Men's Basketball Returns Home to Host New Hampshire on Tuesday
The Blue Devils return home for the first time since the season-opener.
November 18, 2019
Central Connecticut returns to Detrick Gymnasium to host New Hampshire on Tuesday night. The game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. and stream live, and for free, on www.NECFrontRow.com. Bruce Biel (play-by-play) will call the action.
Tickets can be purchased ahead of the game online by clicking HERE.
Central Connecticut, which has played the last three games on the road, will be looking to pick up its first win of the year after losing at UMass to fall to 0-4. New Hampshire was picked 9th in the preseason America East Poll and is 2-2 after losing at Boston University on Saturday.
Following tonight's game CCSU will play a pair of neutral site games in the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament presented by Citi. Central will play Vermont on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena at 7:30 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY • CCSU leads the all-time series, 6-4. The Blue Devils have won the last three meetings in the series, while UNH last posted a win in the matchup on Dec. 9, 2009.
Opening Notes
• Central Connecticut is back in Detrick Gymnasium after a three-game road swing to host New Hampshire on Tuesday night.
• The Blue Devils will two neutral site Tip-Off Tournament games at Mohegan Sun Arena on Nov. 23-24. CCSU plays Vermont on Saturday and then either Columbia or Rider on Sunday.
WITH A CCSU WIN TODAY...
• CCSU would earn its first win of the year and its first win on the road.
• Central would extend its win streak in the series to four in a row.
• Avoid beginning the season 0-5 for the first time since 2015-16 (0-8).
CENTRAL NEWCOMERS LEAD THE WAY
• With a roster featuring 10 players in their first year with the program, the Blue Devils have relied on their newcomers through to begin the season.
• All five players who average 20+ minutes are in their first year at CCSU, led by freshman Jamir Reed (28.8 mpg).
• Central's top four scorers are all newcomers, with freshman Greg Outlaw averaging a team-leading 11.3 ppg. The 10 newcomers have contributed 79.3% of the Blue Devils' scoring through four games.
CCSU Roster Has a Fresh Look
• Central Connecticut has one of the youngest rosters in the nation in 2019-20 with 11 underclassmen and a total of 10 players in their first year with the program.
• CCSU is one of seven schools nationallly with 7 or more freshmen on the roster. Navy has a high with 11 freshmen on its roster.
• Central has started three-first year players in each of the first three games, including three freshmen against Hartford.
• The Blue Devils also feature two junior college transfers (Ayungma, Newkirk) and a senior transfer (Rowe) who are in their first season of eligibility with the program.
Marshall Among Former NBA Players Coaching
• CCSU head coach Donyell Marshall enjoyed a 15-year career in the NBA playing with eight teams.
• Marshall, who was the 4th overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, is one of six former Top-10 picks currently coaching.
• Marshall was UConn's first consensus First-Team All-American as a junior in 1994. He is one of eight former consesus First-Team All-Americans now coaching Division I.
An International Roster
• The Blue Devils' program has student-athletes from four countries (including the United States) in 2019-20.
• CCSU has 12 student-athletes representing nine states and England (Thai Segwai), Cameroon (Stephane Ayungma) and Nigeria (Ola Olamuyiwa).
• Central is among a group of 46 schools with student-athletes representing three or more foreign countries.
Central and the Three-Point Shot
• CCSU has made a three-pointer in 132 straight games dating back to Feb. 5, 2015 at St. Francis Brooklyn.
• Ian Krishnan had a team-high 71 three-pointers and ranked 6th in the NEC with 2.3 per game as a rookie in 2018-19.
• The Blue Devils made a season-high 13 treys in the win at Fairleigh Dickinson, the third game it made 12+ in a contest. In 2017-18, CCSU did not make more than 11 in a game.
Senator Olamuyiwa
• Freshman Ola Olamuyiwa was sworn in as a student body senator on the CCSU SGA Student Senate on Oct. 9.
• Olamuyiwa was also student government president at The Patrick School prior to coming to Central.
• Olamuyiwa and his teammates had the opportunity to meet with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) when he visited the CCSU campus earlier in the fall.
• The SGA Student Senate meets weekly on Wednesdays and is seen as a "voice" for the undergraduate student body.
Blue Devils Welcome Alex Inyatkin
• CCSU teamed with Team IMPACT to bring 12-year-old Alex Inyatkin into the men's basketball program.
• The Blue Devils held a signing ceremony on April 24 in the Athletic Department that included Alex and his family.
• Inyatkin will be with the team for the season and attend games, practices and other team functions.
• Team IMPACT connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with local college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes.
84 YEARS OF CCSU BASKETBALL
• This is the 84th season of men's basketball at Central Connecticut. CCSU is 1,112-957 all-time (.537).
• Bill Detrick is the school's all-time winningest coach, having won 468 games in 29 seasons as head coach.
• CCSU's first year of competition was in 1934-35 under coach Harrison J. Kaiser, the athletic building's namesake.
"All In, Ball Out": Year 2
• The NEC's "All In, Ball Out" branding campaign was launched in 2018-19 and captures the essence and attitude of the NEC's basketball-centric nature, and conveys a host of traits common to student-athletes, teams and the NEC.
• A series of hoops theme nights were announced to take place during league play and enhance the fan experience through coordinated marketing efforts within the conference.