February 14, 2020
Alumni Day Highlights Basketball Meeting Against Bryant Saturday
Saturday's basketball doubleheader will be Alumni Day for CCSU basketball.
The Central Connecticut men's basketball hosts Bryant on Saturday in a Northeast Conference basketball doubleheader. The men's game tips off at 3:30 p.m. and is being streamed live on www.NECFrontRow.com. Bruce Biel (play-by-play) and Marc Robbins (analyst) will call the action all season long for Blue Devils home games.
Central will be hosting Alumni Day on Saturday with the women's game tipping off at 1:00 p.m. and the men to follow. Alumni will be recognized at halftime, along with a special recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Blue Devils' 2000 NEC Championship squad. That team earned Central's first NCAA Tournament berth and went 25-6 on the year.
Central will back in action on Tuesday when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson for an ESPN3 contest.
SERIES HISTORY • The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Bryant holds an 18-17 lead in the all-time series after winning the season's first meeting, 64-60, on Feb. 8, 2020.
Opening Notes
• Central Connecticut hosts Bryant for Alumni Day on Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. tipoff.
• CCSU will honor alumni, along with celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2000 NEC championship team, the first team in program-history to earn an NCAA bid. The squad was led by Howie Dickenman and included the NEC Player of the Year, Rick Mickens, along with All-NEC honorees Corsley Edwards, who would be named the 2001-02 NEC Player of the Year, and John Tice, who scored 21 points against Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament.
• Central hosts hosts Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday for a game to be carried on ESPN3.
WITH A CCSU WIN TODAY...
• Central Connecticut will earn a split in the season series against Bryant.
• The Blue Devils would defeat Bryant at home for the 3rd straight game.
Quick Hitting Notes
• CCSU had a 43-19 advantage in bench scoring vs. LIU. In the last 5 games, CCSU has outscored its opponents 186-80. Central gets 25.35 ppg from its bench this season.
• The Blue Devils made a season-high 13 three's against LIU. They made 6-of-7 to open the game, while Jamir Reed made his first 6 three-point attempts in the game.
• Central had a +1 turnover margin against LIU, marking the fifth time in the last six games that the Blue Devils have posted a positive turnover margin.
CCSU Welcomes Back 2000 NEC Champions
• Saturday is Alumni Day for CCSU basketball and members of the 2000 NEC title team will be honored for the 20th anniversary.
• CCSU went 25-6 and faced Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Have a Heart!
• February may be heart health month, but we're going blue to "Have a Heart" at CCSU! For every $50 donated to CCSU during this month, we will cover the cost of the application fee for a student applying to Central. This campaign is just one of the ways in which we are working to remove barriers and increase access to higher education. visit the giving page at www.ccsu.edu to donate. Thank you for having a heart!
• February may be heart health month, but we're going blue to "Have a Heart" at CCSU! For every $50 donated to CCSU during this month, we will cover the cost of the application fee for a student applying to Central. This campaign is just one of the ways in which we are working to remove barriers and increase access to higher education. visit the giving page at www.ccsu.edu to donate. Thank you for having a heart!
Central Newcomers Lead the Way
• With a roster featuring 10 players in their first year with the program, the Blue Devils have relied on one of the country's youngest rosters this season.
• Six of 8 players playing 20+ minutes are in their first year at CCSU.
• In CCSU's first 12 games, the 10 newcomers contributed 80.9% (550-of-680) of the offense. On the year, the newcomers have accounted for 71.2% of points.
• Newcomers scored 39 of CCSU's 55 points in the 2nd half of a win vs. Wagner. Jamir Reed (15) and Tyler Rowe (10) both scored 10+ points to help erase a 5-point halftime deficit.
CCSU Roster Has a Fresh Look
• CCSU is one of only 14 schools nationally with 7 or more freshmen and is the 6th-youngest in terms of D1 experience (0.71 years). The D1 average is 1.68 years.
• 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.
• Central Connecticut has 11 underclassmen, including 10 players in their first year with the program. CCSU started at least 3 first-year players in the first 14 games of the year, including three freshmen in the opener against Hartford.
Reed on a Roll
• Over the past 5 games Jamir Reed is averaging 14.6 points and shooting 62.7% from the field (60% from three).
• Reed has four double-digit scoring games in that span, including a career-high 21 vs. LIU when he made 7-of-8 three-pointers.
Krishnan Hits the Court Scoring in Return
• Ian Krishnan scored 20+ points in his first two games back for CCSU with 23 vs. Conn College and 20 vs. Robert Morris.
• Krishnan leads CCSU in scoring and has scored double-figures in 10 games. He is 6th in NEC play in 3-point shooting accuracy and has made 5+ three-pointers in a game twice this season.
"X" Is On Target
• Xavier Wilson scored a career-high 13 points vs. Sacred Heart on Jan. 23 and has started the past 6 games.
• Wilson went 7-of-11 at the foul line agains the Pioneers in 30 minutes, while also blocking a career-high four shots.
• He swatted a career-high 5 shots in just 13 minutes at Bryant and leads the team with 25 blocked shots on the year.
• Jamir Reed and Myles Baker both play 20+ mpg and average 8.9 and 8.1 ppg, respectively, coming off the bench.
• Reed scored has 11 double-figure games, including 4 of last 5.
• Baker has 7 double-figure games, including matching a career-high 16 points at Saint Francis U in 24 minutes.
Treys for Tennyson
• Trey Tennyson scored a career-high 15 points in 12 minutes at Saint Francis U on Jan. 30.
• Tennyson made 3-4 from three-point range, 5-7 overall, and is 4-9 from the arc in the past two games.
• Tennyson is 2nd on the team, shooting .409 from the arc.
Where's Wallace?
• Karrington Wallace's presence in the interior is a boost for CCSU. He left a hole while missing 10 games to injury.
• He had a career-high 13 vs. Wagner with 7 rebounds, 4 blocks.
• Wallace leads CCSU in field goal percentage (.478) and is per-40 averages are 12.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.7 blocks.
Outlaw Named NEC Rookie of the Week
• Greg Outlaw was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week on Dec. 2 following his play at UMass Lowell.
• He had a career-high 16 points on 7-12 shooting. He scored 5 straight to spark a 9-3 run and give CCSU a late 71-70 lead.
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.
Central and the Three-Point Shot
• CCSU has made a three-pointer in 155 straight games dating back to Feb. 5, 2015 at St. Francis Brooklyn.
• The Blue Devils rank 3rd in the NEC (.351) in all games and went a season-best 13-of-25 (.520) against LIU.
Central Comes Up Just Short
• Central's back-to-back two-point losses at UMass Lowell and vs. Maine was the first time since Jan. 21 (at Sacred Heart, 61-62) and Jan. 26, 2012 (Monmouth, 56-58 ot) that CCSU had consecutive losses by two-or-fewer points.
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 0-7 against postseason participants from last year. In 2018-19, the Blue Devils went 1-10 against 8 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-OT game in the program's D-1 history (1986-87).
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.
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' roster has student-athletes from 4 countries (including the United States) in 2019-20.
• CCSU has 12 players from 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 or more foreign countries.
Blue Devils Welcome Alex Inyatkin
• CCSU teamed with Team IMPACT to welcome 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 with life-changing outcomes.
"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.
84 Years of CCSU Basketball
• This is the 84th season of men's basketball at Central Connecticut. CCSU is 1,114-977 all-time (.533).
• 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.
• CCSU has competed as an NCAA Division I program from 1986 to present.
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.
