Game #17 UC Riverside at Utah State Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) Logan, Utah Jan. 16, :05 pm(mst)

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1 AGGIE BASKETBALL Athletic Media Relations 7400 Old Main Hill Logan, Utah Fax (435) Mike Strauss, Media Relations Director (435) Doug Hoffman, Assistant Director (Basketball Contact) (435) Schedule 14-2, 4-0 November 4 GLOBAL SPORTS (Ex.) W CA. WEST ALL-STARS (Ex.) W at Top of the World Classic, Fairbanks, Alaska 17 vs. Santa Clara W vs. South Florida W vs. Austin Peay State L ot 25 CO.-COLO. SPRINGS W at Idaho State W December 6 UTAH (SportsWest) W MONTANA TECH W at BYU (SportsWest) L at UC Riverside W WEBER STATE W Gossner Foods Classic 29 ALBANY W AIR FORCE W January 4 *at Cal Poly W *at Idaho W *LONG BEACH ST. (ESPN) W *PACIFIC W UC RIVERSIDE 7:05 pm 20 *BOISE STATE 7:05 pm 25 *at Pacific 8 pm 27 *IDAHO 7:05 pm 31 *at UC Irvine 8 pm February 2 *at Cal State Fullerton 8 pm 8 *UC IRVINE 7:05 pm 10 *CAL STATE FULLERTON 7:05 pm 15 *at UC Santa Barbara 8 pm 17 *at Long Beach St. (Fox Sports)6 pm 24 *at Boise State 7 pm March 1 *UC SANTA BARBARA 7:05 pm 3 *CAL POLY (ESPN) 5:07 pm Big West Tournament, Anaheim, Calif TBA NCAA Tournament TBA All times are mountain. Home games in CAPS. Game #17 UC Riverside at Utah State Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) Logan, Utah Jan. 16, :05 pm(mst) January 15, 2001 Utah State Aggies (14-2, 4-0) Averages Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG F # 5 Shawn Daniels Sr. Bakersfield, Calif * F #22 Curtis Bobb Sr. Aurora, Colo C #14 Dimitri Jorssen Sr. Theux, Belgium * G #10 Bernard Rock Sr. New York, N.Y G #31 Tony Brown Jr. Hyrum, Utah vs. UC Riverside Highlanders (6-10) Averages Probable Starters Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG F #22 Steve Clayton Sr. Baltimore, Md F #45 Jason Perkins Jr. Carson, Calif C #44 Viliamu Morton Fr. Palm Desert, Calif * G #12 Kevin Butler Fr. San Lorenzo, Calif G #21 Ted Bell Fr. San Francisco, Calif *blocks per game Up Next: Utah State will play two more games this week at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum as the Aggies host UC Riverside on Tuesday, Jan. 16, and then Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 20. Both games will begin at 7:05 p.m. A Look At UC Riverside: UC Riverside is 6-10 on the season after dropping a decision to Cal Poly on Saturday night. The Highlanders are currently 2-4 against the Big West Conference with home wins over Cal State Fullerton (59-52) and UC Santa Barbara (63-59). UCR is 1-5 on the road this season, winning at Oregon State Sophomore forward Mark Miller leads the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game. Head coach John Masi is in his 22nd year at UC Riverside and has an overall record of The Highlanders return four starters and 10 letterwinners from last year s team that went overall. UC Riverside, who is in its first season at the Division I level, will be joining the Big West Conference in the season. Series History: Utah State is 1-0 all-time against UC Riverside, defeating the Highlanders earlier this year in Riverside, Calif. Next Week: Utah State will hit the road next week for a game on Thursday, Jan. 25, at Pacific. Tip-off will be 8:00 p.m. (MST). USU will then return home to host Idaho at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 7:05 p.m.

2 Utah State Quick Facts Location... Logan, Utah Founded Enrollment... 21,490 President... Kermit Hall Athletics Dir... Rance Pugmire Faculty Rep.... Ken White Nickname... Aggies Colors... Navy Blue & White Affiliation...Division I Conference... Big West Arena...Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Capacity... 10,270 Basketball Staff Head Coach... Stew Morrill... Gonzaga, 1974 Career Record (14) Record at USU (Third) Assistant Coaches... Randy Rahe,... Don Verlin and Mark Arce Trainer...Mike Williams Secretary... Ronda Christoffersen Office Phone... (435) Media Relations Asst. SID (MBB)... Doug Hoffman Office... (435) Home... (435) Fax... (435) Cell... (435) dhoffman@cc.usu.edu SID... Mike Strauss Office... (435) Press Row... (435) Web... Mailing Address...Athletic Media Relations... Utah State University Old Main Hill... Logan, UT Statistical Comparison: The following is a statistical comparision between Utah State and this week s opponents in UC Riverside and Boise State. Category Utah State UC Riverside Boise State Games Points Points Allowed FG Pct FG Pct. Def FG Pct FG Pct. Def FT Pct Rebounds Reb. Margin Assists Turnovers TOs Forced Blocks Steals Winning Record Versus Every Team In The Big West: Utah State is the only team in the Big West Conference that has a winning record versus every team in the league. The following is a list of USU s record versus each team in the Big West Conference. USU s Record Versus Current BWC Members: Boise State USU leads 14-4 Cal Poly USU leads 6-0 Cal State Fullerton USU leads Idaho USU leads Long Beach State USU leads Pacific USU leads UC Irvine USU leads UC Santa Barbara USU leads Total USU leads (.612) 23 And Counting: Utah State has won its last 23 games versus Big West competition as the Aggies went a perfect 16-0 in league play last year and then won three games in the conference tournament. Utah State has also won its first four league games of the 2001 season. That 23-game winning streak in the Big West is the second-best all-time behind UNLV who won 40 games in a row from Big West Standings Conference Overall W L Pct. Home Away W L Pct. Home Away Neutral Utah State UC Irvine UC Santa Barbara Pacific Boise State Long Beach State Cal State Fullerton Cal Poly Idaho Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

3 Utah State Numerical Roster No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp. Hometown (High School/Last School) 3 Thomas Vincent G Fr. HS Overland Park, Kan. (Olathe East HS) 4 Jeremy Vague C/F Jr. JC San Marcos, Calif. (San Marcos HS/Canada JC) 5 Shawn Daniels F Sr. 1L Bakersfield, Calif. (Highland HS/Bakersfield JC) 10 Bernard Rock G Sr. 1L New York, N.Y. (Orme HS/New Mexico Military) 11 Dan Stewart F/C Jr. 2L Salt Lake City, Utah (East HS/Utah State) 13 Mike Stowell G Fr. HS San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (Capistrano Valley HS) 14 Dimitri Jorssen C Sr. 2L Theux, Belgium (Lassen JC) 21 Calvin Brown G Fr. HS East Palo Alto, Calif. (Eastside Prep) 22 Curtis Bobb G/F Sr. 1L Aurora, Colo. (Hinkley HS/Southern Idaho JC) 24 Brennan Ray F Jr. 1L Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler HS/Mesa CC) 25 Dion Bailey G Sr. 1L West Covina, Calif. (West Covina HS/Santa Rosa JC) 31 Tony Brown G Jr. 2L Hyrum, Utah (Mountain Crest HS) 32 Toraino Johnson F So. JC El Paso, Texas (Andress HS/Garden City JC) 34 Jason Napier F So. SQ Indianapolis, Ind. (Park Tudor HS) 44 Chad Evans F R-Fr. HS Ogden, Utah (Weber HS) Head Coach: Stew Morrill (Gonzaga, 1974) Assistants: Randy Rahe (Buena Vista, 1982), Don Verlin (Cal State Stanislaus, 1989), Mark Arce (Oklahoma State, 1983) Manager: Eric Skinner Trainer: Mike Williams (Utah State, 1996) 16-Game Home Court Winning Streak: Utah State has won its last 16 games at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum dating back to Jan. 8, USU s last loss at home was a decision to BYU. USU has won 28 of its last 29 games at home. In league play, Utah State has won its last 16 home games and 33 of its last 34. Home Sweet Home: Utah State has had tremendous success at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum since the building was opened for the season. In its first 30 years, USU has had only one losing season at home, with a 3-8 record during the year. All-time, Utah State is (.775) at home. Over the past three-plus seasons, the Aggies have compiled an incredible 51-3 (.944) record at home. USU has won 61 of its last 64 games at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum dating back to the season. Third-Best Start Ever: With Utah State s 14-2 record thus far this year, the Aggies have the third-best start in school history. The team opened its season with an 18-2 record, while the team started the year with a 16-2 record. Dominating At Home In League: Utah State has been dominating at home in the Big West Conference over the past two seasons compiling a 11-0 record. During that stretch, USU has won 10 of those 11 games by 10 or more points. The only time USU did not defeat a league opponent at home by 10 or more points over the last two seasons was when the Aggies beat Pacific by nine in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Feb. 17, Double-Digit Wins: Since joining the Big West Conference prior to the season, no Aggie team has opened up league play by defeating its first four opponents by 10-plus points, until this year. In its first four league games, USU has defeated its opponents by 13, 22, 16, and 14 points respectively, for an average margin of victory of 16.2 points. Fast Starts: Just like last season, Utah State is off to another fast start in the Big West Conference, with its 4-0 league mark. It is the seventh time that USU has opened league play with a 4-0 record. The other teams to accomplish the feat were the 1980, 88, 95, 97, 98, and 2000 teams. Versus The State Of California: Utah State will be looking to keep its streak of beating teams from the state of California alive this Tuesday when the Aggies host UC Riverside. USU has won its last 16 games versus teams from the Golden State, including wins over Santa Clara (76-67), UC Riverside (76-62), Cal Poly (82-69), Long Beach State (76-60), and Pacific (73-59) this season. Last season, USU went 11-0 versus school s from the state of California. The last time the Aggies lost to a team from California was in the first round of the 1999 Big West Tournament to UC Santa Barbara All-time, Utah State is (.600) versus teams from California. 3 Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

4 Last Meeting With UC Riverside: (See boxscore on page 19 of this release.) After going into the locker room with just a three-point lead at 36-33, Utah State over-powered UC Riverside in the second half to record a win. The Aggies had four players score in doublefigures in the game led by Tony Brown s 14 points. Curtis Bobb had 13 points and seven rebounds in the game, while Shawn Daniels and Dimitri Jorssen each scored 12. Utah State shot 55.8 percent in the game and held the Highlanders to just 36.8 percent shooting. Mark Miller led UC Riverside with 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Last Meeting With Boise State: Utah State was looking to go 16-0 in league play the last time USU and Boise State met, on Mar, 4, 2000 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. BSU held a half-time advantage before the Aggies roared to a 12-point win by outscoring the Broncos in the second-half. Bernard Rock had a career-high 24 points in the game, while Troy Rolle added 16. Former Aggie Andre Mahorn provided the spark USU needed off the bench with 10 points, all of which came in the second half. Morrill Versus This Week s Opponents: Stew Morrill is 1-0 all-time versus UC Riverside and 10-6 all-time versus Boise State. Morrill is 4-0 against the Broncos while at USU, and was 4-6 versus BSU at Montana, and 2-0 while at Colorado State. Scouting Boise State: Boise State is 10-7 on the season after defeating Long Beach State in overtime The Broncos are 2-2 in the Big West Conference defeating Cal Poly on the road for its other win. Boise State is 5-4 on the road this year and 1-1 on the road in conference games. Junior forward Abe Jackson leads the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game, while senior forward Kejuan Woods is averaging 17.5 points in league games thus far. The Broncos average 72.0 points per game but give up Head coach Rod Jensen is in his sixth year at BSU and has an overall record of The Broncos return four starters and eight letterwinners from last year s team that went overall and 6-10 in the Big West Conference. Versus The Broncos: Utah State is 14-4 all-time against Boise State, including a perfect 10-0 mark at home. The Aggies have won the last four games played between the two schools, and the last time BSU won was on Feb. 21, 1998 in Boise by a final score of Versus The State Of Idaho: Utah State has won its last eight games versus teams from the state of Idaho, including wins over Idaho State and Idaho this year. The last time USU lost to a team from the state of Idaho was at Idaho on Jan. 23, 1999 by a final score of Mar. 4, 2000 Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Logan, Utah BOISE STATE FG 3FG FT REB PF TP MIN A BLK S Justin Lyons, F KeJuan Woods, F Abe Jackson, C C.J. Williams, G C. Hordemann, G Joe Skiffer Delvin Armstrong Richard Morgan Totals FG%: 1st half , 2nd half , Game FG%: 1st half , 2nd half , Game FT%: 1st half , 2nd half , Game Team Reb.: 1; Deadball Reb.: 3; Turnovers: 19; Technicals: None Shawn Daniels, F Troy Rolle, F Dimitri Jorssen, C Bernard Rock, G Tony Brown, G Rashaun Thomas Brennan Ray Dion Bailey Curtis Bobb Andre Mahorn Totals FG%: 1st half , 2nd half , Game FG%: 1st half , 2nd half , Game FT%: 1st half , 2nd half , Game Team Reb.: 4; Deadball Reb.: 4; Turnovers: 13; Technicals: Rock, Ray SCORE BY HALVES 1 2 F Boise State Utah State OFFICIALS Jerry Scott, John Edwards, Rich Kollen ATTENDANCE 10,270 USU In The Big West: Since the 1994 season, Utah State has dominated the Big West Conference as the Aggies have the most conference and overall wins by any team in the Big West. The following is a list of where Utah State stacks up against the Big West Conference. Conference Record (1994-present) 1. UTAH STATE Long Beach State Pacific UC Santa Barbara UC Irvine CS Fullerton Overall Wins (1994-present) 1. UTAH STATE Pacific Long Beach State UC Santa Barbara UC Irvine CS Fullerton 62 * - Note: Cal Poly, Idaho and Boise State joined the Big West prior to the season. 4 Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

5 Recapping The Pacific Game: Behind 18 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Curtis Bobb (Aurora, Colo.) Utah State improved to 4-0 in the Big West Conference with a win over Pacific. The Aggies are now 14-2 on the season with the win, while Pacific dropped to 10-5 overall and 2-2 in league play with the loss. USU has won its last eight games and 12 of its last 13. Pacific jumped out to an early advantage over Utah State with physical play before the Aggies settled down defensively. USU responded with a 12-2 run midway through the first-half to open a four-point advantage and built its lead to seven before going into the locker room up three at the half at After Pacific tied the game at 34 early in the second half, Utah State went on a 12-1 run to open up an 11-point advantage. The lead grew to 14- points with just over four minutes remaining in the game after UOP closed the gap to five points as Utah State hit the Tigers with a 9-0 spurt to put the game away. Along with Bobb's 18 points, guard Bernard Rock (New York, N.Y.) had 12 points, and forward reserve Dion Bailey (West Covina, Calif.) added 10 points off the bench. Senior forward Shawn Daniels (Bakersfield, Calif.) only had three points in the game, but did tie a USU school record with seven blocks in the contest. Daniels also had six rebounds and four assists to lead the team. Utah State shot just 44.2 percent from the floor, but connected on 80 percent of its free-throws, going 24-of-30 from the line. The Aggie defense was solid once again as Pacific shot just 39 percent from the floor and 28 percent from three-point range. As a team, Utah State had 12 blocks, setting a new single-game record, breaking the old mark of 10 set during the 1980 season against San Jose State. Daniels Held A Block Party: Senior forward Shawn Daniels held a block party this past Saturday at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum and almost every player on the Pacific roster was invited. Against the Tigers, the 6-6 forward tied a single-game record with seven blocked shots and set a new career-high in the process. Former Aggie Gilbert Pete blocked seven shots against Long Beach State in Daniels previous single-game high for blocked shots was five against Cal Poly last year. Along with his seven blocks, Daniels also had six rebounds and four assists against UOP. Those seven blocks were just one shy of tying the single-game record in the Big West Conference. Aggies Break Record: Utah State set a new single-game record with 12 blocked shots against Pacific this past Saturday at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, breaking the old school record of 10 set against San Jose State during the 1980 season. Daniels led USU with seven of those 12 blocks, while centers Dimitri Jorssen and Jeremy Vague added two blocks each. Junior Brennan Ray also got into the act with one block in the game. Over-Under: One of Utah State s goals for every game this year is to shoot over 50 percent from the floor and hold its opponents to under 43 percent shooting. Well, 16 games into the season, Utah State has shot over 50 percent from the field in 10 of those games and is shooting 50.5 percent overall. Defensively, the Aggies have held 10 of its 16 opponents below 43 percent shooting from the field, and in five games USU has shot over 50 percent and held its opponent below 43 percent in the same game. Deadly Combination: Utah State is on pace to become the only team in school history to shoot over 50 percent from the floor and hold its opponents below 40 percent. Half-way through the 2001 season, USU is shooting 50.5 percent and hold its opponents to 39.5 percent. Keep It Under 60: Utah State has been unbeatable as of late when its opponents score less than 60 points in a game. Thus far this year, USU is 7-0 when its opponents score less than 60 points, and the Aggies were 12-0 last season when its opponents didn t hit 60. The last time USU lost a game when its opponent didn t score 60 points was a loss at New Mexico State on Feb. 25, Utah State is 19-0 since that game when allowing fewer than 60 points and 23-1 in two plus years under head coach Stew Morrill. League Road Streak Still Going: Utah State continued its winning ways on the road against Big West competition last week with wins over Cal Poly and Idaho. The Aggies have won its last 11 games on the road in league play. On The Road Again: Utah State has won 13 of its last 14 road games over the past two seasons, with its only loss being a two-point defeat at BYU on Dec. 16, The Aggies won ten games in a row on the road before losing at BYU. That 10-game road winning streak by the Aggies is a school record, breaking the old mark of six set during the season. Morrill Comfortable At Home: Utah State head coach Stew Morrill is very comfortable at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, and his record would confirm that fact. Since becoming USU s head coach prior to the season, Coach Morrill is 36-3 (.923) at home. 5 Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

6 Long Range Bomber: Junior Tony Brown is on pace to become Utah State s all-time three-point shooter before his career is over. Brown is currently fourth all-time at USU in three-pointers made and attempted. The following is a breakdown of where Brown stands as of date on the USU career charts. 3-Pt. FG s Made 3-Pt. FG s Attemtped 1. Reid Newey Jay Goodman Jay Goodman Reid Newey Justin Jones Justin Jones Tony Brown Tony Brown Troy Rolle Troy Rolle 304 Among The Elite: Utah State is right at the top of the list among total wins in the country thus far this year. The following is a list of who has won at least 14 games thus far this year. Tennessee - 16 Utah State - 14 Duke - 15 Michigan State - 14 Syracuse - 15 Iowa - 14 Fresno State - 15 Mississippi - 14 Georgetown - 15 Georgia State - 14 Losing Against BYU A Good Thing?: Despite losing to its in-state rival for the third straight year, maybe losing to the Cougars is a good thing for Utah State. After losing to BYU last year at home, USU went on to win 19 straight games before losing to Conneticut in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies also won 18 straight regular season games after losing to BYU last year. Thus far this year, Utah State has won its last eight games after losing to BYU. Bobb s Away: Senior forward Curtis Bobb has more than filled in for the graduated Troy Rolle from last year s team. Bobb is currently third on the team with an average of 11.3 points per game and is second with 5.1 rebounds per game. In conference games, Bobb is the team s leading scorer and rebounder at 15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. He is also shooting over 50 percent from the field in league games, and right at 50 percent from three-point range in conference games. The Last Time An Aggie... Scored 30 or more points... Marcus Saxon (31), 3/7/98 Got 15 or more rebounds... Shawn Daniels (17), 1/22/00 Had 10 or more assists... Bernard Rock (13), 2/3/00 Had a Double-Double... Dimiti Jorssen (10, 10), 1/6/01 Had a 20-point, 20-rebound game... Donnie Johnson (20, 20), 12/20/97 The Last Time The Aggies... Scored 100 or more points... vs. North Texas (102), 2/26/98 Allowed 100 or more points... vs. New Mexico State (104), 2/13/95 Had 50 or more rebounds... vs. Albany (52), 12/29/00 Had 25 or more assists... vs. North Texas (29), 1/28/99 Had 10 or more steals...vs. Pacific (10), 1/13/01 Five or more score in double figures... at Idaho (5), 1/6/01 Beat an opponent by 20 or more... vs. Montana Tech (79-29), 12/9/00 Beat a ranked opponent...vs. Utah (#22) 58-57, 12/6/00 Beat a Top-10 ranked opponent... vs. Utah (#9) 62-54, 11/18/98 Aggies Go When Brown And Daniels Go: It is becoming more and more apparent than the key to Utah State s success is related to Tony Brown and Shawn Daniels having good offensive nights. The Aggies have won 17 of its last 18 games when Brown scores in double-figures, and is 29-6 over the past two seasons when Daniels scores 10 or more points. Furthermore, Utah State is 10-0 when Daniels has a double-double and 7-0 when Brown scores 20 or more points in a single game. Over At The Half: Utah State had made a habit of winning games on a regular basis when leading at half-time over recent years. In fact, USU had won 39 games in a row when leading at the half before letting a 10-point halftime advantage slip away against Austin Peay State on Nov. 19, USU has however compiled a 53-2 mark when leading at halftime over its last 55 games, and is 11-1 this season when leading at the half. Eight In A Row: Utah State is on an eight-game winning streak since losing at BYU in December. That eight-game streak is tied for the 12th longest in school history. The following is a list of the longest winning streaks in USU history Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

7 Head Coach Stew Morrill: Stew Morrill (Gonzaga, 1974) is entering his third season at the helm of the Utah State men s basketball program after posting an incredible record at USU in his first two years, which is the best record by any coach at Utah State in their first two seasons. During the past two years, Morrill has coached two first-team all-league players in Shawn Daniels and Troy Rolle and has had an 80 percent graduation rate. He has been involved in postseason action four times in his career, including the NCAA Tournment last season. He has twice been named Coach of the Year, winning the award in 1991 at Montana, and this past season at Utah State after guiding the Aggies to a perfect 19-0 league mark in winning the Big West Conference. He is only the third coach in the history of the Big West Conference to go undefeated in the league, joining Lou Henson and Jerry Tarkanian. Prior to coming to Utah State, Morrill had been the head coach at Colorado State University for seven seasons, recording a record ( ). Prior to his stint at CSU, Morrill spent five seasons as the head coach at the University of Montana ( ), where he went During his 14 years as a head coach, Morrill s teams have won at least 20 games five times and have won at least 17 games in 11 of his 14 seasons as a head coach. He was the second winningest coach at Colorado State behind only Boyd Grant, and his 15 wins at Utah State in were the most by a first-year head coach since Morrill Year-by-Year Coaching Record Year School Overall Pct. Conf. Place 1987 Montana rd 1988 Montana t6th 1989 Montana rd 1990 Montana rd 1991 Montana st 1992 Colorado State th 1993 Colorado State th 1994 Colorado State th 1995 Colorado State t7th 1996 Colorado State th 1997 Colorado State th 1998 Colorado State th 1999 Utah State th 2000 Utah State st 2001 Utah State Totals 14th Year Media Information: Requests for interviews should be made through Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations Doug Hoffman at (435) Coach Morrill and the team are generally available for interviews throughout the week. Contact Hoffman to set up an interview. The best time to talk with Coach Morrill is between 9-11 a.m. and after practice for players. Practice Schedule: The Aggies practice is closed to the public. However, special arrangements can be made by contacting Hoffman. On Your Dial: All Utah State games can be heard live on KVNU AM-610 and KVFX FM-94.5 in Logan, Utah and KWLW AM-700 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Al Lewis serves as the play-by-play announcer, while Rod Tueller (former Aggie head coach and Athletics Director) will provide color analysis at home. On Your Puter: Every Aggie game can be heard live on the internet through Utah State s web page at Luncheon Schedule: Utah State will also host a media luncheon each week beginning Dec. 5 at the Juniper Inn at 11:45 a.m. All luncheons will be held on Tuesday s except for the week of Jan. 15, when that luncheon will be held on Monday. Fax-On-Demand: Media may obtain information 24 hours a day via the Fax-on-Demand system. To access the system dial from the handset of your fax machine. The code for the Big West Conference is 292. Big West Conference 1020 Weekly Release 1021 Game Notes 1022 Statistics/Standings Utah State 2220 All Information Other Services: Media may also obtain information on Utah State Athletics in several ways, including the internet ( and fax. Information will be updated and sent out by mid-mornings on Monday. Years School Overall Pct. Conf. Pct Montana Colorado State Utah State Totals 14th Year Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

8 Preseason Big West Polls: The Big West Conference held its annual basketball media day on Nov. 8, and Utah State was the overwhelming favorite to repeat as Big West Champions in the season. The Aggies were the unanimous choice among the coaches, and received all but four of the first-place votes from the media to once again win the conference championship. Coaches Poll 1. UTAH STATE (8) Long Beach State (1) Boise State UC Irvine UC Santa Barbara Cal Poly Pacific Cal State Fullerton Idaho 11 Media Poll 1. UTAH STATE (18) Long Beach State (4) UC Santa Barbara UC Irvine Pacific Boise State Cal Poly Idaho Cal State Fullerton 40 Aggies Favored To Win The Big West Again: After rolling through the Big West Conference season last year with a 19-0 mark, Utah State is once again picked to win the league by numerous preseason publications. The Sporting News has Utah State picked to finish first in the league and has the Aggies ranked 34th in the country in its preseason poll. Other preseason publications that have Utah State picked to win the Big West Conference include Preview Sports, Street & Smith Magazine, Lindey s, Athlon, and ESPN The Magazine. Several Players Tabbed As All-League Performers This Year: Along with Utah State being the overwhelming favorite to win the Big West Conference in 2001, USU also has several players being tabbed allleague in different preseason publications. The Sporting News has Shawn Daniels and Bernard Rock as first-team allleague players and Dimitri Jorssen on the second-team. Daniels is also picked to be the Player of the Year by The Sporting News, as well as being the best rebounder in the leauge. It also has Tony Brown tabbed as the best shooter in the league, and Rock named the best playmaker. Preview Sports has Daniels and Rock on its all-league first-team in the Big West, with Daniels picked as the Player of the Year and top rebounder. Street & Smith has Daniels on its firstteam list along with being named the Player of the Year, while Lindey s has Daniels first-team and Rock second-team. Lindey s picked Brown as the league s best shooter, Daniels the best rebounder, and Rock the best playmaker in the league. Athlon has Daniels as a first-team all-league player, and ESPN The Magazine has Daniels named to its first team and is selected as the Player of the Year, while Rock and Tony Brown are named to the second team. It also has the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum listed as the toughest arena in the Big West Conference to play in, and lists USU s front court as the best in the conference. Aggies Sign Five: Head coach Stew Morrill inked five players during the early signing period in Mike Ahmad, Nate Harris, Spencer Nelson, Desmond Penigar, and Ronnie Ross. Ahmad, a 6-9, 225-pound forward is a sophomore at Irvine Valley (Calif.) Junior College. As a freshman, Ahmad averaged 13.5 points and eight rebounds per game en route to earning all-conference honorable mention honors. Harris, a 6-6, 205-pound forward, is a senior at Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah, where he was a first-team all-state selection as a junior. He was also named the Region Four Most Valuable Player, and was named one of the top 12 players in the state of Utah last season by Frank Layden. Harris averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds as a junior, leading his team to a 28-0 region record over the past two seasons and three straight region championships. Nelson, a 6-7, 207-pound forward from Pocatello High School in Pocatello, Idaho averaged 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a freshman for USU in 1999, where he appeared in all 28 games for the Aggies and averaged 12 minutes per game off the bench. Nelson has spent the last two years on an LDS Mission in Oklahoma. Penigar, a 6-7, 240-pound forward, is a sophomore at Ventura Junior College in California. As a freshman, Penigar was the second leading scorer (23 points per game) and rebounder (12) among California junior college players. The Sporting News magazine listed him as one of the top 10 junior college power forwards in the country. He was also a first-team all-conference and all-state selection. Ross, a 6-1, 185-pound guard from John Wood (Ill.) Junior College, was a first-team all-conference selection his freshman year after averaging 21 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. He was tabbed as the conference freshman of the year and was a first-team all-region selection. The Sporting News listed him as one of the top 10 shooting guards in the nation and he was named a preseason All-American heading into his sophomore season. 8 Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

9 USA Today/ESPN Top 25 as of Jan. 14, 2001 Rank School Record Pts. 1. Stanford (27) Duke (4) Michigan State Tennessee Kansas North Carolina Florida Wake Forest Syracuse Illinois Georgetown Alabama Virginia Maryland Connecticut Iowa Arizona Wisconsin Seton Hall Southern California Oklahoma Mississippi Iowa State Texas Boston College UTAH STATE AP Top 25 as of Jan. 8, 2001 Rank School Record Pts. 1. Stanford (70) Duke Michigan State Tennessee Kansas Wake Forest Illinois Florida North Carolina Virginia Syracuse Georgetown Connecticut Maryland Seton Hall Alabama Wisconsin Iowa State Southern California Mississippi Arizona Oklahoma Texas Boston College Notre Dame T37. UTAH STATE Daniels Among Select Company: Senior forward Shawn Daniels is among some select company as he has been selected to the CHI Mid-Major Preseason All- America Team which consists of 25 of the best college players in the country from Mid-Major university s. The 25 players selected where: Chris Bjorklund (Cal Poly); Brett Blizzard (UNC-Wilmington); Devin Brown (Texas-San Antonio); Casey Calvary (Gonzaga); Ian Chadwick (Wofford); Shawn Daniels (UTAH STATE); Chris Davis (North Texas); Patrick Doctor (American); Scott Emerson (Mercer); George Evans (George Mason); Brian Heinle (Cal State Northridge); Gerrod Henderson (Louisiana Tech); Trevor Huffman (Kent State); Michael Jackson (Missouri-Kansas City); Joe Linderman (Drexel); Jody Lumpkin (College of Charleston); Rashad Phillips (Detroit); Ryan Sears (Creighton); Tamar Slay (Marshall); Craig Snow (Evansville); Isaac Spencer (Murray State); Greg Stempin (Toledo); Desmond Stewart (Niagara); Lonnie Thomas (Louisiana-Lafayette); and John Tice (Central Connecticut State). Note: The Mid-Major University s are made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Continent, Mid-Eastern, Midwestern Collegiate, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Sun Belt, Trans American, and West Coast Conference. College Hoops Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Jan. 15, College of Charleston UTAH STATE Toledo Marshall Indiana State Creighton Georgia State Pepperdine Hofstra Richmond Illinois State Kent State UC Irvine Gonzaga Austin Peay Butler Detroit Iona Holy Cross Cal State Northridge Maine Marist San Diego Sam Houston State Hampton Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

10 Freshman Thomas Vincent... Scored a season-high 3eight points versus Montana Tech in 24 minutes which was also a season-high... Also set a new season-high with three rebounds against Montana Tech and one steal... Had a season-high two assists versus CU-Colorado Springs and Air Force... Had a career-high two blocks against Albany... Is averaging 10.7 minutes and 3.3 points per game... He is shooting 48.6 percent from the field. Junior Jeremy Vague... Scored a career-high 12 points versus Long Beach State on 4six-of-10 shooting... Had a career-high eight rebounds and four blocks against Albany in the first-round of the Gossner Foods Classic... Set a tournament record with five blocked shots overall... Tied his season-high with 20 minutes against Montana Tech... Is averaging 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per outing. Senior Shawn Daniels... Had a career-high seven blocks against Pacific and tied his 5career-high with four assists in the game... Scored a career-high 28 points versus CU-Colo. Springs and had 24 at Cal Poly... Tied his career-high with 37 minutes versus Austin Peay... Had a season-high 13 rebounds at Idaho State... Has scored in double-figures in 35 games in his career which is the second most by any active Aggie... Shooting 60.3 percent from the floor and is averaging 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds a game in 28.5 minutes of action... Has started 50 straight games and has nine career double-doubles. Points... 8 Montana Tech (12/9/00) Rebounds... 3 Montana Tech (12/9/00) Assists... 2 (2) Air Force (12/30/00) Steals... 1 (3) Albany (12/29/00) Minutes Montana Tech (12/9/00) Points... 8 Montana Tech (12/9/00) Rebounds... 3 Montana Tech (12/9/00) Assists... 2 (2) Air Force (12/30/00) Steals... 1 (3) Albany (12/29/00) Minutes Montana Tech (12/9/00) Points Long Beach State (1/11/01) Rebounds... 8 Albany (12/29/00) Assists... 1(3) at UC Riverside (12/20/00) Blocks... 4 Albany (12/29/00) Minutes (2) Montana Tech (12/9/00) Points Long Beach State (1/11/01) Rebounds... 8 Albany (12/29/00) Assists... 1(3) at UC Riverside (12/20/00) Blocks... 4 Albany (12/29/00) Minutes (2) Montana Tech (12/9/00) Points CU-Colo. Springs (11/25/00) Rebounds at Idaho State (11/29/00) Assists... 4 Pacific (1/13/01) Blocks... 7 Pacific (1/13/01) Minutes vs. Austin Peay State (11/19/00) Points CU-Colo. Springs (11/25/00) Rebounds...17 at Cal Poly (1/22/00) Assists...4(3) Pacific (1/13/01) Blocks... 7 Pacific (1/13/01) Minutes... 37(5) vs. Austin Peay (11/19/00) Senior Bernard Rock... Dished out a season-high nine assists versus Long Beach State... Played a careerhigh 37 minutes versus Weber State... Tied his season-high with six rebounds at Idaho State, and is averaging 3.0 rebounds per 10 game... Has scored in double-figures 25 times in his career which is the third most on the team... Averaging 10.3 points and 4.0 assists per game in 29.8 minutes of action... Has started 50 straight games for USU... Was named to the all-tournament team at the Top of the World Classic... Recorded his first block of the season at ISU, which was the fourth of his career. Points vs. Santa Clara (11/17/00) Rebounds... 6 (2) at Idaho State (11/29/00) Assists... 9 Long Beach State (1/11/01) Steals... 3 Pacific (1/13/01) Minutes Weber State (12/23/00) Points Boise State (3/4/00) Rebounds... 8 at North Texas (2/26/00) Assists North Texas (2/3/00) Steals... 5 at Long Beach State (2/12/00) Minutes Weber State (12/23/00) 10 Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

11 Senior Dimitri Jorssen... Recorded his first double-double of the season at Idaho with 10 points and 10 rebounds, giving him four double-doubles in his career... Tied his career-high with 16 points 14 versus Austin Peay State... Has scored in double figures 19 times in his career... Is averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 21.9 minutes of action... Has started 44 consecutive games for the Aggies... Is shooting 57.7 percent from the floor... Also had a career-high three assists versus CU- Colorado Springs. Senior Curtis Bobb... Scord a career-high 20 points versus Weber State and had 19 at Cal Poly... Played a career-high 34 minutes at Cal Poly and tied his career-high with three assists at Idaho Had a career-high nine rebounds at Idaho State... Has started all 16 games for USU this year... Averaging 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game... Shooting 46.1 percent from three-point range... Is averaging 15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in conference. Junior Brennan Ray... Tied his career-high with eight points against Weber State and Cal Poly this year... Tied his season-high with four rebounds at Cal Poly and at Idaho... Played a season- 24 high 24 minutes at Cal Poly... Had a career-high three assists versus South Florida in the semifinals of the Top of the World Classic... Averaging 14.3 minutes per game off the bench with 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. Senior Dion Bailey... Scored a season-high 10 points against Long Beach 25 State and Pacific... Had perhaps his best all-around game of his career versus Santa Clara with six points, five rebounds, five assits, and four steals in 26 minutes of action... Those four steals and 26 minutes of action where new careerhighs... Had a career-high seven assists versus Albany... Tied his career-high with six rebounds at Idaho State... Averaging 3.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 15.9 minutes per game. Points vs. Austin Peay State (11/19/00) Rebounds at Idaho (1/6/01) Assists... 3 CU-Colo. Springs (11/25/00) Blocks... 3 CU-Colo. Springs (11/25/00) Minutes at BYU (12/16/00) Points... 16(2) vs. Austin Peay State (11/19/00) Rebounds. 11(2) at Long Beach State (2/12/00) Assists... 3 CU-Colo. Springs (11/25/00) Blocks... 5(2) vs. New Mexico State (3/11/00) Minutes vs. New Mexico State (3/11/00) Points Weber State (12/23/00) Rebounds... 9 at Idaho State (11/29/00) Assists... 3 (4) at Idaho (1/6/01) Steals... 2 (2) Albany (12/29/00) Minutes at Cal Poly (1/4/01) Points Weber State (12/23/00) Rebounds... 9 at Idaho State (11/29/00) Assists... 3(6) at Idaho (1/6/01) Steals... 4 UC Irvine (1/15/00) Minutes at Cal Poly (1/4/01) Points... 8 (2) at Cal Poly (1/4/01) Rebounds... 4 (4) at Idaho (1/6/01) Assists... 3 vs. South Florida (11/18/00) Blocks...1 (3) Pacific (1/13/01) Minutes at Cal Poly (1/4/01) Points... 8 (3) at Cal Poly (1/4/01) Rebounds... 6 at Nevada (2/17/00) Assists... 3 vs.south Florida (11/18/00) Blocks... 2 New Mexico State (2/5/00) Minutes at Boise State (1/27/00) Points...10 (2) Pacific (1/13/01) Rebounds... 6 at Idaho State (11/29/00) Assists... 7 Albany (12/29/00) Steals... 4 vs. Santa Clara (11/17/00) Minutes vs. Santa Clara (11/17/00) Points...12(2) at Weber State (12/21/99) Rebounds... 6(4) at Idaho State (11/29/00) Assists... 7 Albany (12/29/00) Steals... 4 vs. Santa Clara (11/17/00) Minutes vs. Santa Clara (11/17/00) 11 Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

12 Junior Tony Brown... Scored 20-plus points for the third time this season with at Idaho, giving him seven 20-point games in his career, which is the most on the team... Those 23 points at Idaho is a season-high... Played a career-high 38 minutes versus Austin Peay State... Named the Big West Conference Player of the Week after leading USU to a runner-up finish in the TOWC... Tied his season-high with six assists against Utah and Weber... Averaging 12.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 30.4 minutes... Has scored in double-figures 41 times in his career. Sophomore Toraino Johnson... Scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed a career-high 32 five rebounds versus Albany... Had career-highs in assists with three and minutes with 20 against Montana Tech... Averaging 2.4 points and 1.6 rebound per game in 8.3 minutes of action. Sophomore Jason Napier... Saw his first action as an Aggie against 34 Montana Tech, playing five minutes... Went 0-of-2 from the field... Played one minute against Albany and did not score. Points at Idaho (1/6/01) Rebounds... 5 (3) Long Beach State (1/11/01) Assists... 6 (3) Weber State (12/23/00) Steals... 3 CU-Colo. Springs (11/25/00) Minutes vs. Austin Peay State (11/19/00) Points at New Mexico State (2/24/00) Rebounds... 7 at North Texas (2/26/00) Assists... 8 Fresno State (1/4/00) Steals... 5 Cal Poly (1/14/99) Minutes vs. Austin Peay State (11/19/00) Points Albany (12/29/00) Rebounds... 5 Albany (12/29/00) Assists...3 (3) Pacific (1/13/01) Steals... 1 (3) Albany (12/29/00) Minutes Montana Tech (12/9/00) Points Albany (12/29/00) Rebounds... 5 Albany (12/29/00) Assists...3 (3) Pacific (1/13/01) Steals... 1 (3) Albany (12/29/00) Minutes Montana Tech (12/9/00) Points... Rebounds... Assists... Steals... Minutes... 5 Montana Tech (12/9/00) Points... Rebounds... Assists... Steals... Minutes... 5 Montana Tech (12/9/00) R-Freshman Chad Evans... Scored his first points as an Aggie against Montana Tech with two on one-of-two shooting from the field... Also had the first rebound of his career in the game... Played 44 a career-high 14 minutes against the Orediggers... Had a career-high three rebounds and four points versus Albany... Averaging 0.9 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. Points... 4 Albany (12/29/00) Rebounds... 3 Albany (12/29/00) Assists... Steals... Minutes Montana Tech (12/9/00) Points... 4 Albany (12/29/00) Rebounds... 3 Albany (12/29/00) Assists... Steals... Minutes Montana Tech (12/9/00) 12 Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001

13 Utah State University Basketball Trends Overall Record , 4-0 When the Aggies......they are Play day games Play night games Lead at halftime Trail at halftime Are tied at halftime Shoot better from the field than opponent Shoot worse from the field than opponent Shoot the same from the field as opponent Shoot better from three-point range than opponent Shoot worse from three-point range than opponent Shoot the same from three-point range as opponent Shoot better from line than opponent Shoot worse from the line than opponent Shoot the same from the line as opponent Outrebound opponent Are outrebounded by opponent Are even in rebounds with opponent Have more offensive rebounds than opponent Have fewer offensive rebounds than opponent Have the same number of offensive rebounds Have more defensive rebounds than opponents Have fewer defensive rebounds than opponents Have the same number of defensive rebounds Commit fewer fouls than opponent Commit more fouls than opponent Commit same number of fouls Have more assists than opponent Have fewer assists than opponent Have same number of assists Commit fewer turnovers than opponent Commit more turnovers than opponent Commit the same number of turnovers Block more shots than opponent Block fewer shots than opponent Block the same number of shots Have more steals than opponent Have fewer steals than opponent Have same number of steals Starting frontline outscore the opponent s Starting frontline is outscored by the opponent s Starting frontlines scores same amount Starting backcourt outscore the opponent s Starting backcourt is outscored by the opponent s Starting backcourts scores same amount Bench outscore the opponent s Bench is outscored by the opponent s Bench scores same amount Utah State s Points Scored/Allowed Summary Record When Scoring Record When Allowing Utah State s Record When the Margin is... 1 (pt.) Utah State s Record by Month Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March Utah State s Record by Day of the Week Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat Starters/Non-Starters Production Summary Starters Bench Total/% Team Total/% Team Minutes 2178/68% 1047/32% Points 889/76% 286/24% Rebounds 349/60% 231/40% Miscellaneous Statistics Double Double Figure 20-Pt. Figure Double Games Scoring Games Reb(Ast) Doubles 3 Vincent Vague Daniels Rock Jorssen Bobb Ray Bailey T. Brown Johnson Napier Evans Scoring Average by Halves 1st Half 2nd Half OT Total Utah State Opponents Starting Lineups Daniels, Bobb, Jorssen, Rock, Brown Utah State Basketball Notes January 15, 2001