TIPOFF A preview of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational • Friday, November 16, 2018
Stacked No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 9 Auburn highlight loaded field at Lahaina Civic Center
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The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 16, 2018
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Top-ranked Blue Devils seek sixth Maui title D Assistant Scheyer recalls fond memories of trip here as player By ROBERT COLLIAS Staff Writer
Jon Scheyer remembers the Maui Jim Maui Invitational quite well. Scheyer helped Duke University to the championship here in 2007 as a sophomore. He finished his playing career by leading the Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA title. Now, he will be back on the Valley Isle as an associate head coach for Duke under Mike Krzyzewski as the Blue Devils, Scheyer ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25, vie for their sixth title here. “First I remember winning — I don’t know if they still have it — but they had a video-game tournament for every team,” Scheyer said via phone earlier this month. “You could put two guys from the team to play and I remember winning the whole thing. My teammates were celebrating with me and they actually handed me a little trophy.” The Blue Devils held their first team meeting at the tourna-
ment soon after Scheyer’s electronic victory. “I walked in with the trophy and Coach told me to put that crap away,” Scheyer said. “We were there to only win one trophy. I think that’s when he set the tone for our team.” It worked as the Blue Devils won the 2007 championship game here 77-73 over Marquette. More recently, Duke ran its record on the Valley Isle to 15-0 with a 68-61 win over Kansas in the 2011 championship game. There is a coaches free-throw shooting contest in conjunction with the opening press conference — Duke’s 2007 quest was altered slightly after Coach K won it. “After he won it then he said, ‘OK, now we’re going to go for the three-peat,’ ” Scheyer said. “So, now my trophy mattered all of a sudden once he won. I will never forget it.” With his playing days behind him — he played in the NBA D League and overseas professionally after finishing his Duke career as the only player in school history to record at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 250 three-point field goals, and 200 steals — Scheyer returned to work as a special assistant in 2013. This season, Scheyer is working with RJ Barrett, Zion
Williamson, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones, the nation’s Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 10 recruits, respectively, in the high school class of 2018, according to ESPN. His memory of being on the Lahaina Civic Center court will be transmitted to arguably the best recruiting class ever. “I just remember the games, how it’s one of a kind in college basketball to play in this type of environment and atmosphere,” Scheyer said. Jack White is a captain for this version of the Blue Devils, who play San Diego State in the first round Monday. The 6-foot-7, 222-pound junior from Australia scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench in a season-opening win over then-No. 2 Kentucky, and had six points and four rebounds in a win over Army. “It’s a lot of fun,” White said of playing with the talented freshmen. “Unbelievable is a pretty good word to describe them. Since Day 1 these guys have been great. On and off the court, they’re just great guys; to have around the locker room as well. It all translates with our relationships off the court, on the court. “I think 14 deep we just all really enjoy each other, just have a lot of fun whenever we’re out @DukeMBB / REAGAN LUNN photo there hooping together.” Marques Bolden and the Blue Devils enter the Maui Jim ■ Robert Collias is at rcollias@ Maui Invitational seeking Duke’s sixth Maui title — the Blue mauinews.com Devils have a perfect 15-0 record on the Valley Isle.
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The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 16, 2018
A Tigers have gone from the hunter to the hunted Coming off Sweet 16 appearance, Auburn ranked No. 9 in nation
U B U R N
By MATTHEW SIMON Staff Writer
Bryce Brown and the Auburn men’s basketball team aren’t satisfied with their recent success. After two straight winning seasons under head coach Bruce Pearl, and a memorable Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament last season, Brown still hasn’t shaken the bad taste of his freshman campaign, when the Tigers went 11-20. “Me, Jared (Harper), Austin (Wiley) and Danjel (Purifoy) have been through a year of seeing what losing is like,” Brown said. “So, we just tell guys we don’t want to see days like that again.” The Tigers’ success last season landed them in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time since 2000. Now at No. 9 in the country, they know they will have a tough road to return to where they were as others try to knock them off. “We’re a big target now,” Brown said. “Instead of hunting, we’re being hunted. So, we’re just trying to tell that to all the players, and the coaches are spreading that message as well. We’re just trying to keep that edge that we had last year, it’s
ON THE COVER: • Duke’s Javin DeLaurier; @DukeMBB / REAGAN LUNN photo • Auburn’s Chuma Okeke; AUBURN UNIVERSITY photo • Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins; GONZAGA UNIVERSITY photo
that edge that got us to where we were.” Auburn opened the season with big wins against South Alabama and then-No. 25 Washington. Before heading to the Valley Isle, Auburn faced Mississippi College. Chuma Okeke has led the way for the Tigers in their first two wins, averaging 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds a game while also totaling five blocks. “He just makes it look easy. That’s just a really intelligent player,” Pearl said after the win over the Jaguars. “He makes us
AUBURN UNIVERSITY photos
Jared Harper (left photo) and Bryce Brown (right photo) helped Auburn reach the Sweet 16 last season. better.” Harper is averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 assists a game, while Samir Doughty is chipping in 16.0 points a game. The Tigers also return Anfernee McLemore, who provides Auburn with some flexibility at the five while being able to be a rim-protector with his vertical ability and space the floor with his shooting. Last season, McLemore shot 39.1 percent from behind the arc.
The Tigers will open Maui Jim Maui Invitational play against Xavier on Monday. Brown expressed that getting his teammates ready for the task at hand is important. “We’re trying to lead them in the right direction and show people what we can do as well,” Brown said. “Even though we open up against Xavier, they’re a name-brand school and we’re just trying to go out there and show people we’re just as big as that.”
Harper is looking forward to the challenge of having two other Top-10 teams in the field and being able to have his teammates show what they can do. “Our team has been underrated and looked over at some point in life,” Harper said. “So, we can just use that as a source of motivation and it’s became more of a lifestyle for us.” ■ Matthew Simon is at msimon @mauinews.com
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TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 16, 2018
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New-look Musketeers looking for respect X A No. 1 NCAA seed last season, Xavier has roster that includes eight newcomers By ROBERT COLLIAS Staff Writer
Quentin Goodin has experienced the ups and downs for the Xavier University men’s basketball team. As a sophomore last season, the point guard started all 35 games for the Musketeers — his 4.9 assists per game were third in the Big East Conference. Xavier garnered the first No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in school history before losing in the second round to Florida State. Now, Goodin is a team captain for first-year coach Travis Steele. The Musketeers are trying to re-establish and solidify their national profile at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. They open here with Auburn, ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25, on Monday. “I’m very excited,” Goodin said. “I feel like this is a big opportunity for this team to go and show what we’re capable of doing.” Goodin knows there are questions for this version of the Musketeers. “We have a lot of people who have counted us out already in the preseason,” Goodin said. “So if we come out to Maui and have a good showing, we’ll gain some respect that’s deserved.”
Tyrique Jones was named Big East Player of the Week after scoring 19 points, grabbing 20 rebounds and blocking four shots in a win over Evansville. He is the first Xavier player since David West in 2001 to record 20 rebounds in a game. “Not a lot of people are speaking highly on us right now because of the pieces we lost, but it’s a huge opportunity to make some noise,” Jones said. “It is loaded, you have a bunch of high-level programs in this field this year. I think anybody who’s playing in this field would be excited to play.” Jones said playing three tough games in three days is a large part of the process here. The Musketeers have five freshmen and three graduate transfers who are new to the roster. “I think it helps substantially just because we’ve got a lot of new guys here who haven’t seen something like a Big East tournament or going deep into March Madness,” Jones said. “It’s just going to help the young guys that we have here understand that this isn’t high school no more. It is a quick turnaround. You have got to lock in. You play one game and then in less than 24 hours you have to be prepared for the
A V Xavier University / BOB STEVENS photos
Tyrique Jones (left photo) and Quentin Goodin (right photo) lead the Musketeers into the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, where they face nament in the country and to be a Auburn on Monday. part of it, we’re ecstatic to be a next team you play.” part of it.” Two of the graduate transfers The event is a “measuring — Kyle Castlin from Columbia, stick” for programs, Steele said. Ryan Welage from San Jose “You’re going to learn a lot State — are starters. The third about yourself because you’re graduate student on the roster, going to hit some adversity out Zach Hankins, was the NCAA there at some point,” he said. Division II Player of the Year “You’re going to see what your last season for national champion guys are made of.” Ferris State. Like his players, Steele can’t Steele said that being in this wait to jump back into the colfield is “very cool. It’s a great lege basketball limelight here. honor. Obviously, to me, the Steele was an assistant at Xavier Maui Invitational has always since 2008 before getting the been the premier preseason tour- head coaching gig in April.
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“I think it’s a great opportunity — last season we had a terrific year and it left a little sour taste in our mouth the way that we finished,” he said. “Our guys have worked really, really hard. We’ve had a great offseason and we’re really looking forward to the opportunity that we have coming out there. “It’s an opportunity to get some great wins, some notches in your belt. … There’s no gimme games out there in Maui.” ■ Robert Collias is at rcollias @mauinews.com
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The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 16, 2018
Young Aztecs up for major challenge San Diego State coming off seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years By MATTHEW SIMON Staff Writer
One of the biggest questions for the San Diego State men’s basketball team and head coach Brian Dutcher over the offseason was whether or not Jalen McDaniels, the Aztecs’ 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore, would return after declaring for the NBA draft in March. Fast forward to May, and McDaniels withdrew his name from the draft and returned to SDSU, making the Aztecs one of the favorites for another Mountain West Conference title. Even with McDaniels’ return, the Aztecs are a young squad, with eight of their 11 available players being freshmen or sophomores. But Dutcher still has high expectations for his team after making the NCAA Tournament last year — SDSU’s seventh appearance in nine years. “I have two senior guards that have had a lot of game experience in Devin Watson and Jeremy Hemsley,” Dutcher said. Last season, Watson started all 33 games for the Aztecs, averaging 12.2 points per game, while Hemsley played in 32 games, averaging 7.3 points. McDaniels is SDSU’s third-most experienced returner, having averaged 10.5 points in 33 contests.
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY photo
Jeremy Hemsley averaged 7.3 points a game last season for San Diego State, which won the Mountain West title and made the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in nine years. SDSU started the season with a 68-63 win over Maui Jim Maui Invitational host Chaminade in an exhibition. The Aztecs then opened the regular season with a 76-60 victory over
Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Before heading to the Valley Isle, SDSU also faced Texas Southern. This will be the first year that Division-II Chaminade will not be a part of the championship
round of the Maui Invitational after agreeing to participate every other year. To make up for not participating at Lahaina Civic Center, the Silverswords made agreements
to play exhibition contests against SDSU and Arizona. “I know their kids are like ours,” Dutcher said. “They want to play the highest level of competition they can, and those games give Chaminade a chance to play some Division I opponents, but yet not be in Maui.” Dutcher is excited for the opportunity for his team to travel to Lahaina, but knows it will be a tough task. “This will give us an opportunity to see where we are as a program early in the season,” Dutcher said after comparing this year’s field to an Elite Eight. “Regardless of what happens, the season lays in front of us. Obviously, everything we do is to get ready for the conference season, so it’ll give us a good early test to see where we are as a team and what we have to work on.” The Aztecs will open up with top-ranked Duke in the first round, and Dutcher couldn’t be happier about it. “I didn’t want to come all the way to Maui and not play Duke,” Dutcher said. “That’s a game our kids dream about playing. I wish it was in the championship game, but we’re glad we’re playing them.” ■ Matthew Simon is at msimon @mauinews.com
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The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
WIN-LOSS TOTALS Maui games only 2018 participants in bold 15-0 1.000 Duke Syracuse 9-0 1.000 18-3 .857 North Carolina 7-2 .778 Dayton Illinois 9-3 .750 Connecticut 9-3 .750 Michigan 12-5 .706 Arizona 12-6 .667 12-6 .600 Kansas 10-5 .667 Kentucky 10-5 .667 Vanderbilt 8-4 .667 Gonzaga 8-4 .667 Michigan St. 6-3 .667 Iowa 6-3 .667 Marquette 6-3 .667 Notre Dame 6-3 .667 Ohio St. Purdue 6-3 .667 Wichita St. 4-2 .667 Alabama 2-1 .667 2-1 .667 Ball St. 2-1 .667 Butler
2-1 Charlotte 2-1 Cincinnati 2-1 Clemson Florida 2-1 GeorgeWashington 2-1 2-1 Georgia Tech Hawaii 2-1 James Madison 2-1 New Mexico 2-1 Pittsburgh 2-1 2-1 Rice 2-1 Toledo 2-1 Tulane 2-1 Utah St. 2-1 Wake Forest 9-6 Arizona St. 3-2 Providence 7-5 Missouri 7-5 Texas Villanova 7-5 Indiana 10-8 Louisville 5-4 5-4 San Diego St. 5-4 Santa Clara
.667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .667 .600 .600 .583 .583 .583 .555 .555 .555 .555
UNLV Wisconsin Virginia UCLA Maryland Baylor Minnesota Oklahoma St. Oregon South Carolina Virginia Tech Memphis LSU Arkansas BYU Georgetown Utah Oklahoma Kansas St. DePaul California Stanford Tennessee Boston College
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS 5-4 5-4 6-5 8-7 6-6 3-3 3-3 3-3 3-3 3-3 1-1 7-8 4-8 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5 5-7 3-5 4-8 3-6 3-6 3-6 2-4
Massachusetts Southern Cal VCU Arkansas St. Colorado Evansville Houston Iowa St. Long Beach St. Loyola Marymount Nebraska Northeastern Seton Hall St. John’s St. Joseph’s Tennessee Tech Texas A&M Washington Chaminade Davidson Central Michigan Lamar Mississippi St. Princeton
.555 .555 .545 .533 .500 .500 .500 .500 .500 .500 .500 .467 .333 .444 .444 .444 .444 .417 .375 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333
2-4 2-4 2-4 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 8-92 0-2 0-3 0-3 0-3 0-3
.333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .333 .080 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
CHAMPIONS 2017—Notre Dame 2016—NorthCarolina 2015—Kansas 2014—Arizona 2013—Syracuse 2012—Illinois 2011—Duke
2010—Connecticut 2009—Gonzaga 2008—NorthCarolina 2007—Duke 2006—UCLA 2005—Connecticut 2004—North Carolina
2003—Dayton 2002—Indiana 2001—Duke 2000—Arizona 1999—NorthCarolina 1998—Syracuse 1997—Duke
1996—Kansas 1995—Villanova 1994—Arizona St. 1993—Kentucky 1992—Duke 1991—Michigan St. 1990—Syracuse
1989—Missouri 1988—Michigan 1987—Iowa 1986—Vanderbilt 1985—Michigan 1984—Providence
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Friday, November 16, 2018
The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
Matt Farrell of Notre Dame hoists the MVP trophy last year.
2017—Matt Farrell, Notre Dame 2016—Joel Berry II, North Carolina 2015—Frank Mason III and Wayne Selden Jr., Kansas 2014—Stanley Johnson, Arizona 2013—C.J. Fair, Syracuse 2012—Brandon Paul, Illinois 2011—Ryan Kelly, Duke 2010—Kemba Walker, Connecticut 2009—Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray, Gonzaga 2008—Ty Lawson, North Carolina 2007—Kyle Singler, Duke 2006—Darren Collison, UCLA 2005—Adam Morrison, Gonzaga 2004—Raymond Felton, North Carolina 2003—Keith Waleskowski, Dayton 2002—Bracey Wright, Indiana 2001—Mike Dunleavy, Duke 2000—Michael Wright, Arizona 1999—Joseph Forte, North Carolina 1998—Jason Hart, Syracuse 1997—Steve Wojciechowski, Duke 1996—Raef LaFrentz, Kansas 1995—Kerry Kittles, Villanova 1994—Mario Bennett, Arizona St. 1993—Travis Ford, Kentucky 1992—Bobby Hurley, Duke, and Anfernee Hardaway, Memphis St. 1991—George Gilmore, Chaminade 1990—Billy Owens, Syracuse 1989—Doug Smith, Missouri 1988—Glenn Rice, Michigan 1987—Iowa team 1986—Will Perdue, Vanderbilt 1985—Dell Curry, Virginia Tech 1984—Patrick Langlois, Chaminade
R E C O R D S
RECORDS Maui games only Individual Points—43, Adam Morrison, Gonzaga, vs. Michigan St., 2005. Rebounds—21, Derrick Randall, Pittsburgh, vs. Chaminade, 2014. Assists—15, Brandon Granville, Southern California, vs. Memphis, 1999. Steals—10, Jeff Trepagnier, Southern California, vs. Utah St., 1999. Blocks—7, Ray Gromlowicz, UNC-Charlotte, vs. Chaminade, 1986; Dan Godfread, Evansville, vs. Missouri, 1989; Arne Alig, Chaminade, vs. Providence, 1991; Jelani McCoy, UCLA, vs. Santa Clara, 1995; Earl Barron, Memphis, vs. Chaminade, 1999; Lonny Baxter, Maryland, vs. Dayton, 2000;
Tommy Smith, Arizona St., vs. Utah, 2002; Zach Finley, Princeton, vs. Duke, 2007. Field goals—16, Dell Curry, Virginia Tech, vs. Michigan, 1985; Everick Sullivan, Louisville, vs. Chaminade, 1989. Free throws made—21, Kaspars Kambala, UNLV, vs. Louisville, 2000. 3-pointers—10, Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame, vs. North Carolina, 2008; Christophe Varidel, Chaminade, vs. Baylor, 2013; Chase Fischer, BYU, vs. Chaminade, 2014. Turnovers—13, Maurice Houston, Tennessee Tech, vs. Texas, 1993. Team Most points—162, Loyola Marymount, vs. Chaminade, 1990. Fewest points—37, Arizona St., vs. Min-
nesota, 1991. Rebounds—70, Northeastern, vs. Loyola Marymount, 1990. Assists—37, Northeastern, vs. Loyola Marymount, 1990. Steals—20, Oklahoma, vs. BYU, 1992. Blocks—13, Maryland, vs. Dayton, 2000. Field goals—57, Northeastern, vs. Loyola Marymount, 1990. Free throws made—36, Iowa, vs. Kansas, 1987. 3-pointers—19, Loyola Marymount, vs. Chaminade, 1990. Turnovers—32, Northeastern, vs. Loyola Marymount, 1990; Santa Clara, vs. Loyola Marymount, 1990.
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The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 16, 2018
G With Tillie out, others stepping up for Zags Few, a frequent Valley Isle visitor, views tournament as good barometer as well as cultural experience By MATTHEW SIMON
O N Z A G A
Staff Writer
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few and sophomore forward Corey Kispert both share a commonality when it comes to the Valley Isle and the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Few makes a yearly trip to Maui in May and is very familiar with the island. Kispert has lots of memories of the Valley Isle as well, although all of those are from what he’s seen on TV. “That’s just what me and my family did while growing up,” Kispert said. “We watched the Maui Invitational and that was something we all looked forward to when Thanksgiving rolled around. It’s surreal to be able to play in it and I’m looking forward to putting ourselves up against the best competition.” Now, Few and Kispert will look to help the Zags, ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25, make some early season noise when they compete at the Lahaina Civic Center. Gonzaga has already faced some adversity this season: 6foot-10 forward Killian Tillie suffered a stress fracture in his ankle that required surgery and will keep the junior on the sideline for eight weeks. Tillie was named to the Kareem Abdul-
GONZAGA UNIVERSITY photo
Gonzaga junior forward Rui Hachimura was named the West Coast Conference player of the week Monday after scoring 33 points against Idaho State and 17 against Texas Southern. Jabbar Watch List and was a preseason All-West Coast Conference pick. With Tillie sidelined, forwards Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke led the Bulldogs to wins against Idaho State and Texas Southern. In the two contests, Hachimura and Clarke averaged a combined 42 points and 16 rebounds. For Few, it’s business as usual for the Bulldogs, although the Tillie injury was a setback.
“We always want to be in the Top 10 in defensive efficiency and offensive efficiency,” Few said. “If we’re able to do that, it’s usually a good barometer for putting ourselves in a position to compete for a Final Four or compete for a national championship.” In addition to Kispert and Hachimura — Clarke redshirted last year after transfering from San Jose State — the Bulldogs also return Josh Perkins,
who led the team in steals and assists last season, and Zach Norvell Jr., the reigning WCC Newcomer of the Year. “With all the guys we got coming back and the experience we have, playing in a tournament like this, this can be a great barometer of where we’re at,” Few said. “And it’s obviously a little different with Tillie being out, but it gives a couple of these other guys an opportunity to step in.”
Before heading to Maui, Gonzaga faced Texas A&M and will open play at the Maui Invitational against Illinois in the first round on Monday. While Few is looking forward to the stellar field, he is also looking forward to giving his team an experience that goes beyond just playing basketball. “Wherever we go I try to make it somewhat of a cultural experience for our guys,” said Few, whose teams have gone 8-4 here, winning it all in 2009. “We have a couple days before a game, so we’ll practice hard and we’ll also let them get out and have a little fun, probably jump off Black Rock and for some of these guys, it’ll be the first time they’ve swam in the ocean. I’m always big on trying to get them used to that, because the ocean in Maui is such a fabulous place to get them comfortable.” When it comes to game day, though, Kispert said it’s all business. “The field is stacked, and I don’t know how that could do anything to a competitor but excite them,” Kispert said. “I’m really excited to play a field like this and really excited to see what we really got and what we’re really capable of.” ■ Matthew Simon is at msimon @mauinews.com
The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 16, 2018
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Underwood returns to Maui with ‘excited’ Illini I Guards key to up-tempo play for Illinois, which opens against Gonzaga By ROBERT COLLIAS Staff Writer
Brad Underwood knows what it’s like to coach in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational since he did it just two years ago with Oklahoma State. Now, he’s back as head coach of Illinois and he has a message for his young team. The Illini traveled to Maui on Thursday and will meet Gonzaga, ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25, in the first round on Monday. “I think it’s very important that, yes, we understand that we’re there to win games and compete, but yet it’s a great opportunity,” Underwood said. “The tournament hosts do a great job of letting guys have an opportunity to hang around with other teams, get to know them. It gives us a chance as coaches to sit and talk — maybe we don’t get to do that enough. Then I remember Bill Walton’s interviews. How could you ever forget those?” Underwood’s Cowboys finished third here with wins over UConn and Georgetown wrapped around a loss to No. 4 North Carolina on their way to a 20-win season and an NCAA Tournament appearance. His Illini are coming off a
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS photo
The Illini’s Trent Frazier was an All-Big Ten Conference Freshman team selection last season. 14-18 season in his first year there. “You’re talking about No. 1 seeds, you’re talking about last year and potentially this year,
you’re talking about teams predicted to win their conference, you’re talking about veteran teams, so it is an elite field in what has been the elite preseason
tournament,” Underwood said. “We’re excited for the opportunity and we’re looking forward to it. It is that for us, an opportunity to play great competition and do that three nights in a row, make our team better. “It seems like there’s crazy things happening out there every year. We’re going to show up and work really hard to get better.” The Illini scored 83 points in an exhibition win over Illinois Wesleyan and 99 points in their opening victory over Evansville. “We’re aggressive, I think we’re a team that likes to play fast,” Underwood said. “We’re a team that likes to force turnovers, we get in passing lanes, and we push the ball on the offensive end. “We’re a team that’s pretty skilled, we can shoot the 3. We play a little smaller than most teams, but it’s opportunistic to get to the free-throw line and play as quickly in terms of style of play, as up-tempo as we can.” In their last game before heading to the islands, the Illini lost to Georgetown 88-80. Underwood said his team starts with “three guards that have been really, really good for us to this point.” They are Trent Frazier, an AllBig Ten Conference Freshmen team selection last season; fivestar freshman Ayo Dosunmu,
who was the No. 24 consensus recruit in the nation; and Andres Feliz, who was a first-team junior college All-American last season who scored 16 points off the bench against Evansville. Aaron Jordan is the team’s only senior — he played in all 32 games last season, starting six times. He had a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds against Evansville. The other starters are Giorgi Bezhanishvili, a 6-foot-9 freshman who had seven points and 10 rebounds against Evansville, and Kipper Nichols, who had 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the opener. “That’s kind of the early take on us,” Underwood said. “We’ve got three or four guys off the bench who we play a lot. We’ll see how it goes out there.” Underwood knows the Illini’s opener here against Gonzaga will be no picnic. “I know a lot (about them), I’ve got a former assistant who is an assistant there — we stay in touch a lot,” Underwood said. “I have tremendous respect for Coach (Mark) Few and what he’s done there. They’re very good, they’ve got a couple pros. You know, all they do is win and they’ve won at a very, very high clip for a number of years. This could be his most talented team.” ■ Robert Collias is at rcollias@ mauinews.com
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The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 16, 2018
I Cyclones look to make most of ‘great opportunity’ O W A Point guard Wigginton out due to foot injury By ROBERT COLLIAS Staff Writer
S T A T E
Iowa State will ride a 3-0 record from Ames to Lahaina for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, but the Cyclones know that things will heat up quickly once they arrive. Arizona awaits in the first round of the tournament on Monday at the Lahaina Civic Center. No. 3 Gonzaga could be the opponent on Tuesday and either No. 1 Duke or No. 9 Auburn are possibilities on Wednesday. “We’re very privileged and honored to be a part of that tournament,” fourth-year ISU coach Jeff Prohm said. “Obviously it’s one of the elite — or the elite — preseason college basketball tournaments. “And the field’s outstanding. First time Chaminade’s not in it, so you’ve got eight really good basketball programs, really well coached, and so it’s going to be a great opportunity for our guys, great opportunity really for our program, for our university for the exposure that tournament brings you.” The Des Moines Register reported Monday that Lindell Wigginton, the Cyclones’ sophomore point guard who started every game last season, will miss the action here as he recov-
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY photos
LEFT PHOTO: Lindell Wigginton, Iowa State’s sophomore point guard who started every game last season, is not expected to play in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational as he recovers from a foot injury. RIGHT PHOTO: Nick Weiler-Babb is averaging 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds a game this season. ers from a foot injury. Wigginton scored 13 points in 24 minutes of a season-opening win over Alabama State. Wigginton has twice played in the 50th state for Oak Hill Academy in the Iolani Classic. “The younger guys plus the older guys who haven’t experienced a tournament like this, it should be a good,” Wigginton said before he got hurt. “A lot of guys I went up against in high school, a lot of high-touted guys, guys that are going to be great, will be there. … Some of these
guys will move on to play in the NBA next year.” Last season, the Cyclones won the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament in November on the way to a 13-18 season. The field here is a huge step up in caliber. “It’s a great measuring stick on where we’re at,” Prohm said. “Honestly I think we’re vastly improved from where we were last year, especially at this time of the year. … Playing those teams early in the year, it’s a great opportunity, great experience for us.”
The Cyclones are being led by Marial Shayok, who is averaging 20.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Nick WeilerBabb is the fifth of five starters who average in double-figure scoring, at 11.7 points per game — he is also pulling down 6.7 rebounds per game. “It can do a lot,” WeilerBabb, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, said of what the event can do to help the Cyclones. “I mean there’s a lot of good teams in this tournament, it’s a great way to start off the year. It’s just basi-
cally going to show us where we’re at and where we can improve on as a team.” A good showing here, “would be big-time for us. Starting the year off right is always something you expect to do and want to do as a good team. We did pretty well in the start of the year last year, but this group of teams that are in this tournament are a lot better, so it’ll be a good thing for us.” The Cyclones are expected to lead the field in number of boosters on the island. “Oh man, I mean, we have the best fans in the country,” Weiler-Babb said. “I say that proudly. We have a great group of fans coming in and just for them to show their support like that, it means a lot to us. We’re just going to take it as a homecourt advantage and we’re going to roll with it.” Prohm said the LCC will be a version of Hilton Coliseum. “I think we sold the most tickets of any school in the history of the tournament, is what I was told,” the coach said. “So that just shows you how good our fan base is. … Our neutral record over the years has been really good because of our fan base. Hopefully that plays a big part of us having some success out there. Hilton West we’ll call it.” ■ Robert Collias is at rcollias@ mauinews.com
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The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
Friday, November 16, 2018
11
Miller likes what he sees early on from Wildcats A Randolph, Jeter leading Arizona through first two games, both victories By ROBERT COLLIAS Staff Writer
Sean Miller got a good look at his University of Arizona basketball team for the first time on Sunday. “It was good for a lot of reasons,” coach Miller said in his post-game press conference after an 82-61 win over Cal Poly. “It’s been the first time we’ve had our entire cast play at 100 percent. We missed Chase (Jeter) for a game, missed Ira (Lee) for a game, played really with Chase at 50 percent for another game.” The Wildcats will face Iowa State to open the Maui Jim Maui Invitational on Monday. They arrive with questions and just three players who have logged significant minutes in a Wildcats uniform prior to this season. “Our depth inside is something that we’re working to develop,” Miller said. “But I think the three biggest players on our team — Ryan Luther, Ira and Chase — having all those guys playing well and healthy, it gives us a better opportunity to rebound and do some things we’re going to need to do here moving forward.” Through two wins to open the season, Brandon Randolph was
Arizona Athletics / CHRIS HOOK photo
Brandon Randolph averaged a team-high 17.5 points through Arizona’s first two games of the season. leading the Wildcats with 17.5 point per game; Jeter was next at 13.5 points to go along with 8.0 rebounds per game; Luther chipped in 11.5 points and 6.5
rebounds; and Brandon Williams was also at 11.0 points per game. Miller went out of his way to praise Dylan Smith, a redshirt junior guard who averaged 7.5
points and 8.0 rebounds through the first two games. “There aren’t too many players that play harder than Dylan,” Miller said. “If you look at his total rebounds through the two games that we’ve played, you’d think he was a frontcourt player.” Arizona was picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 Conference media poll a month ago. Miller pointed to the inside presence of Luther, a 6-foot-9 senior transfer from Pittsburgh, and Jeter, a 6-10 junior transfer from Duke, as being key to the Wildcats’ progress. “Both (Luther) and Chase had a turnover tonight just being very unselfish in the low-post when a lot of times big guys don’t pass,” Miller said. “Sometimes those two guys are almost unselfish to a fault. We want them to turn and shoot the ball.” Williams is a freshman out of Crespi Carmelite High School who was named the Los Angeles Daily News 2017-18 Player of the Year. “I will also tell you, Brandon Williams, through the first two games of his college career — he’s at the very beginning stages — (but) bouncing him back and forth between two positions is not easy,” Miller said. “Especially when one of those positions is the point guard, but 13 assists and no turnovers through two games … that’s a really good
sign for him and also our team.” Miller said he has been pleased with the turnover rate among his team full of newcomers. They had just two in the second half of a win over Houston Baptist and seven for the game against Cal Poly. “That’s the thing that I’m the most pleased about,” Miller said. “If you can play 60 minutes of college basketball with only nine total turnovers that’s, again, a good sign of things to come. We’ve got a lot of players doing a good job in that area.” The Wildcats played UTEP on Wednesday before traveling to Maui. Said Luther after the win over Cal Poly: “As a team — obviously like everyone in the country — we’re still figuring some things out. The thing that coach emphasized was rebounding and playing harder.” Jeter was with the team last season while he sat out as a transfer. Gone from the Wildcats are No. 1 NBA draft pick Deandre Ayton and fellow NBA rookies Rawle Alkins and Allonzo Trier. “This year’s team, we don’t have the kind of guy who is going to fill it up on the scoreboard like we had with Allonzo, Rawle, Deandre last year,” Jeter said. “Any guy (on this team) can kind of have their go.” ■ Robert Collias is at rcollias@ mauinews.com
R I Z O N A
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The Maui News
TIPOFF • MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
No. 0 1 2 3 4 5 10 11 12 15 20 22 23 32 34 35
DUKE BLUE DEVILS
SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS
ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
No. 0 2 3 4 5 11 13 20 22 23 24 31 35 42
Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Alan Griffin G 6-5 Fr. Trent Frazier G 6-1 So. Kipper Nichols F 6-6 R-Jr. Drew Cayce G 6-1 R-Jr. Zach Griffith F 6-6 So. Tevian Jones G 6-7 Fr. Andres Feliz G 6-2 Jr. Ayo Dosunmu G 6-5 Fr. Adonis De La Rosa C 7-0 Gr. Giorgi Bezhanishvili F 6-9 Fr. Da'Monte Williams G 6-3 So. Anthony Higgs F 6-8 Fr. Aaron Jordan G 6-5 Sr. Tyler Underwood G 6-2 R-Jr. Samba Kane C 7-0 Fr. Samson Oladimeji G 6-4 Jr. Coach—Brad Underwood
Name Pos. Devin Watson G Adam Seiko G Aguek Arop F Michael Sohikish G Jalen McDaniels F Matt Mitchell F Caleb Giordano G Jordan Schakel G Malachi Flynn G Ed Chang F Nolan Narain F Nathan Mensah F Joel Mensah F Jeremy Hemsley G Coach—Brian Dutcher
Friday, November 16, 2018
No. 1 2 3 5 12 13 14 15 20 30 41 50 51 53
Ht. Yr. 6-1 Sr. 6-3 R-Fr. 6-6 Fr. 5-9 Sr. 6-10R-So. 6-6 So. 6-3 So. 6-6 So. 6-2 Jr. 6-8 Fr. 6-10 Jr. 6-10 Fr. 6-10 Fr. 6-3 Sr.
Name Pos. Ht. Zion Williamson F 6-7 Cam Reddish F 6-8 Tre Jones G 6-2 RJ Barrett F 6-7 Javin DeLaurier F 6-10 Joey Baker F 6-7 Jordan Goldwire G 6-2 Alex O’Connell G 6-6 Marques Bolden C 6-11 Antonio Vrankovic C 7-0 Jack White F 6-7 Justin Robinson F 6-10 Mike Buckmire G 6-2 Brennan Besser G 6-5 Coach—Mike Krzyzewski
IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Yr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr.
No. 0 1 2 3 4 5 10 11 12 13 15 22 23 24 25 33
Name Pos. Zion Griffin F Nick Weiler-Babb G Cameron Lard F Marial Shayok G George Conditt IV F Lindell Wigginton G Nate Schuster G Talen Horton-Tucker G Michael Jacobson F Prentiss Nixon G Carter Boothe G Tyrese Haliburton G Zoran Talley Jr. F Terrence Lewis G Eric Steyer G Solomon Young F Coach—Steve Prohm
Ht. Yr. 6-6 Fr. 6-5 Sr. 6-9 So. 6-6 R-Sr. 6-10 Fr. 6-2 So. 6-4 Fr. 6-4 Fr. 6-9 R-Jr. 6-2 Sr. 6-0 Fr. 6-5 Fr. 6-7 Sr. 6-6 So. 6-5 R-Fr. 6-8 Jr.
Auburn Monday, 9:30 a.m. ESPN2 Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. ESPN2
Xavier Duke
Tuesday, 3 p.m. ESPN
Monday, noon ESPN2
San Diego State Arizona
Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. ESPN2
Wednesday, noon ESPN
Monday, 4 p.m. ESPNU Tuesday, noon ESPN2
Iowa State Gonzaga
Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Monday, 6:30 p.m. ESPN2
Illinois Wednesday, 4 p.m. ESPNU
Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. ESPN2
XAVIER MUSKETEERS
AUBURN TIGERS No. 0 1 2 3 4 5 10 12 20 21 22 24 25 41 50 54
Name Pos. Horace Spencer F Jared Harper G Bryce Brown G Danjel Purifoy F Malik Dunbar G/F Chuma Okeke F Samir Doughty G J'Von McCormick G Myles Parker F Devontae Williams G Will Macoy G Anfernee McLemore F Brett Easterling G Cole Blackstock F Austin Wiley C Thomas Collier F Coach—Bruce Pearl
Ht. 6-8 5-11 6-3 6-7 6-6 6-8 6-4 6-0 6-8 6-5 6-4 6-7 6-1 6-9 6-11 6-9
Yr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr.
GONZAGA BULLDOGS
ARIZONA WILDCATS No. 1 2 3 4 5 10 11 12 23 24 50 52 54 55
Name Pos. Devonaire Doutrive G Brandon Williams G Dylan Smith G Chase Jeter C/F Brandon Randolph G Ryan Luther F Ira Lee F Justin Coleman G Alex Barcello G Emmanuel Akot G Alec Spence G Kory Jones G Matt Weyand F Jake DesJardins F Coach—Sean Miller
Ht. Yr. 6-5 Fr. 6-2 Fr. 6-5 R-Jr. 6-10 R-Jr. 6-6 So. 6-9 Sr. 6-7 So. 5-10 Sr. 6-2 So. 6-7 So. 6-6 Fr. 6-3 R-So. 6-5 So. 6-6 Jr.
No. 0 2 3 4 5 10 11 13 15 20 21 22 23 24 33
Name Pos. Geno Crandall G Jack Beach G Filip Petrusev F Greg Foster Jr. G Alex Martin G Matthew Lang G Joel Ayayi G Josh Perkins G Brandon Clarke F Paul Pennington G Rui Hachimura F Jeremy Jones F Zach Norvell Jr. G Corey Kispert F Killian Tillie F Coach—Mark Few
Ht. Yr. 6-3 R-Sr. 6-3 R-Jr. 6-11 Fr. 6-5 Fr. 6-5 R-Jr. 6-3 Fr. 6-5 R-Fr. 6-3 R-Sr. 6-8 R-Jr. 5-10 Fr. 6-8 Jr. 6-7 R-Sr. 6-5 R-So. 6-6 So. 6-10 Jr.
No. 0 1 2 3 4 10 11 12 13 14 20 21 22 32 34 35
Name Pos. Tyrique Jones F Paul Scruggs G Kyle Castlin G Quentin Goodin G Elias Harden G Leighton Schrand G Keonte Kennedy G Dontarius James F Naji Marshall F Nick Vanderpohl G Ramon Singh G Zak Swetye G A.J. Frazier F Ryan Welage F Myles Hanson G/F Zach Hankins F Coach—Travis Steele
Ht. 6-9 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-1 6-5 6-7 6-7 6-1 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-10 6-7 6-11
Yr. Jr. So. Gr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Gr. So. Gr.