold. The Texas Tech transfer and Bay Area native turned in a prolific sophomore campaign for the Dons and led the West Coast Conference in scoring in overall (20.5) and WCC (20.5) contests - the first USF player to pace the league in scoring in both categories since John Cox accomplished the feat in 2004-05 (20.0/19.9). Lowhorn scored 636 points last season, good for fourth place on the Dons single-season scoring charts. A 2008 Mid-Major All-American and a All-WCC First Team pick - the first USF underclassmen tabbed since Gerald Walker in 1995 - Lowhorn scored at least 20 points in 18 games, including a career-high 29 at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). Lowhorn led the Dons with five double-double nights last season and scored 19 points six times and was the only USF player to reach double-digit scoring in every game. Lowhorn was named to the 2008-09 WCC Preseason Team, as selected by the league's head coaches. Dior Lowhorn AMONG NATIONAL SCORING LEADERS: Junior forward Dior Lowhorn ranked No. 27 among final 2007-08 NCAA Division I scoring leaders at 20.5 points per game. Lowhorn is the first Don to crack the top-30 on the NCAA scoring list since John Cox (1999-05) did so as a senior. Lowhorn (19.9) ranked No. 35 among Division I leaders as of December 21, 2008. LOWHORN SURPASSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS: With a 23-point night at USC (12/1/08) junior forward Dior Lowhorn surpassed 1,000 combined career points and enters Saturday's contest against Cal State East Bay with 1,150 points with 920 coming at USF and 230 at Texas Tech. Last year, the San Franciscan ranked fourth in USF single-season scoring history in his first year on the Hilltop, finishing with 636 points. Manny Quezada SURPASSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS: Senior guard Manny Quezada enjoyed a solid second season on the Hilltop, averaging 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. For his efforts, Quezada earned 2008 WCC Honorable Mention selection. The New York native ranked third among WCC assists leaders (4.6), was fourth in turnover to assist ratio (1.57) during league games. Quezada notched his second career 30-point game with a 30-point outburst at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07) and turned in his first double-double at Pepperdine (2/2/08) with 11 points and a career-high 12 assists. After scoring 17 points Monday at Boston College (12/29/08), Quezada became the 29th USF player to surpass 1,000 career points, finishing with 1,005 and ranks 29th on the career scoring list. Next up is USF Hall-of-Famer Mike Quick (1970-73), who scored 1,019. DONS TWO-HEADED MONSTER: USF relied heavily on the one-two punch of sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn and junior guard Manny Quezada last season and figure to count on them once again in 2008-09. Last year the duo combined for 39 of San Francisco's 55 points in a 71-55 loss at Oklahoma (11/9/07), accounting for a remarkable .701 of the team's offensive output. The pair combined for a season-high 59 points at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). Last year in 31 games, Lowhorn and Quezada accounted for 34.4 points per game - .515 of the Dons total offense. Fourteen games into 2008-09, the duo averages 32.2 points per game, .451 of the team's output. NEW FACES PRODUCING IN THE DONS BACKCOURT: Three backcourt newcomers are making their presence felt for USF in their first year in the Green and Gold. Freshman East Bay product Kwame Vaughn ranks third on the team in scoring through 14 games at 11.3 per contest with 3.9 rebounds after a career-high 22 points at San Jose State (12/22/08). Junior Dontae Bryant adds 4.8 points and leads the team in assists at 3.5. Freshman guard Chris O'Brien has started 10 games for USF and adds strong defense to go along with 4.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest. As a group, the newcomer guard trio averages 19.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. DONS DOING IT WITH BALANCE: With 14 games in the books for the 2008-09 season, USF's offense is sharing the scoring load. No fewer than four Dons average double-digit scoring, led by junior forward Dior Lowhorn (20.3). Senior guard Manny Quezada (11.9), freshman guard Kwame Vaughn (11.3), and junior forward Blake Wallace (10.4) lead the balanced USF offensive assault. GAME #15 - SCOUTING CSU EAST BAY: The Pioneers enter Saturday's game against USF with a 5-4 overall record, including a 3-1 league slate. CSU East Bay has won three of its last four games and plays its first contest since a 102-83 triumph against William Jessup December 20. USF is the first Division I opponent for the Pioneers this season. Cal State East Bay has only played one true road game this season and through nine games average 81.2 points on .492 shooting to go along with 38.4 rebounds per game. Junior guard Tauran Moore paces the Pioneers offensively at 15.2 points per game leading four in double-digit scoring. Senior guard Shea Frazee adds 10.8 points, while sophomore forward Will Freedman chips in 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds. Will Biggs is in his 12th season at Cal State East Bay and owns a 182-129 record as the lead Pioneer. Biggs has guided CSU East Bay into the NAIA National Tournament four times. TEAM COMPARISONS - 2008-09 SEASON - (As of 1/1/09): Team PPG Margin FG% 3-FG% FT% RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG USF 71.5 -0.1 .461 .383 .687 31.2 13.6 14.9 5.7 2.6 CSEB 81.2 +6.3 .492 .386 .680 38.4 14.7 15.6 7.0 3.2 CSU EAST BAY PROBABLE STARTERS (As of 1/1/09) LAST MEETING: at USF 94, CSU East Bay 59 (12/8/01) SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 2-0/USF won 1 ON THE AIR/ON THE WEB: UP NEXT FOR THE DONS: San Francisco continues its three-game homestand when it opens the 2009 West Coast Conference schedule Friday, January 9 against San Diego. The Toreros are the defending WCC Tournament Champion and advanced to the 2008 NCAA Sweet-16 under first-year head coach Bill Grier. The Dons then welcome longtime Bay Area rival Saint Mary's to the Hilltop Sunday. USF NEWCOMERS READY FOR BATTLE: USF under first year head coach Rex Walters welcome no fewer than seven newcomers to the Hilltop for the 2008-09 season. A pair of junior college transfers - junior guard Dontae Bryant (Portland, OR) and junior forward Blake Wallace (Irvine, CA) - combine with five prep standouts - Angelo Caloiaro (San Jose, CA), Chris O'Brien (Irvine, CA), Clint Pekarsky (Granite Bay, CA), Peter Smith (Escondido, CA) and Kwame Vaughn (Oakland, CA). Blake Wallace ON THE RISE: Junior forward Blake Wallace has already made an impact for USF in the early going. The Irvine Valley JC transfer ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.4), second in rebounds (4.8) and is third on the team with 17 3-pointers. Wallace, who started his career at Pepperdine in 2006-07, scored a career-high 21 points in his Green and Gold debut at Hawaii (11/14/08) in the Verizon Wireless Tip-off Classic. Wallace scored 15 points in a 65-63 win against Colorado State (11/29/08) and turned in his first USF double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a double overtime win against Long Beach State (12/6/08). Kwame Vaughn PROVIDING BIG SPARK FOR THE DONS: Freshman guard Kwame Vaughn has shown signs of developing into a clutch player for USF. The Oakland native ranks third on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game, leading all USF newcomers. Vaughn scored 17 points against Texas State (11/16/08) and added 11 points in back-to-back wins versus UC Santa Barbara (11/24/08) and Colorado State (11/29/08). Vaughn turned in a strong performance in a win at Boise State (12/13/08) with 18 points. The East Bay product scored a career-high 22 points - 19 coming in the second half - at San Jose State (12/22/08). Angelo Caloiaro PROVIDES A BIG LIFT: Freshman forward Angelo Caloiaro has made an impact for the Dons in the early going and through 14 games averages 6.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Caloiaro scored a career-high 15 points in a win against UC Santa Barbara (11/24/08) and 14 points with a career-high seven rebounds against Colorado State (11/29/08). The Mitty product has made 11 3-pointers. Dontae Bryant DRIVES AND DISHES: Junior guard Dontae Bryant has done a solid job quarterbacking the USF offense in his first season in the Green and Gold. Bryant averages 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and leads the team with 3.5 assists. The Oregonian has dished out at least four assists in seven games this season. DONS NOTCH PROGRAM VICTORY NUMBER 1,197: San Francisco collected the 1,197th victory in program history in a thrilling 79-76 road victory at Boise State (12/13/08). In the 95th season of Division I basketball on the Hilltop, the Dons have their eyes set on 1,200 all-time wins.
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