November 29, 2019
Central Connecticut men's basketball returns to action following a week-long hiatus to play at UMass Lowell on Sunday, Dec. 1. Tipoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. from the Tsongas Center. Central fell to Columbia last time out, while UML defeated Brown to snap a three-game skid.
Central Connecticut is playing an America East foe for the fourth time this season, while in search of its first victory. The Blue Devils dropped a pair of games at the Air Force Reserve Tip Off Tournament last weekend. UMass Lowell is 3-5 on the season and coming off a 75-63 win against Brown on Tuesday. The River Hawks were picked fifth in the preseason America East poll.
SERIES HISTORY • CCSU leads the all-time series against UMass Lowell, 11-3..Central has won the last two meetings, including a 86-74 win last season...UML last won in the series on Dec. 18, 2016 (86-69).
Opening Notes
• Central Connecticut is back in action on Sunday with a game at UMass Lowell after having a week-long break.
• The Blue Devils will be looking to pick up their first win of the campaign having played road/neutral site games in six of its first eight games to begin the season.
WITH A CCSU WIN TODAY...
• CCSU would earn its first win year and avoid matching its 2015-16 start (0-8).
• Central would post its third straight win in the series with UMass Lowell.
• CCSU would improve to 1-3 against America East opponents in 2019-20.
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 six players playing 20+ minutes are in their first year at CCSU, led by Jamir Reed and Greg Outlaw (29.4 mpg).
• Four of CCSU's top-5 scorers are all newcomers, with freshman Greg Outlaw averaging a team-leading 9.3 ppg. The 10 newcomers have contributed 80.6% (300-of-372) of the Blue Devils' scoring through seven games.
CCSU Roster Has a Fresh Look
• CCSU is one of 14 schools nationally with 7 or more freshmen on the roster.
• 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.
• Central has started 3 first-year players in each of the first seven games, including three freshmen against Hartford.
• The Blue Devils also feature two junior college transfers (Ayangma, Newkirk) and a senior transfer (Rowe) who are in their first season of eligibility with the program.
Blue Devils Taking Care of the Ball
• Since committing a season-high 24 turnovers at UMass, Central has set a season-low in three straight games.
• CCSU turned the ball over just 8 times against Columbia, while forcing the Lions into 11 turnovers.
• On the season, CCSU is averaging 17.4 turnovers per game.
Reed Named All-Tournament
• Jamir Reed was named to the Hall of Fame Tip-Off All-Tournament Team for the Springfield Bracket.
• In two games at Mohegan Sun, he averaged 12.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg. He had a career-high 14 points vs. Columbia.
Windy City Duo Leading CCSU Offense
• Greg Outlaw and Myles Baker come to CCSU from Chicago. The duo lead the team in scoring at 9.3 and 8.5, respectively.
• Baker had a team-high 16 points against New Hampshire, while Outlaw also leads the team in steals and assists.
An International Roster
• The Blue Devils' program has student-athletes from 4 countries (including the United States) in 2019-20.
• CCSU has 12 student-athletes representing 9 states and England (Thai Segwai), Cameroon (Stephane Ayungma) and Nigeria (Ola Olamuyiwa).
• Central is among a group of 46 schools with student-athletes representing 3+ foreign countries.
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.
Blue Devils vs. Postseason Participants
• In 2019-20, CCSU will face seven teams that played in the postseason last year. Fairleigh Dickinson, St. John's, Arizona St., Vermont (NCAA); Saint Francis U (NIT); Robert Morris and St. Francis Brooklyn (CIT) all made postseason trips last year.
• CCSU is 0-3 against postseason participants from last year. In 2018-19, the Blue Devils went 1-10 against eight teams that played in the postseason the previous year.
Working Overtime
• The Blue Devils are 5-4 under Donyell Marshall in overtime games. CCSU was 2-0 in OT during the 2018-19 season.
• CCSU defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in 2ot (1/10/19) - the 7th multi-overtime in program history since going D1 in 1986-87.
Central and the Three-Point Shot
• CCSU has made a three-pointer in 136 straight games dating back to Feb. 5, 2015 at St. Francis Brooklyn.
• As a team, the Blue Devils rank 6th, making 32.6% of their three-point shots. CCSU hit a season-high 9 against UNH.
Coleman Leads the Returnees
• Jamir Coleman is one of two returning starters and he has posted 10+ points, 7+ rebounds in consecutive games.
• The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds per game last season with four 20-point games and five double-doubles. He ranked 8th in league play, grabbing 6.6 rebounds per 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.
Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll
• Central was picked 10th in the preseason coaches poll at NEC Social Media Day in Brooklyn, NY, at Barclay's Center on Oct. 23. Complete poll (first place votes):
• The Preseason All-NEC Team included Saint Francis U senior Keith Braxton, the 2018-19 NEC Player of the Year, was a unanimous selection, along with Raiquan Clark (Sr., LIU) and Jahlil Jenkins (Jr., Fairleigh Dickinson). E.J. Anosike (Jr., Sacred Heart) and Adam Grant (Sr., Bryant) rounded out the preseason selections.
CCSU Posts Marks Among Program's Best in 2018-19
• In 2018-19, CCSU set a single-season Northeast Conference record making 78.2% of free throws (previously 77.2% - Wagner, 2010-11). The mark ranked 5th in the NCAA.
• Central tied the 4th-best single-game mark in program history by hitting 13 three-pointers at Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 10, 2019. Central would end the season with 201 three-pointers on the year to post the 6th-best single-season total.
• CCSU blocked 110 shots, the 9th-most in program-history and most since 2013-14 (146).
• Individually, Ian Krishnan made 71 three-pointers - the 9th-most in a season - including 7 in a win at Fairleigh Dickinson, which is the 10th most in a game in CCSU history.
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 1,112-960 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.
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