GAME NOTES: The Road To Vegas Begins In Missouri Saturday Afternoon
November 22, 2013 | Men's Basketball
THE
GAME
Gardner-Webb hits the road for a four games in six days road trek, starting its Las Vegas Invitational slate on Saturday, November 23, at SEC member Missouri. Opening tip is set for 3:30 pm ET and will be televised on the Mizzou Sports Network and ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com). Beau Baehman and Gary Link will handle the call.
SERIES NOTES / GWU vs. THE SEC
Gardner-Webb and Missouri have never met in men's basketball ... The two schools met in baseball on February 18, 2005, with Mizzou holding on for a 12-9 win ... Gardner-Webb is 1-7 all-time against teams from the SEC in men's basketball, with the lone win coming at #20 Kentucky on November 7, 2007 by a decisive, 84-68, score.
THE COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft is in his first season with the program and is off to a 2-2 start. Missouri interim head coach Tim Fuller is 3-0 this season while subbing for veteran head coach Frank Haith.
A NOTE ON NAJI
Transfer guard Naji Hibbert (6-5, 190, RSr.) has made a very noticeable impact on the Runnin' Bulldogs in his first three games in the lineup, particularly over the past two games at full strength. Over the past two games, both Gardner-Webb wins, Hibbert has been efficient and spectacular in all phases. The Baltimore, Md., native has averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game during that stretch. Hibbert has made 57.1 percent of his shots from the floor (5-of-10 from 3-point range), 75.0 percent from the stripe and has turned the basketball over just three times in 54 minutes - playing all three backcourt spots at times. He netted a career-high 20 points against a talented and athletic Jacksonville (Fla.) team on November 16. Hibbert missed the Furman game with an ankle sprain and was limited during the opener at Xavier with that same injury. Before Hibbert's injury in Cincinnati, which came at the 14:04 mark in the opening half - Gardner-Webb held a 9-3 lead over the Musketeers.
POINT GUARD PRODUCTION x 2
Incumbent point guard Tyler Strange (5-10, 180, Jr.) was one of the Big South's toughest guards last season, and has turned into a potent scorer to go with efficient passing so far in 2013-14. Strange has dished off 25 assists with only five turnovers in a team-high 128 minutes played through four starts and is averaging a career-high 12.0 points per game. Running mate Josh Castellanos (6-1, 180, Gr.) has allowed Coach Tim Craft to play with two point guards at the same time so far this season, and his production (7.3 ppg, 3.3 apg) has been very strong. Castellanos joined the program after a solid career at Mount St. Mary's in the NEC, where he averaged 8.1 points per game as a sophomore.
HILL CLIMBING
Forward Jerome Hill (6-5, 210, So.) emerged last season as one of Gardner-Webb's go-to guys in the paint and has continued to grind out scoring and rebounding down low in 2013-14. The Adel, Ga., native had 19 points and 10 boards off the bench at Furman (11/12) and has returned to the starting lineup since. He had seven of his 13 points in the first 10 minutes in the win over Jacksonville (11/16) and is averaging 10.8 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game this season. Hill is shooting a solid 52.0 percent from the floor and has made a team-high 17 free throws. Of his 23 rebounds, 11 have come off the offensive glass.
ZEKE HEATING UP
Isaiah Ivey (6-2, 190, So.) entered the season projected to be one of the team's most effective 3-point shooters, and has started off hot - knocking down 7-of-16 from deep through four games (43.8 percent). He leads the team in 3-pointers made and ranks second among regulars in percentage.
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.
WHERE IS GARDNER-WEBB?
Gardner-Webb University is located in Boiling Springs, N.C., a small town located 45 miles west of Charlotte, N.C., and just six miles from the South Carolina border. The school is named after former North Carolina governor O. Max Gardner and his wife Faye Webb Gardner, early benefactors of the school. The school was founded in 1905. Gardner-Webb competed at the junior college level until 1970, when it moved to NAIA and four-year competition until 1993. Gardner-Webb University moved from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I prior to the 2000-2001 season.
FOND MEMORIES IN MISSOURI
Gardner-Webb enjoyed some of its finest moments in the Show Me State, making several trips to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City during the 1970s at Municipal Auditorium. The best run came in 1971-72, when Gardner-Webb advanced to the NAIA Final Four there to wrap up the season with a 31-5 overall record.
YOU'VE HEARD OF THESE GUYS
Gardner-Webb's most famous basketball alums are Hall of Fame center Artis Gilmore (1967-69) and former NBA All-Rookie Team member John Drew (1972-74). Gilmore starred at Gardner-Webb for two seasons during its last two junior college years, before heading to Jacksonville University. Drew played two seasons at Gardner-Webb before going to the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 1974 NBA Draft.
UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb continues its run to Las Vegas with a stop at Northwestern on Monday night. Tip is at 8:00 pm ET. The game will air live on The Big Ten Digital Network. †
Gardner-Webb hits the road for a four games in six days road trek, starting its Las Vegas Invitational slate on Saturday, November 23, at SEC member Missouri. Opening tip is set for 3:30 pm ET and will be televised on the Mizzou Sports Network and ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com). Beau Baehman and Gary Link will handle the call.
SERIES NOTES / GWU vs. THE SEC
Gardner-Webb and Missouri have never met in men's basketball ... The two schools met in baseball on February 18, 2005, with Mizzou holding on for a 12-9 win ... Gardner-Webb is 1-7 all-time against teams from the SEC in men's basketball, with the lone win coming at #20 Kentucky on November 7, 2007 by a decisive, 84-68, score.
THE COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft is in his first season with the program and is off to a 2-2 start. Missouri interim head coach Tim Fuller is 3-0 this season while subbing for veteran head coach Frank Haith.
A NOTE ON NAJI
Transfer guard Naji Hibbert (6-5, 190, RSr.) has made a very noticeable impact on the Runnin' Bulldogs in his first three games in the lineup, particularly over the past two games at full strength. Over the past two games, both Gardner-Webb wins, Hibbert has been efficient and spectacular in all phases. The Baltimore, Md., native has averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game during that stretch. Hibbert has made 57.1 percent of his shots from the floor (5-of-10 from 3-point range), 75.0 percent from the stripe and has turned the basketball over just three times in 54 minutes - playing all three backcourt spots at times. He netted a career-high 20 points against a talented and athletic Jacksonville (Fla.) team on November 16. Hibbert missed the Furman game with an ankle sprain and was limited during the opener at Xavier with that same injury. Before Hibbert's injury in Cincinnati, which came at the 14:04 mark in the opening half - Gardner-Webb held a 9-3 lead over the Musketeers.
POINT GUARD PRODUCTION x 2
Incumbent point guard Tyler Strange (5-10, 180, Jr.) was one of the Big South's toughest guards last season, and has turned into a potent scorer to go with efficient passing so far in 2013-14. Strange has dished off 25 assists with only five turnovers in a team-high 128 minutes played through four starts and is averaging a career-high 12.0 points per game. Running mate Josh Castellanos (6-1, 180, Gr.) has allowed Coach Tim Craft to play with two point guards at the same time so far this season, and his production (7.3 ppg, 3.3 apg) has been very strong. Castellanos joined the program after a solid career at Mount St. Mary's in the NEC, where he averaged 8.1 points per game as a sophomore.
HILL CLIMBING
Forward Jerome Hill (6-5, 210, So.) emerged last season as one of Gardner-Webb's go-to guys in the paint and has continued to grind out scoring and rebounding down low in 2013-14. The Adel, Ga., native had 19 points and 10 boards off the bench at Furman (11/12) and has returned to the starting lineup since. He had seven of his 13 points in the first 10 minutes in the win over Jacksonville (11/16) and is averaging 10.8 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game this season. Hill is shooting a solid 52.0 percent from the floor and has made a team-high 17 free throws. Of his 23 rebounds, 11 have come off the offensive glass.
ZEKE HEATING UP
Isaiah Ivey (6-2, 190, So.) entered the season projected to be one of the team's most effective 3-point shooters, and has started off hot - knocking down 7-of-16 from deep through four games (43.8 percent). He leads the team in 3-pointers made and ranks second among regulars in percentage.
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.
WHERE IS GARDNER-WEBB?
Gardner-Webb University is located in Boiling Springs, N.C., a small town located 45 miles west of Charlotte, N.C., and just six miles from the South Carolina border. The school is named after former North Carolina governor O. Max Gardner and his wife Faye Webb Gardner, early benefactors of the school. The school was founded in 1905. Gardner-Webb competed at the junior college level until 1970, when it moved to NAIA and four-year competition until 1993. Gardner-Webb University moved from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I prior to the 2000-2001 season.
FOND MEMORIES IN MISSOURI
Gardner-Webb enjoyed some of its finest moments in the Show Me State, making several trips to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City during the 1970s at Municipal Auditorium. The best run came in 1971-72, when Gardner-Webb advanced to the NAIA Final Four there to wrap up the season with a 31-5 overall record.
YOU'VE HEARD OF THESE GUYS
Gardner-Webb's most famous basketball alums are Hall of Fame center Artis Gilmore (1967-69) and former NBA All-Rookie Team member John Drew (1972-74). Gilmore starred at Gardner-Webb for two seasons during its last two junior college years, before heading to Jacksonville University. Drew played two seasons at Gardner-Webb before going to the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 1974 NBA Draft.
UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb continues its run to Las Vegas with a stop at Northwestern on Monday night. Tip is at 8:00 pm ET. The game will air live on The Big Ten Digital Network. †
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