Green Wave on the Road at Butler on Wednesday
Nov 30, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2005
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2005-06 TULANE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Nov. 30, 2005
Tulane (1-1) vs. Butler (2-3)
Indianapolis, Ind. -- Hinkle Field House
Game 3 -- 6 p.m. (Central)
GREEN WAVE FACTS
2005-06 Record: 1-1
2004-05 Record: 10-18
Head Coach: Dave Dickerson
Alma Mater/Year: Maryland/1990
Record at Tulane/Year: First year
Career Record/Years: First year
President: Dr. Scott Cowen
Athletics Director: Rick Dickson
Ticket Office Phone: 504-861-WAVE
Website: www.TulaneGreenWave.com
TULANE 2005-06 SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Official Butler Athletics Website
TULANE PROBABLE STARTERS
50 Quincy Davis (Sr., 5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 16.0 MPG)
Held to 3 shots (made them all) by tough A&M defense
25 Matt Wheaton (So., 4.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 25.0 mpg)
Scored 6 pts with 6 rebs against UNO
40 Vytas Tatarunas (Sr., 3.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 22.5 mpg
Started the UNO game, scoring 7 pts with 8 rebs
3 Chris Moore (Jr., 11.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 30.5 mpg)
Career-high 16 points (4-5 threes) against UNO
11 Ryan Williams (Fr., 1.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 8.0 mpg)
Started his 1st 2 games, playing 16 minutes total
TULANE RESERVES
4 Vincent Camper (Jr., 12.0 ppg, 5.5 apg, 28.5 mpg)
Career-highs of 16 pts and 9 asts in UNO win
5 Donnie Stith (So., 9.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 24.0 apg)
9 pts and 5 rebs off the bench against Texas A&M
21 David Gomez (So., 14.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 23.0 mpg)
Second career double-double with 16/10 vs. UNO
20 Andrew Garcia (Jr., 3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 12.5 mpg)
1st career points v. A&M with a 6-for-6 FT effort
22 Kory Castine (Jr., 4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 10.0 mpg)
First action of the season with 10 mins v. A&M
44 Daniel Puckett (Fr., 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 5.0 mpg)
Cracked the scoring column with 2 FTs on Saturday
40 Robinson Louisme (So.)
Has not played this season; recovering from foot injury
INJURED, WILL NOT PLAY (2004-05 Stats)
10 Taylor Rochestie (So., 10.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.7 apg)
Earned All-Freshman honors for Conference USA
NEWS & NOTES
Radio: Live on the Tulane-ISP Radio Network -- WSKR-AM 1210 Baton Rouge; WJSH-FM 104.7 Hammond/North Shore; KROF-AM 960 Lafayette (WTIX AM 690 New Orleans will return to the airwaves on Dec. 1).
Storyline(s)
The Tulane men's basketball team plays its first road game on Wednesday evening, battling Butler in Indianapolis for the first time since 1964. While the first two games of the year were "home" games for Tulane, they were played 440 miles from New Orleans as the Wave is based at Texas A&M. Hurricane Katrina forced the Tulane Athletic Department to four different campuses for the fall semester with men's basketball being one of six teams located in College Station. Following the Butler game, the Green Wave heads straight to Iowa for the Hawkeye Challenge on Dec. 2 and 3. After two more home games in Texas and a road trip to Seton Hall, Tulane returns to New Orleans in mid-December - the men's and women's basketball teams will be the first athletic returnees to the city.
Guest Stars
Tulane's has played two "home" games at Texas A&M's Reed Arena, however, the second one was against the Aggies. The game was dubbed the "Together in Aggieland: Hurricane Relief Game," Tulane was actually the home team on the scoreboard, and all proceeds from the game went toward the Tulane Athletic Department. That was as far as the Aggies' charitable spirit would go, however, as Texas A&M got 20 points and seven boards from sophomore Joseph Jones to cruise to a 26-point victory.
A Bead on Butler
Butler enters Wednesday's game with a 2-3 record. After posting a 2-1 record at the BCA Invitational in Laramie, Wyom. (wins over Alabama State and Lehigh), the Bulldogs lost a pair of tight games to Ohio State (79-69) and Michigan (78-74). Six-six senior forward Brandon Polk leads Butler with 16.8 points per game while A.J. Graves, a 6-1 sophomore guard has 14.6 points per game. Senior guard Bruce Horan also hits for double figures with an even 10.0 points per game.
The Series With Butler
Tulane and Butler have met twice in history, with the Bulldogs winning both contests. The first meeting, in Indianapolis, was an 84-67 Butler win on Dec. 21, 1964. The second match-up was a 66-63 win for the Bulldogs in the Puerto Rico Shootout on Nov. 29, 1996.
Last Game Leaders
Sophomore David Gomez, who had a double-double in the opener against UNO, led the Green Wave with 12 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Texas A&M on Tuesday. Sophomore Donnie Stith added nine points, while junior Vincent Camper chipped in with eight.
Aggie Attack Too Much
In Tuesday's contest, the Texas A&M defense limited Tulane to just 13 baskets on 39 shot attempts (33.3 percent) and the Aggies turned 19 turnovers into 29 points. The Green Wave held its own in the second half, trailing just 36-31, but the 47-26 first-half deficit proved to be the difference. The Green Wave got off to a rough start as the Aggies scored the first six points of the game while forcing three turnovers in four trips to the defensive side of the court. The lead would soon grow into double-digits, and Tulane was never able to recover.
Pulling Away From the Privateers
Trailing 49-39 early in the second half, Dave Dickerson jump-started his team with Vincent Camper, David Gomez and Donnie Stith. Gomez and Stith took charge inside and Camper directed the offense as the Green Wave used a 15-2 run to take a 54-51 lead. Gomez had eight, Camper four and Stith three in that stretch which put the Wave on top. UNO recaptured the lead at 63-62 but a pair of Chris Moore threes keyed a 9-1 run which put the game away.
Different Difference
With the last two meetins between Tulane and UNO being decided at the buzzer, this year's first meeting (the two city rivals will meet again on Dec. 31 at UNO) looked like another barn-burner. However, Tulane's late 9-1 run ut the game out of reach and foul trouble limited the Privateers ability to come back as the Wave won by 11, 77-66. The 77 points was themost scored in the series since a 78-55 UNO win on Nov. 24, 1996.
Board Meeting
Tulane held a dominant 50-33 advantage in rebounding in the victory over UNO. Tulane had 50 rebounds three times, winning all three of those games as well. While David Gomez led the way with 10 rebounds, four other players had six+ boards - Vytas Tatarunas had eight, while Donnie Stith, Quincy Davis and Matt Wheaton all added six.
Spring Semester at Tulane to Begin Jan. 17
After spending the first semester as visiting students at Texas A&M, the Tulane basketball team will return to its New Orleans home prior to Christmas (following the Dec. 19 game against St. Edwards). Tulane will officially begin its spring semester on Jan. 17 (students have already begun registration). In order to assist students who missed requirements and necessary classes, Tulane will also have a "Lagniappe" semester, a short seven-week semester immediately following the spring semester. That semester will be free to any students who had full-time status in both the fall and spring semesters.
Here's Dickerson
Dave Dickerson takes over the reins of the Green Wave program, becoming the 22nd head men's basketball coach in Tulane history. Dickerson comes to the Wave bench after nine years as an assistant at Maryland under Gary Williams, helping the Terrapins to nine straight postseason appearances, five Sweet Sixteens, two Final Fours and one National Championship. In 15 years as an assistant coach, he has never seen a losing season while making 10 postseason appearances.
Season Tickets Available Online
Tickets for the New Orleans portion of the 2005-2006 Tulane men's and women's basketball seasons can now be ordered on-line through Tulane's official athletics website at www.TulaneGreenWave.com. The men's team will play 10 games at Fogelman, including their entire home Conference USA schedule, beginning with a Dec. 27 contest versus Richmond. Men's basketball season tickets for the 10-game New Orleans schedule at Fogelman Arena are available for $150 for side court seating and $100 for end court seats. A youth (2-18) end court season ticket is $75. Tulane is also offering a men's basketball Family Pack, which admits two adults and two kids to every New Orleans home game this season for just $200. Single game men's ticket prices for 2005-06 are $16 for adult side court seats, $10 for end court seating and $8 for youth tickets (end court).
Rivalry Times Two
Tuesday was the first of two meetings this year between Tulane and UNO. The next meeting will be on New Year's Eve at the University of New Orleans. The game will be played in UNO's Human Performance Center as its main arena, Lakefront Arena, was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The Privateers played in the Humans Performance Center, known as "The Chamber of Horrors," from 1969-1983.
Returning for More
Tulane returns 10 lettermen from 2004-05, including four starters and nine players who averaged double figures in minutes per game. The 2005-06 roster will feature 12 scholarship players including two seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen.
Tulane Goes to Four Sites
In an unprecedented move, the Tulane University Athletic Department has relocated to four different campuses for the fall of 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. In addition to Texas A&M, SMU, Louisiana Tech and Texas Tech are hosting Green Wave teams.
Site: Tulane Teams
Louisiana Tech: Football, Track & Field
SMU: Men's and Women's Golf
Texas A&M: Men's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Men's & Women's Tennis, Women's Swimming & Diving
Texas Tech: Women's Basketball, Baseball
The Decision Process
While Katrina has caused a myriad of questions and problems for the Green Wave football team and the Tulane Athletic Department in general, all of those pale in comparison to the true tragedies which have been faced in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. In its thought process for dealing with the relocation of its athletic department, Tulane focused on five specific tasks - enroll the student-athletes in school, provide for the housing needs, assist with meal services, arrange for books, and provide the counseling needed to all involved. With those five objectives obtained, the Green Wave staff moved on to more general needs such as staffing needs at its multiple locations, scheduling work, and preparation for games.
Davis Leads Returnees
Leading scorer and rebounder Quincy Davis (6-9, Sr., F/C) returns after averaging 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in 2004-05. He also shot 61.2 percent from the field to lead Conference USA. His field-goal percentage was the second-best in school history.
All-Freshman Selection
Taylor Rochestie (6-1, So., G) had an outstanding freshman campaign, averaging 10.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game to earn All-Freshman Team honors from Conference USA. He also hit a pair of game-winning shots during the season. Rochestie will be one of just three players in Conference USA who averaged 10.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game last season (Bryan Hopkins from SMU and Darius Washington from Memphis are the other two).
Super Sophs
Three of the Green Wave's top four returning scorers will be sophomores in 2005-06 as David Gomez (6-8, So., F) and Donnie Stith (6-6, So., F) join Rochestie at the top of the stat sheet for the Wave. Tulane's five-man freshman class, with Matt Wheaton (6-5, So., G) and Robinson Louisme (6-7, So., F/C), combined for 66 starts, 25 double-figure scoring games, five double-digit rebound efforts and two game-winning shots. Overall, the freshmen played 81.6 minutes per game (40.8% of Tulane's minutes). In league games only, the rookies averaged 91.6 minutes per game (45.8% of the team's minutes). The Green Wave started four freshmen against Cincinnati, the first time Tulane has done that since the 1989-90 season.
Free For Me
Tulane led the league in free-throw shooting for C-USA games at .746 and finished the year having shot 70 percent or better from the line in 18 games. The Wave had a 17-of-19 performance from the line as well as two 16-of-18 efforts. Tulane also hit 29 free throws against Louisville, the most it has connected on since it hit 35 against Centenary on Nov. 20, 2001.
Quincy, M.D., the Doctor of Block
Green Wave senior Quincy Davis set a school record for single-season blocks by swatting 67 shots in 2003-04. He now has 119 for his career to rank fourth all-time at Tulane, but still needs 73 more to reach the Green Wave's all-time leader, John "Hot Rod" Williams, who had 192 in his career.
New Kids on the Block
Dave Dickerson is not the only first-year head coach in Conference USA this season - Ricky Stokes at East Carolina and Doug Wojcik at Tulsa were also hired in the off-season. Larry Eustachy at Southern Miss and Tom Penders at Houston are both entering their second seasons in the league, while Doc Sadler is in his second year at C-USA newcomer UTEP.
Mirror, Mirror
Once again the Green Wave will play three "mirror" games in 2005-06. Every team in Conference USA plays every other team once, with each team having three teams which it plays twice in order to total 14 league games. Tulane's three mirror opponents will be Southern Miss, Rice and East Carolina. The Wave was 2-1 against those teams last year (1-1 vs. Southern Miss, 1-0 vs. ECU and 0-0 against league newcomer Rice).
Linton Johnson Earns a Ring
Former Tulane standout Linton Johnson earned a spot on the Chicago Bulls roster two years ago and proceeded to average 17.9 minutes per game while starting 20 games. His performance in Chicago drew attention from around the league, and he signed a free agent deal with the San Antonio Spurs. Despite spending the majority of the season on the injured reserve, Johnson still earned a ring from the Spurs, who captured the 2005 NBA Championship. The Chicago native is currently on the roster of the New Jersey Nets.
Graduation Continues
Three more Green Wave basketball players recently earned their degrees as Ivan Pjevcevic, Marcus Kinzer and George Brown all collected diplomas in 2005. Of the 13 seniors who have played for the Wave in the last five years, only Ben Benfield has not graduated; he remains in school and is on track to earn his degree in May of 2006.
