GAME NOTES: Gardner-Webb Travels To Face Furman Tuesday Night
November 11, 2013 | Men's Basketball
THE
GAME
Gardner-Webb
remains on the road for its second game of the season Tuesday
night, traveling to face Furman (1-0) at 7:30 pm in Greenville,
S.C. The game will air live on WGWG-FM (88.3 / wgwg.org), with
Fabian Fuentes calling the action live from Timmons Arena. Video is
available for a fee through FurmanPaladins.com, the Paladins'
official website.
SERIES
NOTES
Tuesday
will mark only the second meeting on the hardwood between Furman
and Gardner-Webb, despite the two schools close proximity ...
Gardner-Webb won the lone meeting, 81-65, on December 29, 2001 in
the title game of the Poinsett Classic in Timmons Arena ... That
win was part of a 10-4 start that season for Gardner-Webb, which
finished the year 23-9 with wins over Furman, Colorado State, Yale
and Murray State.
AGAINST
SOCON
Gardner-Webb
posted a 2-1 mark against teams from the SoCon last season, falling
in an old-fashioned grinder at Wofford on December 5 (54-42), but
rebounding to beat The Citadel (71-58, December 15) and College of
Charleston (55-52, February 23) - with the CofC win coming in the
ESPN Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters event on the road.
20-GAME
WINNERS
Gardner-Webb
was the lone team in the Big South Conference to reach the 20-win
mark last season, going 21-13 and finishing one game out of first
place in the league's regular season standings. GWU won 10 of its
last 11 regular season games, including a win at Southern
Conference power College of Charleston in an ESPN BracketBusters
matchup. GWU finished the regular season with the Big South's top
RPI number and was within striking distance in 33 of its 34 games -
with an opening loss at #11 North Carolina its only loss by more
than 15 points.
HIGH
FLYER
Wing
Donta
Harper (6-7, 205, Jr.) enters the 2013-2014 season as
Gardner-Webb's most established player, and was named to the
preseason All-Big South Conference second team. The Greenville,
N.C., native averaged 12.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a
sophomore - a jump from 5.2 ppg and 2.3 rpg just one year prior.
Harper has added nearly 20 pounds of muscle to his frame since last
season and recently bench pressed more than 300 pounds for the
first time in his career. He scored 20 points in the season opener
at Xavier, including 13 in the second half.
CHARM
CITY
Transfer
guard Naji
Hibbert (6-5, 190, RSr.) joins the starting lineup in 2013-2014
after sitting out last season in accordance with NCAA Division I
transfer rules. The former Texas A&M reserve was rated by The
Bleacher Report as the top impact transfer at the mid-major leavel
in 2013-14 earlier this year, and he is expected to have a major
impact early with the Runnin' Bulldogs. Hibbert, who was a top-60
prep prospect at national power DeMatha Catholic, is originally
from Baltimore, Md. He averaged a career-high 5.2 points and 20.0
minutes per game for Coach Mark Turgeon at Texas A&M in
2010-2011, helping the Aggies to 24 wins and an NCAA Tournament
berth.
EXPERIENCE
HELPS
Point
guard Josh
Castellanos (6-1, 180, Sr.) joined the Gardner-Webb program
following his graduation from Mount St. Mary's in August, providing
the Runnin' Bulldogs with another very experienced option in the
backcourt. Castellanos played in 81 games and made 49 starts for
the Mountaineers, averaging 8.1 points and dishing off 132 assists
as a sophomore in 2011-2012. He played in 20 games and made 14
starts last season, scoring 10 points in a loss at top-ranked
Indiana in December.
PRESEASON
RESPECT
Gardner-Webb
was picked second in the preseason South Division poll by the Big
South Conference's head coaches and select media members, falling
just behind defending division and overall regular season champion
Charleston Southern. GWU finished a game behind the Bucs last
season, but picked up a pair of overtime wins over Charleston
Southern during the regular season. GWU lost just twice against
South Division teams last season, falling on the road at Winthrop
and Presbyterian and finishing with a 8-2 mark against Charleston
Southern, Coastal Carolina, UNC Asheville, Winthrop and
Presbyterian.
YOUNG
POSTS EXPECTED TO PLAY EARLY
Freshmen center Tyrell
Nelson (6-7, 235) and forward Donell
Tuff (6-6, 210) have impressed the Gardner-Webb coaching staff
during preseason workouts, and both are expected to make a quick
dent in the rotation this season. Nelson was one of the top-30
seniors in North Carolina in the Class of 2013, and posted 24
double-doubles as a senior at Metrolina Christian Academy. Tuff
played for a Tift County (Ga.) squad that entered last season in
the national top-25. Tuff averaged a double-double (13 ppg / 10
rpg) and blocked seven shots per game as a senior.
THE
OLD GUY
Center
Mike
Byron (6-10, 245, Sr.) is the lone four-year player on the
current Gardner-Webb roster, entering the program for the 2010-2011
season. The San Antonio, Texas, native has started 50 games (92
games played) during his three seasons with the program and has
shot over 50 percent from the floor during that time. Byron has
helped the Runnin' Bulldogs from 11 wins as a freshman to 21 wins
as a junior - with GWU winning as many league games last season as
it did during his first campaign.
UP
NEXT
Gardner-Webb
opens its home schedule on Saturday night, hosting former Atlantic
Sun Conference rival Jacksonville at 7:30 in Paul Porter Arena. The
game will air live on WGWG-FM (88.3 / wgwg.org) and is also
available on the Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com).
†
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