EVANSVILLE BASKETBALL

Transcription

1 BASKETBALL FIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS FIVE NCAA D-1 TOURNAMENTS Schedule OCTOBER 2013 Oct. 26 Trevecca W, NOVEMBER 2013 Nov. 2 W, Nov. 9 Martin Methodist W, Nov. 12 at IUPUI W, Nov. 18 Mercer $ W, Nov. 20 Valparaiso $ W, Nov. 23 Anderson W, Nov. 26 at Indiana L, Nov. 30 at Ohio U. $ L, DECEMBER 2013 Dec. 4 at Murray State L, Dec. 7 Miami (Ohio) W, Dec. 10 at Xavier & L, Dec. 14 Jackson State L, Dec. 21 Butler L, Dec. 28 Grambling W, JANUARY 2014 Jan. 1 at DRAKE L, Jan. 4 INDIANA STATE ESPNU L, Jan. 8 UNI L, Jan. 11 at SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W, Jan. 15 at ILLINOIS STATE L, OT Jan. 18 LOYOLA W, Jan. 21 at MISSOURI STATE L, Jan. 26 BRADLEY # W, Jan. 29 at UNI ESPN3 L, FEBRUARY 2014 Feb. 1 at WICHITA STATE ESPNU L, Feb. 5 MISSOURI STATE 7:05 p.m. Feb. 9 at BRADLEY 3:00 p.m. Feb. 12 ILLINOIS STATE 7:05 p.m. Feb. 16 WICHITA STATE # 4:00 p.m. Feb. 19 at Indiana State ESPN3 6:05 p.m. CT Feb. 22 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 7:05 p.m. Feb. 25 DRAKE 7:05 p.m. MARCH 2014 Mar. 1 at Loyola 3:00 p.m. Mar. 6-9 MVC - Exhibition Game $ - Ohio Classic # - Televised by MVC Networks & - Fox Sports 1 % - MVC Tournament - St. Louis Home Games in Bold Home MVC Games in BOLD CAPS MVC Games in ALL CAPS All Times Central TWENTY-FOUR Missouri State at Evansville February 5, :05 p.m. - Ford Center Live Coverage: 91.5 WUEV AcesTV Radio PxP: Lance Wilkerson Color: Scott Shreffler INFORMATION Record: (3-7 MVC) Head Coach: Marty Simmons Record at UE: (7th Season) Career Record: (13th Season) Duane Gibson FR - G Cleveland, Ohio Villa Angela-St. Joseph Adam Wing SO - G Morehead, Ky. Rowan County D.J. Balentine SO - G Kokomo, Ind. Kokomo Blake Simmons FR - F/G Newburgh, Ind. Castle Probable Starters Notes: Posted 7 ast at Wichita State; leads the team with 98 on the season (3rd in the Valley) Off The Bench # Name Pos Ht/Wt Cl PPG RPG NOTES MISSOURI STATE INFORMATION Record: 15-7 (5-5 MVC) Head Coach: Paul Lusk Record at MSU: (3rd Season) Career Record: (4th Season) Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes Notes: Finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists at Illinois State Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes Notes: MVC scoring leader at 23.1 PPG; posted careerhigh 43 points at UNI Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes Notes: Top scoring true freshman in the Missouri valley Conference with 9.1 points per game Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes Egidijus Mockevicius Notes: Leads the MVC in shooting, hitting 60.9% of his SO - C shots; No. 2 in blocked shots (1.6/gm) Kursenai, Lithuania Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes Lithuanian Univ. of Edu. Sci Christian Benzon G 6-4/195 FR pts, 7 rbs in 15 min vs. GRAM 3 Jaylon Brown G 6-3/195 FR Started games vs. BRAD & at UNI 5 Mislav Brzoja G 6-4/205 SO - - Redshirting in Jaylon Moore F 6-7/230 JR Set career mark with 14 pts vs INST 22 Tyler Ptacek G 6-3/175 FR Hit 4/6 3 s at ISU for 12 pts 23 Mike Leazer G 6-3/170 SO Drained a 3 in exh. opener 25 Rokas Cesnulevisius F 6-8/215 JR - - DNP in exhibition opener 44 David Howard F/C 6-8/225 rfr Notched 6 rbs vs. BRAD & UNI Contact: Bob Pristash Office: Cell: rp113@evansville.edu UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 1

2 ACES MEN S BASKETBALL UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 2

3 ACES MEN S BASKETBALL Tale of the Tape UE Stat Leaders Points 23.1 PPG 7.6/gm 3-Pointers 54 FT % 87.3% Assists 98 Steals 19 Blocks 35 Minutes 37.4/gm UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 3

4 Follow The Aces You can find the Purple Aces on Facebook and Twitter! Follow the UE men s basketball team on Facebook at Aces Men s Basketball (Official). The Aces hoops team is also on You can also follow all of the University of Evansville athletics teams on and on Facebook at University of Evansville Athletic Department. GoPurpleAces.com is the official home of University of Evansville athletics. GoPurpleAces has the most info on Evansville Athletics and provides daily updates on all UE sports. It is also the one place to find live streaming and audio from several Aces athletics contests. The Marty Simmons Radio Show Aces head coach Marty Simmons and Lance Wilkerson host the Marty Simmons Radio Show every Monday night at 6 p.m.-7 p.m. at Turoni s in Newburgh. The show can be heard on WUEV 91.5 FM. Fans are invited to come out each week and get the inside scoop on the latest developments with the Aces basketball team! Home Media Stats Members of the media can follow today s game by logging on to evansville.statbroadcast.com. You can follow it on any laptop or mobile device. This access is available for all home contests. Media Policy University of Evansville Sports Information Director Bob Pristash will be serving as the primary media contact for Aces Men s Basketball this season and all interview and media requests must be directed to his attention. He can be reached via at rp113@evansville.edu or at Head coach Marty Simmons and requested players will be available prior to practice each day. All requests must be made by Noon of that day. No exceptions. All scheduled interviews will take place in the arena prior to practice. Please see the schedule in game notes for a full schedule of that week. Please contact Bob Pristash on the day of your scheduled interview to confirm location. With schedules at the Ford Center possibly changing last minute, we want to make sure you end up at the correct place. There will also be no availability on game day prior to the contest and on scheduled off days. Photographers (including TV and other video) are permitted to shoot during the first 10 minutes of practice. All photographers must notify Bob Pristash in advance in order to attend practice. Coach Simmons and selected players will be available following each home game in the media room of the Ford Center following a ten-minute cooling off period. Quotes from road games will be included in the post-game release. The Opening Tip - A perfect 8-8 start from the floor got the Aces off to a quick start at Wichita State as they took a lead, but the Shockers fought back, finishing the first half on a 25-4 run to take the lead for good - Evansville played the Shockers as well as anyone on their schedule has so far as D.J. Balentine led the way with 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting; he also knocked down 3 triples - Limited to just 16 minutes because of foul trouble, Egidijus Mockevicius was next on the squad, scoring eight points while hauling in four rebounds What A Week - In two of the toughest games the Purple Aces will have played, D.J. Balentine was at his best, averaging 34.5 points per game at UNI and Wichita State; he began the week with a 43-point effort at UNI before posting 26 against the Shockers - He shared MVC Player of the Week honors with Anthony Beane of Missouri State, it was his league-high third honor of the season - At UNI, he hit 10 of his 19 shots while hitting free throws; he hit 11 out of 21 attempts at WSU; he is the first UE player to record back-to-back efforts of hitting 10 or more shots since Colt Ryan did so at Wichita and at home versus Indiana State last season - His 43-point performance tied for the third-best game in the NCAA this season - With his 26-point effort at WSU, Balentine has hit the 20-point mark on 16 occasions this season while scoring 12 or more in 22 out of 23 games this season - He continues to lead the MVC in scoring with 23.1 points per game while standing at 7th in the country - Balentine is one of just two players in the country to average 23 points and 4.1 assists per game; Billy Baron (Canisius) stands at 23.7 points and 4.8 assists 40-Point Games - For the first time since Feb. 21, 2012, a UE player scored over 40 points as Balentine tallied 43 at Northern Iowa; Colt Ryan also had 43 on the road against Creighton as he hit 17 out of 24 shots - Balentine became just the fourth Missouri Valley Conference player to score 40 points or more since the campaign; below are the other such performances: 44-Doug McDermott-CU vs. BU 1/7/12 43-D.J. Balentine-UE at UNI 1/29/14 43-Colt Ryan-UE at CU 2/21/12 42-Cavel Witter-CU vs. BU 3/1/08 41-Doug McDermott-CU vs. WSU 3/2/13 D.J. At The Line - A effort from the charity stripe at UNI improved Balentine s season mark to 87.7%, second in the MVC - For the season, he has connected on 157 out of 179 attempts; the 157 makes rank third in the nation behind Antoine Mason of Niagara (186) and Patrick Miller from Tennessee State (158) - He is on the cusp of moving into the top ten in free throws made in a season, just seven away from Marcus Wilson s season where he hit 165 Sophomore Success - When you look at the top sophomore scorers in the country, Balentine sits atop that list; the top five are: 1. D.J. Balentine - UE pts T.J. Warren - NC State Tyler Harvey - E. Wash R.J. Hunter - Ga. State Shawn Long - Louisiana Laf Balentine also is having one of the top five sophomore seasons in program history and stands fourth on that list; below are the top five seasons for Evansville sophomores: 1 - Ed Smallwood points 2 - Parrish Casebier D.J. Balentine Buster Briley Colt Ryan Award Winners - The Aces have earned three conference awards thus far in the season including: 11/25/13 - Balentine - Player of the Week 11/25/13 - Gibson - Newcomer of Week 12/9/13 - Balentine - Player of the Week 2/3/14 - Balentine - Co-Player of the Week Approaching Some Milestones - Head coach Marty Simmons is coming up on a pair of important milestones in his college coaching career as his record at UE stands at while his overall coaching record is Simple Stats - This season, when the Purple Aces shoot 50% or better, they are 7-1; when shooting under the 50% mark, UE is 3-12; the lone loss when hitting the 50% mark came last time out at UNI - When three or more Aces hit double figures this season, the team has gone 9-2; when two or fewer hit that mark, Evansville is 1-11 Mon. Feb. 3 Practice - 3:15 p.m. Interviews - 2:45 p.m. Ford Center Tues. Feb. 4 Practice - 3:15 p.m. Interviews - 2:45 p.m. Ford Center THIS WEEK S SCHEDULE (subject to change) Wed. Feb. 5 Home game vs. Missouri State 7:05 p.m. Thurs. Feb. 6 Practice - 3:15 p.m. Interviews - 2:45 p.m. TBA Fri. Feb. 7 Practice - 3:15 p.m. Interviews - 2:45 p.m. TBA Sat. Feb. 8 Early pracitce Travel to Bradley Sun. Feb. 9 Road game at Bradley 3 p.m UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 4

5 Scouting The Competition - With a victory over Bradley on Saturday, Missouri State improved its mark to 15-7 and evened its MVC record at The Bears have been a different team at home as opposed to on the road in the conference; MSU is 4-1 at JQH Arena while just 1-4 away from there with that win coming at Bradley on Jan. 8 - Missouri State does a great job of taking care of the ball, posting a turnover margin, second in the league, while posting a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio, a tally that is tied for third - Despite missing two of their top players in Marcus Marshall and Keith Pickens, the Bears have remained a force in the Valley, much to the credit of Jarmar Gulley - The senior has put the team on his back, averaging 14.9 points overall this season while bumping that mark up to 17.3 PPG in the MVC; he is also their top rebounder with 6.0 per game - He got the job done on both ends in the home win over Bradley posting game highs in points (19) and rebounds (9); Gulley was also a difference maker in the win over UE on Jan. 21 as he finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, both the most for either squad - Since league play has started, Austin Ruder has been one of the top performances when it comes to the 3-pointer; his 2.8 triples per game in MVC action ranks him second behind Matt Bohannon of UNI About The Series - In a close series, Missouri State holds a slight edge while Evansville has held its ground at home, winning 18 out of 27 contests - The Aces have won five of the last seven games against the Bears including the last three home efforts - Last year, the Aces held on for a overtime win at home as senior guard Troy Taylor hauled in 19 rebounds and Egidijus Mockevicius scored what was then his career high of 18 More Chances For Opponents - For the season, opponents have taken 1,323 shots, 156 more than UE - There has been just one game this season where UE has taken more shots, that came in the home game vs. Loyola Helping Hand - Evansville leads the conference with 15.0 assists per game - Following helpers on 17 out of 26 baskets at Wichita State, the Aces have posted assists on 62% of its field goals, 9th in the nation Second Scorer - Balentine has been the leading scorer for the Aces in 20 out of 23 games this season, but six players have been second to him in those contests - Egidijus Mockevicius has been second nine times Blake Simmons was second to Balentine in eight outings this season; Adam Wing has been the No. 2 scorer three times Stepping Up - Freshman Blake Simmons has scored in double figures in five of the last eight games, averaging 10.6 points per game in that time, second on the squad behind just Balentine - Standing at 9.1 PPG, Simmons has established himself as a sharp shooter from outside; after hitting 13 triples in 13 non-conference games, Simmons has drained 14 in his first 10 league games, hitting 41.2% of his treys in MVC play - Simmons top two outings this season have been 16 points, which he scored against UNI and Illinois State - His season average of 9.1 points per game is second on the team and is tops amongst all true freshmen in the Valley (Milton Doyle of Loyola is a redshirt) - He started his career with 11 and 15 point efforts; the last frosh to post backto-back outings of 10 or more points was Colt Ryan in 2009, who opened his record-breaking career with 31 points in his first two games Did You Know? - UE is 15-1 in its last 16 games when scoring 80 or more points - Since the beginning of the campaign, the Aces are 16-8 when they win the opening tip but are 1-3 in the last four games when doing so - After winning just 11 tips in , UE has matched that total this season; the Aces have also won the last five tips - When up at the half since Nov. of 2011, UE has gone In games UE has been holding the lead with five minutes remaining since the beginning of the season, the Aces are The Aces are victorious in 20 out of the last 24 games that they have shot 50% or higher - Rebounding has been pivotal in determining the Aces success over the last 2+ seasons, UE is 25-6 over that stretch when winning that battle - Evansville is 1-6 when scoring 60 or fewer points this season; overall, the team is when scoring under that mark since the beginning of the season Threes By The Opposition - In two games this season, UNI combined to hit 31 out of 63 3-pointers; it marked the seventh time this season that Evansville has given up double digit triples - For the season, opponents are averaging pointers per game, the third-highest average against the Aces since the 3-point line came into play for the season - This marks the seventh season UE has allowed at least seven treys per game in 28 games /game in 31 games in 23 games in 29 games in 28 games in 30 games in 28 games Quick Facts GENERAL INFORMATION Name... University of Evansville Founded Location...Evansville, Ind. Enrollment... 2,822 Nickname...Purple Aces Colors...Purple, White and Orange National Affiliation...NCAA Division I Conference...Missouri Valley Conference Home Floor/Capacity...Ford Center/11,000 President...Dr. Thomas Kazee Director of Athletics...John Stanley Athletic Ticket Office ACES COACHING STAFF Head Coach...Marty Simmons (Evansville, 87) Record at Evansville (.458), 7th season Overall Record (.509), 13th season Assistant Coach...Jimmy Elgas (Illinois State, 93) Assistant Coach...Carson Harris (Manchester, 01) Assistant Coach...Geoff Alexander (Western Illinois, 00) Director of Basketball Operations... Kavon Lacey (Evansville, 11) Strength and Conditioning Coach...Jordan Stanley Assistant Athletic Trainer... Troy Coppus Director Of Development For Men s Basketball...Kim Gentry TEAM INFORMATION Overall Record Missouri Valley Record/Finish /4th Starters Returning/Lost...2/3 Letterwinners Returning/Lost...7/7 Newcomers...5 HISTORY First Year of Basketball Overall Record... 1,292-1,015 (.560), 93 years NCAA College Division National Champions , 60, 64, 65, 71 Missouri Valley Record (.425), 18 years Ford Center Record (.708), 3rd season Last Postseason in 2013 CIT W, vs. Tennessee State, W, vs. Eastern Kentucky, W, at Canisius, L, at East Carolina NCAA Tournament Appearances... 5 (1982, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1999) Last NCAA Appearance...L, vs. Kansas (1999 First Round) NIT Appearances... 2 (1988, 1994) Last NIT Appearance...L, vs. Tulane (1994 First Round) CIT Appearances...2 (2013) Last CIT Appearance...L, 58-81at East Carolina (2013 Semifinals) CBI Appearances...1 (2011) Last CBI Appearance... L, vs. Princeton (2012 First Round) SPORTS INFORMATION Sports Information Director (MBB contact)...bob Pristash Office... (812) Cell... (812) rp113@evansville.edu Assistant Sports Information Director... Dustin Hall Office... (812) dh207@evansville.edu Graphic Design Specialist...Jim Leising Office... (812) jl245@evansville.edu Voice of the Aces...Lance Wilkerson Office... (812) lw137@evansville.edu Sports Information Fax... (812) Mailing Address Lincoln Avenue... Evansville, In Official Athletics Website UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 5

6 Sizing It Up - The top rebounder in MVC play added nine more to his tally against UNI as Egidijus Mockevicius has averaged 8.2 rebounds in 10 MVC games - With 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, Mockevicius had his best conference effort against Bradley; Mockevicius has hit 23 of his last 25 shots en route to taking the conference shooting lead at 60.9% - In his time on the floor, Mockevicius has grabbed 27.3% of the possible defensive rebounds, that tally 9th-best in the country - For the season, Egidijus Mockevicius is averaging 7.6 rebounds (No. 2 in the Valley); his average is the top for Evansville since the campaign when UE Hall of Famer Reed Jackson hauled in an average of nine per game - The highest total since then came in when former player and UE assistant coach Chris Hollender posted 7.4 per contest - It is interesting that Mockevicius success has not had a direct impact on the Aces overall record; UE is 2-6 when he picks up 9+ rebounds and 4-6 when he scores in double figures - For a 6-10 center, he has done an admirable job in improving from the charity stripe, hitting 22 of his last 25 free throw attempts - When Mockevicius has been whistled for four or more fouls in league play, the Aces are just 1-6; when called for three or less, UE has won two out of three times - Mockevicius has also been called for two first-half fouls in 13 games this year with UE going 5-8; the last ten times he has been called twice in the opening frame have seen UE win just twice More On D.J. - His efforts at SIU included 19 second-half points while hitting 5 of his 6 treys in the latter half; it marked the top half of basketball for an Evansville player since Colt Ryan had 30 in the second half at Canisius in the 2013 CIT and was the first player since Ryan to hit five 3-pointers in a half; Ryan hit 5 in the first half against Bradley on 1/18/12 - Balentine s scoring average is on pace to be the best in over 20 years; the last Evansville player to score more than what Balentine has averaged this season was Parrish Casebier, who posted an average of 25.4 points per game in Playing 37.4 minutes/contest, Balentine stands 2.8 minutes ahead of any other player in the MVC; he has played at least 31 minutes in each game as a sophomore - He has been on the floor for 94.0% of the Aces minutes this year, 4th-most in the country; he has been on the floor for 94.6% of UE s conference minutes - Balentine posted double figures in the first 15 games of this season; it was the top such streak for Evansville since Marcus Wilson did so in the first 18 games of Youth Movement - Comprised of six freshmen and four sophomore along with junior Jaylon Moore, the Purple Aces rank as the fourth youngest team in America - According to statsheet.com, Evansville is fourth behind Kentucky, Howard and James Madison Posting Up - Over the last three games, redshirt freshman David Howard has come off the bench to give the Aces some stellar minutes - The last three outings have seen him average 15 minutes per game while averaging 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 points - Howard had his best effort thus far against Anderson as he played in 19 minutes and finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds - For the season, Howard has averaged.267 rebounds per minute, a tally that is better than some of the top ten rebounders in the league Story Of The Boards - Offensive rebounds have plagued the Purple Aces this season as the opposition has recorded 271 as opposed to 194 for UE - Through 23 games, Evansville has lost the battle of the offensive glass on 17 occasions, going 6-11 in those games - For the season, UE is -61 in second chance points, an average of 2.7 per game In The Lineup - After coming off the bench in the first 19 games of the season, freshman Jaylon Brown started the home game versus Bradley and the road contest at UNI - Prior to the Bradley game, the most playing time he had was 24 minutes in the season opener versus Martin Methodist; he quickly surpassed that in his first start against the Braves, playing 26 minutes and has averaged 23.7 minutes in the last three games - When you combine the last four outings, Brown has been extremely efficient in his operation of the point - he has played a total of 94 minutes while turning the ball over on just three occasions - In the home win over Grambling, Brown had a career-high 14 points as he hit all five attempts; prior to that game, his top offensive output was seven points - The Grambling and Drake games saw Brown average 11.5 PPG while connecting on nine out of ten attempts; he hit all 5 shots to tally 14 against Grambling before going 4-for-5 at Drake to tally 9 - Brown is one of the top defenders for Evansville and leads the squad with 18 steals on the season; he posted a season-high four takeaways at Drake Home Cooking - There is something about the home cooking Evansville that has helped the Aces shoot their way to a.487 percentage at the Ford Center - On the road, it has been a different story as UE hit 44.8% of its attempts - The disparity is even greater when you examine the 3-point shooting as the Aces have hit 43.2% of their treys as opposed to 35.5% on the road - When you look at the defense, the numbers are nearly identical as UE allows the opposition to hit 44.4% of its shots and 34.5% of its 3 s at home compared to 45.1% and 36.8% from long range in road outings - UE scores an average of 73.8 points at home compared to 67.3 on the road UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 6

7 Aces vs. Ranked Opponents Since the season, the University of Evansville has squared off against 61 ranked opponents, posting a mark. The season marked the fourth in a row that UE has topped a ranked opponent after grabbing a win over No. 23 Wichita State at the Ford Center. Date Rank Team H/A Score 2/1/14 3 Wichita State A L, /16/13 23 Creighton H L, /13/13 23 Wichita State H W, /29/12 12 Creighton A L, /22/12 19 Butler A L, /10/12 22 Notre Dame A L, /3/12 24 Creighton N L, /7/12 15 Creighton H W, /6/11 6 North Carolina A L, /27/10 23 Butler A W, (OT) 2/23/10 25 Northern Iowa H W, /21/09 11 Butler H L, /18/08 1 North Carolina A L, /9/08 16 Drake A L, /17/07 25 Butler H L, /24/07 13 Southern Illinois A L, /22/06 16 Butler A L, /6/04 15 Southern Illinois N L, /18/04 20 Southern Illinois H L, /17/04 24 Creighton A L, /27/03 22 Purdue A L, /23/03 10 Creighton H W, /15/03 13 Creighton A L, /3/02 25 Western Kentucky H W, /21/96 13 Indiana N L, /27/96 22 Indiana N L, /22/94 22 Xavier H W, /18/93 10 Florida State N L, /13/93 22 Xavier N W, /18/90 21 Michigan State A L, /15/90 22 Xavier A L, /18/90 20 Xavier H W, /20/89 25 Michigan State H L, /19/89 11 Seton Hall N L, /21/87 6 DePaul H L, /28/84 5 DePaul A L, /19/83 7 Purdue H W, /10/82 3 DePaul A L, /9/81 3 DePaul H L, /15/80 3 UCLA A L, /26/80 1 DePaul A L, N/A Indiana State A L, Long Beach State H L, Jacksonville H L, Purdue H W, Colorado A L, New Mexico State H L, Purdue H L, Utah A L, Iowa H L, UCLA H W, Maryland N L, Washington (Mo.) N/A L, Murray State N/A L, Eastern Kentucky A L, Murray State N/A L, Dayton N/A W, Louisville N W, Western Kentucky N L, Bowling Green N W, Western Kentucky A L, Another Double-Double - With 10 points and a personal best 18 rebounds at Illinois State, Egidijus Mockevicius posted his second double-double in a row and third of the season - He became the first player to record two straight double-doubles since James Haarsma did so in ; Haarsma posted 26 points and 10 boards versus Georgia Southern before finishing with 18 tallies and 14 rebounds against UT Martin - With a block at UNI, Mockevicius improved his season tally to 35, a total that is second-best in the Valley at 1.6 per game Using The Line - Over the course of the season, the Purple Aces have gone to the free throw line an average of 26.0 times per game while the opposition has made an average of just 20.0 appearances at the charity stripe - Free throws have comprised 26.2% of the Aces offense this season (425/1625 points), that is the highest total on record for UE; the previous high in that statistic came in the season when the Aces made 585 free throws while scoring a total of 2259 points (25.9%) - Free throws make up just 19.3% of the offense for UE s opponents - UE s 26.0 FT attempts per game are the most since when the Aces averaged 27.7 per game; the highest average for free throws attempts per game came in when UE went to the line an average of 32.3 times per game (841 attempts in 26 games) Boost Off The Bench - In just over half a season with the Aces, freshman Tyler Ptacek has emerged as a great weapon off the bench, especially with his outside shooting - With two of his teammates under the weather, Ptacek put forth his best effort when his team needed him the most, playing 21 minutes at Illinois State scoring a career-best 12 points while hitting 4 of his 6 3-point attempts - For the season, Ptacek has been extremely reliable from outside, hitting 11 out of his 23 treys Top Game - It was a thrill watching junior Jaylon Moore add to his repertoire with long jumpers and floaters versus the Sycamores - Moore hit four of his five attempts along with 6/8 free throws en route to a career-best 14 points versus Indiana State - His efforts from the free throw line were also the best in his career as he eclipsed his previous best of making four in one game - For the season, Moore has scored 95 points; he is on pace to surpass his total of 123 points scored last season A Threat Everywhere - Adam Wing had one of, if not THE best game of his career at Illinois State as he posted 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists - Wing showed a willingness to shoot more as he took 15 attempts against the Redbirds, six shots more than any other game in his career - He is a solid shooter, knocking down 45.9% of his attempts - His efforts have translated into success for UE; the Aces are 3-1 when he hits five shots or more and sport a similar 3-1 mark when he attempts at least six free throws - As a freshman, Wing posted an average of 2.7 points per game; he has seen that skyrocket in the right direction this year, averaging 8.2 points with seven double digit efforts Clutch...In the Clutch - Let s give a nod to freshman Duane Gibson, who went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line in the final 41 seconds of the win against Southern Illinois - Entering the game, Gibson was a 70.4% free throw shooter and had hit just 14 out of 22 free throws in the final five minutes of play (63.6%) - After a bout with a stomach bug the week of the Illinois State game, Gibson rebounded with a strong effort against Loyola, posting 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals - Gibson has been finding open teammates at an impressive clip; through 23 games, Gibson has notched 98 assists, good for 4.3 per game, 3rd in the Valley - Gibson has had a nice scoring touch, posting double digits in seven games this year - With 10 assists against Valparaiso and 11 helpers versus Anderson, Gibson became the first Ace since Reed Crafton to record double-digit assists in consecutive games; Crafton did so in three straight games in 1989, including the NCAA win over Oregon State (3/10/89-10 vs. Dayton, 3/11/89-11 vs. Xavier, 3/17/89-10 vs. OSU) UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 7

8 Home Court Advantage In 55 seasons at Roberts Stadium, the Aces amassed an amazing.723 winning percentage, capturing 604 games. Below is a rundown of the Aces home history at Roberts Stadium and the Ford Center. Year W-L Win % Attend. Avg ,172 2, ,902 6,363 * ,841 7,202 * ,361 8, ,525 6, ,901 7, ,636 8,309 * ,112 9,743 * ,310 10, ,604 9, ,628 7, ,700 7, ,772 5, ,219 7,444 * ,867 6, ,749 7, ,773 4, ,074 7, ,066 4, ,107 5, ,063 5, ,086 6, ,214 8, ,760 7, ,726 8, ,099 10, ,243 8, ,572 7, ,675 6, ,224 6, ,923 7, ,959 9, ,201 9, ,362 9, ,757 10, ,168 10, ,616 11, ,904 10, ,843 10, ,400 10, ,561 8, ,655 8, ,625 8, ,061 8, ,070 7, ,503 5, ,398 6, ,421 6, ,777 6, ,351 6, ,407 5, ,292 5, ,400 5, ,314 4, ,269 5, Years ,280,218 7, ,431 5, ,327 4, ,137 4,345 3rd Year ,888 4,685 *NCAA Championship Season Raining Threes - Fifteen triples found the bottom of the net in UE s game at Illinois State; that marked the first time the Aces had 15 3 s since hitting 15 of their 22 attempts at Hawaii Hilo on Nov. 28, 1998; it was the first time UE hit that many against a Division I opponent since going 17-of-35 versus Southern Illinois on Jan. 7, D.J. Balentine hit 6 of his 13 treys in the game; after going 6/10 from outside at SIU, Balentine became the first UE player to record six triples in back-to-back games since the inception of the 3-point line to the NCAA in Blake Simmons was 5-9 from outside while fellow frosh Tyler Ptacek was 4-6; the 12-point effort marked a career high for Ptacek, who also saw 21 minutes of action, tops in his young career at Evansville Digging Out - For the sixth time in 20 seasons in the MVC, the Aces have started conference play with 3 losses - Out of the previous five times, the best record UE finished with was 5-13 in First On The Road - Here is something that we hope is a good omen for the Purple Aces: with the win at SIU, the Aces earned their first MVC win on the road; it marked the sixth time in 20 seasons that the Aces earned their first league win away from home and when doing so, it has always meant at least a.500 conference season - Below are the other seasons that UE got its first Valley win away from home: We Will Always Remember - On Sunday, Jan. 26 prior to the Bradley game, the second phase of the Hilliard Lyons Corridor of Champions was unveiled - The display is dedicated to the memory of those lost in the 1977 plane crash and is located on the street level of the Ford Center Another Solid Outing - Christian Benzon has joined Jaylon Brown as a pair of Aces to turn their fortunes in the games versus Grambling and Drake; against the Bulldogs, he played a career-best 24 minutes with 5 points and 5 rebounds on 2-3 shooting - In the Grambling game, Benzon saw time on the floor for 15 minutes, hitting a pair of buckets to finish with five points along with a season-high 7 boards Round 20 - UE began its 20th season as a member of the MVC at Drake and fell to 8-12 in its overall openers and 3-17 on the road in its first game; Evansville has been much better in its home openers, going 11-9 overall while taking wins in three of the last four home conference openers Hit The Ground Running - The fourth-youngest team out of 351 NCAA teams is getting some early on the job training, especially the five starters - Evansville s primary starting lineup has contributed to playing 3243 out of UE s 4425 minutes this season, 73.3% - That is the highest percentage played by UE s primary starting lineup since the season when that team saw its starters play 4455 out of a possible 5800 minutes, 76.8% - Leading the way for that team was current head coach Marty Simmons, who played 1,018 minutes; teammate Scott Haffner was just a minute behind with 1,017 for the season - Two other teams since 1987 saw its starters play 73% or more including the squad (73.2%) and the team (73%); the lowest amount was the team, which saw its starters play 2842/5400 minutes (52.6%) - Over the last six games, three players (Balentine, Simmons and Wing) have averaged over 33 minutes of play; Balentine has played 243 out of 245 minutes while Simmons has played 219; Wing is not too far behind at 201 Great Start - For the first time in his head coaching career at the University of Evansville, Marty Simmons won five games in a row as he got the Aces off to a 5-0 start this season - For the program, it was the first winning streak of five games or more since a streak of nine games from Dec. 11, 1999 through Jan. 12, It was just the second 5-0 start since the with the other coming in UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 8

9 The 3 Ball - One astounding stat so far this year is the fact that opponents have attempted pointers with 35.6% finding the bottom of the net - By comparison, Evansville has attempted just 277 treys with 108 being true (39.0%) - The opposition has depended on the long shot for 30.1% of its offense against Evansville; the 3-point shot comprises just 19.9% of UE s offensive attack - Last year, the three made up 24.9% of the Aces offense; the last time long range shots did not comprise at least 20% of the Aces attack was in when they hit 99 3 s, making up just 297 out of 2081 points (14.7%) - In a stretch of five games this year from Valparaiso through Murray State, the Aces gave up 47 treys and double figure 3 s in four of those games; the last time the Aces gave up 10 3 s in a stretch of 4/5 games was in the season from Feb. 7 through 21 when UE gave up 52 Looking Ahead - It was announced on Nov. 27 that UE would be playing in the Gulf Coast Showcase from Nov , Each team will play three games and other schools in it includes: East Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast, High Point, Green Bay, San Francisco, Fresno State and UNC Wilmington Here Are Some Stats For You - The offense has sparkled this season, shooting 50% in the first five games of the season; it marked the first 5-game streak of shooting 50% or over since; UE did so nine games in a row from Dec. 8 vs. EIU to the Wichita State game on Jan. 9, By scoring 55 points in the first half against Valparaiso, it marked the first time since Feb. 1, 2012 that the Aces hit the 50-point mark in the first period; they scored 53 that night in Peoria - A performance of 52.3% from the floor against the RedHawks saw the Aces improve their record to a perfect 6-0 this season when they shoot above 50% Offense Struggles - The main statistic that the Aces look back on when they examine the loss at IU is the shooting; Evansville shot just 29.1% in the game, its first sub-30% outing since hitting 25.8% of its shots at North Carolina two years ago - By tallying 19 points in the first half, it marked the first time the team failed to score 20 or more in a half since scoring 18 in the first half against Southern Illinois on Jan. 29, The Aces finished the Nov. 26 game versus IU with 46 points, the last time the Aces did not reach the 50-point mark was in last season s game against Western Illinois at the Ford Center Clamping Down On D - If there is room for improvement in one area, that would be on defense as the Crusaders shot 61.4% at the Ford Center before Anderson shot 48.1% with 11 threes being true - Evansville grabbed a win vs. Valparaiso, it marked the first time the Aces have allowed 90 points in a win since a 2OT win over Butler on 1/29/94 (95-93) - It was the first time giving up 90 in a regulation victory since 1/25/89, a win over Loyola - In the second half, Evansville gave up 62 points, it was the first time UE allowed 60 points in a half since 12/9/87 when Miami OH scored 62 in the second half of a win over UE - With a final shooting effort of 61.4%, the Crusaders shot 60% vs. UE for the first time since Princeton hit 60% of its shots in the 2012 CBI game New Jerseys - It was the 1940 s when Arad McCutchan first introduced jerseys with sleeves to the University of Evansville; Jim Crews brought them back in an era that spanned from 1986 through They have been brought back into the rotation for the first time since 2002 (they have been worn on special occasions since 2002) and will be sported six times throughout the season, beginning with the Nov. 9 home game versus Martin Methodist - Other games they will be featured in include: Dec Jackson State, Dec Butler, Jan Loyola, Feb Wichita State, Feb Drake Starting At Home - The Ford Center has been a very friendly place to the Purple Aces since it opened in 2011; in 2+ seasons at the venue, UE has posted a mark - Last year, Evansville was 15-3 overall and tied for the top league home mark at 8-1; MVC play has been very successful for UE at the Ford Center as the Aces are 14-6 in 20 league outings that have been held there - It was the 12th time that the Aces have won 15 or more home contests in a single season - The league mark was the best home record for the Aces since going 6-1 in the campaign in the MCC Evansville Stat Rankings Conference Ranks TEAM STATS CATEGORY Rank Actual Scoring Offense Scoring Defense Scoring Margin Free Throw Pct Field Goal Pct Field Goal Pct. Defense Point FG Pct Point FG Pct. Defense Rebounding Offense Rebounding Defense Rebounding Margin Blocked Shots Assists Steals Turnover Margin T Assist/Turnover Ratio Offensive Defensive INDIVIDUAL STATS Scoring D.J. Balentine /game Rebounding Egidijus Mockevicius 2 7.6/game Field Goal Percentage Egidijus Mockevicius Assists Duane Gibson 3 4.3/game D.J. Balentine Free Throw Percentage D.J. Balentine Point Percentage D.J. Balentine Point FG Made D.J. Balentine 2 2.3/game Blocked Shots Egidijus Mockevicius 2 1.6/game Assist/Turnover Ratio D.J. Balentine Duane Gibson Offensive Egidijus Moeckvicius 5 2.0/game Defensive Egidijus Moeckvicius 2 5.5/game Minutes Played D.J. Balentine /game Blake Simmons UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 9

10 Evansville 40-Point Games Player Points Class Date/Opponent Result Scott Haffner 65 Sr. 2/18/89 vs. Dayton , W Larry Humes 48 Jr. 1/2/65 at Ball State , W Ed Smallwood 47 Sr. 2/10/60 vs. Butler 86-69, W Larry Humes 46 Sr. 2/9/66 vs. Valparaiso 95-88, W Larry Humes 45 Jr. 12/19/64 vs. LSU 93-73, W Ed Smallwood 44 Jr. 12/27/58 vs. Tenn. Tech , W Larry Humes 44 Sr. 12/18/65 vs. Purdue 97-93, W Parrish Casebier 44 Jr. 12/12/92 vs. Ill. State 86-67, W Dan Godfread 43 Jr. 2/25/89 at Loyola , W Colt Ryan 43 Jr. 2/21/12 at Creighton 92-93, L OT DJ Balentine 43 So. 1/29/14 at UNI 81-95, L John Harrawood 42 Sr. 2/20/57 vs. Ky Wesleyan 95-91, W 2OT Ed Smallwood 42 Sr. 3/4/60 vs. Wabash 89-68, W $ Buster Briley 42 So. 12/23/61 vs. LA State 94-89, W Ed Smallwood 41 So. 3/14/58 vs. Wheaton 95-93, W $ Ed Smallwood 41 Sr. 3/9/60 vs. American , W $ Parrish Casebier 41 So. 3/9/92 vs. Notre Dame 74-56, W Larry Humes 40 Sr. 1/26/66 at DePauw 95-93, W Buster Briley 40 So. 3/8/62 vs. NC A&T 97-82, W $ $ - NCAA Tournament game UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 10

11 Evansville s Record When... Conference Home Away Neutral Leading at Half Trailing at Half Tied at Half Overtime Game MVC Home Game MVC Road Game MVC Tournament Non- MVC Home Game Non- MVC Road Game Non- MVC Neutral Game vs. Ranked Opponents Leading-5 min. left Trailing-5 min. left Score Tied-5 min. left UE outrebounds opp UE outrebounded by opp Team rebounds are even UE shoots 50% from floor UE shoots -50% from floor Opp. shoots 50% from floor Opp. shoots -50% from floor UE makes more FTs UE makes less FTs FTs the same UE has more TOs Opp. has more TOs TOs even UE wins opening tip UE loses opening tip UE scores 60 points or less Opp. scores 60 points or less UE scores points Opp. scores points UE scores points Opp. scores points UE scores points Opp. scores points UE scores 90 points or more Opp. scores 90 points or more Two or less score in double digits Three or more score in double digits On Monday On Tuesday On Wednesday On Thursday On Friday On Saturday On Sunday In November In December In January In February In March Game decided by 5 pts or less Game decided by 6-10 pts Game decided by pts Game decided by 21 pts or more Exhibition Games Season In Review Notes MVC Postseason Honors - Four players were named to various MVC postseason teams - Colt Ryan earned All-MVC First Team honors for the second year in a row; the only other Ace to be named to the list on two occasions was Marcus Wilson in 98 and 99 - Ryan also became the third 2-time MVC Scholar Athlete of the Year while earning a berth on the Scholar Athlete Team - For the second year in a row, Troy Taylor earned a berth on the All-Defensive Team; he is just the third player in program history to make the list - A pair of freshmen earned All-Freshmen Team honors as D.J. Balentine and Egidijus Mockevicius took a spot on the 5-player list; they are the third Evansville duo to be named in the same year - Balentine was also named to the MVC All- Bench Team on March 6 - Aside from the MVC honors, Colt Ryan was named to the NABC District 16 First Team along with earning a berth on the Lou Henson All-America Team and the CollegeInsider.com All-Tournament Team Colt Sets The Record - Colt Ryan is the all-time leading scorer in University of Evansville program history; his 3-pointer with 1:56 remaining in the first half at Canisius gave him the mark - He passed Larry Humes, who set the mark in 1966 with 2,236 points - Ryan finished his career with 2,279 career points, tops for UE and 6th in MVC history - He finished the season as the No. 2 scorer in the MVC and 15th in the nation with 20.1 points per game - A steady player on the defensive end, Ryan left UE with the most steals in school history at 182 ; Reed Jackson was the previous record holder with 150 Ryan In The UE Record Book - Since his arrival at UE in 2009, Colt Ryan has made his mark on the UE record book; below is where he finished his career in several career categories: - Scoring - #1-2,279 (6th in MVC history) - Steals - # Free Throws Made - #1-601 (4th in MVC history) - Field Goals - # Pointers - #2-262 (T-8th in MVC history) - Free Throw Percentage - #4-86.2% - Assists - # Scoring Average - # Strong Postseason Mark - CIT play in 2013 saw the Aces post a 3-1 mark; it was the first time UE has won more than one postseason game since taking the 1971 national championship - The championship season of 1971 was the last time UE has won more than one game in a postseason tournament as the Aces went a perfect 5-0 en route to their fifth NCAA College Division National Championship - Evansville also reached the magic 20-win mark for the first time in 14 years; the last time UE did so was in the campaign where they posted a record Putting Their Work In - Evansville played 36 contests in , the most in program history - Prior to this season, the most games played in a season in program history was 33 in when UE went The CIT marked the fifth annual CollegeInsider. com Tournament, which started in Past winners of the tournament include: East Carolina (2013), Mercer (2012), Santa Clara (2011), Missouri State (2010), Old Dominion (2009) - Evansville played in inaugural event in 2009, falling to Belmont in a home game at Roberts Stadium by a final; the Bruins scored 49 in the first half before outscoring UE by a margin in the second half to take the win - Other MVC teams who have played in the tournament include Bradley (2009 and 2013), Creighton (2010), Drake (2009 and 2012) Indiana State (2012), Missouri State (2010) and Northern Iowa (2011 and 2013) - UE was one of three MVC teams in this year s tourney as UNI and Bradley also accepted bids Call Him Triple T - Troy Taylor recorded 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on his way to just the second triple-double in UE history versus Creighton; it marked the 36th triple-double in MVC history and the second in as many seasons as Jake Odum of Indiana State had one a year ago - The only other time it happened in program history was when Reed Jackson did so vs. New Hampshire on Jan. 3, 1995; he finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists Defending The Ford Center - In just its second season, the Ford Center has proven to be a tough place for the opposition to play; last season, UE was 11-7 at home before winning 15 of its 18 home contests in The Aces won eight out of nine home MVC contests last season, tied with Creighton for the best record in the league Success Continues Against Ranked Squads - For the first time in program history, Evansville has defeated a ranked opponent four seasons in a row - Coach Simmons has led UE 4-6 mark in the last 10 games versus a ranked team; that is the top 10-game stretch in program history - The Aces have won three home games against ranked teams, dating back to the win over UNI in 2011; Simmons is 3-2 in home contests vs. ranked teams Four-Game Win Streak - With its four-game win streak to end the regular season, Evansville finished with its first 18-win season under Coach Simmons and its first since going in the season - The last time UE finished the regular season on such a streak was in the campaign when the Aces reeled off wins against Dayton, Butler, Detroit Mercy and Loyola - They rode the momentum to three more wins in the MCC Tournament on their way to a berth in the NCAA s where they faced Florida State 10 Wins In The Valley - For just the fourth time since entering the league, Evansville won 10 league games - The Aces were 11-7 in and while going 13-5 to win the regular season championship in The championship season was the last time prior to 2013 that UE won ten league contests UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 11

12 ACES MEN S BASKETBALL When you think Evansville Basketball, you think about the sleeves. A proud tradition since 1947, it is something embraced by fans to this day. Noticing in the late 1940 s that many of his players wore t-shirts underneath their jerseys, Hall of Fame coach Arad McCutchan decided that it may be more comfortable to just wear sleeves on their jerseys in lieu of the shirts underneath. This became a staple of the program until his retirement in In 1986, head coach Jim Crews brought them back for the duration of his career at UE until Since his arrival, Marty Simmons has recognized the need to honor the past and has worked to bring them back on special occasions before a 6-game slate with the jerseys in Like everything else in the world, it changed along the way. The 1950 s saw the Aces logo added; in the 60 s, orange was a more noticible part of the uniform. When Crews brought the jerseys back in the 1980 s, the secondary color for the team was gold. That changed back to orange in the 1990 s. In 2011, what better way to honor all of those who contributed to Roberts Stadium being such a great venue for 55 years than wearing those in the final game there. Over the last year, sleeves have been used by several colleges in the 2013 NCAA Tournament while the Golden State Warriors introduced them to the NBA in that time. Beginning with the season opener, Evansville will wear them on six occasions this season. The other five games they will be seen are: 12/14 - Jackson State, 12/21 - Butler, 1/18 - Loyola, 2/16 - Wichita State and 2/25 - Drake. They will only be worn at home games. College athletics is all about tradition and when you are the first to start a tradition that has grown around the world, embracing that is something that is so special. Evansville is the only school that can take claim to being the first to sport sleeves. Sleeves are part of a tradition that has seen five National Championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances. That is something pretty special! UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 12

13 Around The Valley Missouri Valley Standings SCHOOL CONF OVERALL Wichita State Indiana State Missouri State Illinois State Northern Iowa Bradley Southern Illinois Drake Evansville Loyola MVC Preseason Poll School (First Place Votes) TOTAL 1. Wichita State (40) Indiana State UNI Missouri State Bradley Evansville Illinois State Southern Illinois Loyola Drake Evansville Starting Lineups TNU (exh) Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius UIS (exh) Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Martin Methodist Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius IUPUI Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Mercer Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Valparaiso Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Anderson Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Sawvell Indiana Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Ohio Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Murray State Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Miami (OH) Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Xavier Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Jackson State Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Butler Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Grambling Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Drake Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Indiana State Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius UNI Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Southern Illinois Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Illinois State Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Loyola Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Missouri State Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Bradley Brown Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius UNI Brown Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Wichita State Gibson Balentine Simmons Wing Mockevicius Preseason All-Conference Team Preseason All-Conference Cleanthony Early, Wichita State (Preseason Player of the Year) Ron Baker, Wichita State Desmar Jackson, Southern Illinois Walt Lemon, Jr., Bradley Marcus Marshall, Missouri State Jake Odum, Indiana State Seth Tuttle, UNI Honorable Mention Manny Arop, Indiana State Tyshon Pickett, Bradley Seth VanDeest, Drake Evansville s Record Against The Valley School Overall Home Away Neutral Bradley Creighton Drake Illinois St Indiana St Loyola Missouri St UNI Southern Ill Wichita St Number of Games With... Double Figure Points Career D.J. Balentine Egidijus Mockevicius Blake Simmons Adam Wing Duane Gibson Jaylon Moore Jaylon Brown Tyler Ptacek Points Scored Career D.J. Balentine Duane Gibson Points Scored Career D.J. Balentine Points Scored Career D.J. Balentine Career Egidijus Mockevicius Double-Doubles Career Egidijus Mockevicius Duane Gibson UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 13

14 Career Stats POINTS Career BLOCKS Career D.J. Balentine Egidijus Mockevicius Egidijus Mockevicius Jaylon Moore Adam Wing Blake Simmons 9 9 Jaylon Moore D.J. Balentine 3 9 Blake Simmons David Howard 8 8 Duane Gibson Adam Wing 5 7 Jaylon Brown Rokas Cesnulevicius - 5 David Howard Jaylon Brown 4 4 Tyler Ptacek Duane Gibson 4 4 Christian Benzon Christian Benzon 1 1 Rokas Cesnulevicius - 29 THREE POINTERS Career REBOUNDS Career D.J. Balentine Egidijus Mockevicius Blake Simmons Adam Wing Adam Wing Jaylon Moore Tyler Ptacek D.J. Balentine Jaylon Brown 2 2 Duane Gibson Blake Simmons STARTS Career Jaylon Brown Egidijus Mockevicius Rokas Cesnulevicius - 41 Adam Wing David Howard D.J. Balentine Christian Benzon Blake Simmons Tyler Ptacek 8 8 Duane Gibson Mike Leazer - 2 Jaylon Brown 2 2 Rokas Cesnulevicius - 1 ASSISTS Career Jaylon Moore - 1 D.J. Balentine Duane Gibson S PLAYED Career Adam Wing Jaylon Moore Blake Simmons D.J. Balentine Jaylon Brown Egidijus Mockevicius Egidijus Mockevicius 8 16 Adam Wing Rokas Cesnulevicius - 7 Rokas Cesnulevicius - 30 Jaylon Moore 4 9 Duane Gibson Tyler Ptacek 4 4 Blake Simmons Christian Benzon 2 2 Jaylon Brown Mike Leazer 1 1 Christian Benzon Tyler Ptacek STEALS Career David Howard Adam Wing Mike Leazer 2 4 Egidijus Mockevicius D.J. Balentine Jaylon Moore Jaylon Brown Duane Gibson Blake Simmons Christian Benzon 4 4 Rokas Cesnulevicius - 4 David Howard 2 2 Mike Leazer - 1 Tyler Ptacek 1 1 Polls AP Top 25 (Feb. 3) Team Record Points 1 Syracuse (65) ,625 2 Arizona ,517 3 Florida ,482 4 Wichita State ,447 5 San Diego State ,370 6 Villanova ,252 7 Cincinnati ,182 8 Kansas ,141 9 Michigan State , Michigan Duke Creighton Saint Louis Louisville Texas Iowa State Iowa Kentucky Oklahoma State Virginia Oklahoma Connecticut Gonzaga Memphis Pittsburgh Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 79, Ohio State 45, Virginia Commonwealth 44, Southern Methodist 15, New Mexico 12, California 9, UCLA 9, Harvard 4, George Washington 3, LSU 3, Tennessee 2, American University 1, Southern Miss 1 ESPN/USA Today Top 25 (Feb. 3) Team Record Points 1 Syracuse (32) Wichita State Arizona Florida San Diego State Villanova Cincinnati Michigan State Kansas Louisville Duke Creighton Iowa Kentucky Saint Louis Michigan Iowa State Texas Oklahoma State Gonzaga Virginia Pittsburgh Oklahoma Wisconsin Ohio State Others receiving votes: Memphis 58, Connecticut 47, Virginia Commonwealth 26, Southern Miss 25, Massachusetts 24, UCLA 20, New Mexico 16, Southern Methodist 10, Baylor 7, California 5, Harvard 4, George Washington 2, Saint Joseph s 1, Stephen F. Austin 1, Toledo UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 14

15 ACES MEN S BASKETBALL Ford Center Records Ford Center Firsts Game - UE 80, Butler 77-11/12/11 Overtime game - vs. Butler - 11/12/11 UE win - vs. Butler - 11/12/11 UE loss - vs. Indiana /16/11 Single Game Ind. UE Records Points - 39 (Colt Ryan vs. BRAD 1/18/12) FGM - 12 (Colt Ryan vs. BRAD 1/18/12) FGA - 23 (Colt Ryan vs. ILST 1/21/12) 3 Made - 8 (Colt Ryan vs. BRAD 1/18/12) 3 Att (Colt Ryan vs. BRAD 1/18/12) FT Made - 14 (3x) FT Att - 18 (Colt Ryan vs. BUT 11/12/11) RB - 19 (Troy Taylor vs. MISSO ST 1/2/13) Assists - 11 (Duane Gibson vs. AU 11/23/13) Steals - 7 (Colt Ryan vs. Drake, 2/10/13) Blocks - 6 (Egidijus Mockevicius - Twice) Single Game Ind. Opp. Records Points - 31 (Douglas Davis PRIN 3/13/12) FGM - 12 (Garrett Stutz WSU 1/4/12) FGA - 19 (Chrishawn Hopkins BUT 11/12/11) 3 Made - 7 (Alec Peters VALPO 11/20/13) 3 Att (2x last A. Peters VALPO 11/20/13) FT Made - 11 (Langston Hall MER 11/18/13) FT Att (Ed Daniel MUR ST 12/8/12) RB - 22 (Brandon West Jackson St. 12/14/13) Assists - 9 (Jeff Middlebrooks ALST 11/29/11) Steals - 5 (Kellen Thornton TSU 3/19/13) Blocks - 4 (Andrew Smith BUT 11/12/11) Team Game Highs Points vs. Oakland City 12/18/12 FGM - 37 vs. Oakland City 12/18/12 FGA - 69 vs. Oakland City 12/18/12 FG% vs. Miami Ohio 12/5/12 3 Made - 14 vs. Miami Ohio 12/5/12 3 Att - 21 vs. Bradley 1/18/12 3% vs. Miami Ohio 12/5/12 FTM - 32 vs. Butler 11/12/11 FTA - 43 vs. Butler 11/12/11 FT% vs. NCAT 12/10/11 RB - 47 vs. Oakland City 12/18/12 Assists - 26 (2x) last vs. Ind. St. 3/2/13 Steals - 13 vs. Oakland City 11/19/11 Blocks - 9 vs. Missouri State 1/2/13 Turnovers - 19 Twice (Last vs. MIA 12/7/13) Fouls - 27 vs. NCAT 12/10/11 Team Game Lows Points - 49 vs. Western Illinois, 11/17/12 FGM - 17 vs. Western Illinois 11/17/12 FGA - 46 vs. ALST 11/29/11 FG% vs. Jackson State 12/14/13 3 Made - 1 vs. Jackson State 12/14/13 3 Att - 7 vs. UNI 1/8/14 3% vs. Missouri State 1/2/13 FTM - 2 vs. Northern Iowa 2/15/12 FTA - 7 vs. Northern Iowa 2/15/12 FT% vs. Northern Iowa 2/15/12 RB - 20 vs. Wichita State 1/4/12 Assists - 8 vs. Western Illinois 11/17/12 Steals - 2 vs. Martin Methodist 11/9/13 Blocks - 0 (3x) Turnovers - 6 vs. Yale, 11/16/12 Fouls - 9 vs. Western Illinois, 11/17/ UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES Opp. Game Highs Points - 95 by Princeton 3/13/12 FGM - 36 by Princeton 3/13/12 FGA - 73 by Tennessee State 3/19/13 FG% x, last Valparaiso, 11/20/13 3 Made - 14 by UNI 1/8/14 3 Att - 32 by Tennessee State 3/19/13 3% by Drake 1/13/12 FTM - 22 by Bradley 1/18/12 FTA - 31 by NCAT 12/10/11 FT% twice, both by WSU (11-13) RB - 50 by Missouri State 2/25/12 Assists - 24 by Indiana 11/16/11 Steals - 14 by Miami Ohio 12/7/13 Blocks - 6 by Missouri State 1/2/13 Turnovers - 28 by Oakland City 11/19/11 Fouls - 30 by Missouri State 2/25/12 Opp. Game Lows Points - 44 by Western Illinois 2/18/12 FGM - 16 by Western Illinois 2/18/12 FGA - 39 by Western Illinois 2/18/12 FG% by Alabama State 11/29/11 3 Made - 0 by Western Illinois, 11/17/12 3 Att - 4 by Western Illinois 11/17/12 3% by Western Illinois 11/17/12 FTM - 1 by Northern Iowa, 1/29/13 FTA - 2 by Northern Iowa, 1/29/13 FT% by Western Illinois 11/17/12 RB - 13 by Miami Ohio 12/5/12 Assists - 7 by Northern Iowa 2/15/12 Steals - 2 (twice) Blocks - 0 (Twice) Turnovers - 9 by Miami Ohio 12/5/12 Fouls - 11 by Miami Ohio 12/5/12 15

16 The Last Time Evansville... (* - denotes program record) TRIPLE DOUBLE Reed Jackson vs. New Hampshire, 1/3/95, 13 pts, 10 rbs, 12 ast Troy Taylor at Creighton, 12/29/12, 10 pts, 10 rbs, 10 ast BEAT A RANKED OPPONENT vs. No. 23 Wichita State, 1/13/13, BEAT A RANKED OPPONENT AT HOME vs. No. 23 Wichita State, 1/13/13, BEAT A RANKED OPPONENT ON THE ROAD at No. 23 Butler, 11/27/10, (OT) MARGINS UE won by 30 points or more vs. Grambling, 12/28/13 (96-61) UE won by 40 Points or more vs. Oakland City, 11/13/10 (82-42) UE won by 30 or more on the road at Bradley, 2/1/12 (92-62) UE won by double digits on the road at Wright State, 2/23/13 (70-58) UE won in overtime vs. Drake, 2/10/13 (84-78) UE won in overtime on the road at Missouri State, 1/15/12 (87-82) UE won in double overtime at Tennessee Tech, 12/1/09 (91-90) UE played in double overtime vs. Indiana State, 1/29/12 (L, 81-90) UE won/played in triple overtime at St. Joesph s, (78-70) UE lost by 40 points at North Carolina, 12/6/11 (97-48) UE won by 25 points at home vs. Oakland City, 12/18/12 (103-69) UE won by 25 points at home in consecutive games vs. Alabama A&M, 11/26/12 (72-46) and vs. Miami Ohio, 12/5/12 (94-68) UE lost by 25 points at home vs. UNI, 1/8/14 (53-80) SCORING UE Player had 30 Points 43, D.J. Balentine at UNI, 1/29/14 UE Player had 40 Points 43, D.J. Balentine at UNI, 1/29/14 UE Player had 60 Points 65, Scott Haffner vs. Dayton, 2/18/89 UE Player Had Three Consecutive 20 Point Games D.J. Balentine - 1/26/14-2/1/14 - vs. Bradley (24), at UNI (43), at Wichita State (26) UE Player Had Four Consecutive 20 Point Games D.J. Balentine - 12/21-1/4/14 - vs. Butler (26), vs. Grambling (20), at Drake (20), vs. Indiana State (23) UE Player Had Five Consecutive 20 Point Games D.J. Balentine - 11/9-11/23/13 - vs. Martin Methodist (29), at IUPUI (29), vs. Mercer (29), vs. Valparaiso (32), vs. Anderson (29) UE Had Five Players In Double Figures Five at Illinois State, 1/15/14 Balentine (22), Simmons (16), Ptacek (12), Wing (12), Mockevicius (10) UE Had One Player In Double Figures D.J. Balentine (26 points) at Wichita State, 2/1/14 UE Had No Players In Double Figures vs. North Carolina, 12/8/10 UE Scored 100 Points In A Game 100 vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13 UE Scored 100 Points At Home 100 vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13 UE Scored 100 Points On The Road 115 at Hawaii Hilo, 11/28/98 UE Scored Under 50 Points In A Game 46 at Indiana, 11/26/13 UE Scored 20 or Fewer Points In A Half 19 in 1st half at Indiana, 11/26/13 UE Scored 50 or More Points In First Half 55 vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13 UE Scored 50 or More Points In Second Half 54 vs. Grambling, 12/28/13 UE Scored 60 or More Points In A Half 61 in second half at Hawaii Hilo, 11/28/98 SHOOTING UE Player had 15 Field Goals Made 17, Colt Ryan (17-of-24) at Creighton, 2/21/12 UE Player had 10 Field Goals Made 10, D.J. Balentine (10-of-19) at UNI, 1/29/14 UE Player had 20 Field Goals Attempted 21, D.J. Balentine (11-of-21) at Wichita State, 2/1/14 UE Player Shot 90% or Higher (Min. 10 att.).917, Colt Ryan (11-of-12) vs. Princeton, 3/13/12 UE Player Missed All FG Attempts (Min. 10 att.) Jason Holsinger, at Missouri, 0-11, 12/3/06 UE Had 40 Field Goals Made 41 at Bradley, 2/1/12 UE Had 75 Field Goals Attempted 78 at Miami (Ohio), 12/9/87 UE Shot 60% From the Floor.611 vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13 UE Shot Below 25% From the Floor.234 (11-47) at Southern Illinois, 1/11/06 THREE-POINT SHOOTING UE Player had 10 3-Point Field Goals Made 11 by Scott Haffner vs. Dayton, 2/18/89* UE Player had 8 3-Point Field Goals Made 8, Colt Ryan vs. Bradley, 1/18/12 UE Player had 10 3-Point Field Goals Attempted 13, D.J. Balentine at Illinois State, 1/15/14 UE had 10 3-Point FG s Made 15 at Illinois State, 1/15/14 UE had 15 3-Point FG s Made 15 at Illinois State, 1/15/14 UE Shot 70% From 3-Point Distances (Min. 10 attempts) 77.8% (14-18) vs. Miami Ohio, 12/5/12 UE Did Not Make A Three-Pointer at Missouri State, 1/7/11 FREE THROWS UE Player had 20 Free Throws Made 20, Matt Webster vs. Lipscomb, 12/16/06 UE Player had 15 Free Throws Made 19, D.J. Balentine at UNI, 1/29/14 UE Player Shot 100% From Free Throw Line (min. 10 att.) D.J. Balentine (12-12) vs. Bradley, 1/26/14 UE Player had 20 Free Throws Attempted 21, D.J. Balentine at UNI, 1/29/14 UE Player had 15 Free Throws Attempted 21, D.J. Balentine at UNI, 1/29/14 UE had 30 Free Throws Made 31 vs. Mercer, 11/18/13 UE had 40 Free Throws Made 43 vs. Norfolk State, 12/23/10 UE had 40 Free Throws Attempted 43 vs. Butler, 11/12/11 UE had 50 Free Throws Attempted 54 vs. Norfolk State, 12/23/10 UE Made Less Than Five Free Throws 1 vs. Missouri State, 3/6/08 UE Attempted Less Than Five Free Throws 4 at Ball State, 11/24/07 UE Shot 90% From Free Throw Line (min. 10 att.) 28-of-31 (90.3%) at IUPUI, 11/12/13 UE Shot 100% From Free Throw Line (min. 10 att.) at Morehead State, 12/29/98 REBOUNDS UE Player had 20 21, Richie Johnson at Western Kentucky, 12/11/84 UE Player had 15 18, Egidijus Mockevicius at Illinois State, 1/15/14 UE had vs. Illinois State, 2/20/13 UE had vs. SIU Edwardsville, 12/2/08 UE outrebounded opponent by 25 vs. Miami Ohio, 12/5/12 (38-13) UE had two players record 10 rebounds Egidijus Mockevicius (13) and Troy Taylor (12) vs. Northern Iowa, 1/29/13 ASSISTS UE Player had 10 Assists 11, Duane Gibson vs. Anderson, 11/23/13 UE Had Five or Fewer Assists 5 at Northern Iowa, 1/1/10 UE Had 30 or More Assists 31 at Bradley, 2/1/12 STEALS UE Player had 5 Steals 7, Colt Ryan vs. Drake, 2/10/13 TURNOVERS UE Forced 25 or More Turnovers 28 vs. Oakland City, 12/19/11 UE Had 25 or More Turnovers 25 vs. Alabama State, 12/4/09 BLOCKS UE Player had 5 Blocks 5, Egidijus Mockevicius at East Carolina, 3/30/13 UE Player had 7 Blocks 8, Mark Jewell, vs. Indiana State, UE had 10 Blocks 11 vs. Indiana State, UE had No Blocks at Indiana State, 1/19/13 The Last Time An Opponent... SCORING Player had 30 Points 30 by Alec Peters, Valparaiso, 11/20/13 Player had 40 Points 40 by Henry Domercant, Eastern Illinois, 11/30/02 Team Had Five Players In Double Figures 5 by Drake, 2/12/12 Team Had One Player In Double Figures Northern Iowa, 1/29/13 Team Had No Players In Double Figures Illinois State, 1/15/11 Team Had 100 Points 101 by Drake, MVC Tournament, 3/1/07 Team Had 100 Points In Evansville 103 by Oral Roberts, 1/9/84 Team Scored 50 Points Or Fewer In A Game 44 by Western Illinois, 11/17/12 Team Had 30 Points or Fewer 26 by Northwestern, 11/26/99 Team Scored 20 or Fewer Points In A Half 20 by Bradley, 1st Half, 1/26/14 Team Scored 15 or Fewer Points In A Half 15 by Missouri State, 1st Half, 1/2/13 Team Scored 10 or Fewer Points In A Half 8 by Northwestern, 11/26/99 Team Scored 50 or More Points In A Half 54 by UNI, 1st Half, 1/29/14 Team Scored 60 or More Points In A Half 62 by Valparaiso, 2nd Half, 11/20/ UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 16

17 SHOOTING Player had 10 Field Goals Made 11 by Khristian Smith, Indiana State, 1/4/14 Player had 20 Field Goals Attempted 20 by Jarmar Gulley, Missouri State, 1/21/14 Player Missed All FG Attempts (10 att.) Boo Richardson, Illinois State, 0-11, 12/9/06 Team had 40 Field Goals Made 40 by Missouri State, 1/9/07 Team had 75 Field Goals Attempted 86 by Southern Illinois, 1/7/98 Team Shot 60% From The Floor.611 by Drake, 1/1/14 Team Shot 25% From The Floor Or Under.250 (16-64) by Coastal Carolina, 1/3/94 THREE-POINT SHOOTING Player had 8 3-Point Field Goals Made 9 by Kyle Korver, Creighton, 1/15/03 Player had 15 3-Point Field Goals Attempted 15 by Phillip Gilbert, Bradley, 3/1/03 Team had 10 3-Point Field Goals Made 17 by UNI, 1/29/14 Team had 17 3-Point Field Goals Made 17 by UNI, 1/29/14 Team Shot 70% From 3-Point Distance (Min. 10 attempts) Wichita State, 7-10, 1/2/97 Team Did Not Make A Three-Pointer Western Illinois, 11/17/12 FREE THROWS Player had 10 Free Throws Made 12 by Seth Tuttle, UNI, 1/29/14 Team had 30 Free Throws Made 31 by Butler, 11/21/09 Team Shot 100% Free Throws (min. 10 attempts) Northern Iowa, 16-16, 1/1/10 Team Shot 90% Free Throws (min. 10 attempts) Northern Iowa, (94.4%), 2/23/10 Team had 40 Free Throws Attempted 43 by North Carolina, 12/6/11 Team Made Less Than Five Free Throws 4 by Western Illinois, 11/17/12 Team Attempted Less Than Five Free Throws 2 by Western Kentucky, 12/13/08 REBOUNDS Player had by Brandon West, Jackson State, 12/14/13 Player had by Brandon West, Jackson State, 12/14/13 Team had by Missouri State, 2/25/12 Team had under by Miami Ohio, 12/5/12 Two players had 10 Robert Sampson (13) and Maurice Kemp (12), East Carolina, 3/30/13 ASSISTS Team Had Five or Fewer Assists 5 by Northern Iowa, 1/1/10 Player Had 10 or more Assists 11 by Miguel Paul, East Carolina, 3/30/13 STEALS Player had 5 Steals 5 by Malcolm Armstead, Wichita State, 2/27/13 BLOCKS Player had 7 Blocks 7 by Josh Crawford, Indiana State, 1/31/10 Team had No Blocks Drake, 2/27/10 RPI RealTimeRPI.com (February 4) Top ten + UE opponents SOS Team Record RPI Rank SOS Conf 1 Kansas Big12 2 Arizona Pac12 3 Villanova Bige 4 Syracuse Acc 5 Florida Sec 6 Michigan St Big10 7 Wichita St Mvc 8 Creighton Bige 9 Massachusetts Atl10 10 Duke Acc 44 Xavier Bige 56 Indiana St Mvc 63 Mercer Atsun 66 Indiana Big10 73 Ohio Midam 94 Butler Bige 95 Missouri State Mvc 110 Illinois St Mvc 113 Northern Iowa Mvc 148 Miami (OH) Midam 154 Drake Mvc 167 Valparaiso Horiz 170 Murray St Ovc 212 Evansville Mvc 238 Bradley Mvc 259 Southern Ill Mvc 272 Jackson St Swac 279 Loyola (IL) Mvc 319 IUPUI Summit 351 Grambling St Swac *Counts Division I wins only It is never too early to look ahead as each game we will take a look at the most up-to-date RPI standings of the top ten teams in the nation as well as the Purple Aces and each opponent that UE is slated to face UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 17

18 The University of Evansville Men s Basketball Roster # Name Cl. Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Hometown/Previous School 2 Christian Benzon Fr. G Gainesville, Fla./The Rock School 3 Jaylon Brown Fr. G Fishers, Ind./Fishers 4 Duane Gibson Fr. G Cleveland, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph 5 Mislav Brzoja So. G Zagrab, Croatia/Villanova 10 Jaylon Moore Jr. F/C Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch 12 Adam Wing So. G Morehead, Ky./Rowan County 22 Tyler Ptacek Fr. G Parma, Ohio/Padua Franciscan 23 Mike Leazer So. G Mount Prospect, Ill./Northridge Prep. 25 Rokas Cesnulevicius Jr. F/C Alytaus, Lithuania/Hawaii Preparatory Acad. 31 D.J. Balentine So. G Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo 44 David Howard r-fr. F/C Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell 50 Blake Simmons Fr. G/F Newburgh, Ind./Castle 55 Egidijus Mockevicius So. C Kursenai, Lithuania/Lithuanian University of Educational Science Head Coach: Marty Simmons (Evansville, 87) Assistant Coach: Jimmy Elgas (Illinois State, 93) Assistant Coach: Carson Harris (Manchester, 01) Assistant Coach: Geoff Alexander (Western Illinois, 00) Director of Basketball Operations: Kavon Lacey (Evansville, 11) Assistant Athletic Trainer: Troy Coppus Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jordan Stanley Director of Development for Men s Basketball: Kim Gentry (7) Returning Letterwinners/Players ( Stats) Name Cl. Pos. Hgt. Wgt. GP/GS PPG RPG Note D.J. Balentine So. G / MVC All-Freshman/All-Bench in 2013 Rokas Cesnulevicius Jr. F/C / Had 2 pts and 5 rb vs. Alabama A&M David Howard r-fr. F/C Redshirted as a freshman in Mike Leazer So. G / Notched 2 rebounds as a freshman Egidijus Mockevicius^ So. C / Posted 64 blocks (2nd in MVC) Jaylon Moore Jr. F/C / Scored 123 points as a sophomore Adam Wing^ So. G / UE was 7-1 in his 10 starts ^returning starter (6) Newcomers Name Cl. Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Hometown Previous School Christian Benzon Fr. G Gainesville, Fla. The Rock School Jaylon Brown Fr. G Fishers, Ind. Fishers Mislav Brzoja So. G Zagrab, Croatia Villanova Duane Gibson Fr. G Cleveland, Ohio Villa Angela-St. Joseph Tyler Ptacek Fr. G Parma, Ohio Padua Franciscan Blake Simmons Fr. G/F Newburgh, Ind. Castle Pronunciation Guide Egidijus Mockevicius - EE-gid-EE-us muh-skah-vich-us D.J. Balentine - BAL-in-TINE Christian Benzon - BEN-zawn Tyler Ptacek - TAW-check Mike Leazer - LEE-zir Rokas Cesnulevicius - row-kiss CHEZ-NUH-la-vich-us Mislav Brzoja - MEE-sh-lahv BROY-zee-UH By State/Country Croatia (1): Mislav Brzoja Florida (1): Christian Benzon Indiana (3): D.J. Balentine, Jaylon Brown, Blake Simmons Illinois (1): Mike Leazer Kentucky (1): Adam Wing Mississippi (1): Jaylon Moore Ohio (2): Duane Gibson, Tyler Ptacek Tennessee (1): David Howard, Lithuania (2): Rokas Cesnulevicius, Egidijus Mockevicius UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 18

19 Evansville Roster Information # Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Hometown/School Pts. Reb. FT% 4 Duane Gibson G Fr. Cleveland, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph Adam Wing G So. Morehead, Ky./Rowan County D.J. Balentine G So. Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo Blake Simmons G/F Fr. Newburgh, Ind./Castle Egidijus Mockevicius C So. Vilnius, Lithuania/Lith. Univ. of Edu. Sci Christian Benzon G Fr. Copenhagen, Denmark/Rock School Jaylon Brown G Fr. Fishers, Ind. /Fishers Jaylon Moore F/C Jr. Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch Tyler Ptacek G Fr. Parma, Ohio/Padua Franciscan Mike Leazer G So. Mount Prospect, Ill./Northridge Prep Rokas Cesnulevicius F/C Jr. Alytaus, Lithuania/Hawaii Prep. Academy David Howard F Rf. Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Missouri State Roster Information # Name Ht. Wt. Pos. Class Hometown/School Pts. Reb. FT% 2 Austin Ruder G FR Nixa, Mo./Nixa High Jarmar Gulley F SR Beaumont, Texas/Highland (Kan.) CC Ron Mvouika G/F JR Paris, France/Sheridan College Dorrian Williams G SO Oklahoma City, Okla./Douglass Christian Kirk F JR Springfield, Mo./Kickapoo Keith Pickens G/F SR St. Louis, Mo./Oakville High Michael Simpson G/F SO Spring, Texas/Klein Collins High Marcus Marshall G SO St. Paul, Minn./Johnson High Devon Thomas G FR Silver Spring, Md./Kimball Union Acad Gavin Thurman F SO Wichita, Kan./Heights High Emmanuel Addo F SR Toronto, Ontario/Northern Colorado Nathan Scheer G/F SR Washington, Mo./St. Francis Borgia Bruce Marshall C SO Fayette, Mo./Fayette High Tyler McCullough C FR Fayetteville, Ark./Fayetteville UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 19

20 ACES MEN S BASKETBALL 2 Christian Benzon G - 6-4/195 - Fr. Copenhagen, Den. 3 Jaylon Brown G - 6-0/185 - Fr. Fishers, Ind Adam Wing G - 6-4/205 - So. Morehead, Ky. 22 Tyler Ptacek G - 6-3/175 - Fr. Parma, Ohio 31 D.J. Balentine G - 6-2/210 - So. Kokomo, Ind. 44 David Howard F - 6-8/225 - rfr. Nashville, Tenn. Marty Simmons Head Coach 5 Duane Gibson G - 6-3/195 - Fr. Cleveland, Ohio Jimmy Elgas Assistant Coach Mislav Brzoja G - 6-4/205 - So. Zagreb, Croatia Mike Leazer G - 6-3/170 - So. Mount Prospect, Ill. Blake Simmons G/F - 6-5/210 - Fr. Newburgh, Ind. Carson Harris Assistant Coach UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES Jaylon Moore F/C - 6-7/230 - Jr. Olive Branch, Miss. Rokas Cesnulevicius F - 6-8/215 - Jr. Alytaus, Lithuania 55 Egidijus Mockevicius C /225 - So. Vilnius, Lithuania Geoff Alexander Assistant Coach 20

21 Marty Simmons - Head Coach - 7th Year Hometown - Lawrenceville, Ill. Education - Evansville 87 Simmons vs. All Opponents The season brought about milestones that had not been achieved in over a decade as University of Evansville men s basketball coach Marty Simmons led his Purple Aces to a record. That mark included a 3-1 record in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament as the Aces won more postseason games in a season since taking home the 1971 National Championship. A banner season saw Colt Ryan break the UE career scoring mark with 2,279 points (6th in MVC history), Troy Taylor record the second triple-double in program history, another top four seed for the MVC Tournament and a sweep of eventual Final Four participant Wichita State. Simmons has led the Aces to the postseason in four of the last five years while going.500 or better in four out of those five seasons; he helped UE to its best two MVC records (2012 and 2013) since the 1999 championship and has led the Purple Aces to three victories over ranked opponents, including a 2012 victory over No. 15 and eventual MVC champion Creighton at the Ford Center. The season was full of memories as Simmons squad advanced to the postseason for the third time in four seasons, facing Princeton in the CBI. The Aces finished in third place in the Valley, their top finish since 1999 and picked up victories over defending national runner-up Butler in the season opener before downing Creighton, who was ranked 15th in the nation at the time. UE also picked up road victories at places it had not won at in a decade including Missouri State and Northern Iowa. Simmons success has been noticed by his peers. In three of the past four years, he has finished among the top four in voting for Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year. The latest example took place in 2011 when Simmons Purple Aces finished 9-9 in the MVC and in sixth place after being voted 10th in the pre-season poll. The Aces went on to achieve their first post-season victory since 1989 by defeating Hofstra in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational. Simmons team knocked off Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse in November to end the Bulldogs 14-game homecourt winning streak. The Aces were one of only three teams to beat MVC regular season champ Missouri State during the regular season, and Evansville swept the regular season series with MVC Tournament champion Indiana State. In addition, sophomore #Colt Ryan# made the all-mvc second team, #Ned Cox# made the MVC All-Bench Team, and #Pieter van Tongeren# was chosen for the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. Simmons returned to his alma mater as head coach in the spring of His first squad finished 9-21, but one year later, in , Simmons led his Aces to a record and a berth in the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Post-season Tournament. For his efforts, Simmons finished third in balloting for MVC Coach of the Year, trailing only the coaches who led their teams to a co-championship. The Aces achieved Evansville s best winning percentage since 2000, and first post-season appearance since 1999, when Simmons was an assistant coach with the Aces. Senior Shy Ely was second in voting for Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, and senior Jason Holsinger earned Academic All-America honors. Simmons played at Lawrenceville, Ill. for Ron Felling, who went on to become an assistant coach at Indiana University. Simmons himself spent his first two years of college at Indiana. As a freshman, he was a key player on I.U. s final eight team in the 1984 NCAA Tournament. The 1985 team at Indiana finished as runnerup in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). It was during Indiana s NIT run in 1985 when Indiana University assistant coach Jim Crews was chosen as Evansville s head coach. Two months later, Simmons transferred to Evansville. Already designated as the Aces team captain while sitting out his redshirt season, Simmons immediately helped turn around the UE program when he became eligible in He averaged 22.4 points as a junior and led Evansville to a first place tie in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. As a senior, he finished sixth in the nation in scoring at 25.9, and finished ninth in balloting for the Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year. He led the Aces to a 21-8 record in 1988 and a first-round win over Utah in the NIT. It was Evansville s first post-season appearance since 1982, and UE s first post-season win at the Division I level. A first team all-mcc player in both of his seasons at UE, Simmons scored 750 points as a senior, the fourth most in school history. Despite playing only two seasons at Evansville, he ranks 22nd with 1,265 points. Marty and his wife, Angie, who grew up in nearby Newburgh, have four children: Brittany, Kelsey, Blake, and Cole. Year-by-Year Record as Head Coach Year School Overall Conf. Postseason Wartburg SIUE SIUE SIUE NCAA D-II Tournament SIUE NCAA D-II Elite Eight SIUE Evansville Evansville CollegeInsider.com Evansville Evansville CBI - Second Round Evansville CBI Tournament Evansville CollegeInsider.com Evansville Record 12th year Year-by-Year Record as Assistant Coach Year School Record Conf Evansville Evansville Evansville Evansville Evansville Evansville Evansville Evansville Evansville Evansville Evansville Record 11 Years Year-by-Year Record as Player Year School Record Indiana Indiana Evansville Evansville 21-8 Air Force Alabama A&M Alabama State Anderson (Ind.) Austin Peay Ball State Belmont Boise State Bradley * Buffalo Butler Canisius Colorado State Creighton Drake East Carolina Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky Georgia Southern Grambling Hanover Hofstra Illinois-Chicago Illinois State Indiana Indiana State IUPUI Jackson State Loyola (Chicago) Martin Methodist Maryland Eastern Shore Mercer Miami (Ohio) Middle Tennessee State Missouri State Monmouth * Murray State *** Norfolk State North Carolina North Carolina A&T Northern Iowa Notre Dame Oakland City ** Ohio U Princeton Purdue * Samford SIU Edwardsville Southeast Missouri State Southern Illinois UT-Martin Tennessee State Tennessee Tech TCU UTSA Valparaiso Western Illinois Western Kentucky Wichita State Wright State Xavier Yale each * indicates a game coached against opponent while at SIUE UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 21

22 2 Christian Benzon Freshman Copenhagen, Denmark/The Rock School At The Rock School: Won the Florida SIAA State Championship in 2013 team was ranked No. 10 in the nation notched 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game was the AAU State MVP led team in scoring in first two seasons at The Rock was named to the Independent All-State Second Team played for Denmark in the 2010 U18 European Championships, playing in seven games and posting 15.3 PPG high in the tournament was 26 points vs. Luxembourg. Why UE? It just felt like the right fit. Personal: Parents: Eddie Kudolo and Lene Benzon Siblings: One brother and two sisters Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark High School: The Rock School Major: Global Business CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 5 (Twice, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) FG: 2 (4x, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) FGA: 4 (vs. UNI, 1/8/14) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 2 (Twice, last at Missouri State, 1/21/14) FTA: 4 (Twice, last vs. Indiana State, 1/4/14) : 7 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Assists: 1 (Twice, last vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) Steals: 1 (4x, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (at Indiana, 11/26/13) Minutes Played: 24 (at Drake, 1/1/14) Season Points: 5 (Twice, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) FG: 2 (4x, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) FGA: 4 (vs. UNI, 1/8/14) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 2 (Twice, last at Missouri State, 1/21/14) FTA: 4 (Twice, last vs. Indiana State, 1/4/14) : 7 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Assists: 1 (Twice, last vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) Steals: 1 (4x, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (at Indiana, 11/26/13) Minutes Played: 24 (at Drake, 1/1/14) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene & UIS & Martin IUPUI Mercer Valparaiso Anderson Indiana Ohio U Murray State Miami Ohio Xavier Jackson State Butler Grambling Drake Indiana State UNI Southern Illinois Illinois State Loyola Missouri State Bradley UNI Wichita State *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 22

23 3 Jaylon Brown Freshman Fishers, Ind./Fishers At Fishers: Named an All-State player at Fishers while garnering honorable mention honors before that as a senior, posted 17 points per game to go along with 4 assists and 4 rebounds top effort in high school was 29 points that included six 3-pointers tallied 53 points in an AAU contest. Why UE? I chose UE because of the coaches, players, they play in a top 10 conference and the campus is close to home. Personal: Parents: Mark and Stacy Brown Siblings: One brother and two sisters Hometown: Fishers, Ind. High School: Fishers Major: Undecided CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 14 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) FG: 5 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) FGA: 6 (Twice,last vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) 3-Pt FG: 1 (Twice, last vs. Gramblin, 12/28/13) 3-Pt FGA: 2 (vs. Martin Methodist, 11/9/13) FT: 3 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) FTA: 5 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) : 7 (vs. Martin Methodist, 11/9/13) Assists: 5 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Steals: 4 (at Drake, 1/1/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (4x, last at Missouri State, 1/21/14) Minutes Played: 26 (vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) Season Points: 14 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) FG: 5 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) FGA: 6 (Twice,last vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) 3-Pt FG: 1 (Twice, last vs. Gramblin, 12/28/13) 3-Pt FGA: 2 (vs. Martin Methodist, 11/9/13) FT: 3 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) FTA: 5 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) : 7 (vs. Martin Methodist, 11/9/13) Assists: 5 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Steals: 4 (at Drake, 1/1/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (4x, last at Missouri State, 1/21/14) Minutes Played: 26 (vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene & UIS & Martin Methodist IUPUI Mercer Valparaiso Anderson Indiana Ohio U Murray State Miami Ohio Xavier Jackson State Butler Grambling Drake Indiana State UNI Southern Illinois State Loyola Missouri State Bradley* UNI* Wichita State *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 23

24 4 Duane Gibson Freshman Cleveland, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph At Villa Angela St. Joseph: As a senior Plain Dealer Player of the Year News Herald Player of the Year First Team All-Ohio North Coast League MVP North Coast League First Team D-4 State Championship MVP led team to state championship in 2013 with a 25-4 record; also won the North Coast League as a senior, posted 12 points/game, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Why UE? I chose UE because it Is a smaller school and I can get a better education. The Ford Center blew me away when I first saw it and I just loved everything about it. I really like the coaching staff; they made me feel like they were very interested in me coming to UE. Personal: Parents: Duane Gibson Sr. and Emma & Kenneth Render Siblings: Five brothers and two sisters Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio High School: Villa Angela St. Joseph Major: Accounting CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 23 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) FG: 6 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) FGA: 11 (vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 11 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) FTA: 12 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) : 7 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) Assists: 11 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) Steals: 3 (vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (5x, last vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Minutes Played: 35 (vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13) Season Points: 23 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) FG: 6 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) FGA: 11 (vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 11 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) FTA: 12 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) : 7 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) Assists: 11 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) Steals: 3 (vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (5x, last vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Minutes Played: 35 (vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene &* UIS &* Martin Methodist* IUPUI* Mercer* Valparaiso* Anderson* Indiana* Ohio U.* Murray State* Miami Ohio* Xavier* Jackson State* Butler* Grambling* Drake* Indiana State* UNI* Southern Illinois* Illinois State* Loyola* Missouri State* Bradley UNI Wichita State* *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 24

25 10 Jaylon Moore Junior Olive Branch, Miss. / Olive Branch : Played in 35 out of 36 games in his sophomore campaign at UE improved greatly from his freshman season, averaging 3.5 points per game after scoring 30 points total as a freshman, posted 123 as a sophomore scored 7 points while hitting 3-4 shots against Western Illinois notched 9 tallies in win over Tennessee Tech before setting career mark with 10 against Alabama A&M where he hit five out of six attempts tied his mark with 10 against Alabama State registered nine points in games at Creighton and at home against Southern Illinois blocked a career-best three shots in road contest at Drake notched six rebounds in win over Tennessee State in the CIT, setting his career mark : Made appearances in 22 games as a freshman while making a start against North Carolina A&T hit 10 out of 14 shots on the season while averaging 1.4 PPG and 1.0 rebounds scored five points against Southern Illinois hitting both field goal attempts set season mark with six points on a perfect 3-3 day vs. Bradley while tying mark with four boards also had four rebounds in road game at Creighton where he played a career-best 21 minutes. At Olive Branch: Averaged 16.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and four blocked shots per game as a senior at Olive Branch High School, and was a second team all-state selection as a senior...an all-conference and all-region selection as a junior and senior...four-year letterwinner...helped lead Olive Branch Conquistadors to three District championships. Why UE? Great atmosphere, great academics, great coaches, great everything. Personal: Parent: Dereesha Bowens Siblings: Younger brother, Jonathan Bowens Hometown: Olive Branch, Miss. High School: Olive Branch Major: Undeclared CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 14 (vs. Indiana State, 1/4/14) FG: 5 (Twice, last at Murray State, 12/4/13) FGA: 8 (at Murray State, 12/4/13) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 6 (vs. Indiana State, 1/4/14) FTA: 8 (vs. Indiana State, 1/4/14) : 6 (Twice, last at Xavier, 12/10/13) Assists: 2 (vs. Murray State, 12/8/12) Steals: 3 (at Murray State, 12/4/13) Blocked Shots: 3 (Twice, last vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Minutes Played: 22 (3x, last at Xavier, 12/10/13) Season Points: 14 (vs. Indiana State, 1/4/14) FG: 5 (at Murray State, 12/4/13) FGA: 8 (at Murray State, 12/4/13) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 6 (vs. Indiana State, 1/4/14) FTA: 8 (vs. Indiana State, 1/4/14) : 5 (Twice, last vs. Miami (Ohio), 12/7/13) Assists: 1 (4x, last at Wichita State, 2/1/14) Steals: 3 (at Murray State, 12/4/13) Blocked Shots: 3 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Minutes Played: 22 (Twice, last vs. Xaiver, 12/10/13) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene & UIS & Martin Methodist IUPUI Mercer Valparaiso Anderson Indiana Ohio U Murray State Miami Ohio Xavier Jackson State Butler Grambling Drake Indiana State UNI Southern Illinois Illinois State Loyola Missouri State Bradley UNI Wichita State *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 25

26 Adam Wing Sophomore Morehead, Ky. / Rowan County : Improved greatly throughout his freshman season; played in 30 games while starting ten late in the season UE went 7-3 in the ten games that he started, including making a 3-1 run in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament through the first 26 games of the season, did not play more than 20 minutes, but played at least 23 minutes in the final ten games and averaged four rebounds over that span grabbed 41 rebounds in the first 26 games before rallying for 40 in the final ten games also averaged 10.7 minutes in the first 26 games before earning his playing time in the final ten outings, averaging 25.3 minutes top game prior to making his first start was nine points versus Miami (OH) made first start in home game against Creighton scoring a career-high of 10 points while notching seven rebounds tallied 8 points and 8 boards in win over Illinois State before tying his rebound mark next time out at Wright State with eight more. At Rowan County: Lettered in basketball and football in all four years at Rowan...named First Team All-State in was a First Team All-Region player in three years while making the First Team All-District squad in all four years while garnering a pair of MVP honors...nominated for Kentucky s Mr. Basketball award, one of only five players in the state...led Rowan to state championship game as a junior where he tallied 31 points and 13 rebounds while hitting 7-of-8 three-pointers. Why UE? High graduation rate and an opportunity to play big-time basketball. Personal: Parents: Greg and Paula Wing Siblings: Two brothers - Shawn and Jeremy Hometown: Morehead, Ky. High School: Rowan County Major: Sports Management CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 18 (vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13) FG: 6 (Twice, last vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13) FGA: 15 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FG: 3 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) 3-Pt FGA: 5 (vs. Butler, 12/21/13) FT: 7 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) FTA: 8 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) : 8 (5x, last at Xavier, 12/10/13) Assists: 6 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) Steals: 3 (Twice, last at Southern Illinois, 1/11/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (5x, last at Missouri State, 1/21/14) Minutes Played: 43 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) Season Points: 18 (vs. Valparaiso, 11/20/13) FG: 6 (Twice, last Valparaiso, 11/20/13) FGA: 15 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FG: 3 (vs. Mercer, 11/18/13) 3-Pt FGA: 5 (vs. Butler, 12/21/13) FT: 7 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) FTA: 8 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) : 8 (3x, last at Xavier, 12/10/13) Assists: 6 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) Steals: 3 (at Southern Illinois, 1/11/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (5x, last at Missouri State, 1/21/14) Minutes Played: 43 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene &* UIS &* Martin Methodist* IUPUI* Mercer* Valparaiso* Anderson* Indiana* Ohio U.* Murray State* Miami (Ohio)* Xavier* Jackson State* Butler* Grambling* Drake* Indiana State* UNI* Southern Illinois* Illinois State* Loyola* Missouri State* Bradley* UNI* Wichita State* *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 26

27 22 Tyler Ptacek Freshman Parma, Ohio/Padua Franciscan At Padua Franciscan: Set school scoring record with a,1467 points had a 42-point scoring effort in a game as a sophomore named All-Ohio, All-District and All-North Coast League in all four years of high school was an 82% free throw shooter averaged points as a senior while posting 5.08 rebounds and 3.29 assists/game finished junior year with 21.8 PPG, 3.25 rebounds per game and 2.65 assists. Why UE? I am friends with Duane (Gibson) and I felt the most comfortable with the coaches. Personal: Parents: Jim Ptacek and Amy Colombo Siblings: Two younger sisters (Oksana and Mellise) Hometown: Parma, Ohio High School: Padua Franciscan Major: Sports Management CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 12 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FG: 4 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FGA: 7 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FG: 4 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FGA: 6 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FT: 2 (Twice, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) FTA: 2 (Twice, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) : 2 (Twice, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) Assists: 1 (4x, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) Steals: 1 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) Blocked Shots: Minutes Played: 21 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) Season Points: 12 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FG: 4 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FGA: 7 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FG: 4 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FGA: 6 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FT: 2 (Twice, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) FTA: 2 (Twice, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) : 2 (Twice, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) Assists: 1 (4x, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) Steals: 1 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) Blocked Shots: Minutes Played: 21 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene & UIS & Martin Methodist IUPUI Mercer Valparaiso Anderson Indiana Ohio U Murray State Miami Ohio Xavier Jackson State Butler Grambling Drake Indiana State UNI Southern Illinois Illinois State Loyola Missouri State UNI Wichita State *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 27

28 23 Mike Leazer Sophomore Mount Prospect, Ill. / Northridge Prep : Walked on to the UE squad in making two appearances played for a minute in home win over Alabama A&M, tallied an offensive board took part in the contest vs. Oakland City for three minutes, tallying a steal and a defensive rebound. At Northridge Prep: Earned three letters in basketball, two in soccer and one involleyball...was named All-Conference as a junior and senior while playing in the Illinois All-State game...was named to the All-State Fourth Team while earning MVP honors as a senior...averaged 16 points per game as a senior while scoring 28 points in the Grant Christmas Tournament.. Why UE? To get a great education while playing basketball. Personal: Parents: John and Ann Leazer Siblings: Three sisters (Emily, Maggie, Carolina) and a brother (Stephen) Hometown: Mount Prospect, Ill. High School: Northridge Prep Major: Mechanical Engineering CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: FG: FGA: 2 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: FTA: : 1 (Twice, last vs. Oakland City, 12/18/12) Assists: 1 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Steals: 1 (vs. Oakland City, 12/18/12) Blocked Shots: Minutes Played: 4 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Season Points: FG: FGA: 2 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: FTA: : Assists: 1 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Steals: Blocked Shots: Minutes Played: 4 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene & UIS & Martin IUPUI Mercer Valparaiso Anderson Ohio Murray State Miami Xavier Jackson State Butler Grambling Drake Indiana State Southern Illinois State Missouri State Wichita State *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 28

29 25 Rokas Cesnulevicius Junior Alytaus, Lithuania / Hawaii Prep : Made five appearances in sophomore campaign at UE played for five minutes against Alabama A&M recording five rebounds and two points saw five minutes of action versus Oakland City notching three rebounds and two points also saw time against Miami (OH), Southern Illinois and Canisius : Played in 25 games as a freshman while making a start against Oakland City was on the floor for 13 minutes versus Indiana, tallied four points in win at Missouri State, played season-high 18 minutes while recording a steal and hitting a pair of free throws top game came at Wichita State where he notched career-high seven points on a perfect 3-3 day from the floor. In High School: Hawaii Preparatory Academy standout who earned the 2011 West Division Player of the Year award in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation...native of Lithuania...dominant player in the West Division while averaging 25 points and 15 rebounds per game for the Division II Ka Makani...enrolled at Hawaii Prep in January, averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds in and made the All-Big Island Conference team...also played AAU basketball this year for Maryland 3-D. Why UE? Awesome coaching staff, good team chemistry, good education, great opportunity to further basketball skills. Personal: Parents: Gintaras and Odeta Cesnulevicius Siblings: Younger brother, Mikolas Hometown: Alytuas, Lithuania High School: Hawaii Preparatory Major: Biology CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 7 (at Wichita State, 1/25/12) FG: 3 (at Wichita State, 1/25/12) FGA: 3 (5x, last vs. Oakland City, 12/18/12) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 2 (Twice, last at Missouri State, 1/15/12) FTA: 4 (3x, last at Wichita State, 1/25/12) : 5 (3x, last vs. Alabama A&M, 11/26/12) Assists: 2 (Twice, last at SIU, 2/4/12) Steals: 1 (4x, last at Wichita State, 1/25/12) Blocked Shots: 1 (5x, last vs. Creighton, 3/3/12) Minutes Played: 18 (at Missouri State, 1/15/12) Season Points: FG: FGA: 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: FTA: : Assists: Steals: Blocked Shots: Minutes Played: BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene & UIS & Martin IUPUI Mercer Valparaiso Ohio Murray State Miami Xavier Jackson State Butler Drake Indiana State Southern Illinois State Missouri State Wichita State *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 29

30 31 D.J. Balentine Sophomore Kokomo, Ind. / Kokomo : Posted the top freshman season on the offensive side since Colt Ryan in 2009 earned a berth on the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2013 for his efforts averaged 8.1 points per game, third on the team while playing in all 36 games, making one start was voted onto the MVC All-Bench squad averaged 9.3 PPG over the final 8 games of the year named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 10 averaging 15 points in games against Miami (OH) and Murray State set career mark with 26 points at Colorado State, the top scoring game by a UE freshman since Colt Ryan in 2009 first double-figure game came against Yale, scoring 16 points notched 11 in win at Tennessee Tech before his career effort at Colorado State hit 10 shots, including 6 out of 10 treys on his way to 26 against the Rams notched 15 in the next two games (Miami OH and Murray State) hit double figures in four of the next 19 games before rebounding with 18 points at Wright State, hitting 7-of-12 shots and four 3-pointers had 7 assists in regular-season finale against Indiana State set mark with 34 minutes played at Tennessee Tech. At Kokomo: Played basketball for four years at Kokomo and left as the No. 3 scorer at the school...scored 1280 points in HS, an average of 17 PPG... averaged 18.2 PPG as a senior along with four rebounds and three assists... named an Indiana All-Star while being nominated for Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana...won the Pittsburgh Jamfest in his junior campaign. Why UE? It is a great fit and felt right. I really like the players and coaches. Personal: Parents: Dennis and Joy Balentine Siblings: Desmond Balentine Hometown: Kokomo, Ind. High School: Kokomo Major: Sports Management CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 43 (at UNI, 1/29/14) FG: 11 (Twice, last at Wichita State, 2/1/14) FGA: 22 (at Murray State, 12/4/13) 3-Pt FG: 6 (4x, last at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FGA: 13 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FT: 19 (at UNI, 1/29/14) FTA: 21 (at UNI, 1/29/14) : 6 (at Southern Illinois, 1/11/14) Assists: 9 (vs. Martin Methodist, 11/9/13) Steals: 2 (Twice, last at UNI, 1/29/14) Blocked Shots: 2 (vs. Missouri State, 1/2/13) Minutes Played: 45 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) Season Points: 43 (at UNI, 1/29/14) FG: 11 (Twice, last at Wichita State, 2/1/14) FGA: 22 (at Murray State, 12/4/13) 3-Pt FG: 6 (3x, last at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FGA: 13 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FT: 19 (at UNI, 1/29/14) FTA: 21 (at UNI, 1/29/14) : 6 (at Southern Illinois, 1/11/14) Assists: 9 (vs. Martin Methodist, 11/9/13) Steals: 2 (at UNI, 1/29/14) Blocked Shots: 1 (3x, last at Wichita State, 2/1/14) Minutes Played: 45 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene &* UIS &* Martin Methodist* IUPUI* Mercer* Valparaiso* Anderson* Indiana* Ohio U.* Murray State* Miami Ohio* Xavier* Jackson State* Butler* Grambling* Drake* Indiana State* UNI* Southern Illinois* Illinois State* Loyola* Missouri State* Bradley* UNI* Wichita State* *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 30

31 44 David Howard Redshirt Freshman Nashville, Tenn. / Montgomery Bell : Redshirted for the campaign. At Montgomery Bell: Attended Montgomery Bell Academy where he lettered all four years in basketball...was a Mr. Basketball nominee in Tennessee as a senior...was named a First Team All Mid-State and All-Region as a senior while garnering All-Region honors in his junior year...helped team to a 25-6 mark en route to a state championship as a sophomore...top season was his senior campaign where he averaged 17 pts and 8 rbs per game. Why UE? Everything was a great fit; the players, coaches, program, closeness to home and the academic opportunity. Personal: Parents: Todd and Susan Howard Siblings: One brother Trey and a younger sister Ava Hometown: Nashville, Tenn. High School: Montgomery Bell Major: Undeclared CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 7 (3x, last at Wichita State, 2/1/14) FG: 3 (at Wichita State, 2/1/14) FGA: 6 (at Wichita State, 2/1/14) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 5 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) FTA: 7 (Twice, last at Drake, 1/1/14) : 6 (Twice, last at UNI, 1/29/14) Assists: Steals: 2 (at Wichita State, 2/1/14) Blocked Shots: 2 (Twice, last at Wichita State, 2/1/14) Minutes Played: 24 (at Wichita State, 2/1/14) Season Points: 7 (3x, last at Wichita State, 2/1/14) FG: 3 (at Wichita State, 2/1/14) FGA: 6 (at Wichita State, 2/1/14) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 5 (vs. Anderson, 11/23/13) FTA: 7 (Twice, last at Drake, 1/1/14) : 6 (Twice, last at UNI, 1/29/14) Assists: Steals: 2 (at Wichita State, 2/1/14) Blocked Shots: 2 (Twice, last at Wichita State, 2/1/14) Minutes Played: 24 (at Wichita State, 2/1/14) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene & UIS & Martin Methodist IUPUI Mercer Valparaiso Anderson Indiana Ohio U Murray State Miami Ohio Xavier Jackson State Butler Grambling Drake Indiana State UNI Southern Illinois Illinois State Loyola Missouri State Bradley UNI Wichita State *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 31

32 50 Blake Simmons Freshman Newburgh, Ind./Castle At Castle: Was a 3-time 1st Team All-SIAC player named an Indiana All Star as a senior Indiana Junior All Star in 2012 top effort was a 40-point, 10-rebound game at Vincennes Lincoln averaged 24 points and 9 rebounds per game as a senior spent AAU playing for Indiana Elite South, which was coached by Dan Dakich. Why UE? I wanted to stay close to home and being here feels like being around family. Personal: Parents: Marty and Angie Simmons Siblings: One brother and two sisters Hometown: Newburgh, Ind. High School: Castle Major: Undecided CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 16 (Twice, last at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FG: 6 (4x, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) FGA: 11 (Twice, last vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) 3-Pt FG: 5 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FGA: 9 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FT: 6 (vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) FTA: 6 (4x, last vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) : 8 (vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Assists: 6 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Steals: 3 (Twice,last Bradley, 1/26/14) Blocked Shots: 2 (Twice, last vs. Butler, 12/21/13) Minutes Played: 45 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) Season Points: 16 (Twice, last at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FG: 6 (4x, last vs. UNI, 1/8/14) FGA: 11 (Twice, last vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) 3-Pt FG: 5 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) 3-Pt FGA: 9 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) FT: 6 (vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) FTA: 6 (4x, last vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) : 8 (vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Assists: 6 (vs. Grambling, 12/28/13) Steals: 3 (Twice,last Bradley, 1/26/14) Blocked Shots: 2 (Twice, last vs. Butler, 12/21/13) Minutes Played: 45 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene &* UIS &* Martin Methodist* IUPUI* Mercer* Valparaiso* Anderson* Indiana* Ohio U.* Murray State* Miami Ohio* Xavier* Jackson State* Butler* Grambling* Drake* Indiana State* UNI* Southern Illinois* Illinois State* Loyola* Missouri State* Bradley* UNI* Wichita State* *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 32

33 55 Egidijus Mockevicius Sophomore Kursenai, Lithuania / Lithuanian Univ. of Educational Sci : Named to MVC All-Freshman Team in 2013 was the top shotblocking freshman in the conference with 64 on the season, blocked more shots than anyone else in league play in the first 19 games, played over 20 minutes just four times, but played over 20 minutes in 10 of the final 17 contests, averaging 20.4 minutes his 64 blocks was the most for a UE player since Sascha Hupmann had 74 in the campaign career-high of six blocks was in home wins over UNI and Drake averaged 5.0 rebounds/ game (second on the team) while posting 5.8 points per games tallied 12 points on 6-7 shooting while tallying five boards against Buffalo first 19 games saw him average 3.7 boards and post a total of 25 blocks; bettered those numbers in the final 17 games hauling in 6.5 caroms per game while blocking 39 shots shot 63.3% from the floor as a freshman was a solid free throw shooter for a center, hitting 70.8% of his attempts scored a season-high 18 points in home overtime win against Missouri State, hit all six shots, six out of nine free throws while blocking five shots and pulling in 8 rebounds tallied career-best 13 rebounds versus Northern Iowa and at East Carolina notched 11 points in MVC Tournament vs. Indiana State and had 10 in road game at Colorado State posted 11 rebounds in home win over Illinois State. Prior To UE: In one season as Vilnius Antaklanis, played in 17 games while averaging 18.1 points per game...played in the NKL in Lithuania for last two seasons...in averaged 12.7 points per game, shooting 53.7% while hitting 62.8% of his free throws and a three-pointer, averaged 10.5 rebounds per contest...last year ( ) put forth 14.3 PPG while shooting an amazing 71.0% from the floor and improved his free throw shooting to 74.5%...averaged 7.6 boards...played for the Lithuania U20 National Team, winning the U20 European Championship in July of 2012 in Ljubljana, Slovenia...scored 20 points against Spain while leading the team with 11 in the championship win over France where his squad won by a final... averaged 7.3 PPG in the tournament while shooting 61.4%. Why UE? Great basketball program and a great university. Personal: Parents: Vaclovas Mockevicius, Alma Mockeviciene Siblings: One brother - Mindaugas Hometown: Kursenai High School: Vilnius Antaklanis Secondary School Major: Sports Management CAREER AND SEASON HIGHS Career Points: 19 (at Ohio U., 11/30/13) FG: 7 (3x, last vs. Jackson State, 12/14/13) FGA: 11 (vs. Miami (Ohio), 12/7/13) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 6 (vs. Missouri State, 1/2/13) FTA: 9 (Twice, last at Ohio U., 11/30/13) : 18 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) Assists: 2 (vs. Drake, 2/10/13) Steals: 3 (3x, last vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Blocked Shots: 6 (Twice, last vs. Drake, 2/10/13) Minutes Played: 36 (Twice, last vs. Drake, 2/10/13) Season Points: 19 (at Ohio U., 11/30/13) FG: 7 (3x, last vs. Jackson State, 12/14/13) FGA: 11 (vs. Miami (Ohio), 12/7/13) 3-Pt FG: 3-Pt FGA: FT: 5 (3x, last vs. Bradley, 1/26/14) FTA: 9 (at Ohio U., 11/30/13) : 18 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) Assists: 1 (7x, last at Missouri State, 1/21/14) Steals: 3 (3, vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Blocked Shots: 4 (Twice, last vs. Loyola, 1/18/14) Minutes Played: 35 (at Illinois State, 1/15/14) BY- Opponent MP FG 3FG FT O-D-R A TO Bl St Pts Trevecca Nazarene &* UIS &* Martin Methodist* IUPUI* Mercer* Valparaiso* Indiana* Ohio U.* Murray State* Miami Ohio* Xavier* Jackson State* Butler* Grambling* Drake* Indiana State* UNI* Southern Illinois* Illinois State* Loyola* Missouri State* Bradley* UNI* Wichita State* *Starter & Exhibition UE MEN S BASKETBALL NOTES 33